ffi i?iffififfl-anasement District

EC:JW:JCC

21865 Copley Drive, Diamoncl Bar, CA 91765-41.7A

(9O9) 396-2OO0' www.aqmd.gov

BOARD MEETING DATE: January 8, 2010 AGENDA NO. 28

PROPOSAL: Approve PM10 Attainment Redesignation Requests and Adopt

Maintenance Plans for South Coast Air Basin and Coachella Valley

Portion of Salton Sea Air Basin

PM10 concentrations in the South Coast Air Basin and Coachella

Valley portion of the Salton Sea Air Basin have met thePMl} 24-

hour federal standard for more than three consecutive years. This

action is to request U.S. EPA to consider AQMD's petition to

redesignate both areas attainment for the federal 24-hour average

PM10 standard. As required for redesignation requests, this action is

also submitting PM10 Maintenance Plans for the Basin and

Coachella Valley to ARB for inclusion in the SIP.

SYNOPSIS:

COMMITTEE: Mobile Source, Jloly 24,2009, Reviewed

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

1. Adopt the attached resolution:

a. Certifying the CEQA Notice of Exemption;

b. Approving the PM10 Redesignation Request for the South Coast Air Basin and

Adopting the PM10 Maintenance Plan;

c. Approving the PM10 Redesignation Request for the Coachella Valley Portion of

the Salton Sea Air Basin and Adopting the PM10 Maintenance Plan; and

2. Direct staff to forward the PM10 Redesignation Requests and Maintenance Plans to

CARB for approval and submission as part of the SIP.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.

Executive Officer
Background

The South Coast Air Basin (Basin) and the Coachella Valley portion of the Salton Sea

Air Basin (Coachella Valley) are culrently designated as a serious nonattainment area for

24-holr average PM10. Under the federal Clean Air Act (CAA), an area can be

redesignated as attainment if, among other requirements, the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) determines that the national ambient air quality standards

(NAAQS) have been attained. The NAAQS allows for one exceedance of the 24-how

average PM10 standard per year averaged over a three consecutive calendar year period

measured at each monitoring site within an area based on quality assured Federal

Reference Method (FRM) air quality monitoringdata.

The Basin has not violated the federal24-how PM10 standard (150 pg/m3) at District

FRM air quality monitoring sites during the period including 2004 through2007. The

Coachella Valley has not violated the federal 24-hotr PM10 standard at District FRM air

quality monitoring sites during the period including 1998 through2007. Analysis of the

District monitoring dataindicates that neither the Basin nor Coachella Valley has violated

the 24-hour PM10 standard in 2008.

Figure 1 depicts the recent trend of Basin maximum Z4-hour average concentrations,

excluding exceptional events, for the period 2004 through 2008. Prior to 2006, elevated

PM10 events have been associated with high wind driven dust storms, and wildfires were

not flagged for exclusion from the NAAQS. Since 2006, dust storms, wildfires and

fireworks impacted observations have been flagged, documented and excluded from

NAAQS determination under U.S. EPA's Exceptional Events Policy.

South GoastAir Basin

300

150

{f?

f; roo

gr

50

u

Figure 1

Basin Maximum 24-Hoar Average PM10 Concentrations: 2004 through 2008

-2-
Figure 2 depicts the recent trend of Coachella Valley maximum Z4-hotx average

concentrations, monitored at District FRM sites excluding exceptional events, for the

period 1998 through 2008. Since 1998, elevated PM10 events associated with high wind

driven dust storms, thunderstorm micro-bursts and wildfires have been flagged,

documented and excluded from NAAQS determination under U.S. EPA's Exceptional

Events regulation (40 CFR 50.14) and preceding Natural Event Policy.

Coachella Valley

loo

150

({t

E raa

trt

50

0

1S$S lSSg 2000 20ff1 2002 2003 2004 20CI5 2006 2007 2008

Figure 2

Coachella Valley Maximum 24-Hour Average PM10 Concentrations: 2004 through 2008

Per the criteria specified in the NAAQS, the Basin has been in compliance with the24-

hour PM10 standard from 20006 (based on *9982004-20096 data) and has maintained

compliance since, and the Coachella Valley has been in compliance with the standard

from 2000 (based on L998-2000 data) and has maintained compliance since. More

specifically, these redesignation requests are based on the three-year period of PM10

monitorin g dataincluding 2005, 2006 and 2007 .

Clean Air Act Criteria for Redesignation

Section 107 (d)(3)(E) of the CAA requires the U.S. EPA administrator to make five

findings prior to granting a request for redesignation:

1. The U.S. EPA has determined that the NAAQS have been attained.

2. The applicable implementation plan has been fully approved by U.S. EPA

under section 110(k).

-3-
The U.S. EPA has determined that the improvement in air quality is due to

permanent and enforceable reductions in emissions.

The State has met all applicable requirements for the area under Section

110 and Part D.

The U.S. EPA has fully approved a maintenance plan, including a

contingency plan, for the area under Section I751t.

Tribal PMI.O Monitoring

While the District certified FRM PM10 data indicate no violations of the federal24-hour

average standard, one independent Beta Attenuation Monitor (BAM) continuous monitor

operated by the Tor-rezMartinez Tribal Nation, located at their community center in the

southern portion of the Coachella Valley monitor, experienced violations during their

initial operational year 2007. The District contends that the data from the Torrez

Martinez monitor should not be considered in the attainment evaluation since the

instrument was wrongly sited on a dirt parking lot void of vegetation that is subject to

reentrained fugitive dust from vehicles traveling over the parking lot. The location of the

PM10 monitoring site is in direct conflict with federal PM10 siting criteria specified in

the Code of Federal Regulations. 40 CFR Part 58, Appendix E (3Xa) specifically states

that "Particulate matter sites should not be located in an unpaved area unless there is

vegetative ground cover year round, so that the impact of wind blown dusts will be kept

to a minimum."

U.S. EPA has stated that Torres Martinez data has been submitted to its Air Quality

System (AQS) and that the violations observed at the community center site will prohibit

their finding the Coachella Valley compliant with the NAAQS. The District has no

jurisdiction in the tribal lands and did not participate in the monitoring or quality

assurance of the data. PM10 data from the monitoring site was only acquired for roughly

two thirds of 2007. The BAM PM10 monitoring failed to meet completeness

requirements in the first and fourth quarters of the year. The monitor was taken off-line

for maintenance and repairs beginning November of 2007 and continued offline through

the end of the year. In addition, after review of the data, serious concerns exist about the

degree of quality assurance applied and the absence of screening for and flagging of

exceptional events.

District staff has reviewed the monitor siting and contends that the data from the site

should not be included in the regional attainment assessment.

3.

4.

5.

-4-
Public Process

As required by state law, a 45-day notice is required before holding regional hearings on

a Plan. A draft document was available for public review on October 30, 2010 in

preparation for five regional hearings on December 15 through 18, 2010. The hearings

were held in Anaheim, Carson, Rialto, Riverside and Palm Desert. Mr. Stephen Pougnet,

Mayor of Palm Springs and Chairman of the Coachella Valley Association of

Governments (CVAG) read a letter of support strongly endorsing the request for

redesignation of the Coachella Valley as attainment for the federaI24-hour PM10

standard. A copy of the letter is attached.

Staff routinely consulted the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG),

the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and U.S. EPA regarding the development of

the request and draft plan. CARB and SCAG staff was very supportive and helped

develop the transportation conformity budgets. In addition staff met with U.S. EPA and

Torrez Martinez tribal officials at their community center on March 5,2009 to observe

the monitoring site and discuss the sampling program.

Proposal

The Basin and Coachella Valley meet the criteria specified for designation as attainment

for the federal 24-hotn average PM10. District certified 24-hour average FRM PM10

data confirms that the NAAQS has been satisfied. U.S. EPA approved the Basin and

Coachella Valley PM10 SIPs citing that the improvement in air quality was due to

permanent and enforceable reductions in emissions. Analysis of the future baseline

PM10 inventories for the Basin and Coachella Valley demonstrate that both areas will

continue to demonstrate attainment of the standards, despite growth. The SIP

requirements under Section 110 and Part D have been met. Finally, the redesignation

requests contain maintenance plans including commitments to continue to monitor PM10

and ensure compliance with BARCT District rules, and contingency plans to assure

continued compliance with the 24-hour standard for each air basin. Together, these

elements directly address and satisfy the requirement of CAA Section 107 for designation

of both the Basin and Coachella Valley attainmentfor 24-hour average PM10.

Staff proposes to submit the approved Requests for Redesignation of the Basin and the

Coachella Valley and the adopted Maintenance Plans to CARB for their concunence and

approval and subsequent submittal to U.S. EPA for inclusion in the California SIP.

Comments and Issues

Per U.S. EPA's request, PM10 continuous monitoring data have been included as part of

the request for redesignation for 2007 to demonstrate the District's capacity for daily

monitoring to confirm continued compliance with the standard. As a component of the

Request for Redesignation, the District will commit to designate selected samplers as

Federal Equivalent Monitors (FEM) and the data will be forwarded to U.S. EPA's AQS.

-5-
As an outcome of the review of the Draft Request for Redesignation and Maintenance

Plans, U.S. EPA on December 7,2009, requested through CARB, that the transportation

conformity emissions budgets for the Basin and Coachella Valley presented in the

maintenance plans solely reflect baseline emissions. The comments also stated that the

updates to the PM10 attainment demonstrations and modeling attainment inventories

should be based on baseline PM10 emissions inventories and for additional critical

reporting years that bracket the beginning of the maintenance period and the expected

horizon year.

Staff has incorporated the requested changes to the updated attainment demonstrations

and attainment inventories. The analyses as presented in the Maintenance Plans are

based on the future baseline emissions. The revised attainment demonstrations based on

the baseline emissions inventories indicated that PM10 concentrations in both the Basin

and Coachella valley will not exceed the federal24-hour average standard. The PM10

transportation conformity emissions budget for the Draft Coachella Valley Maintenance

Plan noticed on October 30,2009 reflected baseline emissions and was not impacted by

the modifications to the attainment demonstration or baseline inventory.

The PM10 transportation conformity emissions budget presented in the Draft Basin

Maintenance Plan did however reflect future implementation of "new defined mobile

source rrre&SUreS;" in the 2007 AQMP/SIP. While the revised attainment demonstration

using the baseline emissions demonstrates future year compliance with the standard, the

removal of the "new defined mobile source measures" from the proposed Basin

transportation conformity emissions budget requires an additional 30 day noticing period

before adoption. As a consequence, CARB has asked the District to remove the proposed

Basin transportation conformity budgets from the Maintenance Plan. CARB will provide

the transportation conformity emissions budget as a component of their notice of public

hearings, 30 days prior to CARB Public Hearing (tentatively scheduled for the first

quarter 2010).

U.S. EPA has stated that it will consider the request for Basin PM10 redesignation;

however staff have also stated that they would likely deny the request for the Coachella

Valley based on the Torres Mafiinez data. CARB and U.S. EPA staff made attempts to

remove the Torres Martinez Tribal Lands from the Coachella Valley portion of the Salton

Sea Air Basin however; the analysis was unable to solely isolate tribal lands as a

contiguous entity.

Maintenance Plan

Section 107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA specifies that for an area to be redesignated as

attainment, the EPA must approve a maintenance plan that meets the requirements of

Section I75A. The purpose of the maintenance plan is to provide for the maintenance of

the PM10 NAAQS for at least ten years after the redesignation (not ten years after the

redesignation submittal). CAA Section 107 (d)(3)(D) allows the U.S. EPA Administrator

-6-
up to 18 months from receipt of a complete submittal to process a redesignation request.

The maintenance plans require a maintenance demonstration, commitment to a future

monitoring network, verification of continued attainment, a contingency plan, and

provisions for contingency plan implementation. In accordance with U.S. EPA guidance,

a revision to the PM10 Maintenance Plan for the subsequenten year maintenance

planning period will submitted to U.S. EPA prior to the horizon date (to be determined

upon U.S. EPA approval of the maintenance plan).

Transportation Budgets

As part of the maintenance plans, the District must establish transportation budgets for

on-road motor vehicles in the maintenance years. The transportation budgets are used for

conformity determinations. The Coachella Valley maintenance plan is proposing a tiered

approach whereby in the near-term (including 2010 through2}l9), the budget would be

set at the 2010 on-road motor vehicle emissions level of 13 tons per day (TPD). The

budget for 2020 through 2029 is proposed at 16 TPD. The 2030 budget which serves as

the budget for 2030 and all following years is proposed at20 TPD. Future year

maximum 24-hotr average concentrations are not predicted to exceed the federal

standard for the proposed transportation conformity budget.

As previously discussed, the proposed Basin transportation conformity budgets have been

withdrawn from the Maintenance Plan. CARB will provide the transportation conformity

emissions budget as a component of their notice of public hearings, 30 days prior to

CARB Public Hearing (tentatively scheduled for the first quarter 2010).

Resource Impacts

The PM10 Redesignation Requests will have no additional impact on AQMD's resources.

The PM10 Maintenance Plans are curently in practice by the AQMD. There may be

benefits to stationary sources in the Basin once redesignation occurs.

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)

The SCAQMD has reviewed the proposed project pursuant to state CEQA Guidelines

$15002(k)(1). Because the PM10 Attainment Redesignation Requests are an

administrative process and the PM10 Maintenance Plans would impose no additional

requirements than currently adopted regulations, it can be seen with certainty that there is

no possibility that the proposed project in question has the potential to have a significant

adverse effect on the environment beyond what was evaluated in the 2007 AQMP Final

EIR. Thus, the proposed project is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines

S15061(b)(3) - Review for Exemption. A Notice of Exemption, in accordance with

CEQA Guidelines $15062, has been prepared and will be filed with the county clerks

immediately following the adoption of the proposed project.

-7-
AQMP and Legal Mandates

The PM10 Redesignation Requests are consistent with the federal CAA. The PM10

Maintenance Plans are required as part of the SIP.

Attachments

A. CVAG Letter of Support

B. Resolution

C. PM10 Redesignation Requestand Maintenance Plan for the South Coast Air Basin

D. PM10 Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan for the Coachella Valley Portion

of the Salton Sea Air Basin

E. Notice of Exemption

F.

-8-