Opinion ID: 203404
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Whether Concerns About Ultrafine Particulate Matter Constitute Significant New Information

Text: Petitioners next argue that new studies demonstrating the effects of fine and ultrafine particulate matter (PM) on public health constitute significant new information that the FAA should have considered in an SEIS. See 40 C.F.R. § 1502.9(c)(1)(ii). They also fault the FAA for not adequately responding to and considering concerns about these health effects. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), which define acceptable levels of certain regulated air pollutants, including PM. PM is, in turn, categorized as coarse, fine, and ultrafine. At the time of the EIS, there were NAAQS for coarse PM, which is PM with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 microns or smaller (PM10). Fine PM is defined as PM with a diameter of 2.5 microns or smaller (PM2.5); ultrafine PM is defined as PM with an diameter of 0.1 microns or less. The FAA included coarse PM (PM10) in the air pollutants it measured and analyzed during the EIS process. It concluded that none of the alternatives considered would come close to violating the NAAQS for PM10, and it also found that the preferred alternative would slightly decrease PM10 emissions over the other alternatives, including the no action alternative. For example, under the no action alternative, PM10 emissions in 2010 were estimated to range from 280 to 336 kilograms per day, depending on airport volume; under the preferred alternative, PM10 emissions would range from 251 to 299 kilograms per day. [6] Petitioners point to three letters in particular, submitted in response to the draft written reevaluation, that raise questions about the adequacy of the FAA's consideration of the health impacts of the Centerfield Taxiway: a letter from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Center for Environmental Health; a letter from the City of Boston's Environment Department; and a letter from the Boston Public Health Commission, Environmental Hazards Program. Contrary to petitioners' assertions, the FAA did respond to these concerns, and its responses were not unreasonable. These letters primarily urged greater data collection and analysis. They specifically expressed concern that air quality data be gathered at points closer to the airport to better measure local impact. They also argued that city-wide or region-wide compliance with NAAQS was insufficient reassurance of local air quality, as air quality near a major emission source like Logan would likely be worse than the regional average. In its responses, the FAA emphasized that multiple ongoing studies were or would be gathering such localized data. Massport already provides annual Environmental Data Reports on emissions from Logan. As a condition of state approval for the project, Massport agreed to implement an air quality study that would measure emissions in neighborhoods around Logan both before and after the Centerfield Taxiway becomes operational. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is currently conducting a study of the health impacts of Logan on surrounding communities, a project that includes further data gathering and analysis. The FAA also noted additional programs requiring Logan to monitor the local impact of emissions of specific pollutants. To the extent the letters suggested that the FAA wait until further data had been collected, it was not arbitrary and capricious for the FAA to conclude that it had enough data to make a reasoned decision. There will always be more data that could be gathered; agencies must have some discretion to decide when to draw the line and move forward with decisionmaking. All three letters expressed concern that the HMMH Report used emissions inventory data (the amount of pollutants generated) rather than atmospheric dispersion modeling based on that emissions inventory data (which would estimate levels of human exposure to pollutants at specific times and locations). The latter provides a more complete picture of the health impact of emissions on surrounding communities. The FAA responded by pointing out that such dispersion analyses had been conducted as part of the EIS. The measurement of health effects is integral to an EIS, but the purpose of a written reevaluation is not the same. The question for the FAA at this stage was whether the data in the HMMH Report drew into question the health impact analyses in the EIS. The FAA has reasonably concluded that it did not. Finally, and in petitioners' view most importantly, all three letters urged monitoring of ultrafine PM because of growing evidence of that pollutant's adverse health effects. The FAA acknowledged these concerns and noted that it is sponsoring research into the potential health effects of PM emitted from aircraft engines. It explained that it did not measure ultrafine PM separately in this decision-making process because the technology and methods for monitoring ultra-fine PM is considered to be emerging and is still under development by the U.S. EPA and others. [7] The FAA also noted that it is engaged in an ongoing effort with the EPA, NASA, and other agencies to measure emissions from modern-day aircraft engines, including emissions of ultrafine PM. Not only were these responses adequate, but they also demonstrate that the FAA did consider the information presented, and we cannot say that the agency committed a clear error in judgment in concluding that this information did not warrant an SEIS. Preliminarily, it was not unreasonable for the FAA to assume that, if the preferred alternative would reduce all NAAQS-regulated air pollutants (including PM10), then the preferred alternative  which includes construction of the Centerfield Taxiway  would also reduce levels of ultrafine PM. It is a matter of common sense that an action quantitatively projected to reduce all air pollutants that were studied would also reduce the amount of air pollutants not studied. Cf. Airport Impact Relief, 192 F.3d at 209 (describing sensibleness of presuming that increased noise due to building roadway at a higher elevation than originally planned would be largely offset by decreased noise due to moving roadway further away from area of concern). Petitioners have provided no reason to doubt that decreased idling and taxiing time would lead to a decrease in all emissions. [8] Further, the FAA acted within reason in considering how to treat this information. Health impacts due to PM had already been considered in the EIS; while these newer studies might provide more information on potential health effects, the FAA could reasonably conclude that the information presented was not significant new information because it did not paint[ ] a dramatically different picture of impacts compared to the description of impacts in the EIS. FAA Order 1050.1E ¶ 516a (defining significant information). This area of research is also still developing. It is not unreasonable for an agency to decline to study in an SEIS a pollutant for which there are not yet standard methods of measurement or analysis. An SEIS is not, after all, a research document. Cf. Lee v. U.S. Air Force, 354 F.3d 1229, 1244 (10th Cir.2004) (Air Force not required to conduct own studies where scientific information is scarce, despite concerns raised during the comment period). We emphasize that the FAA has not ignored these concerns; rather, it has decided to evaluate the issue fully in a more appropriate setting alongside agencies with relevant expertise. We are thus satisfied that the FAA considered the information presented and that its determination that there was no significant new information was not a clear error in judgment. The FAA's decision not to prepare an SEIS was not arbitrary and capricious.