UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

REGION 10 

1200 Sixth Avenue 

Seattle, WA 98101-3140 

MEMORANDUM 

SUBJECT: Review of Fairbanks Nonattainment Area Filterable/ Condensable PM2.5 Emission 

Inventory 

FROM: Matthew Jentgen, APU 

TO: Claudia Vaupel, APU 

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) submitted additional clarifying 

information on the filterable and condensable components of direct PM2.5 on October 27, 2016 and 

November 3, 2016, as part of the emissions inventory prepared for the Fairbanks PM2.5 nonattainment area 

(NAA). This clarifying information satisfies the requirements of EPA’s “Fine Particulate Matter National 

Ambient Air Quality Standards: State Implementation Plan Requirements” (2016 PM2.5 Implementation 

Rule, 40 CFR 51.1008(a)(1)(iv)), requiring that the inventory shall include separately reported PM2.5

filterable and condensable emissions. 

The clarifying information focused on the stationary point sources category, which was the only source 

category in the NAA for which PM2.5 filterable and condensable emissions were available.1 These steps 

were taken in accordance with the 2016 PM2.5 Implementation Rule and in accordance with the draft 

emissions inventory guidance. While other important PM2.5 sources such as residential wood combustion 

exist in the Fairbanks nonattainment area, no condensable PM2.5 data are available for these sources in 

EPA’s Webfire, AP-42, or state databases. 

Consequently, ADEC included PM2.5 filterable and condensable emissions for its 2008 base-year inventory, 

2015 attainment-year projected inventory, and the 2017 RFP inventory.2

 In its October 27, 2016 submittal, 

ADEC noted that four of the point source facilities had incorrectly reported direct PM2.5 emission factors, 

with two underreporting the condensable fraction for specific emission units and two others using 

conservative or overstated emission factors. This correction led to a modest PM2.5 emissions increase in the 

NAA from 4.93 tons per day to 5.04 tons per day. ADEC then provided an analysis based on prior CMAQ 

modeling runs included in the initial 2014 SIP submittal to show that the scaled impact of the modeling 

correction was an increase of 0.12 μg/m3, a value that ADEC stated had no meaningful impact on the SIP 

attainment findings. 

In its November 3, 2016 submittal, ADEC provided PM2.5 filterable and condensable emissions as tons per 

day at each of the stationary point sources. Excluding the emissions values from Eielson Air Force Base, 

which is outside the nonattainment area (as required by 40 CFR 51.1008(a)(1)(ii)), the emissions values for 

each stationary point source are included in the table below. 

 

1

 Due to the very minor contribution to PM2.5 in the Fairbanks NAA from oil-fired heating devices, separate 

filterable and condensable emissions were not included for this source category.

2

 This submittal was intended to clarify the modeling analysis for the Moderate area emissions inventory, 

submitted December 2014. The 2008 emissions levels were held constant for stationary point sources in the 

Fairbanks NAA, so 2015 modeled emissions levels were identical to 2008. This is due to the modest 

demand growth forecast in the area and uncertainty in emissions reductions resulting from fuel switching at 

two facilities to cleaner distillate triggered by the shutdown at the supplying oil refinery. 
Facility Name 

Winter Season Average Day 

Direct PM 2.5 Emissions (tons/day) 

due to rounding, values may not be exact 

Condensable 

PM2.5

Filterable 

PM2.5

Total Direct 

PM2.5

Flint Hills North Pole Refinery 0.034 0.018 0.053

GVEA Zehnder 0.044 0.074 0.119

GVEA North Pole Power Plant 0.299 0.501 0.799

Aurora Energy Chena Power Plant 0.170 0.009 0.179

UA Fairbanks Campus Power Plant 0.006 0.070 0.076

Doyon Utilities Ft. Wainwright Units 0.275 0.014 0.289

Total 0.828 0.686 1.515

ADEC has provided PM2.5 filterable and condensable emissions information from its relevant sources. 

Thus, this information meets the requirements in the 2016 PM2.5 Implementation Rule (40 CFR 51.1008(a)). 

The Fairbanks NAA emissions inventory tables have been updated accordingly.