Air Quality Information

CCMPO/CCRPC Draft Report: "Keeping Our Air Clean": Local and Regional Strategies to Improve Air Quality in Chittenden County.

The Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCMPO) and the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) have been studying air quality issues in Chittenden County. The results and findings from this study are documented in the draft report, Keeping Our Air Clean – Local and Regional Strategies to Improve Air Quality in Chittenden County.

This is an informational report, not a policy document. The purposes of the report are:

To inform and guide the CCMPO and CCRPC boards in prioritizing Work Program tasks related to air quality; and

To identify strategies that individuals, employers and municipalities can implement to improve air quality.

We invite you to review and comment on the report. Please submit comments.

AASHTO Report: "Real Transportation Solutions for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions".
FHWA Report: "Assessing the Effects of Freight Movement on Air Quality at the National and Regional Level".
View the online Air Quality Glossary.

New Ozone Standard Update-FAQs

On March 12, 2008 the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new Ozone standard of 0.075 parts per million (ppm) for our nation. In lowering the standard from 0.080 ppm, the EPA is confirming what the scientific community has been saying for some time now - Ozone at the old standard allows for critical health issues across our country and even in Vermont. The lowering of the standard requires action across the country to reduce Ozone emissions; however, it is worth doing from a health care and societal perspective as well.

The following are answers to some of the frequently asked questions about the EPA's decision, what it means for Chittenden County, and what actions (if any) we should be taking.

Does the EPA's Action Resolve Ozone Health and Air Quality Issues?

This is currently unknown but the EPA decision is a step in the right direction. However, the scientific community has been calling for the standard to be lowered even further, in the range of 0.060 and 0.070 ppm, to fully address the health impacts. Thus, one might expect to see additional action in the future, either in the form of court cases to try and force the standard lower, or by the EPA making adjustments after gathering data based on this new standard.

What does this mean for Chittenden County, Vermont?

Fortunately, in the short term our air quality meets the new standard (we are "in attainment") and our trends are positive. Chittenden County has a monitoring station in Underhill which continuously gathers air quality data on factors such as Ozone. We have access to data from 1987 through 2006, and during a fair amount of that time our Ozone levels were above the new standard. The 2006 data has our region at 0.068 ppm, which is close to the new standard. Additionally, the trend for the couple of years prior to that is positive. One needs to take a bit of caution in observing these trends over the short term as Ozone levels can be increased by hot summer temperatures.

Over the coming months we should gain access to the data for 2007 as it is currently undergoing quality assurance processing by the State. Once they can certify its accuracy it will be released to the public.

How does the Ozone Standard Work?

This very complicated measure is made more complex in how it is derived. The standard calls for the 3-year average of the 4th highest maximum 8-hour concentration. This provides for the averaging of different types of weather in summers when concentrations are typically highest. Though complicated, the standard tries to balance data spikes by calculating an average rather than looking only at minimum or maximum data readings.

So We Comply - Why Should We Care?

As noted previously this may or may not be the last word on the new standard. As recently as a few months ago the EPA Administrator was suggesting a much lower standard. Secondly, a couple of really hot and sunny summers could put our region near or over this standard. In short, our air meets the official standard from an Ozone perspective, but we are somewhere in the middle of where the scientific community says there are unacceptable health impacts.

Beyond health impacts (which should be reason enough) there are serious economic consequences should our region fall "out of attainment" (i.e., violate the standard for Ozone) with the new or future standards. Should that occur we would be required by federal law to build an emissions budget for Ozone. In other words, we would need to demonstrate how we would lower our Ozone in ways that would get the air in our region to comply with the standards - a reasonable expectation by most any measure.

Building this emissions budget is a very complicated task, however, and requires a great deal of time, money and expertise. While a region builds an emissions budget all initiatives that have a transportation impact or consequence are required by federal law to undergo conformity testing prior to being approved. Conformity testing determines if the project adds to or detracts from meeting the emissions budget - again, a reasonable enough question. The challenge is that emissions budgets, due to their very complicated nature, often take years to develop and get approved.

During the period when a region has fallen out of attainment and is building its emission budget (called a State Implementation Plan or SIP), projects still have to undergo conformity testing in order to get approved. However, since there is no emissions budget to test against, nothing moves forward.

So What Can Our Region Do?

First the good news: we currently comply with the new EPA standard. That said, we are hedging against either a worsening of our air quality or a future lowering of the standard.

There is a lot at stake and the Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCMPO) believes we should get ready now. We are close to issuing a contract to develop additional transportation modeling tools for our region that will enable us to perform air quality modeling. This will make it possible for our region to develop our own emissions budget, hopefully long before we ever fall out of attainment. We expect this modeling effort to take about a year to complete. During this time we also are developing, in partnership with the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, a regional air quality plan that will suggest ideas for lowering emissions so that we can then use the model to "test" those ideas for their effectiveness.

Are There Other Air Quality Standards To Be Concerned With?

In addition to Ozone, our region has been quite close to the standard for fine Particulate Matter (called PM 2.5). The same issues about health problems and economic development impacts would be affected should we fall out of compliance with this standard as well. As with Ozone, we are currently under the EPA standard for PM 2.5.

What If We Never Fall Out of Attainment With These Standards?

We all win! Our region and particularly our children and elderly will have fewer health problems. In fact, we would rather be developing these modeling tools and plans as a way to avoid falling out of compliance with these standards. In doing so we improve the quality of life for our residents and visitors, and we avoid the immense regulatory burden that comes with violating these standards.

Air quality has been taken for granted for many years in Vermont; we have been the envy of the nation as one of very few states that comply with all standards. To maintain this position of envy and enjoy all the wonderful health and quality of life benefits that go with it requires that we begin to act now. The transportation sector is a large contributor to this challenge and must be a leader in helping to find ways to address these issues now. At the CCMPO we look forward to meeting these challenges and to keeping our air clean, our health high, and our economy moving!

Air Quality Resources

For further information, contact Christine Forde at 802.660.4071 x13.