BOARD MEETING DATE: February 13, 1998 AGENDA NO. 21
PROPOSAL:
Approve the Technical Enhancement Program for the Year 2000 AQMP Revision Workplan
SYNOPSIS:
To provide a sound technical foundation for the year 2000 AQMP Revision, the AQMD is embarking on a comprehensive Technical Enhancement Program (TEP 2000). TEP 2000 will expand upon the 1995 PM10 Technical Enhancement Program improvements and will focus on enhancements in the areas of monitoring, emissions inventory, and air quality modeling. Staff has identified $539,000 within the Fiscal Year 1997-98 Budget and an additional $432,000 from the pending Three-Year Budget Forecast to partially fund the $1,339,888 to $1,415,888 program. Staff will seek to obtain co-sponsorships to fully fund the program.
COMMITTEE:
Mobile Source, December 11, 1997, fewer than three members were present and therefore, pursuant to the Procedures for Standing Committees of the Governing Board, the Committee provides this communication but no recommendation.Administrative, January 23, 1998, Recommended for Approval
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
- Approve the TEP 2000 Workplan.
- Direct staff to seek co-sponsorship from the key participants in the AQMP process for the remainder of the TEP 2000 funding needs.
Barry Wallerstein, D.Env.
Acting Executive Officer
Background
The 2000 AQMP revision will include an attainment demonstration for the existing and new ambient air quality standards. In order to provide a sound technical foundation for the 2000 AQMP revision, the AQMD is embarking on a comprehensive Technical Enhancement Program (TEP 2000).
The AQMD’s preliminary assessment of the new standards concluded that additional emission reductions beyond those included in the 1997 AQMP will be needed to meet the new standards. The same assessment also pointed to the need for further technical enhancements in the areas of current state of knowledge relative to the newly defined pollutants, emission source characterization, and modeling techniques.
The purpose of TEP 2000 is to address the above issues and provide AQMD staff with improved tools and the necessary knowledge to identify the regionally optimal future strategies to meet the new and existing air pollutant standards. The program will build upon and expand the improvements established by the 1995 PM10 Technical Enhancement Program.
After consulting with the AQMP Advisory Group and other experts in academia, industry, and the environmental community, AQMD staff is recommending improvements in three major areas: fine particulate monitoring, emissions inventory, and air quality modeling capabilities. The attached TEP 2000 Workplan contains a module for each of these three areas:
Module 1 - Enhanced Ambient Air Monitoring: The objective of the enhanced monitoring is to better characterize the emissions, formation and transport of fine particulates across the Basin. The proposed monitoring program would include 24-hour sampling and one-in-three day sampling schedule from August 1998 through July 1999 at eight Basin sites. The cost of this module is estimated to range from $514,888 to $590,888. An additional optional improvement, in the event adequate funding is secured, would be the installation of three wind profilers to add to the two existing sites at LAX and Ontario Airports. Staff has identified $234,000 in the 1997-98 Budget and $282,000 from the Three-Year Budget Forecast for Fiscal Years 1998-99 / 1999-2000 / 2000-01 (pending Three-Year Budget Forecast) for this module.
Module 2 - Emissions Inventory Enhancements: The emission inventory efforts will focus on better quantifying emissions from mobile, stationary and ammonia sources, speciation of VOC and PM emissions, enhancement of growth forecasting methodologies and characterizing the increasingly important weekend episodes. Better quantification of emission sources will be critical in formulating the most cost-effective control strategy. The cost of this module is estimated at $325,000. Staff has identified $230,000 in the 1997-98 Budget for this module. Staff will be seeking co-sponsor to fund the remaining $95,000 in inventory studies.
Module 3 - Air Quality Modeling Enhancements: The objective of this module is to enhance the AQMD’s modeling capabilities for the South Coast Air Basin and Coachella Valley using the best available aerometric and emissions data to address the existing and new air quality standards. The AQMD will also establish an independent technical review process to evaluate the proposed enhancements. The cost of the proposed modeling enhancements is estimated at $500,000. The option to significantly upgrade existing computer systems will also be considered if adequate funding is identified. Staff has identified $75,000 in the 1997-98 Budget and $150,000 from the pending Three-Year Budget Forecast for this module. Staff will be seeking co-sponsors for the remaining work, especially contributions from U.S. EPA and ARB.
Fiscal Impacts
TEP 2000 will be conducted during 1998 and 1999 and, in its proposed form, is estimated to cost from $1,339,888 to $1,415,888. The final cost and scope of TEP 2000, however, will be adjusted based on the level of funding available. From the Services and Supplies Major Object in the FY 1997-98 Budget, the following funds ($539,000) can be allocated to TEP 2000 projects [ At the beginning of FY 1998-99, staff will request the Board to re-appropriate any unexpended funds from the TEP 2000 Program in FY 1997-98, which would revert to the Undesignated Reserves on June 30, 1998, to the TEP 2000 Program in FY 1998-99.] as shown in Attachment A:
Applied Science and Technology Division:
$30,000 CEMS Optical Remote Sensing (Professional and Special Services)
$54,000 Lab Supplies (805 Account)
Technology Advancement Office (Professional and Special Services Account):
$150,000 Transportation Research (Clean Fuels Program)
Planning and Policy (Professional and Special Services Account):
$80,000 PM10 and Ozone Model Development
$55,000 Long-Term Measures Development
$50,000 New Standards Analysis
$20,000 Mobile Source Special Studies
$15,000 Area Source Emission Enhancements
$55,000 CEQA Documentation
$30,000 Socioeconomic Data Acquisition
Staff also identified $432,000 from the pending Three-Year Budget forecast that may be available to the TEP 2000 program pending the Board’s approval of the FY1998-1999 and FY 1999-2000 Budgets:
1998-1999 Budget:
Planning and Policy (Professional and Special Services Account):
$80,000 PM10 and Ozone Model Development
$50,000 Long-Term Measures Development
$50,000 New Standards Analysis
$15,000 Mobile Source Special Studies
$15,000 Area Source Emission Enhancements
$50,000 CEQA Documentation
$25,000 Emission Fee Billing
Applied Science and Technology Division:
$40,000 Temporary Services (746 Account)
$32,000 Lab Supplies (805 Account)
$10,000 Contract Lab Support (745 Account)
$ 5,000 Equipment and Upgrades (900 Account)
1999-2000 Budget:
Applied Science and Technology Division:
$60,000 Temporary Services (746 Account)
Thus, the AQMD has identified the possibility of $971,000 to partially fund the desired $1,339,888 to $1,415,888 program. Co-sponsorship from the key participants in the AQMP process will be sought for the remainder of the funding needs.
Proposal
Staff proposes that the Board approve the TEP 2000 Workplan and instruct staff to seek co-sponsorship from the key participants in the AQMP process for the remainder of the TEP 2000 funding needs.
A) Summary of Funding Needs and Resources
B) List of Potential Co-sponsors
C) TEP 2000 Workplan
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