State Implementation Plan
Federal law designates six air pollutants as criteria contaminants, requiring special measures to limit their presence in the nation's air. The six criteria contaminants are sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, particulate matter less than 2.5 microns (micrometers) in size, and lead.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) designates as nonattainment areas those parts of the country where the air exceeds the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for one of the six criteria contaminants. State Implementation Plans (SIPs) set out control strategies to reduce air pollution in nonattainment areas. EPA requires states to adopt SIPs for all nonattainment areas, and periodically to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies prescribed in each SIP.
At the present time, New York is under mandate to develop SIPs to address ozone and fine particulates less than 2.5 microns in size. New York is also developing state plans for the requirements of the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), the Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR), New Source Review (NSR), and regional haze.
Mobile and Stationary Source Planning
Mobile Sources: DEC uses air quality modeling to generate baseline and projection inventories of pollutants. Based on these inventories, the department can devise control strategies for on-road and off-road vehicles and other mobile sources. The control strategies are used in State Implementation planning for carbon and nitrogen oxides and other pollutants that typically come from mobile sources. A key element of the SIP for mobile sources is the Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program.
Stationary sources: To develop control strategies for pollutants from facilities and other stationary sources, DEC constructs statewide emissions inventories. Stationary source emissions inventories are based on actual emission data from major regulated facilities, and calculated emissions from minor stationary sources (US EPA has established area source procedures for these calculations).
More about State Implementation Plan:
- NYSIP for PM2.5 (Annual NAAQS) Attainment Demonstration for the NY Metro Area - Draft Proposal - Letter to EPA transmitting the Draft Proposal.
- NYS Recommendations for 24-Hour Fine Particle (PM2.5) Nonattainment Area - New York State's recommendations for designations for the 24-Hour PM2.5 NAAQS.
- NYSIP for Ozone (8-Hour NAAQS) Attainment Demonstration for Poughkeepsie, NY Area - Final Proposed Revision - Proposed Revision August 2007
- NYSIP for Ozone (8-Hour NAAQS) Attainment Demonstration for NY Metro Area - Final Proposed Revision - Proposed Revision August 2007
- State Implementation Plan - Vehicle Inspection Program - New York's motor vehicle Inspection and Maintenance program remains crucial in achieving New York's air quality goals.
- Assessing and Mitigating Impacts of Fine Particulate Matter Emissions (PM2.5) - Certain projects regulated by the Department of Environmental Conservation have the potential to emit fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, in quantities that could have a potential for significant adverse health and/or environmental impacts.
- Part 205 Architectural and Industrial Maintenance Coatings Resource Page - New York is collecting information from coatings manufacturers to provide the necessary data for developing emission inventories and the means to evaluate any future regulatory initiatives with Part 205.
- Oxygenate Waiver Request - The Divison of Air Resources petitioned the USEPA to grant a waiver from the oxygenate requirement in gasoline sold in NYC.
- Fuel Emission Impacts Report - Emission Impacts of Fuels to Accommodate the New York State Oxy-Waiver Request and MBTE Ban
- Regional Haze Air Quality Rule - The Regional Haze BART Rule
- Policy DAR-7: Procedures for Exemptions, Part 235 - This policy describes the procedure to grant or obtain an exemption from the applicable consumer and commercial products percent volatile organic compound(s) (VOC) by weight content limits for innovative products
