Air Quality Contacts
For more information, please contact Victoria Martinez (787-771-2524).
Prepared by the Office of Natural and Human Environment Federal Highway Administration
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EPA Releases Revised MOVES2010a Installation Suite. U.S. EPA has revised the MOVES 2010a Installation Suite to improve model run time and to make it easier to install MOVES. The revised installation suite includes a number of improvements and also upgrades the MOVES default database. No changes were made to calculations in the MOVES code or to the content of the default database. This revision is not a new emissions model for the purposes of conformity or SIP development nor does it change the grace period which ends on March 2, 2012 before use of the model is required. The suite is available at: EPA's website.
Next MOVES Model User Group for MPOs Web Conference October 14, 2010. FHWA will be offering a web conference on October 14, 2010 for MOVES Model Users from 1:00-2:30 pm eastern time. The web conference will cover the purpose of the User Group, EPA/FHWA MOVES model training, a presentation on TDM2MOVES by Kip Billings from Wasatch Front Regional Council in Utah, spatial allocations of starts in the MOVES model, and an open discussion. Because of the limited number of phone lines, please register for the web conference early. Previous web conference presentations are available on AMPO's website. For more information on the MOVES model user group, contact Bob O'Loughlin.
Continuation of the CMAQ 100 percent Federal Share Flexibility and FY 2010 Supplementary Tables are Available. The Energy Independence & Security Act of 2007 amended Title 23 to provide a temporary full Federal share (at 100 percent) for CMAQ projects obligated in Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009. This increased Federal share will continue to apply to CMAQ projects during the most recent SAFETEA-LU extension. In practice, the Federal share flexibility is continued as it was on September 30, 2009, when SAFETEA-LU expired.
In addition, FY 2010 Supplementary Tables - Apportionments Pursuant to the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2010 - were released on May 28th. Information on CMAQ funds authorized for FY2010 and apportioned to the States can be found in these tables. See http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/legsregs/directives/notices/n4510727.htm.
Any questions related to the CMAQ program should be directed to Mike Koontz at (202)366-2076 or Michael.Koontz@dot.gov
2006 PM2.5 Nonattainment Areas Must Demonstrate Conformity by December 14, 2010. In 2006, EPA promulgated a new 24-hr PM2.5 standard. The effective date of designations for that standard was December 14, 2009; thereby making conformity required in those newly-designated areas by December 14, 2010. There is no lapse grace period for newly-designated areas. EPA published the Transportation Conformity Rule PM2.5 and PM10 Amendments in the Federal Register on March 24, 2010. The rule includes requirements for demonstrating conformity in 2006 PM2.5 areas, updates the baseline year to 2008 for interim tests in 2006 PM2.5 nonattainment and maintenance areas, discusses which budgets should be used in PM10 areas to demonstrate conformity now that the PM10 annual standard has been revoked, and clarifies that federally funded or approved highway and transit projects in PM2.5, PM10 and CO nonattainment and maintenance areas must not delay timely attainment or achievement of other interim milestones. The rule and additional information can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/conf-regs.htm.
MOVES2010's 24-Month Grace Period for Regional Conformity Analysis Started on March 2, 2010. The Federal Register notice includes EPA's announcement of the approval and availability of MOVES2010 for SIPs and regional emissions analyses in all states except California (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2010-03-02/pdf/2010-4312.pdf). The notice also starts the two-year transportation conformity grace period that ends on March 2, 2012, after which MOVES2010 is required to be used for new regional emissions analysis for transportation conformity. EPA did not approve the use of MOVES2010 for project-level transportation conformity hot-spot analyses, which will be addressed in a future Federal Register notice. Guidance on implementing MOVES2010 for SIP development and conformity purposes can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/policy.htm. The MOVES2010 model and supporting materials can be found on the MOVES website: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/index.htm.
Introduction to Transportation Conformity. The National Transit Institute sponsored Introduction to Transportation Conformity course will be held in Detroit, MI on December 15-17, 2010. This two and one-half day introductory course has been recently updated to include MOVES and other developments since earlier this year. To register, go to: NTI Website.
Conformity 101 Training Available On-Line. FHWA has made a short course titled "What is Conformity" available on-line. This course is intended for transportation and air quality practitioners who are new to transportation conformity, those looking for a refresher, or others who only need a brief overview of the rule. The session is approximately 27 minutes long. Handouts are available for download at the same site. This course can be accessed on FHWA's website.
Introduction to MOVES2010 Webconference Conducted on October 7. This web-conference was intended for anyone who is interested in learning what MOVES is and how it is used -- including both non-modelers and MOVES users – and to provide an overview of MOVES, describe how MOVES is different from MOBILE6.2, explain differences in versions of MOVES and its database, and summarize the documentation available for MOVES (including the MOVES User Guide and MOVES guidance documents). Information on future web conferences will be posted on EPA's MOVES training website as available.
EPA and FHWA Offer Two-Day MOVES2010 Training Course. EPA and FHWA have jointly developed a two-day training course on the MOVES2010 model that will be taught at various locations over the coming months. This is a detailed, two-day, hands-on course geared toward state and local agency staff who will use MOVES2010 for developing SIPs and conformity analyses. For additional information on the two-day training sessions, visit EPA's MOVES training website. The materials needed for the course are posted on the MOVES training site.
Completed sessions:
August 26, Boston, MA at Northeast Transportation and Air Quality Summit (NTAQS)
Contact: www.nescaum.org/documents/northern-transportation-and-air-quality-summit
August 31 - September 1, Indianapolis, IN.
Contact: Larry Heil, FHWA, larry.heil@dot.gov
September 14-15, Nashville, TN.
Contact: Tammy Enix, Center for Transportation Research, University of Tennessee, tenix@utk.edu
September 15-16, Kansas City, KS.
Contact: Steven Brown, US EPA Region 7, brown.steven@epa.gov
September 23-24, Las Vegas, NV.
Contact: Stephen Deyo, Clark County Dept. of Air Quality and Environmental Management, deyo@co.clark.nv.us
September 27, San Antonio, TX at the International Emission Inventory Conference
Registration information at: http://projects.pechan.com/EPA/eic/register.cfm
Note: This training is part of the Emission Inventory conference and will only consist of one day focusing on using MOVES at the county scale
Scheduled sessions:
October 18-19, Seattle, WA.
Contact: Tim Sexton, WSDOT, sextont@wsdot.wa.gov, or Kelly McGourty, Puget Sound Regional Council, kmcgourty@psrc.org
October 20-21, Charlottesville, VA
Contact: Jim Ponticello, Virginia Department of Transportation, jim.ponticello@vdot.virginia.gov
October 27-28, Portsmouth, NH
Contact: Thomas Fargo, NH Dept. of Environmental Services, thomas.fargo@des.nh.gov
November 22-23, Hanover, MD (near Baltimore)
Contact: Denise King (410-779-7145), Kwame Arhin (410-779-7158), FHWA
November 30-December 1, Columbia, SC
Contact: Renee Baecker, SC Bureau of Air Quality, baeckerr@dhec.sc.gov
In addition to the locations above, it is anticipated that MOVES training will be scheduled in a number of other locations, listed below.
Little Rock, ARFHWA HQ Transportation Conformity Team:
FHWA Resource Center Air Quality Team:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/resourcecenter/teams/airquality/index.cfm.
Past issues are available at FHWA's website. If you have any suggestions for future monthly conformity highlights, please email: ssiwek@aol.com.
