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Funding of Regional Planning Organizations

Funding of Regional Planning Organizations. May, 2006. Regional Planning Organizations. Authorized by Congress in 1999.

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Funding of Regional Planning Organizations

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  1. Funding of Regional Planning Organizations May, 2006

  2. Regional Planning Organizations • Authorized by Congress in 1999. • EPA/Governors recognized 5 existing organizations to serve as RPOs. • Responsible for assisting the States in addressing Regional Haze. • Performing ozone/PM2.5 planning as a baseline to extend to Regional Haze • Regional Haze SIPs due December 2007. • States need 12-18 months lead time to complete SIP work and State reviews RPO deliverables due to States December (2006)

  3. Regional Planning Organizations (RPOs) • RPOs were created for the purpose of supporting development of the Regional Haze SIPs • By the end of 2007, EPA will have invested almost $62 million in the Regional Planning Organizations • This investment has resulted in creating a technical and organizational capacity reaching well beyond Regional Haze SIP development. • The majority of EPA’s investment has been in regional data systems for monitoring, modeling and data collection and analyses to provide more detailed information and a better understanding of regional haze. • These capabilities can be further utilized to support States in the development of their PM and ozone attainment strategies • RPOs have demonstrated their abilities to collaborate and facilitate the development of multi-state air quality management plans that prior to the existence of RPOs was difficult, if not impossible to complete. • RPOs are well positioned to move the federal, state and tribal partnership to the next level of collaboration to address a broader set of air quality issues. • There should be savings in PM and Ozone SIP development costs for States because of the RPOs

  4. Future of Air Quality Management • The National Academy of Science’s 2004 report on Air Quality Management in the United States recommended that there be increased collaboration in SIP planning and control-strategy development , utilizing regional approaches to SIP planning. • Regional approaches are critical to making progress on air quality issues that will only get more complicated, and are typically less suited to traditional regulatory approaches and controls. • Regional planning is predicated on multi-state coordination to resolve issues nominally beyond the abilities of independent state action. • Regional planning is a cost effective approach to developing multi-pollutant strategies, multi-state SIPs, and sharing the cost of technical and policy development • Regional planning provides a forum for strategic planning, focusing on federal and state priorities, and coordinating respective roles and activities.

  5. Evolving the RPOs Role • Almost 85% of the PM areas and over a third of the ozone areas that will require additional controls are in the 3 eastern RPOs (MANE-VU, Midwest, VISTAS) • MANE-VU (OTC) and Midwest-RPO (LADCO) have extensive experience addressing ozone • While 18 ozone areas are in the WRAP domain, 15 of these are in California and 1 each in AZ, CO and NV. WRAP is not involved in PM and ozone SIP work • CENRAP is not involved in PM and ozone SIP work

  6. Beyond 2007 • All RPOs will need to continue to support Regional Haze implementation work (tracking of progress) • RPOs possess the tools and experience to move into multi-pollutant, multi-state planning • Established a valuable forum for data exchange, analysis and joint planning • Enhanced communication and working relations between States and between RPOs. • Base level funding needed to support a continuing role for the RPOs but allocations need to be reflective of the different levels of regional work required.

  7. Regional Haze Support Beyond December 2007 Congress set goal of natural air quality conditions in our parks by 2064. Regional Haze Rule requires ten-year plans and progress reports every five years. Beginning in 2008, EPA must engage the 50 states and tribes, as well as the federal land managers, in our process to review and act on the Regional Haze SIPs within 18 months of submittal. Once plans are approved, we must continue to make progress towards national goal, updating models, inventories, control strategies. RPOs will continue to facilitate consultation regarding reasonable further progress goals for each Class I area. RPO Funding 1999-2007 FY07 funding may not be sufficient to address State needs.

  8. PM and Ozone Nonattainment Areas by RPO Domain

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