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AIR QUALITY for the Interagency Wilderness Fire Resource Advisor

AIR QUALITY for the Interagency Wilderness Fire Resource Advisor. Discussion Topics: Very Brief Overview of Air Pollution Define Class I Areas and the National Goal for Visibility Clean Air Act direction to EPA Regional Haze and IMPROVE monitoring

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AIR QUALITY for the Interagency Wilderness Fire Resource Advisor

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  1. AIR QUALITY for the Interagency Wilderness Fire Resource Advisor • Discussion Topics: • Very Brief Overview of Air Pollution • Define Class I Areas and the National Goal for Visibility • Clean Air Act direction to EPA • Regional Haze and IMPROVE monitoring • Clean Air Act direction to Federal Land Managers • Agency Policies • Group Discussion: What All This Means for a WFRA. • Strategies / Guidelines? 2011 SOUTHERN AREA ADVANCED FIRE AND AVIATION ACADEMY

  2. National Ambient Air Quality Standards Change in Air Quality Standards for Ground-Level Ozone On March 12, 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) changed the primary and secondary air quality standards for ground-level ozone. The new standard was changed from 0.08 parts per million (ppm) to 0.075 ppm. EPA is in the process of evaluating the need to change this again. Until that decision is issued (2011?), the States will use the 0.08 ppm standard. • NAAQS

  3. Ozone (O3) USDA Forest Service Air Resource Management January 2010 • Carbon Dioxide • (≈ 3000 lbs/Ton fuel consumed) • Water (≈ 1000 lbs/T) • Carbon Monoxide • (≈ 300 lbs/T) • Hydrocarbons • (≈ 15 lbs/T) • Nitrogen Oxides • (≈ 4 lbs/T) • Particulate Matter • (≈ 25 lbs/T) Smoke Emissions +

  4. Particulate Matter USDA Forest Service Air Resource Management January 2010 Smoke particles from wood are relatively small (similar size to pollen) < PM 2.5 microns 70.0% (similar size to fly ash) > PM 10 microns 10.0% 20.0% PM 2.5-10 microns (similar size to dust)

  5. CLEAN AIR ACT, as amended 1977 • Visibility protection for Class I areas • Congress declared a national goal of preventing any future, and remedying any existing, impairment of visibility in mandatory Class I federal areas caused by manmade air pollution. 2011 SOUTHERN AREA ADVANCED FIRE AND AVIATION ACADEMY

  6. Provided the Highest Level of Protection from Air Pollutants • MANDATORY CLASS I AREAS: • International Parks • Wilderness Areas > 5000 acres • National Memorial Parks > 5000 acres • National Parks > 6000 acres existing Aug 7, 1977 2011 SOUTHERN AREA ADVANCED FIRE AND AVIATION ACADEMY

  7. WHERE CAN I FIND LISTS AND MAPS OF CLASS 1 AREAS? • http://www.wilderness.net • http://www.epa.gov/visibility/class1.html • http://www.fs.fed.us/air/technical/class_1/alpha.php • http://www.nature.nps.gov/air/Maps/classILoc.cfm

  8. KEY AIR POLLUTANTS and the SOURCES AFFECTING VISBILITY

  9. Air Quality in Class II Wilderness Areas?

  10. Regional Haze Regulations (RHR) • CLEAN AIR ACT, as amended 1977 • Visibility protection for Class I areas • Authorized EPA to issue regulations to assure “reasonable progress” toward meeting the goal.

  11. WHAT DOES REGIONAL HAZE DO? View From Look Rock Great Smoky Mountains National Park

  12. STATES &TRIBES ADDRESS VSIBILITY IMPAIRMENT AT A REGIONAL LEVEL MANE-VU Midwest-RPO WRAP CENRAP VISTAS

  13. HOW DO WE MEASURE AND MONITOR REGIONAL HAZE ? Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments IMPROVE Visibility Monitoring Network http://www.epa.gov/visibility/monitor.html

  14. http://vista.cira.colostate.edu/IMPROVE/ 2011 SOUTHERN AREA ADVANCED FIRE AND AVIATION ACADEMY

  15. http://views.cira.colostate.edu/web/ 2011 SOUTHERN AREA ADVANCED FIRE AND AVIATION ACADEMY

  16. The Visibility Information Exchange Web System (VIEWS) http://views.cira.colostate.edu/web/ Dolly Sods Wilderness (W Va) Regional Haze Spectrum #1 of 89:00:00 AMRepresentativedv=8 Bext=23 VR=170 Regional Haze Spectrum #6 of 89:00:00 AMRepresentativedv=30 Bext=196 VR=20

  17. The Visibility Information Exchange Web System (VIEWS) http://views.cira.colostate.edu/web/ Great Smoky Mountains National Park (TN) Regional Haze Spectrum #13 of 149:00:00 AMRepresentativedv=28 Bext=156 VR=25 Regional Haze Spectrum #2 of 149:00:00 AMRepresentativedv=4 Bext=16 VR=250

  18. CAMNET A Project of the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM). Acadia National Park, Maine

  19. NATURAL VISIBILITY

  20. 5-YEAR AVERAGE (2000-2004) DECIVIEW (DV) IMPROVE DATA ONLY

  21. COARSE MASS FINE SOIL 5-YEAR AVERAGES (2000-2004) ORGANIC CARBON AMMONIUM NITRATE SULFATES PARTICULATES

  22. http://www.epa.gov/visibility/index.html

  23. CLEAN AIR ACT, as amended 1977 • Visibility protection for Class I areas • The federal land manager shall have an affirmative responsibility to protect the air quality related values (including visibility) within Class I areas. 2011 SOUTHERN AREA ADVANCED FIRE AND AVIATION ACADEMY

  24. Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) • FLM responsibilities include: • the review of air quality permit applications from proposed new or modified major pollution sources near Class I areas. • If the FLM determines that emissions from a proposed source will cause or contribute to adverse impacts on the air quality related values (AQRVs) of a Class I area, the permitting authority, typically the State, can deny the permit.

  25. FEDERAL AGENCY POLICY • Allow fire its natural role in wilderness areas and fire-dependent ecosystems. • Integrate air quality considerations into fire management decisions. • Reduce the impacts of smoke from wildland fires on visibility in Class I wilderness, while understanding and promoting the need to re-introduce the natural role of fire in the wilderness ecosystems. • Provide guidance in fire management plans for responding to natural and human-caused wildland fires and address the effects of fire management decisions on wilderness resources and character, air quality, smoke management, water quality, and other pertinent natural and cultural resource management objectives. • Recognize and consider wilderness values (e.g., air quality and air quality related values) when responding to wildfires in wilderness. Mitigate potential negative or unacceptable impacts of smoke on air quality in such areas as Class I airsheds. • Manage smoke from management ignited prescribed fires occurring in or adjacent to Class I wilderness areas in a manner that causes the least impact on air quality related values

  26. CLASS DISCUSSION: WFRA STRATEGIES MATERIALS / RESOURCES: STRATEGIES / GUIDELINES: • Incorporate air quality effects (incl. visibility) in wildfire response strategies? • “Burn Outs” planned on good dispersion day? • Others? • Wilderness Mgmt Plan • Wilderness Air Quality Values Monitoring Plan • Fire Mgmt Plan • Forest Plan • State Implementation Plan (SIP) • Local Air Quality Specialist Contact Info • Smoke Dispersion Forecast

  27. QUESTIONS?

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