Past, Present, and Future? AWMA-Central Texas Chapter July 19 th , - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

spiritenv.com

Houston Ozone – Past, Present, and Future?

AWMA-Central Texas Chapter July 19th, 2018

spiritenv.com

Ozone – Past, Present, and Future? Items for today’s discussion:

• 2015 Ozone Standard
• 2008 Ozone Standard

Both standards are 8-Hour Ozone Standards

2

spiritenv.com

Ozone – Past, Present, and Future? What is an 8-Hour Ozone Standard? It’s the 3-year average, of the annual 4th highest daily maximum 8-hour concentration, measured at each monitoring site.

3

spiritenv.com

Ozone – Past, Present, and Future? Monitoring Site, What Monitoring Site? Many areas of the country have ambient air monitors that look for ozone. Most areas have multiple monitors. To show compliance with the standard, the 3-year average of the annual 4th highest daily maximum 8-hour concentration must be equal to or less than the standard at each monitor.

4

spiritenv.com

Ozone – Past, Present, and Future? What happens if an area does not meet the standard?

• The area is designated a “nonattainment area”
• State Implementation Plan (“SIP”) rules are

developed to get the area back into compliance (attainment) with the standard

• New Major Sources, and Major Modifications
• f Existing Major Sources, must apply:
• Lowest Achievable Emission Rate (“LAER”) controls,

and

• Offsets for a projects emission increase

5

spiritenv.com

Ozone – Past, Present, and Future? Background Information:

• Existing Ozone Standards
• 2015 Standard – Set at 70 ppb
• 2008 Standard – Set at 75 ppb

6

spiritenv.com

2015 Ozone Standard

7

spiritenv.com

2015 Ozone Standard

Timeline:

• October 1, 2015: EPA reduced the ozone

NAAQS from 75 ppb (2008 standard) to 70 ppb (2015 standard).

• October 1, 2016: States submitted their

recommendations for proposed ozone designations to the EPA, based on 2013-2015 data.

• June 28, 2017: EPA published notice extending

the deadline for promulgating designations under the 2015 ozone standard.

8

spiritenv.com

2015 Ozone Standard

• August 10, 2017: After being sued by a coalition of

15 states and the District of Columbia, EPA withdraws the extension for promulgating designations under the 2015 ozone standard.

• October 1, 2017: EPA date to finalize designations

submitted by the states, based on 2014-2016 data.

• October 2, 2017: EPA misses the deadline to

promulgate designations under the 2015 ozone standard.

9

spiritenv.com

2015 Ozone Standard

• October 3, 2017: EARTHJUSTICE files a “Notice of

Intent to Sue” for EPA’s failure to designate under the 2015 ozone standard.

• November 16, 2017: EPA publishes a Final Rule

(Round 1) designating “attainment and unclassifiable” areas under the 2015 ozone standard. (Effective January 16, 2018)

• January 5, 2018: EPA publishes a “Notice of

Availability and Public Comment” document, which contains EPA’s responses to State Designation Recommendations for the 2015 Ozone Standard.

10

spiritenv.com

2015 Ozone Standard

• April 30, 2018: EPA Issues a notification that they will

publish Final Rule (Round 2) designating “nonattainment” areas under the 2015 ozone standard.

• June 4, 2018: EPA publishes the Final Rule (Round

2) designating “nonattainment” areas under the 2015

• zone standard. (Effective August 3, 2018)
• July 17, 2018: EPA (Pre-Publication Document)

Finalizes Designations and Classifications for the eight county San Antonio metropolitan area.

• Bexar County – Marginal Nonattainment
• Remaining Seven Counties – Attainment/Unclassifiable

11

spiritenv.com

2015 Ozone Standard

2015 Ozone Standard Classification Ranges

* But not Including: Example – 71 ppb up to but not including 81 ppb

12

Classification Concentration Range Marginal 71 ppb to 81 ppb* Moderate 81 ppb to 93 ppb* Serious 93 ppb to 105 ppb* Severe - 15 105 ppb to 111 ppb* Severe - 17 111 ppb to 163 ppb* Extreme ≥ 163 ppb

spiritenv.com

Texas Existing and Proposed Ozone Nonattainment Areas

13

spiritenv.com

Existing 2008 Ozone Standard

Texas

Existing 2008 Ozone Standard Nonattainment Areas (Both areas are classified as “Moderate” nonattainment):

• Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (“HGB”)
• Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris,

Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller counties

• Dallas-Fort Worth (“DFW”)
• Collin, Callas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman,

Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise counties

14

spiritenv.com

Existing 2008 Ozone Standard

15

Existing 8-Hour Nonattainment Area(s) – 2008 Ozone Standard (75 ppb)

spiritenv.com

2015 Ozone Standard

Proposed 2015 Ozone Standard Nonattainment Areas In addition to the existing DFW and HGB Nonattainment Areas… New Counties Include:

• Hood County
• Bexar County
• El Paso County (with exception of tribal lands*)

* Ysleta Del Sur Reservation or Trust Lands

16

spiritenv.com

2015 Proposed (Using 2013 – 2015 Data)

17

Proposed 8-Hour Nonattainment Area(s) – 2015 Ozone Standard (70 ppb) In addition to existing 2008 area Includes New Counties Hood, Bexar, El Paso Existing 8-Hour Nonattainment Area(s) – 2008 Ozone Standard (75 ppb)

spiritenv.com

2015 EPA Final (Using 2014 – 2016 Data)

18

EPA Intended 8-Hour Nonattainment Area(s) – 2015 Ozone Standard (70 ppb) Includes – Modified Version of the Existing 2008 areas + Bexar County Does Not Include – Hood, El Paso Counties Existing 8-Hour Nonattainment Area(s) – 2008 Ozone Standard (75 ppb)

spiritenv.com

2015 Ozone Standard

19

Houston- Galveston- Brazoria (HGB) Texas Recommended Nonattainment Counties Texas Updated Recommended Nonattainment Counties EPA’s Final Nonattainment Counties Brazoria Chambers Fort Bend Galveston Harris Liberty Montgomery Waller Brazoria Chambers Fort Bend Galveston Harris Montgomery Brazoria Chambers Fort Bend Galveston Harris Montgomery

spiritenv.com

2015 Ozone Standard

Where Do We Stand ? Final Classifications:

• HGB – Marginal

As an FYI….

• DFW – Marginal
• Bexar County - Marginal

20

spiritenv.com

2015 Ozone Standard

21

Nonattainment NSR Levels and Requirements For Marginal and Moderate Ozone Classifications

Note: Major Source, Netting Trigger Levels, Major Modifications, and Offset Ratios start becoming much more stringent for “Serious” nonattainment classifications and above.

spiritenv.com

2008 Ozone Standard

22

spiritenv.com

2008 Ozone Standard

Current Status: 2008 Ozone Standard

• Texas:
• HGB – Moderate Nonattainment
• DFW – Moderate Nonattainment

23

spiritenv.com

2008 Ozone Standard

Moderate Classifications – Attainment Date: July 2018 If a Moderate nonattainment area fails to attain the standard, is there an “extension possibility”? – YES

24

spiritenv.com

2008 Ozone Standard

One (1) year extension if: The area’s 4th highest daily maximum 8-Hour average is at, or below the level of the standard (75 ppb) during the year preceding the extension year. In this case, the “extension year” would be 2018, the preceding year for comparison is 2017.

25

spiritenv.com

2008 Ozone Standard

So, Where Do We Stand? HGB – Currently Not Attaining

• Not expected to be eligible for an extension
• 2017 already shows concentrations above the

standard (75 ppb)

DFW – Currently Not Attaining

• Not expected to be eligible for an extension
• 2017 already shows concentrations above the

standard (75 ppb)

26

spiritenv.com

2008 Ozone Standard

Extension Example – HGB Bump-Up

Note: The next classification following a Bump-Up is “Serious”

27

spiritenv.com

2008 Ozone Standard

28

spiritenv.com

2008 Ozone Standard

The BIG Question? What’s going to happen with the 2008 ozone standard? Will it be revoked and replaced by the 2015

• zone standard?

29

spiritenv.com

2008 Ozone Standard

There are three (3) generally accepted paths of possibility: 1) The 2008 Standard is revoked in its entirety 2) The 2008 Standard is revoked, but the NSR provisions are left in place (this is what EPA did with the 1997 ozone standard) 3) The 2008 Standard remains in effect

30

spiritenv.com

In Summary

31

spiritenv.com

Questions?

32