North Carolina Air Quality Update

1. N O R T H C A R O L I N A North Carolina Air Quality Update Presentation by: Sheila Holman, Director, NCDENR/DAQ Ozone Season Kickoff Event March 27, 2014 Land-of-Sky Regional Council Office

2. Topics to be covered: • Air Quality in North Carolina • Clean Smokestacks Act (CSA) • Noteworthy Federal Regulations • Air Quality Outreach and Education

3. Success !!! • Air Quality in NC continues to improve! • Standards and goals set a decade ago have been met! • 1997 Ozone standard • 1997 Fine particle standard • 2006 Lead standard • 2010 Nitrogen dioxide standard • 2010 Sulfur dioxide standard • 2012 Fine particle standard 2008 ozone standard - work to do in Charlotte. 2014-15 ozone standard - what will the new EPA standard look like? x ?

4. CSA Related NOx Reductions

5. CSA Related SO2 Reductions

6. Ozone Trends

7. Summer of 2013 • Wetter than normal, cooler than normal • Record low number of ozone exceedances – only one in 2013 (Hattie Ave at 77 ppb) • Now only two monitors violate the 2008 ozone standard • Both monitors are located in the Charlotte area

8. 2013 Summer Precipitation Rankings • Majority of NC received 125 to 200+% of normal precipitation during the summer months (June/July/August). • High precipitation amounts generally mean less sunlight, which means less ozone production and lower ground-level ozone concentrations. • 3rd wettest in last 119 years

9. 2013 Summer Temperature Rankings • 39th coldest June-August average temperatures in last 119 years • 3rd wettest in last 119 years

10. EPA Review of Ozone NAAQS • EPA released health/welfare risk & exposure assessment reports and policy assessment report • “Based on the staff evaluation presented in this draft document, staff preliminarily concludes that … consideration should be given to revising the standard to provide increased public health protection. With regard to potential alternative standards, staff concludes it is appropriate to consider standards with the same indicator, averaging time and form as the current standard with alternative levels within the range from 70 ppb to 60 ppb.” • Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) met in RTP in March; recommendation to EPA Administrator expected soon

11. 70 ppb

12. 65 ppb

13. 60 ppb

14. WNC Ozone Design values

15. 2012 PM2.5 Standard • New PM2.5 Standard Issued December 14, 2012 • Retained daily standard at 35 μg/m3 • Reduced annual standard to 12 μg/m3 • Went into effect Mar. 18, 2013 • All PM2.5 monitors within NC are currently attaining both the new daily and annual standards. • Schedule • Dec. 2014, EPA makes final designations • 2018 (3 yrs after designations), states submit plans • 2020 (<5 yrs after designations), states must meet the standards

16. PM2.5 Annual Design Values (2010-2013) • 4th quarter 2013 values have not yet been verified. These are the most updated verified values. All monitors meet the revised 12 μg/m3 annual standard.

17. WNC PM2.5 Annual Design Values By Site (2013 data unvalidated)

18. PM2.5 Daily Design Values(2010-2012) • 2013 PM2.5 values have not yet been verified, but 24-hour average design values are well within the 35 microgram-per-cubic-meter standard as of 2012. All monitors meet the 35 μg/m3 daily standard.

19. Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) • New 75 ppb 1-hour standard promulgated in 2010 • DAQ worked with sources of SO2 near the New Hanover monitoring site in 2011. Changes to permits were made. Emissions were reduced. • For North Carolina, EPA deferred designations until additional data are collected in un-monitored areas.

20. Emerging Issues • Implementation of the Short Term Sulfur Dioxide Standard • Air Quality Transport • Environmental Protection Agency’s Proposed New Ozone Standard • Environmental Protection Agency’s Final Action on the Finding of Deficiency for the State’s Start Up, Shut Down, Malfunction Provisions • Implementation of the President’s Climate Action Plan • Regional haze planning beyond 2018

21. Tier 3 Vehicle and Fuel Standards • Phase in between 2017 and 2025 • Affects manufacturers of gasoline light-duty vehicles and trucks, medium-duty passenger vehicles, and heavy-duty pickups and vans • Tighter fleet-average VOC and NOx tailpipe standards • 80% reduction from today’s fleet average • Tighter PM tailpipe standard • 70% reduction in per-vehicle standard • Evaporative emissions standards • Reduced fuel vapor emissions and improved system durability • Projected to cost < 1 cent/gallon • Adds about $72 per new vehicle

22. Tier 3 Vehicle and Fuel Standards (Cont’d) • Affects Refiners and Importers of Gasoline • Lowers the average sulfur standard from 30 to 10 ppm starting January 1, 2017 • Systems approach to achieve national reductions (avoid more expensive local controls)

23. NC Air Awareness Program

24. It’s Our Air (IOA) Project • A high school air quality curriculum IOA has three Modules. 1) Air Pollutants and Their Sources 2) Predicting Air Pollution 3) Air Pollution Problems & Solutions • First module (6 activities and 5 videos) will be completed by June 1st & available free online at www.itsourair.org

25. Clean Air Excellence Award • DAQ was awarded for our “Clean School Bus NC: Kids Breathe Here” project • Clean Air Excellence Awards Program recognizes and honors outstanding and innovative efforts to achieve cleaner air • Our project focused on Clean Air Technologies, Education, Regulatory / Policy Innovations, and Transportation Efficiency AWARD

26. National Air Quality Week • April 28th – May 2nd • Local programs across the state will be promoting and participating in events • NC Air Awareness will work with local businesses, transit providers, and organizations to get the word out

27. North Carolina Division of Air Quality Sheila Holman Director Visit our web site: http://www.ncair.org/ Sheila.Holman@ncdenr.gov