### Of fice of Air and Radiation (OAR)

November 17, 2011• EP A sponsor ed an ev aluation of the R egional Planning Orga niz ation (RPO) Pr ogr am • Goals : • Re view pas t RPO r oles and work related to regional haz e **RPO Progr am**  **Eva luation** 
work related to regional haz e • Inform futur e EP

A and partner decisions and work to addr ess r egional air quality planning and te chnical support needs• RPOs’ r oles in support of r egional haz e s tate a nd tribal implemen tation plan dev elopmen t and the br oader U .S. air quality manag emen t s yste m • Pe rc eiv ed v alue of the RPOs and benefits of RPO support, as we ll as disadv an ta ge s and inefficiencies • Pe rs pectiv es on e xis ting and futur e needs for r egional air

**RPO E va**  **luation Focus and Scope**

• Pe rs pectiv es on e xis ting and futur e needs for r egional air quality data management, modeling , and planning • Design attribut es and technical support needs of options for supporting futur e multi -jurisdictional air quality manag emen t • Tr ends in RPO funding fr om v arious sour ces ov er time• Eva luation conducted December 2010 – July 2011 • Con tr act or support fr om R oss & Associates and IE c • Appr oach:  Re viewed backgr ound documen ts  Developed a logic model and ev aluation questions based on input fr om EP

A **RPO E va**  **luation Approach**

input fr om EP

A  Conduct ed ~38 in te rview s (RPOs, MJOs, St ates, Tr ibes, EP A HQ and R egional Offices)  Re viewed co mmen ts submitte d by National Tribal Air Association  Analyz ed dat a and iden tified findings  Select ed sections r eviewed by RPOs t o ensure accur acy  Final dr aft of report c omplet ed in July 2011**1996 1997**  **1999 2000**  **– 2001**  **2005 2007**  **2008**

Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission Report Regional Haze Rule Amendments

State Implementation Plans (SIPs) Due/First SIP Submittals

Most EPA Funding for RPOs Ends Central and Eastern RPOs Formed EPA Regional Haze Rule EPA Starts Funding Regional Planning Organizations (RPOs) We stern Regional Air Partnership Formed

RPO Technical Support:

Monitoring and Data Analysis | Emissions Inventories | Modeling of Control Strategies | Tool Development (4+ years and ongoing) RPOs Develop Regional Planning Framework (First 1 - 2 years) States and Tribes Develop and Submit Implementation Plans (41 SIPs submitted as of 3/2011) Next SIPsd ue2018Regional Planning Organizations(RPO)Regional - Lev el P olicies: Regional Hazea nd CSAP R

Visibility ismoreo f priority

intheW est; CSAP R intheMidwest a nd East.• RPOs met a clear need for r egional technical support and collabor ative forums for cost - effectiv e air quality planning • Exis ting RPO - MJO s tructur e can inform futur e design

- Use a combination of permanent s taff , in - kind contributions, and targeted contr acting tha t bes t meets r egional needs

- Focus on technical analyses and support r at her than policy or r esear ch

- Inclusion of tribes • RPO scope should e xpand beyond r egional haz e t o addr ess

**Findings**

• RPO scope should e xpand beyond r egional haz e t o addr ess multiple air pollutants (e.g. CSAPR, NAAQS) • Ther e is a need for national - scale coor dination of r egional te chnical work and alignment with EP A policies to lev er ag e re sour ces and pr event duplication of efforts. • RPO’ s developed tools than can continue to facilit ate re gional air quality work in the futur e

### Ne **xt St**  **eps** • Final r eport w as dis tributed to s tate & local agencies, tribes, RPO and MJO for commen t • Re cognizing the incr eased bur den on s tate s and tribes, EP A has r eques te d an $82 million incr ease in S TA G funding fo r FY2012, but has been unsuccess ful so far in funding r FY2012, has been unsuccess securing additional funding • EP A will follow up to the r eport with r egional discussions

### Ne **xt St**  **eps** • EP A want to eng ag e s tate & local governments, tribes and RPOs & MJOs in a con ve rs ation at a r egional lev el on how to move forw ar d on r egional planning (ten tatively January) o Explor e whether RPO and MJO merger is an option in each r egion o Identify upcoming re gional planning needs and shortfalls of technical support in s tates and tribes o Discuss w ays to support tribal in vo lv ement in r egional air planning , including possible EP

A funding fo r tribal in vo lv ement o Identify w ays to achieve efficiencies thr ough joint EP A/RPO dev elopment of tools and data, aligning with EP A policy (i.e., SIP s)

- EP A coordinates regional air planning activities and pr ovides technical tr aining at periodic meetings

- Ta rgeted support of regional tools used by multiple RPOs - MJOs