Agenda Date: June 11 , 2015

Prepared By: Yushuo Chang, Planning and Monitoring Section Manager

Topic: Approv al of the Placer County Air Pollution Control District Ozone

Emergency Episode Plan

Action Requested:

1) Conduct a Public Hearing regarding the proposed Ozone Emergency Episode Plan.

2) Adopt Resolution # 15

- 07 (Attachment #1), thereby approving the Ozone Emergency Episode Plan for Place r County ( Attachment #2 )

.

Discussion: Under the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1 , areas that (1) do not attain the

federal standards for ozone and (2) have hour ly ozone concentrations above 0.10 parts per million ( ppm) are classified as a Priority I area . It is required to develop a contingency plan which must, at a minimum, provide for taking action necessary to prevent ambient ozone concentrations at any location in such region from reaching th e significant harm level of 0.6 ppm, averaged over two h ours. As set forth in CFR , three trigger levels (stages) are established for the ozone pollution episodes: Alert level (0.2 ppm), Warning level (0.35 ppm), and Emergency level (0.5 ppm) 2 . Corresponding actions for each specified trigger

level should be ide ntified and will be implemented when the ambient ozone hourly concentration measurements reach the specified trigger levels. These elements and actions should provide for rapid short

- term emission reductions at each trigger level, to avoid high

ozone conce ntrations from reaching significant harm levels during an episode.

Placer County is classified as non

- attainm ent for the 2008 federal ozone eight

- hour average

standard . Between 2011 and 2012, Placer County has had more than one day with the

maximum one

- hour concentration greater than 0.10 ppm

. Although the California Air Resources Board (CARB) requ ested U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reclassify Placer County from Priority I to Priority III area with no emergency episode plan requireme nt, EPA disapprove d the request 3 . T he Placer County Air Pollution Control D istrict ( D istrict ) is therefore required to prepare an ozone emergency episode plan

.

The District’s Ozone Emergenc y Episode Plan provides the review of air quality and emission inventory within Placer County and proposes action s for each trigger level to prevent ambient ozone concentrations within Placer County from reaching the significant

harmful level

. Because ozone precursors emissions in Placer Co unty have been substantially reduced through the implementation of existing control regulations and programs, the ozone concentration trend shows a decrease over time and there has not been an exceedance over 0.15 ppm in the last thirteen years (2000

- 2013)

. In addition to the three trigger levels , t he

1 40 CFR 51.150 and 51.151

2 40 CFR 51 Appendix L

3 79 FR 63350

- 53363 

## Board Agenda Item 6

Public Hearing/

ActionP CAPCD Ozone Emergency Episode Plan

June 11 , 2015 Page 2

District propo ses an additional level at 0.15 ppm as the Health Advisory level, which is lower

than the Alert level

, which is lowest of three trigger levels required by the CFR, to initiate

and fulfill the acti ons proposed by the Plan to abate the harmful ozone concentration should

it occur.

The proposed Ozone Emergency Episode Plan identifies actions for each trigger level of the ozone emergency episode

, including public notification and emission mitigation f or industrial and mobile sources. The purposes of these actions are 1) to provide notification to the public of each identical episode when atmospheric stagnation conditions would result in substantially high ozone concentration measurements, and 2) to red uce the ozone precursor emissions rapidly in order to lower the ozone concentration below the triggered emergency episode level.

Public Comment: The proposed Ozone Emergency Episode Plan was posted on the District’s website for public review. A notice of the public hearing was published in t he Auburn Journal on April 29, 2015 and posted on the District’s website (Attachment #3)

. The public review period was en ded on June 1, 2015. No comment was received during the public review period

.

Recommendation: S taff recommend s adoption of Resolution #15

- 07

, thereby approving the Placer County Air Pollution Control District Ozone Emergency Episode Plan

.

Attachments: #1: Resolution # 15

- 07

#2 : Placer County Air Pollution Control District Ozone Emergency Episode Plan

#3: Proof of Publication