## Overview of Regional Haze and WA and OR RH Plans

EPA, Region 10 Keith Rose Steve Body June 7, 2011

## What is Regional Haze

# ?

 

### Means visibility impairment due to fine particles caused by emissions of air pollutants from numerous sources located over a wide geographic area.  

### Sources include major and minor stationary sources, mobile sources, wood stoves, etc.

## Regional Haze and Visibility

Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area, WA 20% Worst Days, Current conditions (51 Mm - 1 ) 2064 Goal, Natural Conditions (12Mm - 1 )

## What Causes Haze?

 Fine particulates (PM 2.5) composed of:  Sulfate – chemical reaction in atmosphere of Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) with other pollutants (primarily ammonia) to form very fine particulate.  SO2 comes from coal fired power plants and diesel fuel combustion

## What Causes Haze?

 Nitrate – chemical reaction in atmosphere of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) with other pollutants to form very fine particulate. NO2 (or NOx) comes from power plants,  motor vehicles, and other combustion processes

## What Causes Haze?

 Smoke – from wildfire, prescribed fire, woodstoves, agricultural burning  Soil particles – e.g. wind blown dust, reentrained road dust, etc.  Marine aerosols – fine water droplets containing organic and inorganic material

## Regional Haze Rule

 The goal is to achieve natural background visibility conditions in National Parks and wilderness areas areas by 2064. 10 year planning cycles: States and Tribes (as  appropriate) to develop State or Tribal Implementation Plans (SIPs or TIPS)  First SIPs/TIPs cover period to 2018.  First SIPs/TIPs include ‘reasonable’ controls on large major stationary sources: power plants, oil refineries, industrial boilers, aluminum smelters, etc.

## Visibility Monitoring Program: IMPROVE Network

 IMPROVE monitors are located throughout the country to ensure that each Class I area is represented by one monitor.  These monitors collect fine particulate samples that are analyzed for sulfates, nitrates, elemental carbon, organic carbon, and metals  The measured concentrations of each type of particulate are converted into a visibility index to determine the degree of visibility impairment.

## IMPROVE Monitoring Network in Western States

### Map of W

A Class I areas

### Map of OR Class I areas

## Yakama Reservation- Mt. Adams

Wilderness Area Map

## Mt. Adams Visibilit y Glide Path

## Mt Adams Current and Natural Conditions: Worst Days

 

### Current Conditions: 12.76 dv  

### Natural Conditions: 8.35 dv  

### Improvement needed: 4.41 dv

## OR RH SIP Status and Dates

 OR submitted SIP to EPA on December 20, 2010  EPA proposed approving BART and interstate transport visibility portions of SIP on March 8, 2011  EPA will take final action on this portion of the SIP by June 21, 2011  EPA expects a consent decree deadline of fall 2012 to take action on the remainder of SIP

## WA RH SIP Status and Dates

 WA submitted SIP to EPA on Dec. 22, 2010  EPA is evaluating the current SIP submission  Ecology is planning to submit a revision to their SIP to reflect the recent agreement with TransAlta for the Centralia facility  EPA must finalize action on remainder of SIP by fall 2012

## Major Sources to be Controlled

by WA and OR SIPs

 Oregon:  PGE Boardman; coal-fired Power Plant  PGE Beaver Power Plant  Georgia Pacific Wauna Mill  International Paper, Springfield facility  Washington:  TransAlta ; coal fired power plant  TESORO; oil refinery  Port Townsend Paper Company

## Visibility Improvements in Mt. Adams wilderness due to Boardman Controls

 

### 2011 NOx controls – 0.79 dv  

### 2014 SO2 DSI phase I – 1.38 dv 2018 SO2 DSI phase II – 1.51. dv   

### 2020 shutdown – 2.69 dv

## Visibility Improvements in Mt. Adams wilderness due to TransAlta Controls
 

### Jan 1, 2013, SNCR implemented  

### Jan 1, 2013, a ~0.5 dv improvement  

### Dec 31, 2020, shutdown of one unit  

### Dec 31, 2025, shutdown second unit  

### 2025 a ~3.6 dv improvementQuestions?