Document ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2003-0090-0306
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2004-07-08T04:00Z

June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
1
1
Introduction
As
a
requirement
of
the
Early
Action
Compacts
(
EACs),
the
progress
report
due
June
30,
2004,
must
include
a
status
report
regarding
the
air
quality
modeling.
This
report
satisfies
this
requirement.
Discussed
in
this
report
is
an
overview
of
the
changes
in
the
emission
inventories
and
the
air
quality
modeling
results.

2
Emissions
Inventories
Emissions
modeling
performed
by
NCDAQ
estimates
NOx
and
VOC
emissions
for
an
average
summer
day,
given
specific
meteorological
and
future
year
conditions
and
using
emission
inputs
based
on
emission
inventories
that
include
anticipated
control
measures.
The
biogenic
emissions
are
kept
at
the
same
level
as
the
episodic
biogenic
emissions
since
these
emissions
are
based
on
meteorology.
Projections
for
2007
take
into
account
all
State
and
Federal
control
measures
expected
to
operate
at
that
time,
including
Federal
vehicle
emissions
controls,
NOx
SIP
Call
controls,
and
North
Carolina
Clean
Smokestacks
controls.

The
modeling
emission
inventories
changed
since
the
last
progress
report
for
both
the
current
year
and
the
2007
attainment
year.
These
revisions
were
made
to
address
errors
that
were
found
and
the
use
of
better
available
data.

Current
Year
(
2000)
Inventory
Changes
The
changes
in
the
current
year
point
source
emission
inventories
included:

 
using
actual
2000
emissions
data
for
sources
in
North
Carolina
when
available,
 
corrections
to
Alabama
and
Illinois
emissions
modeling
files
to
remove
duplicate
sources,
and
 
inclusion
of
dropped
CEM
emissions
data.

The
current
year
mobile
source
emission
inventory
was
changed
to
correct:

 
the
vehicle
miles
traveled
data
in
South
Carolina,
 
the
vehicle
age
distribution
that
was
used
in
North
Carolina,
 
the
mobile
input
files
for
North
Carolina
so
that
the
modeled
temperatures
were
used
to
calculate
the
emission
factors.

The
current
year
nonroad
mobile
source
emission
inventory
was
changed
to
reflect
changes
in
EPA's
NONROAD
mobile
model.
The
NONROAD
mobile
model
was
re­
run
for
all
counties
within
the
36­
km
modeling
domain.
The
changes
to
the
inventory
were
minor,
but
NCDAQ
wanted
to
use
the
most
recent
data
available
for
this
modeling
project.
There
were
no
changes
made
to
the
current
year
area
source
or
biogenic
source
emission
inventories.
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
2
Attainment
Year
(
2007)
Inventory
Changes
The
changes
in
the
2007
attainment
year
point
source
emission
inventories
included:

 
growing
the
North
Carolina
2000
emissions
data
to
2007,
 
correction
of
stack
temperatures
in
the
North
Carolina
emission
files,
 
using
the
latest
North
Carolina
utility
emissions
according
to
the
Clean
Smokestacks
Act
compliance
plan
update,
 
corrections
to
Alabama
and
Illinois
emissions
modeling
files
to
remove
duplicate
sources,
 
growing
the
other
States
non­
utility
current
year
emissions
to
2007
via
EGAS
growth
factors,
and
 
using
the
Clear
Skies
modeling
emission
files
for
the
other
States
utilities.

The
2007
attainment
year
mobile
source
emission
inventory
was
changed
to
correct:

 
the
vehicle
age
distribution
that
was
used
in
North
Carolina,
 
the
mobile
input
files
for
North
Carolina
so
that
the
modeled
temperatures
were
used
to
calculate
the
emission
factors.

The
2007
attainment
year
nonroad
mobile
source
emission
inventory
was
changed
to
reflect
changes
in
EPA's
NONROAD
mobile
model.
The
NONROAD
mobile
model
was
re­
run
for
all
counties
within
the
36­
km
modeling
domain.
Again,
the
changes
to
the
inventory
were
minor,
but
NCDAQ
wanted
to
use
the
most
recent
data
available
for
this
modeling
project.
Also,
the
airport
projection
factors
were
updated
for
the
three
major
airports
in
North
Carolina,
as
well
as
the
airport
in
Forsyth
County.
The
updated
projection
information
was
obtained
from
the
Federal
Aviation
Administration
(
FAA).

For
area
sources
the
2007
attainment
year
inventory
was
changed
to
apply
North
Carolina's
open
burning
rule,
and
apply
federal
control
strategies
expected
to
be
in
place
by
2007.
There
were
no
changes
made
to
the
biogenic
source
emission
inventory.

Updated
Emission
Inventories
The
emissions
summary
for
both
the
2000
current
year
and
2007
attainment
year
for
the
EAC
area
is
listed
in
Table
2­
1.
These
emissions
represent
typical
weekday
emissions
and
are
reported
in
tons
per
day.
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
3
Table
2­
1:
Estimated
NOx
and
VOC
emissions
NOx
Emissions
VOC
Emissions
Source
2000
2007
2000
2007
Point
115.49
47.50
41.07
39.14
Area
1.19
1.24
21.57
21.98
Nonroad
10.20
10.14
7.07
6.90
Mobile
34.67
23.37
20.81
14.13
Biogenic
0.40
0.40
213.80
213.80
Total
Emissions
161.95
82.65
304.32
295.95
The
total
predicted
NOx
emissions
for
the
EAC
area
decreased
by
48%,
from
162
tons
per
day
(
TPD)
in
2000
to
83
TPD
in
2007.
The
total
predicted
VOC
emissions
for
the
EAC
area
decreased
by
approximately
3%,
from
304
TPD
in
2000
to
296
TPD
in
2007.

There
are
few
VOC
control
measures
expected
for
area
and
point
sources
in
the
Unifour
area,
resulting
only
a
slight
decrease
in
emissions
between
the
two
years.
However,
the
Unifour
area
contains
a
power
plant,
resulting
in
the
point
source
NOx
emissions
decrease
significantly
due
to
the
NOx
SIP
Call
rule.
Additionally,
there
are
significant
decreases
in
highway
mobile
source
VOC
and
NOx
emissions.

3
Control
Measures
Several
control
measures
already
in
place
or
being
implemented
over
the
next
few
years,
will
reduce
point,
highway
mobile,
and
nonroad
mobile
sources
emissions.
These
control
measures
were
modeled
for
2007
and
are
discussed
in
the
Sections
below.

3.1
State
Control
Measures
3.1.1
Clean
Air
Bill
The
1999
Clean
Air
Bill
expanded
the
vehicle
emissions
inspection
and
maintenance
program
from
9
counties
to
48,
phased
in
between
July
1,
2002
through
January
1,
2006.
Vehicles
will
be
tested
using
the
onboard
diagnostic
system,
an
improved
method
of
testing,
which
will
indicate
NOx
emissions,
among
other
pollutants.
The
previously
used
tailpipe
test
did
not
measure
NOx.
The
inspection
and
maintenance
program
will
be
phased
in
from
July
1,
2003
through
July
1,
2005,
in
the
Unifour
area.
Table
3.1.1­
1
lists
the
phase
in
dates
for
the
Unifour
area.

Table
3.1.1­
1
Phase­
In
Dates
for
the
Unifour
Area
County
Phase­
In
Date
Burke
July
1,
2005
Caldwell
July
1,
2005
Catawba
July
1,
2003
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
4
3.1.2
NOx
SIP
Call
Rule
North
Carolina's
NOx
SIP
Call
rule
will
reduce
summertime
NOx
emissions
from
power
plants
and
other
industries
by
68%
by
2006.
The
North
Carolina
Environmental
Management
Commission
adopted
rules
requiring
the
reductions
in
October
2000.

3.1.3
Clean
Smokestacks
Act
In
June
2002,
the
N.
C.
General
Assembly
enacted
the
Clean
Smokestacks
Act,
requiring
coalfired
power
plants
to
reduce
annual
NOx
emissions
by
78%
by
2009.
These
power
plants
must
also
reduce
annual
sulfur
dioxide
emissions
by
49%
by
2009
and
by
74%
in
2013.
The
Clean
Smokestacks
Act
could
potentially
reduce
NOx
emissions
beyond
the
requirements
of
the
NOx
SIP
Call
Rule.
One
of
the
first
state
laws
of
its
kind
in
the
nation,
this
legislation
provides
a
model
for
other
states
in
controlling
multiple
air
pollutants
from
old
coal­
fired
power
plants.

3.1.4
Open
Burning
Bans
In
June
2004,
the
Environmental
Management
Commission
approved
a
new
rule
that
would
ban
open
burning
during
the
ozone
season
on
code
orange
and
code
red
ozone
action
days
for
those
counties
that
NCDAQ
forecasts
ozone.

3.2
Federal
Control
Measures
3.2.1
Tier
2
Vehicle
Standards
Federal
Tier
2
vehicle
standards
will
require
all
passenger
vehicles
in
a
manufacturer's
fleet,
including
light­
duty
trucks
and
Sports
Utility
Vehicles
(
SUVs),
to
meet
an
average
standard
of
0.07
grams
of
NOx
per
mile.
Implementation
will
begin
in
2004,
and
most
vehicles
will
be
phased
in
by
2007.
Tier
2
standards
will
also
cover
passenger
vehicles
over
8,500
pounds
gross
vehicle
weight
rating
(
the
larger
pickup
trucks
and
SUVs),
which
are
not
covered
by
current
Tier
1
regulations.
For
these
vehicles,
the
standards
will
be
phased
in
beginning
in
2008,
with
full
compliance
in
2009.
The
new
standards
require
vehicles
to
be
77%
to
95%
cleaner
than
those
on
the
road
today.
Tier
2
rules
will
also
reduce
the
sulfur
content
of
gasoline
to
30
ppm
by
2006.
Most
gasoline
currently
sold
in
North
Carolina
has
a
sulfur
content
of
about
300
ppm.
Sulfur
occurs
naturally
in
gasoline
but
interferes
with
the
operation
of
catalytic
converters
in
vehicle
engines
resulting
in
higher
NOx
emissions.
Lower­
sulfur
gasoline
is
necessary
to
achieve
Tier
2
vehicle
emission
standards.

3.2.2
Heavy­
Duty
Gasoline
and
Diesel
Highway
Vehicles
Standards
New
EPA
standards
designed
to
reduce
NOx
and
VOC
emissions
from
heavy­
duty
gasoline
and
diesel
highway
vehicles
will
begin
to
take
effect
in
2004.
A
second
phase
of
standards
and
testing
procedures,
beginning
in
2007,
will
reduce
particulate
matter
from
heavy­
duty
highway
engines,
and
will
also
reduce
highway
diesel
fuel
sulfur
content
to
15
ppm
since
the
sulfur
damages
emission
control
devices.
The
total
program
is
expected
to
achieve
a
90%
reduction
in
PM
emissions
and
a
95%
reduction
in
NOx
emissions
for
these
new
engines
using
low
sulfur
diesel,
compared
to
existing
engines
using
higher­
content
sulfur
diesel.
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
5
3.2.3
Large
Nonroad
Diesel
Engines
Proposed
Rule
The
EPA
has
proposed
new
rules
for
large
nonroad
diesel
engines,
such
as
those
used
in
construction,
agricultural,
and
industrial
equipment,
to
be
phased
in
between
2008
and
2014.
The
proposed
rules
would
also
reduce
the
allowable
sulfur
in
nonroad
diesel
fuel
by
over
99%.
Nonroad
diesel
fuel
currently
averages
about
3,400
ppm
sulfur.
The
proposed
rules
limit
nonroad
diesel
sulfur
content
to
500
ppm
in
2007
and
15
ppm
in
2010.
The
combined
engine
and
fuel
rules
would
reduce
NOx
and
particulate
matter
emissions
from
large
nonroad
diesel
engines
by
over
90
%,
compared
to
current
nonroad
engines
using
higher­
content
sulfur
diesel.

3.2.4
Nonroad
Spark­
Ignition
Engines
and
Recreational
Engines
Standard
The
new
standard,
effective
in
July
2003,
will
regulate
NOx,
HC
and
CO
for
groups
of
previously
unregulated
nonroad
engines.
The
new
standard
will
apply
to
all
new
engines
sold
in
the
US
and
imported
after
these
standards
begin
and
large
spark­
ignition
engines
(
forklifts
and
airport
ground
service
equipment),
recreational
vehicles
(
off­
highway
motorcycles
and
allterrain
vehicles),
and
recreational
marine
diesel
engines.
The
regulation
varies
based
upon
the
type
of
engine
or
vehicle.

The
large
spark­
ignition
engines
contribute
to
ozone
formation
and
ambient
CO
and
PM
levels
in
urban
areas.
Tier
1
of
this
standard
is
scheduled
for
implementation
in
2004
and
Tier
2
is
scheduled
to
start
in
2007.
Like
the
large
spark­
ignition,
recreational
vehicles
contribute
to
ozone
formation
and
ambient
CO
and
PM
levels.
They
can
also
be
a
factor
in
regional
haze
and
other
visibility
problems
in
both
state
and
national
parks.
For
the
off­
highway
motorcycles
and
all­
terrain­
vehicles,
model
year
2006,
the
new
exhaust
emissions
standard
will
be
phased­
in
by
50%
and
for
model
years
2007
and
later
a
100%.
Recreational
marine
diesel
engines
over
37
kW
are
used
in
yachts,
cruisers,
and
other
types
of
pleasure
craft.
Recreational
marine
engines
contribute
to
ozone
formation
and
PM
levels,
especially
in
marinas.
Depending
on
the
size
of
the
engine,
the
standard
for
will
begin
phase­
in
in
2006.

When
all
of
the
standards
are
fully
implemented,
an
overall
72%
reduction
in
HC,
80%
reduction
in
NOx,
and
56%
reduction
in
CO
emissions
are
expected
by
2020.
These
controls
will
help
reduce
ambient
concentrations
of
ozone,
CO,
and
fine
PM.

3.3
Local
Control
Measures
Overall
Summary
of
the
EAC
Progress
for
the
Unifour
Area
Local
Strategies:

The
Unifour
Air
Quality
Committee
(
UAQC)
continues
to
improve
and
advance
in
the
overall
air
quality
efforts
in
the
region.
Rough
data
indicates
the
levels
of
ozone
in
the
region
are
reducing
each
year.

Stakeholders
are
committed
to
the
adoption
of
the
emission
reduction
control
measures
and
continue
to
work
towards
our
common
goal
of
reducing
the
Ozone
levels
in
the
region.
The
stakeholders
have
modeled
the
control
strategies
after
the
Sustainable
Environment
for
Quality
of
Life
(
SEQL)
and
continue
to
progress
in
each
area.
As
noted
in
this
report,
and
the
previous
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
6
reports,
the
stakeholders
are
successfully
using
the
Local
Emission
Control
Measures
in
all
fourteen
categories.
The
stakeholders
use
the
control
measures
as
a
guide,
and
many
times
go
above
and
beyond
the
stated
measures.

Local
Control
Measure
#
10
will
be
updated
to
reflect
the
approval
of
NC
Administrative
Code­
Title
15A
Chapter
2­­
Subchapter
2D­
Air
Pollution
Control
Requirements
Section
.1900
 
Open
Burning.
June
1,
2004
the
administrative
code
was
amended
to
prohibit
open
burning
as
specified
in
the
code
on
Code
Orange
and
higher
Ozone
Alert
Days.
A
copy
of
the
amended
code
is
attached.
The
approval
did
not
occur
in
time
to
vote
on
the
amendment.
The
Open
Burning
Regulation
includes
the
entire
Unifour
area;
as
well
as
other
areas
in
the
state
of
NC.

The
UAQC
received
at
the
June
Air
Quality
Meeting
a
draft
document
with
recommendations
for
the
Local
Control
Strategies
that
was
taken
from
a
discussion
held
between
the
Southern
Environmental
Law
Center
(
SELC)
and
North
Carolina
Division
of
Air
Quality
(
NC
DAQ).
The
UAQC
did
not
have
time
to
review
and
make
recommendations
in
time
for
this
report.
Therefore,
the
UAQC
is
reviewing
the
recommendations
to
incorporate
as
many
of
the
ideas
as
feasible
into
the
strategies.
The
overall
goal
is
to
lower
the
pollutants
and
get
the
best
results
possible.

The
stakeholders
are
committed
to
completing
and
achieving
all
the
local
emission
control
strategies
as
adopted.
Many
of
the
areas
have
implemented
the
strategies
as
stated.
Some
of
the
smaller
areas
are
working
towards
the
same
goals,
but
will
take
longer
to
achieve
the
strategies.
Through
educational
efforts
citizens
in
the
Unifour
Area
are
becoming
more
cognizant
of
the
Air
Quality
Issues.
Changing
people's
habits
through
awareness,
education,
and
motivation
is
one
key
to
decreasing
mobile
source
emissions.
Educational
efforts
are
ongoing
and
are
making
a
difference
in
how
people
respond
to
air
quality
efforts.

Since
1990
the
Federal
Conformity
Regulation
has
required
that
transportation
projects
not
cause
or
worsen
violations
of
air
quality
standards.
A
conformity
lapse
can
mean
delay
or
stoppage
of
road
and
transit
design
work,
right­
of­
way
acquisition,
new
construction,
and
permitting.
Smart
Growth
is
growth
that
allows
a
community
to
grow
and
expand
its
economy
in
a
manner
that
protects
the
environment,
expands
living
working
and
travel
choices,
and
strategically
targets
public
resources
to
address
community
wide
needs.
The
Unifour
Area
Stakeholders
are
working
on
ways
to
make
sure
Smart
Growth;
Transportation
and
Air
Quality
strategies
are
all
tied
together
to
make
the
area
more
desirable
for
everyone.

Alexander
County
Sylvia
L.
Turnmire,
AICP
­
Director
of
Planning
and
Development
for
Alexander
County
reported
the
following
progress:

Attended
monthly
UAQC
meetings

Attended
Regional
Air
Quality
Forum
(
6/
1/
04)

Attended
MPO/
RPO
meetings
in
which
air
quality
information
was
discussed
(
4/
29/
04,
5/
26/
04)
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
7

County
staff
met
with
Debra
Manning,
NCDAQ­
MRO,
in
regards
to
placement
of
a
second
monitor
in
Taylorsville.
A
site
was
chosen
at
the
Alexander
County
Maintenance
Facility
and
installation
is
expected
by
June
30,
2004.
(
May)

Met
with
the
County
Economic
Development
Director
to
discuss
initiatives
with
local
businesses
and
industries.
Also
discussed
options
for
air
quality
education
with
those
individuals
and
county
residents.
(
6/
14/
04)

Continued
working
on
an
air
quality
action
plan.
Once
the
plan
is
completed,
it
will
be
taken
to
the
Planning
and
Zoning
Commission
for
recommendation
and
forwarded
to
the
Board
of
County
Commissioners
for
review
and
approval.
(
April,
May,
June)

Met
with
environmental
health
specialists
to
discuss
contacting
local
daycare
centers
and
assisted
living
facilities
on
high
ozone
level
days.
(
6/
15/
04)

Burke
County
In
April
2003
the
Commissioners
appointed
Wayne
Abele,
David
Rust,
and
Burke
Partners
for
Economic
Development
(
BPED)
selected
a
representative
for
this
committee
Bruce
Hershock.

April
2004
Maynard
Taylor
was
appointed
to
replace
Wayne
Abele.

Working
on
Air
Quality
Plan
to
be
adopted
this
year
Caldwell
County
According
to
Debi
Nelson,
Public
Information
Officer
of
Health
Education/
Promotion
Supervisor
for
Caldwell
County
Health
Dept.
(
1966­
B
Morganton
Blvd.
SW
Lenoir,
NC
28645
828­
426­
8462,
828­
426­
8450
fax)
the
following
strategies
have
been
taken
to
promote
Air
Quality
Education
in
Caldwell
County:

8
billboards
with
info
on
flags
and
air
quality
(
attachment)

Air
awareness
emails
sent
daily
to
approximately
500
people
(
under
review
and
will
revise)

Local
cable
and
local
newspaper
daily

Information
booth
at
May
Butterfly
Festival
in
Hudson

Local
newspaper
­
Two
articles
on
Ozone
in
May,
and
one
in
June
Bill
Duquette,
Caldwell
County
Environmental
Engineer
reported
the
following
information
concerning
Caldwell
County
progress:

Flag
Locations:
1.
County
Office
2.
Caldwell
County
Health
Department
3.
Granite
Falls
County
Office
4.
Granite
Falls
5.
Sawmills
6.
Hudson
7.
Cajah's
Mountain
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
8
8.
Gamewell
9.
Hudson
Cloth
(
Shuford
Mills)
10.
Caldwell
Memorial
11.
Caldwell
Community
College
&
Technical
Institute
Fire
Departments
1.
Collettsville
2.
Gamewell
3.
Grace
Chapel
4.
Granite
Falls
5.
Hudson
6.
Kings
Creek
7.
Lenoir
#
1
8.
Lenoir
#
2
9.
Little
River
10.
North
Catawba
11.
Patterson
12.
Sawmills
13.
Valmead
14.
Yadkin
Valley
More
Flag
locations
are
being
identified.

Monday,
May
24,
2004,
Caldwell
County
Manager
Bobby
White,
Caldwell
County
Commissioners
Herb
Greene
and
Dr.
John
Thuss,
Hazardous
Waste
Inspector
Mike
Lane,
Bill
Duquette
Environmental
Engineer
and
Eric
Woodridge
Senior
Planner,
LC
Coonse,
and
an
intern
from
Congressman
Ballenger's
office,
Mark
Guerra
Jr.
met
to
discuss
possible
direction
for
the
community
to
move
in
order
to
lower
ozone
and
pm2.5.
The
commissioners
will
meet
with
commissioners
from
Alexander
and
Burke
counties
to
attempt
to
encourage
them
to
join
regional
efforts
to
abate
air
pollution.
A
meeting
will
be
arranged
with
area
manufacturers
in
an
effort
to
enlist
their
support
and
cooperation
in
air
pollution
control.
A
meeting
will
also
be
arranged
with
the
Forrest
Service
and
local
Fire
Departments
to
eliminate
planned
burning
on
bad
air
quality
days.

June
25,
2004
Caldwell
County
Representatives
from
Caldwell
County,
Bobby
White,
Bill
Duquette
and
Mike
Lane
and
NC
DAQ
Representatives
Sheila
Holman
and
Hoke
Kimball
met
with
Trigon
Engineering
Consultants,
Inc.
met
to
discuss
Air
Quality
Issues
and
strategies
that
Caldwell
County
can
perform
to
aggressively
address
the
Air
Quality
Issues
in
the
area.

June
1,
2004
Bill
Duquette
gave
an
Ozone
Presentation
to
the
Rotary
Club
in
Caldwell
County
at
6:
45
AM.

5th
Grade
Ozone
Presentations
provided
by
Bill
Duquette,
Caldwell
County
Environmental
Engineer
as
follows:

April
30th
 
Granite
Falls
@
9:
00
AM
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
9
2
 
5th
Grade
Classes
May
21st
­
Kings
Creek
@
12:
00
PM
1
 
5th
Grade
Class
May
24th
­
Baton
Elementary
@
1:
00
PM
3
 
5th
Grade
Classes
May
27th
­
Hudson
Elementary
@
8:
30
AM
&
9:
30
AM
5­
5th
Grade
Classes
Air
Quality
Plan
attached
Catawba
County
Sarah
Lawson,
Nursing
Supervisor
and
Tracey
Paul,
Catawba
County
Public
Health
Educator
reports
the
following
progress
in
Catawba
County:

Proposed
Ozone
Plan
To
Date:
5/
4/
04­
Updated
6/
29/
04
1.
County
Employee
Intranet
Ozone
Activities
Program:
 
Met
with
ITC
staff
Lee
Yount
on
5/
4
to
discuss
how
to
proceed
working
with
ITC
to
set
up
an
intranet
program
for
county
employees
to
self­
report
ozone
prevention
activities
on
an
individual
and
county
building
basis
during
ozone
season
­
must
be
very
user
friendly.
 
The
goal
is
to
implement
this
program
by
late
July
if
possible.
 
ITC
representative
recommended
talking
to
Marcia
Hardy
who
handles
the
intranet.
He
suggested
putting
this
under
"
hot
topics"
and
thought
it
should
be
fairly
simple
to
do
via
an
excel
spread
sheet
to
calculate
individual
and
county
building
points
on
an
on­
going
basis,
i.
e.
in
order
to
pull
monthly
totals.
 
Incentives
will
be
built
into
this
program
on
an
individual
and
county
building
basis,
i.
e.,
movie
tickets
to
individual
employees
once
they
score
100
points,
an
ice
cream
social
for
the
county
building
with
highest
number
of
points,
etc.
 
Employees
would
log
into
the
program,
identifying
themselves
individually
and
by
county
building,
using
the
honor
system
to
self
report
and
record
activities
such
as:
a.
Did
you
carpool
or
rideshare
to
work
today?
b.
Did
you
bring
your
lunch
to
work
today?
c.
Did
you
order
in
for
lunch
today?
d.
Did
you
carpool
to
lunch
today?
e.
Did
you
wait
until
after
6pm
to
fill
up
your
car
with
gas
yesterday?
f.
Did
you
not
top
off
the
tank
today
when
you
filled
up
with
gas?
g.
Did
you
wait
until
after
6pm
yesterday
to
cut
your
grass?
h.
Did
you
wear
your
orange
or
red
ozone
alert
button,
if
applicable,
today?
i.
Did
you
distribute
ozone
information
to
the
general
public
today?
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
10
j.
Did
you
combine
errands,
reduce
trips
and
limit
idling
yesterday?

Intranet
Program
has
been
designed
and
is
ready
for
implementation
upon
approval
from
County
Management.

2.
County
Carpooling/
Ridesharing
Program:
 
Contacted
the
GIS
department
regarding
mapping
out
addresses
of
all
county
employees
 
Contacted
Personnel
to
request
employees
with
Catawba
County
addresses
be
shared
with
GIS
for
mapping
 
Contacted
WPCOG
(
Western
Piedmont
Council
of
Government)
if
they
would
be
able
to
map
addresses
for
employees
not
living
in
Catawba
but
surrounding
counties,
but
will
first
check
with
personnel
to
see
if
non­
Catawba
County
resident
employee
addresses
can
be
shared
for
this
purpose
 
Obtained
approval
and
subsequently
obtained
GIS
Maps
showing
where
county
employees
live
within
Catawba
County
as
well
as
Burke,
Caldwell,
and
Alexander
counties
to
encourage
employees
to
consider
the
ridesharing
option.

o
Attended
Air
Quality
Forum
at
Catawba
Valley
Community
College
6/
1/
04­
Barry
Blick,
Health
Director
of
Catawba
County
Health
Department
participated
as
one
of
the
presenters,
discussing
the
physiological
effects
of
ozone
and
particulate
matter.

o
Developed
PowerPoint
presentation
that
outlines
the
health
care
concerns
due
to
effects
of
ozone,
the
financial
repercussions
of
non­
attainment
status,
and
describes
the
above
mentioned
county
intranet
competition
for
employees
and
the
potential
ridesharing
program.
This
PowerPoint
will
be
used
as
a
training
tool
for
the
county
employees
to
be
educated
regarding
ozone
reduction
strategies
that
will
be
implemented.

o
Presented
PowerPoint
presentation
to
Assistant
County
Manager,
Mick
Berry
6/
23/
04­
obtained
approval
to
present
ozone
presentation
to
Department
Heads
on
7/
6/
04.

City
of
Hickory
Cal
Overby,
Planner
for
the
City
of
Hickory
reports
the
following
progress:

The
City
of
Hickory
is
in
the
process
of
putting
together
a
press
release
that
will
be
sent
to
all
the
local
media:
a
local
radio
station
WHKY,
local
newspapers
Hickory
Daily
Record,
The
Charlotte
Observer,
and
Charter
Communication
local
television
channel.

Information
similar
to
that
contained
within
the
above
referenced
press
release
is
to
be
included
within
utility
billing
statements
that
will
go
out
to
approximately
40,000
to
45,000
public
utility
users.
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
11
On
June
15,
2004
the
Hickory
City
Council
adopted
the
City's
updated
Air
Quality
Plan
(
Revised
Air
Quality
Plan
is
attached).

According
to
Cindy
McGinnis,
the
Director
of
Piedmont
Wagon
Transit
System,
funding
has
been
secured
for
the
purchase
of
four
35­
foot
buses
that
employ
Clean
Diesel
Engines.
These
buses
will
also
be
equipped
with
lower
floors
that
facilitate
more
efficient
passenger
loading
and
unloading,
which
in
turn
reduces
idling
time
at
stops.
These
elements
create
a
much
more
efficient
and
emission
friendly
bus.
The
Piedmont
Wagon
Transit
System
is
also
in
the
process
of
initiating
an
Efficiency
Study
that
will
help
identify
areas
where
transit
services
can
be
expanded
as
well
as
identifying
areas
where
services
are
under
utilized.

City
of
Lenoir
Chuck
Beatty,
Planning
Director
for
the
City
of
Lenoir
reports
the
following
progress:

Lenoir
has
implemented
the
following
Air
Quality
Control
Measures:

The
black
rubber
roof
for
City
Hall
was
replaced
with
white
vinyl;

40
acres
of
land
have
been
rezoned
for
high­
density
in­
fill
development;

The
traffic
and
parking
enforcement
vehicle
for
Lenoir
Police
Department
was
replaced
with
a
zero­
emission
Global
Electric
Motorcar;

The
City
Council
endorsed
a
DOT
Enhancement
Grant
for
a
2­
mile
extension
of
the
Lenoir
Greenway;

The
color­
coded
air
quality
flags
are
being
flown
daily
at
Central
Fire
Station
and
Fire
Station
Two.

LPD&#
039;
and
#
039;
green
and
#
039;
ticket
machine
now
on
street
Lt.
Scott
Brown,
training
officer
for
the
Lenoir
Police
Department,
states
the
new
vehicle
went
into
service
last
week.
He
described
it
as
an
energy
efficient,
zero­
emission
traffic
enforcement
vehicle.

The
new
Global
Electric
Motorcar,
or
GEM
car,
produced
by
Daimler­
Chrysler,
was
recently
purchased
as
a
replacement
for
the
department
and
#
039;
1987
Cushman
scooter
and
began
operation
in
Lenoir
and
#
039;
uptown
business
district
June
7.
12­
volt
batteries,
making
it
quiet
and
efficient,
while
still
offering
the
lighting
and
safety
features
required
to
operate
on
public
streets
and
highways,
power
the
GEM
car.

For
more
of
this
story,
click
on
or
type
the
URL
below:

http://
www.
newstopic.
net/
articles/
2004/
06/
17/
news/
39greenmachine.
txt
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
12
LPD's
'
green'
ticket
machine
now
on
street
By
DAVE
CRUZ,
News­
Topic
Staff
Writer,
dcruz@
charter.
net
With
gasoline
prices
going
through
the
roof
in
an
area
with
air
quality
issues,
the
purchase
of
an
environmentally­
friendly
electric
car
to
enforce
Lenoir's
parking
ordinances
appears
to
have
been
a
good
decision.

Lt.
Scott
Brown,
training
officer
for
the
Lenoir
Police
Department,
said
the
new
vehicle
went
into
service
last
week.
He
described
it
as
an
energy
efficient,
zero­
emission
traffic
enforcement
vehicle.

"
The
new
Global
Electric
Motorcar,
or
GEM
car,
produced
by
Daimler­
Chrysler,
was
recently
purchased
as
a
replacement
for
the
department's
1987
Cushman
scooter
and
began
operation
in
Lenoir's
uptown
business
district
June
7.
The
GEM
car
is
powered
by
12­
volt
batteries,
making
it
quiet
and
efficient,
while
still
offering
the
lighting
and
safety
features
required
to
operate
on
public
streets
and
highways.

Capt.
Sharon
Poarch,
commander
of
the
Department's
Patrol
Division,
said
the
new
vehicle,
having
a
wheelbase
of
only
six
feet,
is
very
maneuverable.

The
lighting
on
the
vehicle
makes
it
highly
visible,
she
said.
Higher
visibility
means
a
higher
level
of
safety.

Brown
said
Parking
Enforcement
Officer
Martin
Hartso
conducted
extensive
research
into
replacement
possibilities
for
the
old
scooter
that
was
becoming
expensive
to
maintain.

"
The
GEM
car,
which
was
purchased
for
a
third
of
what
a
new
gasoline
engine
unit
would
cost,
offered
an
affordable
and
environmentally­
friendly
solution,"
said
Brown.
"
With
the
revitalization
efforts
in
Lenoir's
uptown
area,
the
GEM
parking
enforcement
vehicle
should
prove
an
invaluable
tool
in
ensuring
parking
availability."

Poarch
said
the
GEM
was
purchased
at
a
cost
of
approximately
$
10,000.
The
least
expensive
gasoline­
powered
replacement
for
the
Cushman
would
have
cost
the
city
about
$
25,000.

In
addition
to
costing
less
money,
Poarch
said
the
new
vehicle
will
be
less
expensive
to
operate.
In
addition
to
using
electricity
to
power
it
instead
of
gasoline,
the
GEM
has
fewer
moving
parts
and
should
require
less
maintenance
than
a
gasoline­
powered
vehicle.

In
addition
to
parking
enforcement,
Poarch
said
the
new
vehicle
can
be
used
to
patrol
events
held
in
uptown
Lenoir.
The
GEM
is
small
and
maneuverable
enough
to
be
operated
on
streets
crowded
with
pedestrians.

The
parking
enforcement
vehicle
may
be
the
Department's
first
electric­
powered
vehicle
but
it
probably
won't
be
the
last,
Poarch
said.
Police
departments
and
other
municipal
agencies
are
looking
at
alternatives
to
polluting,
expensive
to
operate
gasoline­
powered
vehicles
out
of
"
absolute
necessity."
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
13
According
to
Daimler­
Chrysler,
GEM
vehicles
are
street­
legal
in
most
states
where
they
can
be
driven
on
roadways
posted
up
to
35
mph.
The
vehicles
have
a
top
speed
of
25
mph
and
meet
all
safety
standards
established
by
the
federal
government
for
neighborhood
electric
or
low­
speed
vehicles.

The
vehicle
can
travel
up
to
15
miles
on
a
full
charge,
according
to
Hartso.
The
manufacturer
claims
a
cruising
range
of
up
to
30
miles.

"
Our
research
shows
that
GEM
owners
use
the
vehicles
to
replace
their
conventional
cars
and
trucks
for
the
most
polluting
trips,
short
drives
with
cold
vehicles,"
Richard
J.
Kasper,
president
and
chief
operating
officer
of
Global
Electric
Motorcars,
said.
"
That's
why
GEMs
are
having
an
impact
in
the
real
world
in
improving
air
quality.
GEMs
are
recognized
as
zero
emission
vehicles
by
California,
New
York
and
other
states."

Global
Electric
Motorcars,
based
in
Sacramento,
Calif.,
has
been
in
business
for
seven
years.
According
to
a
company
spokesman,
about
28,000
GEMs
are
in
use
across
the
United
States
and
internationally,
in
settings
such
as
city
centers,
master
planned
communities,
rural
areas,
military
bases,
local,
state
and
national
parks,
industrial
developments,
airports
and
college
and
university
campuses.

Working
on
Air
Quality
Plan
to
be
adopted
this
year
City
of
Morganton
Larry
Pressley,
City
of
Morganton
Engineer
reports
that
the
City
of
Morganton
has
taken
the
following
steps
to
assist
with
ozone
compliance,

1.
Established
communication
procedures
with
the
following:
City
of
Morganton
Cable
TV
System
Charter
Cable
TV
System
News
Herald
Local
radio
To
get
high
ozone
alerts
to
the
public.

2.
Established
a
link
on
city
website
www.
ci.
morganton.
nc.
us
for
public
use
to
track
ozone
readings.

3.
Began
developing
air
quality
awareness
action
plan
by
gathering
information
from
city
departments
and
will
work
with
WPCOG
staff
to
draft
a
plan
this
ozone
season.

4.
Notified
Morganton
citizens
thru
utility
bill
mailings
of
City
Pride,
enclosed
for
your
information
September
2003
and
July
2004
(
attached).

5.
City
Council
passed
ozone
resolution
in
March
of
2004.
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
14
City
of
Conover
Conover's
items
for
the
UAQC
Early
Action
Compact:

Local
Control
Strategy
#
2.
1.
Include
an
"
Air
Aware"
article
in
the
upcoming
summer
Conover
Neighbor
newsletter
­
going
out
in
July.
2.
Public
Works
Day
was
held
on
May
22nd
at
which
the
Sanitation
Division
had
a
display
of
recycling
and
composting
benefits
and
distributed
pertinent
information.

Ordinances
are
already
in
place
that
addresses
Local
Control
Measures
7,
8,
&
9
and
already
support
and/
or
done
#
s
5,
6,
11,
&
14.

Preprinted
brochures
from
NC
DAQ
are
being
distributed.

Taylorsville
Jon
Pilkenton,
Planner
for
Taylorsville
reports
that
the
following
measures
have
been
taken
since
the
December
report:
The
Town
has
continued
its
efforts
to
notify
citizens
on
high
ozone
days,
by
posting
notice
at
the
Town
Hall
and
other
public
places.
Air
Quality
Color
Guides
are
distributed
throughout
the
town.
The
Public
Works
and
Police
Departments
are
continually
educated
on
ways
to
reduce
exhaust
emissions
into
the
atmosphere
(
reduction
of
idling).
In
the
future
the
Town
may
take
more
steps
to
notify
the
public
using
radio
ads
and
flags
like
those
used
in
Caldwell
County.

Working
on
Air
Quality
Plan
to
be
adopted
this
year
Subject:
Open
Burning
Regulations
(
This
will
revise
Strategy
#
10)

North
Carolina
Administrative
Code
15A
2D
.1900
"
Open
Burning"
was
amended
on
May
20,
2004.
The
amendment
is
effective
June
1,
2004.
The
most
significant
changes
involve
open
burning
restrictions
in
ozone
forecasts
areas.
As
part
of
the
North
Carolina
Air
Awareness
Program,
Meteorologists
issue
the
forecasts
at
3
p.
m.
every
day
during
the
ozone
season
(
May
through
September)
for
the
following
day
in
order
to
allow
everyone
to
plan
the
next
day's
operations.

15A
NCAC
2D
.1902
"
Definitions"
Item
13
states
that
"
Ozone
forecast
area
means
for
(
a)
Asheville
ozone
forecast
area:
Buncombe,
Haywood,
Henderson,
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
15
Jackson,
Madison,
Swain,
Transylvania,
and
Yancey
Counties;

(
b)
Charlotte
ozone
forecast
area:
Cabarrus,
Gaston,
Iredell
South
of
Interstate
40,
Lincoln,
Mecklenburg,
Rowan,
Union,
and
York
Counties;

(
c)
Hickory
ozone
forecast
area:
Alexander,
Burke,
Caldwell,
and
Catawba
Counties;

(
d)
Fayetteville
ozone
forecast
area:
Cumberland
and
Harnett
Counties;

(
e)
Triad
ozone
forecast
area:
Alamance,
Caswell,
Davidson,
Davie,
Forsyth,
Guilford,
Randolph,
Rockingham,
and
Stokes
Counties;
and
(
f)
Triangle
ozone
forecast
area:
Chatham,
Durham,
Franklin,
Johnston,
Orange,
and
Wake
Counties."

Ozone,
the
primary
component
of
smog,
is
a
colorless
gas
that
can
be
harmful
to
humans
and
vegetation.
Ozone
is
of
particular
concern
during
hot,
hazy
weather.
Most
open
burning
is
prohibited
in
the
above
noted
counties
on
days
when
the
ozone
forecast
is
"
code
orange",
"
code
red",
or
"
code
purple".
The
Division
of
Air
Quality
discourages
open
burning
on
those
days
in
other
areas
of
the
state.
On
such
"
orange",
"
red"
or
"
purple"
days,
there
is
a
high
potential
for
ozone
levels
to
exceed
the
standard.
Open
burning
is
allowed
on
"
code
green"
and
"
code
yellow"
days.
To
hear
forecasts,
dial
1­
888­
RU4NCAIR
(
1­
888­
784­
6224)
and
choose
options
for
your
area.
This
information
also
is
available
on
the
Internet
at
http://
ncair.
org
click
on
the
ozone
map.

15A
NCAC
2D
.1903
prohibits
the
following
types
of
otherwise
allowable
open
burning
on
Ozone
Action
Day
Code
"
Orange"
or
above
during
the
time
period
covered
by
that
forecast:

(
a)
Yard
waste,
leaves
and
tree
branches
(
b)
Land
clearing
debris
(
c)
Natural
disaster
material
(
result
of
tornado,
hurricane,
flood,
etc.)

(
d)
Fire
fighter
training
(
Live
burn
training)

Exceptions
to
prohibited
open
burning
on
code
orange
or
above
days
includes
the
following:

(
a)
Camp
fires
and
fires
used
solely
for
outdoor
cooking
and
other
recreational
purposes,
ceremonial
occasions,
or
for
human
warmth
and
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
16
comfort
(
b)
Forest
management
practices
acceptable
to
the
Division
of
Forest
Resources
(
c)
Agricultural
practices
acceptable
to
the
Department
of
Agriculture
(
d)
Wildlife
management
practices
acceptable
to
the
Wildlife
Resources
Commission
(
e)
Fires
for
the
disposal
of
dangerous
materials
when
it
is
the
safest
and
most
practical
method
of
disposal
(
Requires
DAQ
approval)

(
f)
Fires
purposely
set
by
manufacturers
of
fire
extinguishing
materials
or
equipment,
testing
laboratories,
or
other
persons,
for
the
purpose
of
testing
or
developing
these
materials
or
equipment
in
accordance
with
a
standard
qualification
program
Joe
Crabb
­
Joe.
Crabb@
ncmail.
net
North
Carolina
Dept.
of
Environment
&
Natural
Resources
Div.
of
Air
Quality
919
N.
Main
St.
Mooresville,
NC
28115
Ph:
(
704)
663­
1699
Fax:
(
704)
663­
7579
Newspapers
in
all
four
counties
receive
or
have
committed
to
check
daily
the
Air
Quality
Forecast
for
the
Day.
The
Lenoir
News
Topic
has
chosen
to
print
the
Daily
Forecast
in
the
paper
on
the
front
page
daily.
The
News
Topic
has
reported
numerous
informational
articles
and
explanations
concerning
the
air
quality
in
the
area.

The
Local
Weather
Channel
displays
the
Air
Quality
Index
each
day.

John
Tippett,
Chair
of
the
Air
Quality
Committee
has
performed
the
following
activities:

Participated
on
a
panel
with
other
air
quality
specialists
on
June
1
at
an
event
sponsored
by
the
League
of
Women
Voters,
Catawba
Valley
Heritage
Alliance,
Catawba
County
Chamber
of
Commerce
and
the
Unifour
Air
Quality
Committee.

Spoke
to
the
NC
Association
of
Lead
Regional
Organizations
in
Raleigh
on
June
3rd
regarding
our
EAC
process.

May
5th
met
with
NCDAQ
staff
in
Raleigh
(
along
with
Kitty
Barnes,
Catawba
County
Commission
Chairman,
Tom
Lundy,
County
Manager
and
Barry
Blick,
County
Health
Director
to
discuss
progress
on
ozone
and
PM
planning.

Spoke
to
National
Association
of
Regional
Councils
in
Chicago
on
June
28th
reference
the
EAC
planning
in
the
Unifour.
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
17

Attended
CAPCA
conference
in
Asheville
on
April
15th.
(
Carolina's
Air
Pollution
Control
Association)

May
12th
presented
to
the
Caldwell
County
Manager's
(
representatives
in
the
cities
in
the
county
and
the
county)
reference
air
pollution
issues.

April
5th
presented
information
on
the
EAC
to
the
Alexander
County
Commissioners.

February
27th
participated
on
conference
call
with
DAQ
and
SELC
on
the
EAC
process.

The
UAQC
has
met
on
the
following
dates
since
the
last
six­
month
report
was
submitted
in
December
as
follows:

January
27th
at
3:
30
PM
at
WPCOG
February
24th
3:
30
PM
at
WPCOG
March
23rd
at
1:
30
PM
at
LP
Frans
Stadium
at
Winkler
Park
April
27th
at
10:
30
AM
at
WPCOG
May
25th
at
3:
00
PM
at
WPCOG
June
23rd
at
9:
00AM
at
WPCOG
REGIONAL
AIR
QUALITY
STRATEGIES
We
suggest
a
two­
pronged
approach.
First,
we
work
toward
minimizing
the
economic
fallout
in
the
short
term
and
second
we
work
toward
solving
the
problem
in
the
long
term.

1.
Minimize
the
economic
fallout
in
the
short
term.
a.
We
use
all
our
political
devices,
US
House
and
Senate
delegations,
President,
Governor,
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
18
NC
General
Assembly,
NCDENR,
local
elected
officials,
etc.,
to
request
that
the
non­
attainment
designations
not
be
made
until
June
2005,
so
that
all
of
calendar
2004
data
can
be
included
(
which
should
take
us
into
attainment)
and
to
request
that
the
nonattainment
boundaries
be
set
on
as
small
a
geographic
area
as
possible
to
reduce
the
economic
impact.
We
should
also
point
out
that
there
are
many
federal
and
state
air
quality
initiatives
coming
online
in
coming
years
that
will
address
these
issues
(
i.
e.
industry
MACT
standards,
clean
smokestacks,
low
sulfur
diesel,
reduction
in
traditional
industry
production,
local
"
smart­
growth"/"
anti­
sprawl"
initiatives,
end
of
the
three­
year
drought,
etc..)

ACTION
Items:
1.
Draft
a
letter
to
cover
these
points
to
be
sent
by
UAQC,
local
governments
and
grass
roots
activists
to
raise
the
level
of
political
pressure
to
state
and
federal
elected
officials
and
environmental
and
commerce
administrators.
2.
A
meeting
will
be
held
March
23
to
brief
local
elected
leaders
and
municipal
managers
on
the
issues
and
our
strategy
to
address
them.
3.
Local
county
commissioners
visited
our
delegation
in
Congress
at
the
end
of
February
and
raised
the
concerns.

COST
ESTIMATE:
$
no
new
funding
required
b.
We
explore
our
legal
options.
If
an
environmental
group
challenges
8­
Hour
Ozone
level
Early
Action
Compacts,
as
Southern
Environmental
Law
Center
is
indicating
they
will,
and
they
include
PM
2.5
as
their
letter
indicates
they
will,
what
can
we
do
and
what
should
we
do
from
a
legal
standpoint
to
defend
our
EAC,
respond
to
the
legal
challenge
and
try
to
force
the
federal
EPA
(
a
party
to
the
contractual
agreement,
the
EAC)
to
stand
with
us
in
defense
of
the
EAC.
What
can
the
NC
EAC's
do
together
legally
to
defend
them?
Also,
do
we
have
any
recourse
to
bring
legal
action
against
the
EPA
for
the
designations
they
make
for
8­
Hour
Ozone
and
PM
2.5
non­
attainment
areas
if
we
think
that
makes
any
sense
down
the
road?

ACTION
Items:
1.
Retain
an
environmental
attorney
to
advise
us
of
our
current
options
and
actions
we
should
be
taking
and
help
formulate
a
legal
strategy
on
ways
to
challenge
some
of
the
designations
and
present
our
scientific
finds
and
results
after
they
are
done.
2.
Approach
the
other
EAC's
and
see
if
they
are
interested
in
sharing
the
cost
of
an
attorney
to
defend
the
EAC's
and
approach
Davidson
County
to
see
if
they
are
interested
in
sharing
cost
to
defend
us
on
PM
2.5
COST
ESTIMATE:
$
25,000
c.
We
seek
regulatory
change
or
legislative
action
(
whichever
needed)
to
make
sure
that
non­
attainment
designations
are
reviewed
as
often
as
possible
so
that
when
an
area
falls
back
into
attainment,
it
gets
the
credit
right
away
and
not
several
years
down
the
road.
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
19
ACTION
Items:
1.
Ascertain
where
the
change
needs
to
be
made.
2.
If
regulatory
rule
changes
are
needed,
launch
political
effort
to
affect
that.
3.
If
legislation
changes
are
needed,
lobby
Congress
and
General
Assembly
as
appropriate
to
introduce
the
legislation.

COST
ESTIMATE:
$
no
new
funding
required
d.
We
educate
the
public
using
all
the
media
we
can
get
on
just
what
the
size
of
the
problem
is,
what
the
science
is,
or
isn't,
proving,
what
the
economic
ramifications
are
and
what
we
are
trying
to
do
about
it
for
our
long
term
benefit
(
both
economically
and
health
wise).

ACTION
Items:
1.
Do
press
releases
that
explain
the
problem,
and
describe
why
we
need
to
fix
it
(
health
and
economics)

2.
Hold
public
forums
to
discuss
the
problem,
educate
the
public
on
what
they
can
do
to
help
and
what
our
strategy
is
to
fix
the
problem
3.
Develop
a
tool
box
similar
to
the
tool
box
of
Ozone
control
measures
that
illustrates
we
have
no
idea
what
to
do
about
PM
2.5
COST
ESTIMATE:
$
10,000
(
public
meetings,
publication
of
pamphlets
or
flyers,
and
possible
advertising
costs)

e.
Staff
for
regional
air
quality
efforts.
This
would
be
an
air
quality
specialist
who
would
be
funded
by
local
money,
through
the
WPCOG,
to
handle
all
air
quality
efforts
for
the
Greater
Hickory
Metro
Area.
This
person
would
have
responsibility
for
all
on­
going
programs,
for
example
provide
staff
support
for
UAQC,
and
serve
as
liaison
with
elected
officials
and
environmental
administrators
on
behalf
of
the
EAC
and
the
UAQC.

ACTION
Items:
1.
Hire
a
full
time
staff
person
based
in
the
WPCOG
to
handle
regional
air
quality
for
at
least
the
four
counties
in
the
Greater
Hickory
Metro.

COST
ESTIMATE:
$
100,000
(
first
year,
salary,
fringe,
office)

f.
Seek
DOT,
CMAQ
(
Congestion
Management
for
Air
Quality)
and
TEA­
21
grant
monies
for
installation
of
traffic
light
signalization
controls
which
electronically
would
coordinate
signals
and
reduce
idling
times
of
traffic
on
major
thoroughfares.

ACTION
Items:
1.
Make
new
grant
applications
for
grant
monies
now
that
we
face
nonattainment
designation
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
20
2.
Lobby
General
Assembly
for
legislation
similar
to
NC
Go
that
passed
in
the
long
session
last
year
to
let
DOT
use
monies
for
that
purpose.

COST
ESTIMATE:
$
no
new
funding
required
2.
Work
toward
solving
the
problem
in
the
long
term.
a.
We
establish
a
scientific
basis
for
remediating
our
air
quality.
We
fund
additional
monitors
and
scientific
study
to
base
our
approach
to
fixing
the
problem
on
sound
science
and
real
solutions.
It
makes
more
sense
for
us
to
figure
out
what
causes
the
problem
and
how
to
fix
the
problem
rather
than
how
to
avoid
the
designation.

1.
We
would
strategically
place
monitors
around
the
Greater
Hickory
Metro
region
(
the
four
counties
of
Caldwell,
Burke,
Alexander
and
Catawba)
at
locations
that
meet
the
EPA
site
specifications,
but
also
logically
are
in
the
spots
we
expect
to
have
the
highest
readings
and
that
would
give
us
the
greatest
geographical
area
covered.
Thereby
we
would
have
real
data
that
we
could
use
to
lower
the
levels
at
our
worst
locations
as
well
as
across
our
four
county
region.
These
would
be
speciated
monitors
that
will
tell
us
what
the
particles
are
at
what
times
of
day.
We
suggest
at
least
four,
maybe
six
new
monitors.
2.
Using
the
data
collected
from
the
monitors
placed
around
the
region,
we
would
hire
an
independent
source
to
analyze
the
data
for
us.
They
would
be
charged
with
finding
out:
A.
What
the
specific
causes
of
our
problem
are
regionally
and
by
individual
counties/
municipalities
(
whatever
the
placement
of
monitors
can
reasonably
show
us)
including
specific
particles
and
sources
of
those
particles.
B.
What
are
the
possible
external
sources
of
our
problem
based
on
the
data
and
probable
locations
of
specific
particles
we
find
at
monitoring
(
does
the
mercury
have
a
finger
print)?
C.
What
can
we
infer
from
the
data
from
the
monitors
about
wind
and
weather
patterns,
comparing
weather
history,
traffic
patterns,
economic
changes,
and
any
other
factors
that
logically
would
have
an
impact
on
the
collected
particles
to
help
us
understand
what
is
causing
this.

ACTION
Items:
1.
Hire
on
a
consulting
basis
an
environmental
scientist/
engineer
who
will
advise
us
on
a
placement
strategy
for
and
types
of
new
monitors,
what
kind
of
data
to
collect
for
analysis,
analyze
the
data
and
recommend
strategies
to
correct
the
problem.

2.
Be
prepared
to
fund
up
to
six
new
speciated
monitors
(
maybe
to
include
ozone
as
well)
and
the
monitoring
costs
for
those
monitors
for
the
foreseeable
time
frame,
at
least
next
10
years.
(
We
should
seek
state
and
federal
funds
for
the
monitors
and
the
monitoring,
but
if
that
fails
we
need
to
be
prepared
to
pay
for
them
ourselves).
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
21
COST
ESTIMATE:
$
25,000/
year
for
4
years
COST
ESTIMATE:
$
108,000
­
6
monitors
($
18,000
each)
COST
ESTIMATE:
$
112,000
annually
for
monitoring
(
2
@
$
35K
plus
60%
benefits)

b.
Study
economic
impact
of
air
quality
issues.
This
would
include
projecting
what
types
of
industry
we
expect
to
be
coming
to
the
region
and
which
ones
we
expect
to
be
growing,
what
road
projects
need
to
be
done
and
what
transportation
plans
have
been
made,
what
non­
manufacturing
economic
development
we
expect
to
be
coming
and
what
residential
growth
we
expect
to
be
happening.
This
on­
going
study
would
help
us
understand
the
potential
economic
effects
of
being
designated
"
non­
attainment"
(
or
remaining
so
designated)
and
how
to
target
our
various
development
efforts
away
from
non­
compliant
schemes
and
ameliorate
current
deficient
conditions.

ACTION
Items:
1.
Identify
study
methodology
that
fits
the
intended
purpose
and
designate
WPCOG
staff
to
perform
the
on­
going
data
collection,
analysis
and
recommendations.
Establish
the
study.

COST
ESTIMATE:
$
45,000
year
one,
$
90,000
year
two
c.
Create
regional
authority
to
manage
air
quality
program.
This
authority
would
ideally
be
housed
and
operated
under
the
auspices
of
the
WPCOG
and
would
have
responsibility
for
operating
a
local
environmental
program.
This
program
would
include
monitoring
and
enforcement
of
a
regional
effort
to
address
at
least
PM
2.5
and
Ozone,
and
possibly
water
quality
and
other
components
(
sediment
reduction
programs,
wetland
buffer
regulations,
etc.)

ACTION
Items:
1.
Study
other
area
authorities,
Charlotte,
Forsyth,
and
others
to
find
best
practices,
structure
and
initiatives
2.
Negotiate
an
authority
to
include
at
least
the
local
EAC
partners,
but
ideally
all
the
municipal
governments
in
the
four
Greater
Hickory
Metro
counties.
3.
Establish
the
legal
structure
needed
to
create
such
an
authority
and
establish
it.

COST
ESTIMATE:
$
25,000
d.
UAQC
will
partner
with
the
local
elected
officials
on
an
on­
going
basis
to
provide
input
and
advisory
support
level
technical
and
strategic
advice
on
future
actions
necessary.

ACTION
Items:
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
22
1.
Establish
a
formal
reporting
schedule
for
UAQC
to
make
periodic
status
reports
to
the
elected
bodies,
either
as
part
of
or
in
addition
to
the
regional
environmental
authority's
reports.
Perhaps
annual
reports
that
would
outline
current
issues
and
efforts
as
well
as
completed
projects
and
upcoming
issues.

COST
ESTIMATE:
$
no
new
funding
required
Regional
Air
Quality
Strategies
Summary
We
suggest
a
two­
pronged
approach.
First
we
work
toward
minimizing
the
economic
fallout
in
the
short
term
and
second
we
work
toward
solving
the
problem
in
the
long
term.

I.
Minimize
the
economic
fallout
in
the
short
term.
ACTION
ITEMS:
 
Draft
a
letter
to
state
and
federal
elected
officials
and
administrators
to
delay
non­
attainment
designations
and
lobby
for
the
smallest
geographic
area
possible.
COST
ESTIMATE:
$
no
new
funding
required
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
23
 
Retain
an
environmental
attorney
to
explore
options
and
formulate
a
legal
strategy.
COST
ESTIMATE:
$
 
Lobby
Congress,
General
Assembly
or
Agencies
to
seek
regulatory
change
or
legislative
actions
to
ensure
non­
attainment
designations
are
reviewed
often.
COST
ESTIMATE:
$
no
new
funding
required
 
Media
campaign
(
public
forums)
to
educate
public
on
the
problem
and
strategy.

COST
ESTIMATE:
$
10,000
 
Hire
full
time
WPCOG
staff
person
to
handle
regional
air
quality.

COST
ESTIMATE:
$
100,000
(
annually)

 
Make
applications
for
grant
monies
for
traffic
light
signalization
controls
and
lobby
General
Assembly
to
allow
DOT
to
use
monies
for
this
purpose.

COST
ESTIMATE:
$
no
new
funding
required
II.
Work
toward
solving
the
problem
in
the
long
term.
ACTION
ITEMS:
 
Hire
an
environmental
engineer
consultant
to
establish
a
scientific
basis
for
remediating
our
air
quality
and
fund
six
new
speciated
monitors
and
scientific
interpretation
of
resulting
data.

COST
ESTIMATES:

$
for
consulting
engineer

$
108,000
for
6
monitors

$
112,000
annually
for
monitoring
personnel
(
2)

 
Initiate
data
collection,
analysis
and
recommendations
of
economic
impact
of
a
"
nonattainment
designation
on
the
region.
COST
ESTIMATE:
$
45,000
year
one,
$
90,000
year
two
 
Study
other
regional
authorities
(
Charlotte,
Forsyth,
and
Buncombe)
toward
creating
one
here
to
manage
a
local
air
quality
program,
negotiate
an
authority
to
include
at
least
the
local
EAC
partners,
establish
the
legal
structure
needed
to
create
such
an
authority
and
establish
it.
COST
ESTIMATE:
$
25,000
 
Establish
a
reporting
schedule
for
UAQC
to
report
to
elected
bodies.
COST
ESTIMATE:
$
no
new
funding
required
4
MODELING
STATUS
4.1
Status
of
Current
Modeling
Modeling
completed
to
date
include:
the
base
case
model
evaluation/
validation
runs,
the
current
year
modeling
runs
and
the
2007
future
year
modeling
runs.
The
results
of
these
modeling
runs
can
be
viewed
at
the
NCDAQ
modeling
website:

http://
www.
cep.
unc.
edu/
empd/
projects2/
NCDAQ/
PGM/
results/
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
24
NCDAQ
still
needs
to
complete
the
2012
and
2017
future
year
modeling
runs
with
the
updated
emission
inventories.

4.2
Modeling
Results
The
base
case
model
runs
for
all
three
episodes
met
the
validation
criteria
set
by
the
EPA.
The
model
evaluation
statistics
can
be
viewed
at
the
NCDAQ
modeling
website
cited
above.

An
example
(
July
14,
1995)
of
the
8­
hour
ozone
modeling
results
for
the
2000
current
year
and
2007
future
year
are
displayed
in
Figures
4.2­
1
and
4.2­
2,
respectively.
One
can
see
a
significant
decrease
in
the
8­
hour
ozone
maximums
between
the
current
year
and
the
future
year.
These
decrease
were
the
results
of
the
all
of
the
controls
listed
in
Section
3
that
are
expected
to
be
in
place
by
2007.
The
1996
and
1997
episodes
show
similar
results.
Additional
modeling
results
can
be
viewed
on
the
NCDAQ
modeling
website
cited
above.

Figure
4.2­
1
2000
current
year
8­
hour
Figure
4.2­
2
2007
future
year
8­
hour
ozone
maximum
for
July
14,
1995.
ozone
maximum
for
July
14,
1995.

4.3
Geographic
Area
Needing
Further
Controls
The
current
draft
version
of
EPA's
attainment
test
was
applied
to
the
modeling
results.
In
very
basic
and
general
language
the
attainment
guidance
states
if
the
future
year
design
value
for
a
given
monitor
is
below
0.085
parts
per
million
(
ppm)
then
the
monitor
passes
the
attainment
test.
The
future
year
design
value
of
a
monitor
is
calculated
by
multiplying
the
current
year
design
value
of
a
monitor
by
a
relative
reduction
factor
(
Equation
4.3­
1).

DVF
=
DVC
x
RRF
Equation
4.3­
1
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
25
Where
DVF
is
the
Future
year
Design
Value,
DVC
is
the
Current
year
Design
Value,
and
RRF
is
the
relative
reduction
factor.

The
Current
year
Design
Value
(
DVC)
in
the
attainment
test
framework
is
defined
as
the
higher
of:
(
a)
the
average
4th
highest
value
for
the
3­
yr
period
used
to
designate
an
area
"
nonattainment",
and
(
b)
the
average
4th
highest
value
for
the
3­
yr
period
straddling
the
year
represented
by
the
most
recent
available
emissions
inventory.
In
this
exercise,
the
DVC
used
to
designate
an
area
nonattainment
will
be
2001­
2003
and
the
DVC
straddling
the
year
represented
by
the
most
recent
available
emissions
inventory
is
1999­
2001.
The
higher
of
those
two
values
is
shown
in
Table
4.3­
1
as
the
DVC.
The
relative
reduction
factor
(
RRF)
is
calculated
by
taking
the
ratio
of
the
future
year
modeling
8­
hour
ozone
daily
maximum
to
the
current
year
modeling
8­
hour
ozone
daily
maximum
"
near"
the
monitor
averaged
over
all
of
the
episode
days
(
Equations
4.3­
2).

RRF
=
mean
future
yr.
8­
hr
daily
max
"
near"
monitor
"
x"
Equation
4.3­
2
mean
current
yr.
8­
hr
daily
max
"
near"
monitor
"
x"

There
are
two
ozone
monitors
in
EAC
area.
These
monitors
are:
Lenoir,
located
in
Caldwell
County;
and
Taylorsville,
Alexander
County.
The
location
of
these
monitors
are
shown
in
Figure
4.3­
1.

Figure
4.3­
1:
Unifour
Area's
Ozone
Monitor
The
results
of
applying
the
attainment
test
showed
all
monitors
in
the
EAC
area
in
attainment
of
the
8­
hour
ozone
NAAQS
in
2007.
These
results
are
displayed
in
Table
4.3­
1
below.

Table
4.3­
1
Attainment
Test
Results
for
the
EAC
Area
Monitor
Name
DVC
(
ppm)
RRF
DVF
(
ppm)
Taylorsville
0.088
0.86
0.075
Lenoir
0.087
0.85
0.073
June
30,
2004
EAC
Progress
Report
Page
26
It
appears
from
these
results
that
the
expected
controls
already
in
place
will
result
in
attainment
of
the
8­
hour
ozone
NAAQS.

4.4
Remaining
EAC
Schedule
Emissions
Modeling
Schedule
7/
9/
2004
Submit
2012
future
maintenance
emissions
7/
16/
2004
Submit
2017
future
maintenance
emissions
AQ
Modeling
Schedule
7/
23/
2004
2012
future
maintenance
AQ
runs
done
8/
2/
2004
2017
future
maintenance
AQ
runs
done
General
Schedule
7/
7/
2004
Preliminary
"
concept"
presented
to
AQC
7/
9/
2004
Share
MOBILE
inputs
w/
DOT
and
MPOs
(
95,96,97,00,07,12,17)

7/
30/
2004
Draft
MOBILE
documentation
to
DOT
and
MPOs
8/
6/
2004
EAC
modeling
complete
8/
20/
2004
Comments
from
DOT/
MPOs
due
9/
1/
2004
Final
documentation
complete
9/
9/
2004
AQC
meeting
10/
19­
22/
2004
Public
Hearings
10/
29/
2004
Public
comment
period
ends
12/
3/
2004
Submit
EAC
SIPs
4.5
Anticipated
Resource
Constraints
The
resource
constraint
of
most
concern
is
the
funding
needed
to
implement
some
of
the
local
control
measures.
NCDAQ
and
the
local
EAC
areas
are
both
looking
for
grant
opportunities
to
help
fund
EAC
initiatives.