Updated June 13, 2008
Proposed Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP)
Revision
On December 5, 2007, the commission proposed revisions to the Texas
State Implementation Plan (SIP) for visibility protection at
Federal Class I areas. There is no rulemaking with this proposed
action. The proposed revision is project No. 2007-016-SIP-NR. For
additional information, please contact Margaret Earnest at
mearnest@tceq.state.tx.us
or at 512/239-4581.
The Regional Haze SIP revision is the plan Texas must submit to
the EPA to show how Texas will reduce regional haze to natural
conditions. This SIP revision includes all existing control
strategies for the Dallas and Houston areas, other statewide
controls, the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), and Best Available
Retrofit Technology (BART).
The BART Rule was adopted by TCEQ in January 2007 to allow the
state to require BART modeling from specific industries or sources.
A number of sources that appeared to be BART-eligible applied for
and obtained legally enforceable reductions in their allowable
emissions. Some of the reductions were from shut downs; others
resulted from reducing permitted emissions rates on units that had
larger allowables than they needed to operate. After final modeling
incorporated these reductions in allowable emissions, Texas was
left with no BART-eligible sources. An updated list of potentially
BART-eligible sources is in the
SIP Appendix 9-12. For more information on BART, see the
related web page
Regional Haze: Rulemaking (BART and CAIR).
Texas used the Central Regional Air Planning Association's
(CENRAP)
template for the Regional Haze SIP revision. The CENRAP states
worked together with the EPA and federal land managers to develop a
format that stakeholders found acceptable. Each state may adapt the
template as needed.
Public Hearing February 19, 2008
A public hearing on this proposal was held in Austin, on
February 19, 2007, at 2:00 p.m., at
TCEQ's Austin Headquarters Office, 12100 Park 35 Circle,
Building E, Room 201-S. The hearing included oral or written
comments by interested persons. Individuals presented oral
statements in order of registration. There was no open discussion
during the hearing; however, TCEQ personnel were available to
answer questions on the proposal 30 minutes before the hearing. All
comments on the proposed SIP revision are available below. The
comment period closed on February 22, 2008.
Technical Issues
Regional Haze Consultation with other States
The TCEQ provided a summary paper to participants in the
regional haze consultation calls on July 11, 18, and 31. The TCEQ
held these calls with other states, federal land managers, and EPA
and offered the opportunity for other interested parties to listen
to the consultation calls.
Texas' Regional Haze Summary of Major Issues is the summary the
TCEQ provided to the participants in the consultation conference
calls. The summaries of the three consultation conference
calls.
The TCEQ developed four issue papers regarding its analyses of
some of the technical issues in developing the Regional Haze SIP
revision. These issue papers were provided to the participants in
the consultation calls.
Technical Papers:
-
Uniform Rates of Progress and Projected 2018 Reasonable Progress
Goals
-
The first issue concerns the uniform rate of progress to reduce
haze by 2018. The TCEQ’s preliminary analyses indicate
that, without international emissions, Texas’ Class I areas
would be close to achieving the uniform rate of progress for
2018.
-
Dust Storms and Regional Haze
-
The second issue concerns natural events that contribute to
regional haze. Dust storms, which originate in natural desert
areas, are recurring natural air pollution episodes that are not
controllable. Further, such dust storms contribute to some of
the highest regional haze and particulate matter (PM) events
measured in West Texas. West Texas is one of the areas of the
continental U.S. with a high frequency of dust storms due to the
combination of eroded soils and high wind speeds in the Chihuahuan
Desert. Texas cannot control these natural events, and
consequently these events are considered part of the natural
conditions in developing a Regional Haze SIP.
-
Estimating Natural Conditions Based on Revised IMPROVE
Algorithm
-
The third issue concerns natural conditions or conditions that
would be present without pollution from human activities.
Natural conditions are calculated using the IMPROVE algorithm or
equation, which estimates visibility from particulate matter
measurements. The IMPROVE program, Interagency Monitoring of
Protected Visual Environments, is a cooperative effort governed by
a Steering Committee composed of representatives from Federal and
state organizations. The IMPROVE program was established for
visibility-related research, including the advancement of
monitoring instrumentation, analysis techniques, visibility
modeling, policy, and field studies. The IMPROVE algorithm
was revised in 2005. The proposed SIP revision uses the
revised IMPROVE equation for all baseline, control strategy, and
natural condition calculations. For all aerosol components,
except coarse mass and fine dust, the inputs to the natural
condition estimates are the default Natural Conditions II committee
estimates for Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains National
Parks. Because of the dominant contribution that dust storms
and blowing dust make to coarse mass and fine soil at these parks,
the average measured concentrations during the baseline period are
the inputs for these two species.
-
Integrated Planning Model Projections of Electric Generating Unit
Emissions for the Regional Haze State Implementation Plan,
2007
The fourth issue concerns the use of the EPA’s Integrated
Planning Model (IPM), Version 2.19, versus Version 3.0. Based on
its analyses, the TCEQ concluded that photochemical modeling using
inputs for electric generating units (EGU) from the earlier version
of the IPM was a viable option for SIP planning in Texas. The
conclusion was based on two primary findings: (1) total Texas EGU
emissions of SO2 predicted by both IPM
versions were similar for the planning year 2018; and (2) potential
impacts of EGUs on Class I areas, based on upwind groupings of
EGU-emitted SO2, were the same or nearly
the same for both IPM versions.
Federal Land Managers'
Comments
As required by the Regional Haze Rule 40 CFR 51.308, the TCEQ
must make Federal Land Managers' comments available before the
public hearing. The following comments have been received:
U.S. Forest Service Comments
National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service
Comments
Other Comments
The following comments are in no particular order.
Schedule
Key dates in proposed SIP revision schedule:
- SIP Informational meeting:
November 8, 2007
- Proposal
date: December
5, 2007
- FLM review
period:
November 16, 2007 through January 16, 2008 (federally-mandated
60-day review by Federal Land Managers (FLMs) before the public
hearing)
- Public hearing
date:
February 19, 2008
- Public comment
period:
December 21, 2007 through February 22, 2008 (longer than typical
due to requirements for a 60-day FLM review period before the
public hearing)
- Anticipated adoption
date:
Pending
The long-term goal is to restore air quality to natural
conditions. Natural conditions are defined by EPA as the
visibility conditions that would be experienced in the absence of
pollution from human activities. The goal set by Congress is
for all Class I federal areas to meet natural conditions by 2064.
The “glide path” is the path to the 2064 goal.
Currently, the baseline haze level at Big Bend and Guadalupe
Mountains National Parks is approximately 16 deciviews.
Solid red line represents glide slope.
Source: Adapted from EPA-454/B-03-005, Guidance for Estimating
Natural Visibility Conditions Under the Regional Haze
Program.
