December 1998/January
1999
Air Quality Glossary
Below: Bay Area Air Quality Timeline
CAA (federal) Clean Air Act -- legislation passed in 1970
that requires each state with areas that have not met federal air quality standards to
prepare a State Implementation Plan, or SIP
CAAA (federal) Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 -- established new air
quality requirements for developing metropolitan transportation plans and programs
CARB California Air Resources Board -- state agency responsible for air
pollution control
CAP (Bay Area 1997) Clean Air Plan -- plan to reduce ozone levels in
the region to comply with state standards; developed by BAAQMD, with input from ABAG and
MTC
CCAA (state) California Clean Air Act of 1988 -- established
requirement for each air basin in the state to develop plans to meet more stringent air
standards
CMAQ Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program --
federal transportation program that funds projects and activities aimed at reducing
congestion and smog in urban areas
CO carbon monoxide -- invisible gas produced primarily by motor
vehicles. Bay Area attained both national and state standards for CO several years ago.
EPA Environmental Protection Agency -- federal agency responsible for
control of air and water pollution, toxic substances, solid waste, and cleanup of
contaminated sites
NOx nitrogen oxides -- a collective term for all compounds of nitrogen
and oxygen involved in photochemical reactions that produce ozone
Ozone standard (federal)
one-hour: 0.12 ppm averaged over one hour; measures acute smog problem
rather than longer term exposure; area must achieve three consecutive years of air quality
data meeting this standard to be designated "in attainment;" one expected exceedence
allowed per monitoring station; superseded by eight-hour standard
eight-hour: 0.08 ppm averaged over eight hours; measures chronic smog
problem that exposes public to greater health risks over time; attainment defined as the
three-year average of the annual fourth highest daily maximum eight-hour ozone
concentration at any one of the monitoring stations; adopted in 1997
Ozone standard (state)
0.09 ppm averaged over one hour; Bay Area cannot project attainment of this very stringent
standard, thus is required to implement all feasible measures outlined in CAP
PPM parts per million -- number of parts of a given air pollutant in a
million parts of air
ROG reactive organic gases -- gaseous compounds made of carbon and
hydrogen (used interchangeably with VOC); react with NOx in the presence of sunlight to
produce ozone
SIP State Implementation Plan -- a plan detailing the steps that will
be taken (by a state or regions within a state) to meet federal air quality standards
TCMs transportation control measures -- measures to reduce auto travel
and congestion, and thus cut emissions from motor vehicles
VOC volatile organic compounds -- see ROG, above
-- Reka Goode
Air Quality Timeline
- 1995
Region designated in attainment
Unusually hot summer results in multiple federal air quality standard violations
- 1996
Another hot summer results in multiple federal air quality standard violations
- 1997
No federal air quality standard violations
August -- EPA announces proposed redesignation of region as non- attainment
- 1998
February -- Public comment period on proposed redesignation ends
June -- EPA redesignates Bay Area as non-attainment
November -- Draft emissions inventory and attainment assessment sent to EPA
- 1999
June -- Region must submit new State Implementation Plan to EPA via CARB, showing
attainment by November
- 2000
December -- By this date, EPA must determine if Bay Area SIP is complete; agency has
another 12 months to approve, partially approve, conditionally approve or reject
region's SIP
- 2000
November -- Region must be in attainment with federal one-hour ozone standard
- 2003
Region must complete planning for new federal eight-hour ozone standard
- 2005
Region must comply with new federal eight-hour ozone standard
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