Kansas City Air Quality, Emissions, and Strategies

Douglas WatsonKansas Department of Health and EnvironmentBureau of Air and RadiationJanuary 10, 2006

Ground-Level Ozone

Chemically identical to ozone in upper atmosphere

Ground level ozone primarily result of man’s activities

Ground level Ozone formed by chemical reaction of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx)

More Ground level Ozone

VOCs and NOX come from cars, trucks, small businesses, utilities & large industry

Ozone concentrations typically high on hot, sunny days with light winds

Can trigger breathing problems, esp. in those who have asthma, emphysema, or other respiratory conditions

Even More Ground-Level Ozone

Chemical formula – O3

VOCs + NOx + heat + sunlight → O3

Ambient ozone concentration results from background, transported in, and homegrown

8-Hour Ozone Standard Health-based standard issued in 1997 Court challenge delayed

implementation Better accounts for prolonged

exposures 8-Hour standard = 0.084 ppm (84 ppb) Form of the standard:

4th high 8-hour daily maximum for each year Values are averaged over three years Each year, oldest year value is dropped and new

year added

8-Hour Ozone Standard

Design Value for a MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) is the highest value from all sites.

Violation occurs if three-year average of fourth highest daily maximum 8-hour ozone exceeds 84 ppb

Kansas City would have violated standard in 1999, 2000 & 2002

KC Region Ozone History

From mid-1970s through early 1990s, KC metro area did not meet EPA standard

In 1992, area was redesignated attainment for 1-hr ozone standard

Area violated 1-hr standard in mid-1990s Area has met the 1-hour standard in 2000s

8-Hour Ozone Design Values - Kansas City MSA

0.086

0.090

0.092

0.0940.093

0.091

0.089

0.084

0.085

0.083

0.089

0.084

0.0820.082 0.0820.082

0.084

0.094

0.088 0.088

0.096

0.076

0.078

0.080

0.082

0.084

0.086

0.088

0.090

0.092

0.094

0.096

0.098

0.100

82-84

83-85

84-86

85-87

86-88

87-89

88-90

89-91

90-92

91-93

92-94

93-95

94-96

95-97

96-98

97-99

98-00

99-01

00-02

01-03

02-04

Period

PP

M

2005 Ozone 8-Hour Daily Maximum - KC Metro Area

0.000

0.010

0.020

0.030

0.040

0.050

0.060

0.070

0.080

0.090

0.100

0.110

0.120

4/1/

2005

4/8/

2005

4/15

/200

5

4/22

/200

5

4/29

/200

5

5/6/

2005

5/13

/200

5

5/20

/200

5

5/27

/200

5

6/3/

2005

6/10

/200

5

6/17

/200

5

6/24

/200

5

7/1/

2005

7/8/

2005

7/15

/200

5

7/22

/200

5

7/29

/200

5

8/5/

2005

8/12

/200

5

8/19

/200

5

8/26

/200

5

9/2/

2005

9/9/

2005

9/16

/200

5

9/23

/200

5

9/30

/200

5

10/7

/200

5

10/1

4/20

05

10/2

1/20

05

10/2

8/20

05

DATE

PP

M

JFK Johnson Co. Heritage Park Leavenworth US Penitentiary Liberty Rocky Creek

8-Hour Standard = .084 PPM

Variables in the KC Ozone Equation

Weather Emission Reductions/Increases

Clean Air Interstate Rule Tier 2 Vehicle and fuels rule Heavy Duty Diesel rule Regional Haze rule Voluntary programs Flint Hills burning emissions

Weather

Temperature and Ozone (Rocky Cr. 8-hr. Ozone - 2004)

0.010

0.030

0.050

0.070

0.090

0.110

0.130

DATE

8-h

r. O

zo

ne

(p

pm

)

-150

-140

-130

-120

-110

-100

-90

-80

-70

-60

-50

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

Rocky Cr. 8-hr. Ozone (ppm) Dep. From Normal Max.

8-hr. Standard = .084 ppm

Temperatureabove normal

Temperaturebelow normal

* - Meteorology data from KC International

Comparison between Daily Max. Temp. departure from normal and Rocky Cr. 8-hr. Ozone - 2005

0.010

0.030

0.050

0.070

0.090

0.110

0.130

4/1

4/8

4/15

4/22

4/29 5/6

5/13

5/20

5/27 6/3

6/10

6/17

6/24 7/1

7/8

7/15

7/22

7/29 8/5

8/12

8/19

8/26 9/2

9/9

9/16

9/23

9/30

10/7

10/1

4

10/2

1

10/2

8

DATE

8-h

r. O

zon

e (p

pm

)

-150

-140

-130

-120

-110

-100

-90

-80

-70

-60

-50

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

Rocky Cr. 8-hr. Ozone (ppm) Dep. From Normal Max.

8-hr. Standard = .084 ppm

Temperatureabove normal

Temperaturebelow normal

* - Meteorology data from KC International Airport

Emissions Source Categories

Point: Permitted sources of pollutant emissions.

Area: Sources below the permit cutoffs: dry cleaners, auto body painting, house painting and solvent use.

Mobile On-road and Off-road: autos, trucks, planes, trains, construction, farm equipment & lawn and garden equip.

Point Source14%

Area Source47%

On-road Mobile26%

Non-road Mobile13%

190,859 tons

2002 Kansas VOC Emissions

On-road Mobile35%

Non-road Mobile13%

Area Source42%

Point Source10%

85,540 tons

2002 Kansas City Area VOC Emissions

2002 Johnson Co VOC Emissions

Point Source3%

Area Source49%

Non-road Mobile16%

On-road Mobile32%

25,749 tons

Non-road Mobile24%

On-road Mobile24%

Area Source4%

Point Source48%

344,730 Tons

2002 Kansas NOx Emissions

2002 Kansas City Area NOx Emissions

On-road Mobile40%

Area Source8%

Point Source32%

Non-road Mobile20%

105,330 tons

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

Category

To

ns/

Yr

VOC

Kansas 2002 Non-Road VOC Emissions

Current Status

EPA designated region attainment in May 2005

Largely a fluke of the weather – record cool summer in 2004

History and modeling suggests likelihood of violation in future if no action taken

Voluntary effort underway

Clean Air Action Plan

Coordinated by MARC Developed in 2004 Comprehensive voluntary plan for

reducing emissions Targets both stationary and mobile

sources Short-, intermediate- and long-term

measures

Emission Reduction Possibilities

Point source NOx emissions Reduce automobile miles traveled On-road Heavy Duty Diesel retrofits

Idle reduction for diesel engines Construction Equipment Railroad alternative power units Lawn and Garden VOC solvent emissions

Public Education

MARC’s annual regional public awareness campaign

Local government ozone reduction programs

AirQ Workplace Initiative Pollution prevention workshops for

small businesses

Future Activities

Another episode of photochemical modeling

Modify 1-hour State Implementation Plan (SIP) to include 8-hour provisions

Implement voluntary strategies Prepare 8-hour maintenance plan

Inventory growth and comparison Contingency measures and triggers

Economic impacts

+ In nonattainment areas, new or expanding businesses that release air pollution must apply the most stringent and costly controls available.

In addition, they must offset any increased pollution by reducing equivalent pollution from other sources in the nonattainment area. These requirements mean increased costs, less likelihood of investment in new facilities, and a compromised economic climate for business growth.

If a source wishes to locate or expand in a nonattainment area, federal law requires that large projects go through what is known as nonattainment new source review (NSR).

Nonattainment area new source review sometimes requires more strict emission controls than permits in attainment areas and also requires the applicant to obtain reductions in emissions from other sources within the same nonattainment area.

This is known as the “emission offset” requirement. Sources may choose to accept lower limits on allowable emissions in order to avoid these requirements.

Unless a source wishes to expand its operation and/or requests a revised emission limit, there is no impact on existing permits when a county goes from attainment to nonattainment.

How does nonattainment designation affect permitting?

Transportation conformity requires a nonattainment area to demonstrate that the estimated emissions from long range transportation plans do not exceed the estimated emissions level needed to attain and maintain the NAAQS.

Economic Impacts (con’t.)

A recent Minnesota Chamber of Commerce study estimated that nonattainment would cost the St. Paul-Minneapolis metropolitan area $189million to $266 million annually, and one could expect costs in the Kansas City region to be of comparable magnitude.

QUESTIONS?