| . |
| . |
| . |
| . |
|
.
|
| . |
| . |
| . |
| . |
| . |
| . |
| . |
| . |
| . |
| . |
 |
|
|
Reducing
air pollution is one of the most pressing public policy challenges
facing the State of Texas. Failure to meet federal air quality mandates
will result in significant public health consequences1 and
hundreds of billions of dollars in lost economic development for Texas2.
Identifying the most effective and efficient approaches to improving air
quality requires a sound understanding of the emissions and atmospheric
processes that lead to air pollution.
Decades of air quality research, in Texas and elsewhere, have
dramatically improved understanding of the local factors that control
air quality in urban areas. Increasingly, however, air quality is
influenced by more than just local emissions. Regional, continental and
even global factors now have a significant influence on air quality in
Texas. Identifying the most effective and efficient balance between
local, regional and national air quality improvement actions will
require a new body of scientific information.
In response to this challenge, researchers from universities, state and
federal agencies, private industry, and local governments are joining
forces to conduct a major field study to address air quality issues in
the eastern half of Texas. Anticipated participants in the study program
will include the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), a
consortium of Texas universities, national labs and universities from
around the world, and other regional stakeholders. Leadership will be
provided by key participants from the University of Texas-Austin, the
University of Houston, Texas A&M University, Rice University, Lamar
University, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Texas
Environmental Research Consortium, the Texas Air Research Center, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of
Energy. The study, planned for a period extending from April 2005
through October 2006, will examine regional ozone formation, transport
of ozone and ozone precursors, meteorological and chemical modeling,
issues related to ozone formation by highly reactive emissions, and
particulate matter formation. It is anticipated that the information
from the study will be the scientific basis used for developing State
Implementation Plans (SIPs) for ozone (with concentrations averaged over
8 hours), regional haze, and, if necessary, for fine particulate matter
(particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter, PM2.5).
With the exception of El Paso County in west Texas, all violations of
the National Ambient Air Quality Standards are currently for ozone and
are located in the eastern half of the state. This same area is home to
the majority of the state’s business activity and population and is
often downwind of major source areas in the Eastern and Southern U.S..
This effort will be the third air quality study conducted in the state
since 1990; the second study conducted with major national
participation, and the first study to have an emphasis on regional,
rather than strictly urban, air quality. The Study will be conducted
during an eighteen-month period, from May, 2005, through September, 2006
and will focus on the eastern half of Texas. Meteorological data,
pollutant concentration data, and information on transport of pollutants
will be collected during the entire 18-month period. The scientific
effort will focus on the objectives outlined in this report, giving
particular attention to characterizing pollutant transport over regional
(~100-1000 km) scales and enhancement of tools used in the regulatory
process. This focus is required because of the shift in regulatory
emphasis away from the air pollutant concentrations averaged over short
periods of time (e.g., the ozone standard with ozone concentrations
averaged over one-hour) to air pollutant concentrations averaged over
longer time periods (e.g., particulate matter samples collected over 24
hours and ozone concentrations averaged over eight hours). Longer
averaging times mean broader geographical regions will influence air
pollutant concentrations. For example, ozone concentrations in the air
transported into Texas cities can frequently be in excess of 70ppb and
can often reach 80ppb. With the National Ambient Air Quality Standard
set at 85ppb, it is critical to identify and quantify the sources of
ozone and ozone precursors that lead to elevated regional concentrations
of ozone.
Addressing scientific uncertainties and collecting critical measurements
over regional scales will present many challenges. The plan presented in
this document identifies the methods and strategies that will be used to
successfully meet these challenges, as constrained by the resources
available to the study.
1Lurmann, F.W., Hall, J.V.,
Kleinman, M., Chinkin, L.R., Brajer, V., Meacher, D., Mummery, F.,
Arndt, R.L., Funk, T.H., Alcorn, S.H., and Kumar, N., “Assessment of
the Health Benefits of Improving Air Quality in Houston, Texas”, Final
report by Sonoma Technologies to the City of Houston
(STI-998460-1875-FR), November, 1999.
2Perryman Group, Report to Texas Conference of Urban
Counties, "The importance of maintaining a proper state
implementation plan (SIP) to address air quality issues in Texas: An
economic and fiscal impact assessment", November, 2002, available
at:
http://www.harc.edu/harc/Projects/AirQuality/Projects/Status/H14.aspx
|
