## Air Quality Management Online Portal 

# Control Strategies
Definition Overview How do I develop a control strategy? Definition A control strategy is a set of discrete and specifi c measures identified and implemented to achieve re ductions in air pollution. These measures may vary by source type, such as stationary or mobile, as well as by the pollutant that is be ing targeted. The purpose of these measures is to achieve the air quality standa rd or goal. Costs and benefits are assessed in the development of the control strategy.

Overview Control strategy development is the process of asse ssing specific abatement measures, management pract ices, or control technologies to determine the bestcombination of approaches to provide the emission reductions neces sary to achieve the air quality standard or goal. Three primary considerations in designing an effect ive control strategy are: (1) Environmental: factors such as equipment locati ons, ambient air quality conditions, adequate utili ties (i.e., water for scrubbers), legal requirement s, noise levels, and the contribution of the control system as a polluta nt; (2) Engineering: factors such as contaminant characteristics (abrasiveness, toxicity, etc.), gas strea m characteristics, and performance characteristics of the control system; and (3) Economic: factors such as capital cost, operati ng costs, equipment maintenance, and the lifetime o f the equipment. Air pollution officials should al so consider pollution prevention which includes eliminating as much of the pollution emissions as possible at the source, substituting raw (and less toxic) materials , considering alternative manufacturing processes, and improving process control measures. Controls on major stationary, mobile, and area sources are part of a successful control strategy. The se controls should utilize reasonably available con trol technology. Examples include controls on volatile organic compo unds from solvent and paint usage as well as contro ls on nitrogen oxide emissions from combustion unit s. For mobile sources, examples include tighter emission controlsfor vehicles and low-sulfur fuel standards. For m ajor stationary sources, it is beneficial to issue permits including emission limitations for any major sources, new and existing . The basic types of emission control technology a re mechanical collectors, wet scrubbers, bag houses , electrostatic precipitators, combustion systems (thermal oxidizers), condensers, absorbers, adsorbers, and biologica l degradation. The selection procedure should be b ased on the environmental, engineering, and economic considerat ions described above. National or local governments new to the air quality management process should focus on obvious source s of air pollution and the quickest means of contro l - more sophisticated and comprehensive strategies can be d eveloped over time. Innovative strategies such as emissions trading, banking, and emissions caps can be incorporated as a further refinement as the strategy continues. Th ese strategies may be used in addition to the "comm and-and-control" type regulations which have tradit ionally been used by air pollution control agencies. Local and regional control measures and are both necessary for a succ essful strategy. A control strategy developed by a local government may include locally appropriate measures, as well a s control measures that the national government man dates be implemented nation-wide. Successful control strate gies are usually adopted into a regulatory program with implementation deadlines and mechanisms for en forcement. Different control measures may be mandated at diffe rent levels of government, from local to provincial , state level to national. In general, regulations established at the national level tend to have the most benefit while minimizin g boundary and competition issues. The goal for al l control strategies is to achieve real and measura ble emission reductions. How do I develop a control strategy? There are four main steps in developing a control s trategy. (1) Determine priority pollutants . The pollutants of concern for your location should be b ased on health effects and the severity of the air quality problem. (2) Identify control measures . For specific source categories, choose the approp riate controls based on the priority pollutants ide ntified. A good source for control technologies is U.S. EPA's Clean Air Technology Center. Also, the N ational Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA) h as developed several documents that provide a menu of control options. To order any of these documents (listed be low), visit the NACAA website. Controlling Particulate Matter Under the Clean Air Act: A Menu of Options Controlling Nitrogen Oxides Under the Clean Air Act : A Menu of Options Meeting the VOC 15% Rate-of-Progress Requirement Un der the Clean Air Act: A Menu of Options Toxic Air Pollutants: State and Local Regulatory St rategies (3) Incorporate the control measures into a plan . Using the control measures identified, create a w ritten plan with implementation dates to formalize the strategy. It is important to adopt a regulatory program and includeit in the plan so that control measures will be en forceable. (4) Involve the public . As with the other management activities related t o the AQM process, it is critical to contact the re gulated community and other affected parties, as the public should be consulted as part of the strategy development process. This early consultation reduce s later challenges and streamlines implementation. http://www3.epa.gov/airquality/aqmportal/management/control_strategies.htm 

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In the U.S., individual states are responsible for this process and they develop their own plan (calle d the State Implementation Plan, or SIP) based on t he air quality issues that are of concern in their region. The SIP is the fede rally-enforceable plan that identifies how that sta te will attain and/or maintain the primary and seco ndary National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) set forth in the Clean Ai r Act (CAA). Each state is required to have a SIP w hich contains the control measures and strategies d eveloped through a public process and is formally adopted by the state and submitted to the U.S. EPA. For several example s, see the local and state implementation plans created for states and counties within U.S. EPA's Region 4 (one of ten EPAregions in the U.S.). These plans cover the contro l of all air pollution issues from industry and aut omobile emissions to open burning and more. Another example is given in the SIP Plan Summaries for the New England region of th e U.S. For a case study on the development of ozone and pa rticulate matter control strategies in the U.S. state of California, see the control strategy chapter in the air quality management plan for the South Coast Air Quality Man agement District of California. This document is available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Korean. 

## Resources Publications and Reports Case Studies Tools and Training EPA's Air Pollution Control Orientation Course 

# Control Strategies | Air Quality Management Online Portal | Air & Radia... http://www3.epa.gov/airquality/aqmportal/management/control_strategie...

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