1. Project Delivery and ODOT’s Air Program & Air Quality Updates Geo-Environmental Conference Presented by: Natalie Liljenwall, ODOT Air Quality April 22, 2015

2. Projects Delivery and Air Quality at ODOT Who is involved? Why is air quality analyzed for projects? Which projects need an air quality analysis? When is the air quality analysis conducted? What are the steps of an air quality analysis? FHWA screening approach Air quality updates Research Summary Outline 2

3. Simplified Air Quality Project Process Chart 3

4. Why is Air Quality analyzed for Projects? Air Quality must be addressed for transportation projects in order to satisfy: Clean Air Act (CAA) –National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQs) –Transportation Conformity Rule National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Regulations 4

5. The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQs) Clean Air Act established air quality standards Criteria Pollutants Carbon Monoxide (CO) Ozone (O 3 ) Particulate Matter 10 micrometers and less (PM 10 ) Particulate Matter 2.5 micrometers and less (PM 2.5 ) Lead (Pb) Sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) Nitrogen Oxides (NO x ) State Implementation Plans (SIPs) for nonattainment areas and maintenance areas 5

6. Transportation Conformity 6 A Link between Transportation and Air Quality Planning Transportation Conformity Air Quality Planning Transportation Planning State Air Quality Implementation Plan (SIP) Transportation plans (RTPs), programs (TIPs) and projects

7. Nonattainment and Maintenance Areas 7 Particulate 2.5)

8. Nonattainment & Maintenance Areas 8

9. Which Projects need an Air Quality Analysis? Projects in nonattainment and maintenance areas Projects that use federal funding or need federal approval Projects that are not exempt Projects that are regionally significant For CO areas - projects that adds signals, turning lanes, through lanes or are regionally significant For PM areas - projects of local air quality concern For MSATs - follow the MSAT FHWA interim guidance (2012) 9

10. Which Projects are Exempt? Exempt Projects (40 CFR 93.126; Table 2) – Safety Shoulder improvements Railroad/highway crossing Adding medians, fencing – Air quality project Bicycle and pedestrian facilities Rideshare – Mass Transit Purchase of replacement buses Bus shelters – Traffic signal synchronization projects (40CFR 93.128) 10

11. Which Projects are Regionally Significant? Projects which serves regional transportation needs and provide access to and from:  area outside of the region;  major activity centers in the region;  major planned developments such as new retail malls, or sports complexes; and  transportation terminals. All principal arterial highways and all fixed guideway transit facilities that offer an alternative to regional highway travel. 11

12. What is a Project of Local Air Quality Concern? – New highway projects with significant volume and significant diesel or significant increase in diesel vehicles – Significant volume and diesel projects affecting level of service (LOS) D, E, F or will change to LOS of D, E, F – New bus, rail terminal and transfer points with significant diesel vehicles For example: – Significant volume >125,000 average annual daily traffic (AADT) and 8% or more of diesel vehicles – A new major bus terminal 12

13. Mobile Source Air Toxics (MSATs) Pollutants that cause or may cause cancer To date, no NAAQs for MSATs MSATs are included more frequently during the NEPA process. EPA’s six priority MSATs: Benzene Formaldehyde Naphthalene Diesel particulate/diesel exhaust Acrolein 1,3-butadiene 13

14. MSATs FHWA Interim Guidance The FHWA interim guidance has three levels of analysis which include: – No potential meaningful MSAT effect (usually exempt projects) – Low potential for MSAT effect - Qualitative analysis for projects with low potential MSATs effect (Up to 140,000 ADT) – High potential for MSAT effect - Quantitative analysis to differentiate alternatives for projects with higher potential MSATs effects (Greater than 140,000) 14

15. When is the Air Quality Analysis Needed? Prior to the first time a Federal project is adopted, accepted, approved or funded – Examples include: NEPA decision documentation (CE, FONSI and/or, ROD) Final Design Right-of-way Acquisition Construction Authorization Typically, it is completed as part of the NEPA process (prior to issue of CE, FONSI, or ROD) (CE- Categorical Exclusion, FONSI- Finding of no Significant Impact and ROD- Record of Decision) 15

16. Does Air Quality Analysis Ever Need to be Readdressed? 16 Yes, air quality analysis must be readdressed if: There is a significant change in design, concept or scope More than three years have passed since the most recent major step to advance a project. Example: NEPA process completion, start of final design, acquisition of significant portion of right-of-way Initiation of supplemental environmental document for air quality is required

17. What is included in the Air Quality Analysis? 17 Project must be from conforming transportation plan and program Project design, concept and scope are unchanged since the conformity finding of the transportation plan and program CO, PM 2.5, PM 10 hot spot analysis, if applicable Control measures, if applicable MSAT Analysis

18. What is a Hot-Spot Analysis? Estimation of likely future localized CO, PM 10 and PM 2.5 pollutant concentrations Analysis at smaller scale than entire maintenance area, e.g. congested roadway intersection or highway or transit terminal It can be qualitative or quantitative For a quantitative: – Emission and dispersion modeling used to determine the effect of project emissions on air quality 18

19. Qualitative or Quantitative CO Hot Spot Analysis? Obtain traffic data for signalized intersections – Peak hour both AM and PM – Level of Service (LOS), delay (seconds), volume to capacity (v/c) ratio and total traffic volume – Year of opening and design year (typically 20 years) If the LOS under build- A, B, or C – Qualitative project level conformity memo If LOS under build- D, E or F – Quantitative CO hot spot analysis required 19

20. Example of Qualitative CO Analysis Barber Street and Kinsman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 20 Project Description- SW Barber Street extension involving an intersection. Build years: 2018 and 2035 LOS - “C” Qualitative only

21. Quantitative CO Analysis Obtain detailed traffic data for opening year and future year for build and no-build conditions Calculate emissions for all years, speeds and vehicle mix Run CAL3QHc dispersion model for all scenarios and add background concentration Compare combined concentration to the NAAQs Document the analysis and any mitigation strategies, if any 21

22. Example of Quantitative CO Analysis OR224 and SE 135 th Street, Portland OR 22 - Project Description- project added left turn signaling -LOS of ‘F’ in Build 2035 -Quantitative analysis needed

23. EPA MOVEs Emission Model Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator => MOVEs Model Computer model designed by EPA to estimate emission from cars, truck, buses, motor cycles Replaces previous model MOBILE6.2 Uses second by second emission rates in the form of vehicle specific power Relational database for easy updates and flexibility Designed to allow users greater flexibility of input and output options Calculates a range of pollutants including greenhouse gas and mobile air toxics 23

24. CAL3QHC Dispersion Model Line source dispersion model to predict CO concentrations from motor vehicles at roadway intersections Inputs – Roadway geometries (thru lanes and queue lanes) – Receptor locations – Meteorological conditions (wind speed, angle, stability, etc.) – Vehicular emission rates – Signal timing data (lane volumes, cycle length, red time, etc.) – Ambient background concentration Outputs - Receptor location of highest CO concentration 24

25. CAL3QHC Layout 25 Blue lines are thru traffic Red lines are where idling queues form at red light

26. FHWA CO Categorical Hot-Spot Finding Screening analysis released by FHWA/FTA in consultation with EPA February 2014. Uses tables or web based tool to determine acceptable parameter range Cannot be used if one or more parameters are outside of acceptable range Unfortunately, has not been applicable for Oregon projects : – Intersection layout, LOS of F, Persistence factor is out of range and % trucks < 5% 26

27. Air Quality Updates New NO 2 Monitor installed 2014; monitors NO 2, CO, PM 2.5 and black carbon EPA MOVES Model version 2014 released October 2014 and will be required for analysis in 2016 Tier 3 emission standards phase in 2017 for cars, light-duty trucks, medium-duty passenger vehicles and some heavy-duty. 27

28. Air Quality Updates (Continued) Oregon is at risk of acquiring additional PM 2.5 nonattainment areas. These include cities of Lakeview and (possibly) Burns. Eugene/Springfield is attainment for CO as of 2014 Portland will be in attainment for CO after 2017 28

29. Proposed Ozone NAAQs EPA proposed a new standard, comments were due March 2015 The standard proposed for ozone is between 65 and 70 part per billion (ppb) from 75 ppb Oregon is not at risk if 65 ppb and above is selected Oregon is close to having nonattainment designation in Jackson County based on 3 year average of 63 ppb from 2011 to 2013 monitoring data At a concentration of 60 ppb, Oregon is at a high risk of having ozone nonattainment designations in three counties: Clackamas, Jackson and Umatilla. 29

30. Air Program Updates The Statewide Air Quality Report is no longer applicable ODOT Air Manual will be updated soon Looking into an ODOT specific air screening analysis 30

31. Air Quality Research- NCHRP Panel Research goal- improve MOVEs truck emission predictions for plans, programs and projects Project Contract Awarded March 2015 Help agencies collect truck input data, for example: – vehicle population, – vehicle miles travelled (VMT) by vehicle type, – speed distributions Identify sensitivity of emission output which would benefit from more refined data input sources Anticipated end product is a guidance document or similar and example MOVEs templates Improved Truck Data for Emission Modeling 31

32. Summary Why do projects need an air quality analysis? – Transportation Conformity, NEPA Which projects need an air quality analysis? – Non-exempt projects, with federal funding When is the air quality analysis needed? – NEPA process How do you analyze air quality for a project? – Traffic data, emission models and dispersion models Air quality future! – Air quality is evolving as mobility continues to change 32

33. Questions? 33 Natalie Liljenwall Air Quality Geo-Environmental natalie.liljenwall@odot.state.or.us 503-986-3456