Regional Haze Planning Work Group
Description
The purpose of the WRAP Regional Haze Planning Work Group (RHPWG) is to prepare the framework to support regional planning for the 15 western states, so that needed elements will be available for RH SIP submissions in a timely
fashion, to meet the July 2021 deadline for implementation plans to be submitted each of the 15 states and the City of Albuquerque within the WESTAR and WRAP region, for the second planning period of the federal Regional
Haze Rule for visibility protection at 118 Class I areas. This includes a training element for new Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (RHSIP) writers, as evidenced by the webinars and resource links found on this webpage.
The RHPWG formed several topical subcommittees from among its members to coordinate and track work by other WRAP Work Groups and contractors, to address elements needed for State Implementation Plan preparation such as:
- Inventories: current and future (growth projections methodologies by source categories)
- Develop a transparent and complete monitoring data metric for planning and model projection purposes
- Database management (including the TSS database)
- 4-factor analysis for control measures
- Regional photochemical modeling
- Assessment of “unknowns” and uncertain categories (natural conditions, international emissions, fire and dust emission, et cetera)
- Development of Regional Haze SIP package content and progress report template
- Develop control strategies menu for major western state sources
Regional Haze Planning Readiness Assessment Project
Links to RHPWG Subcommittees
TSC-WGs-Subcommittee Membership (XLS, May 16, 2018)
Activities
Regional Haze Planning Work Group
2018 Calls and Meetings
April 4, 2018
RHPWG call minutes (DOCX format)
April 13, 2018 Regional Haze Monitoring vs. Modeling results comparison
Audio Recording (MP4 format)
Powerpoint (PPTX format)
Materials related to Monitoring Results (PPTX format) – added August 29, 2018
June 5, 2018
RHPWG call notes (PDF format)
August 7, 2018
RHPWG call notes (PDF format)
October 2, 2018 RHPWG bimonthly call
agenda and notes
October 5, 2018 RHPWG Shared Database Subcommittee - TSSv2 Progress Report webinar
Audio Recording (MP4 format)
Powerpoint (PPTX format)
2017 Calls and Meetings
June 29th
IMPROVE data and interpretation for Regional Haze planning
July 27th
Glide Path and Natural Conditions Teach-In #2 recording (MP4 format)
- Understanding the Uniform Rate of Progress / Glide Path – applications of this conceptual planning approach – Tina Suarez-Murias, (California ARB) and Tom Moore (WESTAR and WRAP) – baseline period for current Worst Days’ metric and changing to the Most Impaired Days’ average; what are the uncertainties and related effects on setting the 2028 planning milestone?
- Understanding Natural Conditions for Regional Haze Planning – Marc Pitchford, (Desert Research Institute) and Tom Moore (WESTAR and WRAP) – are these “regulatory” goals; are they realistic, what are the assumptions, and related issues such as accuracy, representativeness, limitations, and effects on setting Reasonable Progress Goals for the 10-year planning milestones?
- Data sources and ownership of monitoring data for Regional Haze planning analyses – Tom Moore, (WESTAR and WRAP) and Pat Brewer, (NPS ARD) – review pedigree of data from existing and planned data sources, explore transparency and consistency/comparability topics
August 31st
Emissions (categories and forecasting) Teach-In #3 recording (MP4 format)
October 19th
Modeling Teach-In #4 recording (MP4 format)
- How does regional-scale modeling work for Regional Haze analysis and planning? – Ralph Morris, Ramboll Environ – structure and sequence of regional modeling, emissions, meteorology, global model inputs, using projected emission changes in future year modeling, Relative Response Factors (RRFs), use of IMPROVE data to evaluate the base year modeling, interstate and international transport, strengths / weaknesses of modeling results
- Projecting future visibility conditions with modeling – techniques and uncertainties – Mike Barna, National Park Service – methodologies to project the future with emissions and modeling, Rules on the Books and on the Way, assessment of uncontrollable and natural sources, associated uncertainties and methods to test and bound them, effect of changing some emissions in the future year while holding other emissions constant and keeping the same base year meteorology on future-year regional modeling results for the Regional Haze metric
- Dynamic model evaluation for Regional Haze “Round 1” implementation progress and “Round 2” analysis and planning - Gail Tonnesen, EPA Region 8 – modeling to evaluate progress in reducing anthropogenic impairment through review of results from the 2002/2000-04 baseline period to the “Round 2” modeling base year (2014 or 2016) to the “Round 2” 2028 milestone year
November 16th
Source Apportionment & Source Control Evaluation (4-factor) Teach-In #5 recording (MP4 format)
December 5-7, 2017
Western and National Regional Haze Planning Workshop, Denver (final interactive agenda)
- December 5 recording (MP4)
- December 6 recording (MP4)
- December 7 recording (MP4)
Reference Material
Links to other Resources
- For Regional Haze Planning Data:
- For Information from the First Regional Haze Planning Period:
