APPENDIX H

 I-1

APPENDIX H 

CONFORMITY ANALYSIS AND EMISSION CALCULATIONS

Clean Air Conformity and Applicability

The Clean Air Act (CAA) contains the legislation that mandates the general conformity rule to 

ensure that federal actions in nonattainment and maintenance areas do not interfere with a state’s timely 

attainment of the NAAQS. The general conformity rule divides the air conformity process into two 

distinct areas: applicability analysis and conformity determination. The applicability analysis process 

requires federal agencies to determine if their proposed action(s) would increase emissions of criteria 

pollutants above preset threshold levels (40 CFR §93.153). These threshold rates vary depending on 

severity of the nonattainment and geographic location. 

De Minimis Emissions and Applicability Thresholds 

De minimis emissions are total direct and indirect emissions of a criteria pollutant caused by a 

federal action in a nonattainment or maintenance area at rates less than specified applicability thresholds. 

Federal regulations designate AQCR 47 as a moderate nonattainment area for the 8-hour Ozone standard. 

AQCR 47 is also inside an ozone transport region. Therefore, NE-07 Project applicability thresholds are 

100 tons per year for NOx and 50 tons per year for VOCs (Table H-1). 

Table I-1 

Applicability Thresholds for Nonattainment Areas 

Criteria Pollutants TPY 

O3 (VOCs or NOx) 

Serious NAAs 50 

Severe NAAs 25 

Extreme NAAs 10 

Other O3 NAAs outside an O3 transport region 100 

Marginal and moderate NAAs inside an O3 transport region 

VOC 50 

NOx 100 

CO 

All NAAs 100 

SO2 or NOx

All NAAs 100 

PM10

Moderate NAAs 100 

Serious NAAs 70 

Pb 

All NAAs 25 

TPY = tons per year 

Source: 40 CFR §93.153 
APPENDIX H

 I-2

Table I-2 

Applicability Thresholds for Maintenance Areas

Criteria Pollutants TPY 

O3 (NOx, SO2 or NO2) 

All maintenance areas 100 

O3 (VOCs) 

Maintenance areas inside an O3 transport region 50 

Maintenance areas outside an O3 transport region 100 

CO 

All maintenance areas 100 

PM10

All maintenance areas 100 

Pb 

All maintenance areas 25 

TPY = tons per year 

Source: 40 CFR §93.153 

Regionally Significant 

The conformity regulation defines “regionally significant” emissions as the total direct and 

indirect emissions of a federal action that represents 10 percent or more of an area's total emissions for a 

criteria pollutant. A general conformity determination would be required if emissions are regionally 

significant, even if they are de minimis. 

Construction Emissions Calculations 

VOC and NOx emissions from demolition and construction activities were estimated (Tables H-3 

to H-5). These estimates include emissions from the following activities: 

• Use of construction equipment; 

• Movement of trucks carrying construction materials; and, 

• Construction worker's commutes. 

Construction equipment emissions were based on the estimated hours of use and emission factors 

(EFs) for each motorized source outlined in the following documents: 

• Exhaust and Crankcase Emission Factors for Nonroad Engine Modeling --CompressionIgnition (USEPA 2004a); 

• Exhaust Emission Factors for Nonroad Engine Modeling -- Spark-Ignition (USEPA 

2004a); 

• Median Life, Annual Activity, and Load Factor Values for Nonroad Engine Emissions 

Modeling (USEPA 2004a); and 

• Nonroad Engine Population Estimates (USEPA 2004a). 

The equipment and vehicle operation hours are estimated based on R.S. Means Building Cost 

Construction Data, 64th Annual Edition (Waier 2006) and field experience from similar projects (Tables 

H-3 to H-5). 
APPENDIX H

 I-3

Applicability Determination 

Since estimated emission rates for the proposed action alternative would be de minimis and would 

not be not regionally significant, a general conformity determination is not required (Table H-4). 

TABLE I-3 

Construction Equipment Estimated Operating Hours For All Project 

Components

 Equipment Total Operating Hours 

Chain Saws < 6 HP 5812.9 

Trimmers/Edgers/Brush Cutter 44.9 

Lawn mowers 67.4 

Shredders < 6 HP 9 

Lawn & Garden Tractors 78.6 

Chippers/Stump Grinders 5839.9 

Generator Sets 10421.1 

Air Compressors 5945.9 

Pavers 13.5 

Plate Compactors 6100.8 

Rollers 10154.6 

Scrapers 10141.1 

Trenchers 10141.1 

Excavators 11589.9 

Cement & Mortar Mixers 528.4 

Cranes 528.4 

Graders 20282.3 

Off-highway Trucks 52172.9 

Tractors/Loaders/Backhoes 20810.7 

Crawler Tractor/Dozers 20282.3 
I-4

TABLE I-4 

Total Construction Emissions For Non-Attainment Air Quality Control Regions (AQCR) 

AQCR / Project Component County NOx [tpy] PM2.5 [tpy] AQCR 042 Hartford – New Haven – Springfield Interstate Building Addition Southeast Compressor Station Putnam County 0.36 0.02 Commuting Construction Workers Putnam County 0.59 NA 

TOTAL 0.95 0.02 

AQCR 043 NY-NJ-CT Interstate 39 Miles of Pipeline Orange County 35.43 2.09 4 Miles of Pipeline Rockland County 3.63 0.21 5 Miles of Pipeline Rockland County 4.54 0.27 Building Addition Hanover Compressor Station Morris County 0.23 0.01 New Brookfield Compressor Station Fairfield County 5.65 0.35 New Brookfield Meter Station Fairfield County 0.48 0.03 New Oxford Compressor Station New Haven County 7.09 0.43 Upgrades to the Ramapo Meter Station Rockland County 0.12 0.01 Commuting Construction Workers 7.23 NA 

TOTAL 57.18 3.40 

AQCR 160 Genesee-Finger Lakes Intrastate 

32 miles of Pipeline Ontario County 29.07 1.71 Mainline Valve / Interconnect Facility Ontario County 0.14 0.01 New Oakfield Compressor Station Genesee County 3.61 0.22 Commuting Construction Workers 3.91 NA 

TOTAL 36.73 1.94 

AQCR 161 Hudson Valley Intrastate  Dover Compressor Station Dutchess County 0.59 0.04 Commuting Construction Workers Dutchess County 0.59 NA 

TOTAL 1.18 0.04 

de minimis Threshold [tpy] 100.00 100.00 

Exceeds De Minimis Threshold? [Yes/No] No No 

Regionally Significant? [Yes/No] No No 
I-5

TABLE I-5 

Emission for Commuting Construction Workers 

Project 

Vehicle Type 

Number of Workers 

Days Per Year 

Round Trip Miles 

EF NOx [g/mile] 

AQCR 042 - Building Addition Southeast Compressor LDGV 75 57 30 1.86 AQCR 042 - Building Addition Southeast Compressor LDGT 75 57 30 2.31 

TOTAL 

AQCR 043 - 39 miles of pipeline construction LDGV 150 113 30 1.86 AQCR 043 - 39 miles of pipeline construction LDGT 150 113 30 2.31 AQCR 043 - 4 miles of pipeline construction LDGV 150 19 30 1.86 AQCR 043 - 4 miles of pipeline construction LDGT 150 19 30 2.31 AQCR 043 - 5 miles of pipeline construction LDGV 150 19 30 1.86 AQCR 043 - 5 miles of pipeline construction LDGT 150 19 30 2.31 AQCR 043 - Building Addition Hanover Compressor Station LDGV 75 57 30 1.86 AQCR 043 - Building Addition Hanover Compressor Station LDGT 75 57 30 2.31 AQCR 043 - New Brookfield Compressor Station LDGV 75 113 30 1.86 AQCR 043 - New Brookfield Compressor Station LDGT 75 113 30 2.31 AQCR 043 - New Brookfield Meter Station LDGV 75 57 30 1.86 AQCR 043 - New Brookfield Meter Station LDGT 75 57 30 2.31 AQCR 043 - New Oxford Compressor Station LDGV 75 113 30 1.86 AQCR 043 - New Oxford Compressor Station LDGT 75 113 30 2.31 AQCR 043 - Upgrades to the Ramapo Meter Station LDGV 75 57 30 1.86 AQCR 043 - Upgrades to the Ramapo Meter Station LDGT 75 57 30 2.31  TOTAL AQCR 160 - 32 miles of pipeline Construction LDGV 150 113 30 1.86 AQCR 160 - 32 miles of pipeline Construction LDGT 150 113 30 2.31 AQCR 160 - Mainline Valve / Interconnect Facility LDGV 75 38 30 1.86 AQCR 160 - Mainline Valve / Interconnect Facility LDGT 75 38 30 2.31 AQCR 160 - New Oakfield Compressor Station LDGV 75 113 30 1.86 AQCR 160 - New Oakfield Compressor Station LDGT 75 113 30 2.31  TOTAL AQCR 161 - Dover Compressor Station LDGV 75 57 30 1.86 AQCR 161 - Dover Compressor Station LDGT 75 57 30 2.31  TOTAL LDGT – Light Duty Gasoline Trucks LDGV – Light Duty Gasoline Vehicles
APPENDIX H

 I-6

References 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). 2004a. Exhaust and Crankcase Emission Factors for 

Nonroad Engine Modeling --Compression-Ignition, NR-009c. EPA420-P-04-009. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). 2004b. Exhaust Emission Factors for Nonroad Engine 

Modeling -- Spark-Ignition, NR-010d. EPA420-P-04-010. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). 2004c. Median Life, Annual Activity, and Load Factor 

Values for Nonroad Engine Emissions Modeling, NR-005c. EPA420-P-04-005. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). 2004d. Nonroad Engine Population Estimates, NR006b. EPA420-P-02-004. 

Waier, Phillip R. 2006. Building Cost Construction Data, 64th Annual Edition, R.S. Means Construction 

Publishers and Consultants, Kingston, MA.