Appendix D (Washington DC-MD-VA Redesignation Request & Maintenance Plan, 

May 22, 2013) Page 1

Appendix D

Washington DC-MD-VA

State Compromise Overview:

PM 2.5 Maintenance Plan Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets

September 10, 2012*

1. The initial Tier 1 MVEBS are based on mobile emissions inventory projections for 2017 and 2025, 

with 28 tons added to the 2025 PM2.5 budget to enable conformity with the 2040 horizon year. 

The primary Tier 2 MVEBS have 20% transportation buffers applied to all pollutants in 2017 and 

2025. The transportation buffers are provided to accommodate uncertainties primarily due to 

model changes and to vehicle fleet turnover that may affect future motor vehicle emissions 

inventories.

2. The Washington DC-MD-VA area commits to evaluating and submitting, as a revision to the 

1997 PM2.5 NAAQS maintenance plan, updated annual 2017 and 2025 MVEBs for NOx and PM2.5 

by the end of 2015. These budgets will again be re-evaluated in the 2018 timeframe to 

accommodate transportation planning issues when the Constrained Long Range Plan horizon 

year is extended beyond 2040.

3. The Washington DC-MD-VA area commits to begin planning to identify appropriate strategies to 

help the area achieve and maintain compliance with a potential bump-up of the region to a 

moderate classification for the 2008 ozone NAAQS, as well as any future ozone NAAQS. This 

planning process will include, but is not limited to, the development of a preliminary 15% Rate 

of Progress Plan.

4. The Washington DC-MD-VA area will work with jurisdictions and EPA to demonstrate the 

feasibility of (and get SIP credit for) achieving reductions across the entire region from market 

forces that will result in cleaner products being distributed across the entire region even when 

the regulations driving the cleaner products have only been adopted in a part of the region.

5. Maryland and the District of Columbia will work to adopt at least five new regulations to insure 

that, to the extent the transportation buffers are triggered, that there is no environmental 

degradation in the Maryland and the District of Columbia portions of the nonattainment area. 

These new measures will also begin the process of further reducing ozone and fine particle 

levels in the region to insure that public health is protected. Maryland and the District agree 

with the scientific community who believe that more stringent ozone and fine particle standards 

are needed. The new regulatory programs include low sulfur home heating fuel, enhancements 

to current controls on consumer products and industrial adhesives, off-road idling, and tougher 

requirements for smaller boilers (i.e. diesel generators) that are, in some circumstances, 

receiving a financial incentive to run their small generators on the hottest days, which correlate 

with the worst ozone days. The commitments made by Maryland and the District will not be 

construed to infringe upon any prerogative of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia will 

pursue measures that are necessary to attain and maintain current and future air quality 

standards as well as measures that may decrease the burden on regulated parties. For instance, 

Virginia is committed to pursue measures such as the on-road emissions program, which will 
Appendix D (Washington DC-MD-VA Redesignation Request & Maintenance Plan, 

May 22, 2013) Page 2

ensure that up to 30 percent of all eligible registered vehicles in the Northern Virginia area have 

the option of remotely passing required biennial vehicle emissions inspections by 2015. The 

increased level of on-road monitoring could also result in the early identification and repair of 

high emitting vehicles so that this program will maintain environmental protections as well as 

reduce the time required for station-based tests. Virginia is also committed to supporting 

voluntary efforts to reduce energy consumption through energy efficiency and renewable 

energy programs. Organizations, such as the nonprofit Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP), 

run residential and commercial programs in Northern Virginia that seek to reduce energy use by 

at least 20 percent, saving consumers money, conserving resources, and decreasing air 

emissions.

* Revised on October 23, 2012 to be consistent with the PM2.5 Maintenance Plan language.