Air Quality Conference Athens, Greece March 19, 2012-March 23, 2012

1. Air Quality ConferenceAthens, GreeceMarch 19, 2012-March 23, 2012

2. Air Quality Conference • Provided a wonderful opportunity to exchange district information and work with a wide array of peers throughout the world • Papers focused on developing technologies and equipment relating to air quality • Papers were technical & detailed on a variety of air pollution controls and discoveries • Several papers presented provided information & technologies practical for district activities in 2012 & moving forward • Allowed contact and discussions with professionals in other countries • Conference design provided three simultaneous presentations in three different locations

3. Air Quality Conference • Some of the presentations attended include: • Measuring ozone & no2 from space • Transport of pm2.5 and pmfines • Distribution of ozone precursors in Lake Tahoe, USA • Domestic wood combustion impact on air quality in Lombardy region (northern Italy) • Considering multiple effects & multiple pollutants for comprehensive air quality management

4. Air Quality Conference • Discussions with Colleagues • Shortly before my presentation for the conference, one of the principle organizers, Professor Bernard Fisher with the Environmental Agency of the United Kingdom, introduced himself and asked how our agency was structured within the political structure of the U.S. As I explained how we were structured, he commented that when he saw the paper the Abstract submitted by us, he realized that he was extremely pleased to see the paper, and that we were attending. I asked why, and he answered that at these conferences they rarely have the opportunity to see the real effects of the research they conduct.

5. Air Quality Conference • Discussions with Colleagues • As I began my presentation, I was surprised as I looked around the room, and not only were all the seats taken, but there was barely standing room only. • During, and after the presentation, there were excellent questions concerning the effects of the wildfires on the communities, transport of pollutants, our methodology for calculating emissions, the effects of high PM on the population, our Clean Air Shelters, cooperation between so many agencies, etc. • The questioning went on until the moderator finally cut the questions off to end the session. • I had multiple requests for my card so that follow-up discussions might be possible.

6. Air Quality Conference: Athens 2012 Evaluation of the Air Quality Management Challenges in California’s North Coast Air Basin North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District Richard L. Martin, APCO Heather Emke Genesis Rivas

7. Who We Are • NCUAQMD is a governmental regulatory • agency, tasked with protecting the health • and safety of the public by regulating air • resources • Serve Del Norte, Trinity and Humboldt Counties • 7800 sq. miles of forest, mountains and coastline • in Northern CA which creates hundreds • of microclimates • About the size of the country of Israel

8. 2008 Wildfires in Northern CA • Between June 20, and August 18, 2008 lighting strike wildfires burned over 600,000 acres of land in and around the District area. • Out of the 1.34 million acres burned by wildfires in California that year, approximately 30% of the total acreage burned was in Trinity County • Wildfires in Trinity County alone cost USFS $150 million in suppression efforts. Trinity County and its adjacent counties received less than a quarter of the $150 million, and Trinity County received only about 5% of that economic input from the government.

9. Air Monitoring Thirteen counties in California declared a State of Emergency due to the wildfires Wildfires exposed residents to hazardous amounts of particulate matter (PM2.5) Pyrogenic emissions were calculated to be 8,350,000 short tons of pollution, or 69,583 short tons per day over the course of the 120 day event. • Microclimates and scattered population present challenges for the District regarding communication to rural communities • Determining how much of an impact the wildfires had on these populations was a challenge. • Within four days of the onset of the fires, the District installed 11 MET One EBAM monitors. Assistance provided by USEPA, CARB and SDAPCD

10. Air Monitoring cont. • Summertime inversions throughout the District’s microclimates trapped the wildfire smoke close to the ground. • Exposure to PM 2.5 exacerbates many health problems such as: • aggravated asthma • increased respiratory difficulties • irritation to the eyes and throat • development of chronic bronchitis • decreased lung function • nonfatal heart attacks

11. Health Alerts 49 PSAs were issued through September 12, 2008. 659 Air Quality Alerts were issued on 70 straight days to 28 different communities within the District. 8 Hazardous Air Quality Alerts were issued during the event Because air quality in the North Coast is usually rated as “healthy”, residents didn’t understand the serious nature of an air quality rating that was unhealthy or hazardous

12. Lessons Learned: Interagency Cooperation-Three different counties’ OES and Health departments-Federal/state/local fire suppression agencies Action Event Plan -Templates created in advance for joint issuance -Aids in consistency and timeliness

13. Lessons Learned: cont. Tribal Interaction-Sovereign nations bound by federal laws must go through local and state channels to secure federal disaster relief and be declared a State Of Emergency by the Governor. Clean Air Shelters -PM 2.5 trapped in HEPA filters -Other emergency services available to the public

14. Smoke Spotter Program Modeled after the NOAA Weather Spotting Program Initial Volunteers were Weather Spotters; previously trained in recognizing smoke vs. fog, and judging distances. Additional Spotters were found in locations near the fires All spotters are asked to volunteer every year prior to any fires During a fire, those nearby are asked to actively participate

15. CO Emissions CO2is created once these emissions mix with Oxygen in the atmosphere CO2 (a GHG) has an atmospheric lifetime of approximately 100 years • 5,600,000 short tons of CO were released during the wildfire event • By comparison, the EPA has estimated that Los Angeles County emits approximately 2,000,000 short tons of CO per year. The District emitted almost triple that amount of CO during the 120 days of the wildfires.

16. Global Impacts • CA is leading the U.S. in Greenhouse Gas reduction efforts and passed Assembly Bill 32 which seeks to return GHG levels to pre-1990 levels by the year 2020. • While these GHGs were released from a natural source due to an exceptional event, the emissions still contributed to the Greenhouse Effect and will remain in the atmosphere for anywhere from a decade to several centuries. • These types of emissions, while a significant source of pollution, are not addressed in AB32.

17. Conclusion By understanding the greater environmental and economic impacts of a localized natural disaster, governmental regulatory agencies can better prepare and provide for the common goal of public health and safety

18. Questions?