[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 231 (Monday, December 2, 2013)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 72036-72040]
[FR Doc No: 2013-28099]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 52 and 81

[EPA-R04-OAR-2013-0129; FRL-9903-37-Region-4]

Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans and Designation
of Areas for Air Quality Planning Purposes; North Carolina;
Redesignation of the Charlotte; 1997 8-Hour Ozone Moderate
Nonattainment Area to Attainment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: EPA is taking final action to redesignate the portion of North
Carolina that is within the bi-state Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill,
North Carolina-South Carolina 8-hour ozone nonattainment area
(hereafter referred to as the ``Area,'' ``North Carolina portion of the
bi-state Charlotte Area,'' ``North Carolina portion of the Area,'' or
``Metrolina nonattainment area'') to attainment for the 1997 8-hour
ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS), and to approve
the maintenance plan for the Area. The State of North Carolina, through
the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources,
Department of Air Quality (NC DAQ), submitted the redesignation request
and maintenance plan on November 2, 2011. The State supplemented the
redesignation request and maintenance plan on March 28, 2013, extending
the maintenance plan to the year 2025 and updating the sub-area motor
vehicle emission budgets (MVEBs) for nitrogen oxides (NOX)
and volatile organic compounds (VOC) for the years 2013 and 2025 for
the North Carolina portion of the Area. EPA's approval of NC DAQ's
redesignation request is based on the determination that North Carolina
has met the criteria for redesignation to attainment set forth in the
Clean Air Act (CAA or Act). EPA finalized action to redesignate the
South Carolina portion of the Area, including approval of South
Carolina's maintenance plan for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, in a
separate action.

DATES: This rule will be effective on January 2, 2014.

ADDRESSES: EPA has established a docket for this action under Docket
Identification No. EPA-R04-OAR-2013-0129. All documents in the docket
are listed on the www.regulations.gov Web site. Although listed in the
index, some information is not publicly available, i.e., Confidential
Business Information or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted
material, is not placed on the Internet and will be publicly available
only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are
available either electronically through www.regulations.gov or in hard
copy at the Regulatory Development Section, Air Planning Branch, Air,
Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW., Atlanta, Georgia
30303-8960. EPA requests that if at all possible, you contact the
person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to
schedule your inspection. The Regional Office's official hours of
business are Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:30, excluding Federal
holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane Spann or Sara Waterson of the
Regulatory Development Section, in the Air Planning Branch, Air,
Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW., Atlanta, Georgia
30303-8960. Ms. Spann may be reached by phone at<PHONE_NUMBER>, or via
electronic mail at<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Ms. Waterson may be reached by
phone at<PHONE_NUMBER>, or via electronic mail at
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

I. What is the background for the actions?
II. What are the actions EPA is taking?
III. Why is EPA taking these actions?
IV. What are the effects of these actions?
V. Final Action
VI. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

I. What is the background for the actions?

    On November 2, 2011, North Carolina requested redesignation of the
North Carolina portion of the bi-state Charlotte Area to attainment for
the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. The bi-state Charlotte Area consists of
Cabarrus, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Union, and a portion of
Iredell County (Davidson and Coddle Creek Townships), North Carolina;
and a portion of York County, South Carolina. The redesignation request
included three years of complete, quality-assured ambient air quality
data for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS for 2008-2010, indicating that the
1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS had been achieved for the Area. Under the CAA,
nonattainment areas may be redesignated to attainment if sufficient,
complete, quality-assured data is available for the Administrator to
determine that the area has attained the standard and the area meets
the other CAA redesignation requirements in section 107(d)(3)(E).
    Subsequently, on November 15, 2011 (76 FR 70656), EPA determined
that the bi-state Charlotte Area attained the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS.
The determination of attaining data was based upon complete, quality-
assured and certified ambient air monitoring data for the 2008-2010
period, showing that the Area had monitored attainment of the 1997 8-
hour ozone NAAQS.
    On March 28, 2013, North Carolina submitted a supplemental SIP
revision to the redesignation request and maintenance plan that extends
the final year of the maintenance plan to 2025. Specifically, this
revision updates emissions data, emissions projections, MVEBs, and
safety margins to 2025. Additionally, it provides updated ozone design
values for the bi-state Charlotte Area.
    EPA reviewed quality-assured ozone monitoring data from ambient
ozone monitoring stations in the Charlotte Area, as recorded in Air
Quality System (AQS), and summarized the 3-year average of the annual
fourth highest daily maximum 8-hour average (i.e., design value) for
each monitor for 2008-2010, 2009-2011, and 2010-2012 in Tables 1, 2,
and 3 below. The 2008-2010 design values demonstrate that the Area
attained by its attainment date, and the 2009-2011 and 2010-2012 design
values demonstrate that the bi-state Charlotte Area continues to meet
the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. Preliminary data indicate that the Area
continues to attain with 2011-2013 data.

                          Table 1--2008-2010 Design Value Concentration for the Charlotte Area* for the 1997 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS
                                                                [Parts per million (ppm)]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                4th highest 8-hour ozone value           3-Year design
                                                                                ------------------------------------------------     values
                 Location                              County               Monitor ID                                                   ---------------
                                                                                2008            2009            2010          2008-2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lincoln County Replacing Iron Station.....  Lincoln.....................     37-109-0004           0.079           0.065           0.072           0.072
Garinger High School......................  Mecklenburg.................     37-119-0041           0.085           0.069           0.082           0.078
Westinghouse Blvd.........................  Mecklenburg.................     37-119-1005           0.073           0.068           0.078           0.073
29 N at Mecklenburg Cab Co................  Mecklenburg.................     37-119-1009           0.093           0.071           0.082           0.082
Rockwell..................................  Rowan.......................     37-159-0021           0.084           0.071           0.077           0.077
Enochville School.........................  Rowan.......................     37-159-0022           0.082           0.073           0.078           0.077
Monroe Middle School......................  Union.......................     37-179-0003           0.080           0.067           0.071           0.072
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*An ozone monitor is located in York County, SC; however, it is outside of the nonattainment area. This monitor is monitoring attainment of the 1997 8-
  hour ozone NAAQS.

                          Table 2--2009-2011 Design Value Concentration for the Charlotte Area* for the 1997 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS
                                                                          [ppm]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                4th highest 8-hour ozone value           3-Year design
                                                                                ------------------------------------------------     values
                 Location                              County               Monitor ID                                                   ---------------
                                                                                2009            2010            2011          2009-2011
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lincoln County Replacing Iron Station.....  Lincoln.....................     37-109-0004           0.065           0.072           0.077           0.071
Garinger High School......................  Mecklenburg.................     37-119-0041           0.069           0.082           0.088           0.079
Westinghouse Blvd.........................  Mecklenburg.................     37-119-1005           0.068           0.078           0.082           0.076
29 N at Mecklenburg Cab Co................  Mecklenburg.................     37-119-1009           0.071           0.082           0.083           0.078
Rockwell..................................  Rowan.......................     37-159-0021           0.071           0.077           0.077           0.075
Enochville School.........................  Rowan.......................     37-159-0022           0.073           0.078           0.078           0.076
Monroe Middle School......................  Union.......................     37-179-0003           0.067           0.071           0.073           0.070
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*An ozone monitor is located in York County, SC; however, it is outside of the nonattainment area. This monitor is monitoring attainment of the 1997 8-
  hour ozone NAAQS.

                          Table 3--2010-2012 Design Value Concentration for the Charlotte Area* for the 1997 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS
                                                                          [ppm]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                4th highest 8-hour ozone value           3-Year design
                                                                                ------------------------------------------------     values
                 Location                              County               Monitor ID                                                   ---------------
                                                                                2010            2011            2012         2010--2012
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lincoln County Replacing Iron Station.....  Lincoln.....................     37-109-0004           0.072           0.077           0.076           0.075
Garinger High School......................  Mecklenburg.................     37-119-0041           0.082           0.088           0.080           0.083
Westinghouse Blvd.........................  Mecklenburg.................     37-119-1005           0.078           0.082           0.073           0.077
29 N at Mecklenburg Cab Co................  Mecklenburg.................     37-119-1009           0.082           0.083           0.085           0.083
Rockwell..................................  Rowan.......................     37-159-0021           0.077           0.077           0.080           0.078
Enochville School.........................  Rowan.......................     37-159-0022           0.078           0.078           0.077           0.077
Monroe Middle School......................  Union.......................     37-179-0003           0.071           0.073           0.075           0.073
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*An ozone monitor is located in York County, SC; however, it is outside of the nonattainment area. This monitor is monitoring attainment of the 1997 8-
  hour ozone NAAQS.

    This rulemaking does not address requirements for the bi-state
Charlotte Area that was designated nonattainment for the 2008 8-hour
ozone NAAQS. Requirements for the bi-state Charlotte 2008 8-hour ozone
nonattainment area will be addressed in the future.
    NC DAQ chose to establish sub-area MVEBs based on geographical
areas that correspond to the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
and/or Rural Planning Organization (RPO) boundaries. Accordingly, NC
DAQ established MVEBs for the CRMPO (Cabarrus and Rowan Counties), for
the Gaston Urban Area MPO and Lake Norman RPO (Gaston, Iredell, and
Lincoln Counties), and for the MUMPO and Rocky River RPO (Mecklenburg
and Union Counties) geographical areas.

II. What are the actions EPA is taking?

    In today's rulemaking, EPA is approving: (1) North Carolina's 1997
8-hour ozone maintenance plan as amended by the State's March 28, 2013
supplemental SIP submittal (such approval being one of the CAA criteria
for redesignation to attainment) for the North Carolina portion of the
Area, including the sub-area MVEBs; and (2)

North Carolina's redesignation request to change the legal designation
of the North Carolina portion of the Area from nonattainment to
attainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. The maintenance plan meets
the requirements of section 175A and is designed to demonstrate that
the North Carolina portion of the Area (as part of the bi-state
Charlotte Area) will continue to attain the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS
through 2025. EPA's approval of the redesignation request is based on
EPA's determination that North Carolina meets the criteria for the
North Carolina portion of the Area for redesignation set forth in CAA
section 107(d)(3)(E), including EPA's determination that the North
Carolina portion of the Area has attained the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS.
EPA's analyses of North Carolina's redesignation request and
maintenance plan are described in detail in the July 26, 2013, proposed
rule. See 78 FR 45152. EPA did not receive any comments, adverse or
otherwise, on the July 26, 2013, proposed rule to redesignate the North
Carolina portion of the bi-state Charlotte Area to attainment for the
1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. EPA finalized the adequacy determination for
the MVEBs on August 13, 2013. See 78 FR 49265. EPA finalized approval
of South Carolina's request to redesignate the South Carolina portion
of the Area, including approval of South Carolina's maintenance plan
for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, in a separate action. See 77 FR 75862.
    Consistent with the CAA, the maintenance plan that EPA is approving
also includes 2013 and 2025 sub-area MVEBs for NOX and VOC
for the North Carolina portion of the Area. EPA informed the public
that the 2013 and 2025 sub-area MVEBs are adequate for transportation
conformity on August 13, 2013. See 78 FR 49265. Tables 4 through 6
below provide the NOX and VOC sub-area MVEBs in kilograms
per day (kg/day),\1\ for 2013 and 2025.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The conversion to kilograms used the actual emissions
reported in the MOVES model. The conversion was done utilizing the
``CONVERT'' function in an EXCEL spreadsheet.

                    Table 4--Cabarrus-Rowan MPO MVEBs
                                (kg/day)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          2013     2025
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              NOX Emissions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On-Road Mobile Emissions..............................   19,838    9,961
Safety Margin Allocated to MVEBs......................    1,984    1,992
NOX Conformity MVEBs..................................   21,822   11,953
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              VOC Emissions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On-Road Mobile Emissions..............................    9,863    5,425
Safety Margin Allocated to MVEBs......................      986    1,085
VOC Conformity MVEBs..................................   10,849    6,510
------------------------------------------------------------------------

          Table 5--Gaston Urban Area MPO/Lake Norman RPO MVEBs
                                (kg/day)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          2013     2025
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              NOX Emissions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On-Road Mobile Emissions..............................   19,957   10,360
Safety Margin Allocated to MVEBs......................    2,211    2,181
NOX Conformity MVEBs..................................   22,168   12,541
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              VOC Emissions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On-Road Mobile Emissions..............................   10,442    5,815
Safety Margin Allocated to MVEBs......................    1,168    1,232
VOC Conformity MVEBs..................................   11,610    7,047
------------------------------------------------------------------------

          Table 6--Mecklenburg-Union MPO/Rocky River RPO MVEBs
                                (kg/day)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          2013     2025
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              NOX Emissions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On-Road Mobile Emissions..............................   57,198   30,391
Safety Margin Allocated to MVEBs......................    4,303    5,337
NOX Conformity MVEBs..................................   61,501   35,728
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              VOC Emissions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On-Road Mobile Emissions..............................   26,250   14,769
Safety Margin Allocated to MVEBs......................    2,002    2,609
VOC Conformity MVEBs..................................   28,252   17,378
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    North Carolina has chosen to allocate a portion of the available
safety margin to the NOX and VOC MVEBs for 2013 and 2025
(45.20 tpd and 107.38 tpd of the NOX 2013 and 2025 safety
margins remain, respectively, and 19.96 tpd and 27.95 tpd of the VOC
2013 and 2025 safety margins remain, respectively).
    In this action, EPA is also approving these NOX and VOC
sub-area MVEBs for the purposes of transportation conformity. For
required regional emissions analysis years involving 2013 and prior to
2025, the applicable budgets will be the new 2013 sub-area MVEBs. For
required regional emissions analysis years that involve 2025 or beyond,
the applicable budgets will be the new 2025 sub-area MVEBs.

III. Why is EPA taking these actions?

    EPA has determined that the North Carolina portion of the Area has
attained the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS and has also determined that all
other criteria for the redesignation of the North Carolina portion of
the Area from nonattainment to attainment of the 1997 8-hour ozone
NAAQS have been met. See CAA section 107(d)(3)(E). One of those
requirements is that the North Carolina portion of the Area has an
approved plan demonstrating maintenance of the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS.
EPA is taking final action to approve the maintenance plan for the
North Carolina portion of the Area as meeting the requirements of
sections 175A and 107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA. EPA is also approving the
new NOX and VOC sub-area MVEBs for the years 2013 and 2025
as contained in North Carolina's maintenance plan for the North
Carolina portion of the Area because these sub-area MVEBs are
consistent with maintenance of the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS in the Area.
The detailed rationale for EPA's findings and actions are set forth in
the July 26, 2013, proposed rulemaking and in other discussion in this
final rulemaking.

IV. What are the effects of these actions?

    Approval of the redesignation request changes the legal designation
of the North Carolina portion of the Area from nonattainment to
attainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. EPA is modifying the
regulatory table in 40 CFR 81.334 to reflect a designation of
attainment for the affected counties. EPA is also approving, as a
revision to the North Carolina SIP, the State's plan for maintaining
the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS in the North Carolina portion of the Area
through 2025. The maintenance plan includes contingency measures to
remedy possible future violations of the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, and
establishes NOX and VOC subarea MVEBs for the years 2013 and
2025 for the North Carolina portion of the Area.

V. Final Action

    EPA is taking final action to approve the redesignation and change
the legal designation of the North Carolina portion of the Area from
nonattainment

to attainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. Through this action, EPA
is also approving into the North Carolina SIP the 1997 8-hour ozone
maintenance plan for the North Carolina portion of the Area, which
includes the new NOX and VOC sub-area MVEBs for 2013 and
2025 for the North Carolina portion of the Area.

VI. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

    Under the CAA, redesignation of an area to attainment and the
accompanying approval of the maintenance plan under CAA section
107(d)(3)(E) are actions that affect the status of geographical area
and do not impose any additional regulatory requirements on sources
beyond those required by state law. A redesignation to attainment does
not in and of itself impose any new requirements, but rather results in
the application of requirements contained in the CAA for areas that
have been redesignated to attainment. Moreover, the Administrator is
required to approve a SIP submission that complies with the provisions
of the Act and applicable Federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40
CFR 52.02(a). Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to
approve state choices, provided that they meet the criteria of the CAA.
Accordingly, these actions merely approve state law as meeting Federal
requirements and do not impose additional requirements beyond those
imposed by state or federal law. For these reasons, these actions:
     Are not a ``significant regulatory action'' subject to
review by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Order
12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993);
     do not impose an information collection burden under the
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
     are certified as not having a significant economic impact
on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
     do not contain any unfunded mandate or significantly or
uniquely affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-4);
     do not have Federalism implications as specified in
Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999);
     are not an economically significant regulatory action
based on health or safety risks subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR
19885, April 23, 1997);
     are not a significant regulatory action subject to
Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001);
     are not subject to requirements of Section 12(d) of the
National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272
note) because application of those requirements would be inconsistent
with the CAA; and,
     do not provide EPA with the discretionary authority to
address, as appropriate, disproportionate human health or environmental
effects, using practicable and legally permissible methods, under
Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).

In addition, this rule does not have tribal implications as specified
by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9, 2000), because the
SIP is not approved to apply in Indian country located in the State,
and EPA notes that it will not impose substantial direct costs on
tribal governments or preempt tribal law.
    The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, generally
provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency promulgating
the rule must submit a rule report, which includes a copy of the rule,
to each House of the Congress and to the Comptroller General of the
United States. EPA will submit a report containing this action and
other required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of
Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United States prior
to publication of the rule in the Federal Register. A major rule cannot
take effect until 60 days after it is published in the Federal
Register. This action is not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C.
804(2).
    Under section 307(b)(1) of the CAA, petitions for judicial review
of this action must be filed in the United States Court of Appeals for
the appropriate circuit by January 31, 2014. Filing a petition for
reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule does not affect
the finality of this action for the purposes of judicial review nor
does it extend the time within which a petition for judicial review may
be filed, and shall not postpone the effectiveness of such rule or
action. This action may not be challenged later in proceedings to
enforce its requirements. See section 307(b)(2).

List of Subjects

40 CFR Part 52

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Intergovernmental relations, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone,
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Volatile organic compounds.

40 CFR Part 81

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control.

    Dated: November 14, 2013.
A. Stanley Meiburg,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4.

    40 CFR parts 52 and 81 are amended as follows:

PART 52--[APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS]

0
1. The authority citation for part 52 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.

Subpart II--North Carolina

0
2. Section 52.1770(e) is amended by adding an entry ``1997 8-hour ozone
Maintenance Plan for the North Carolina portion of the bi-state
Charlotte Area'' at the end of the table to read as follows:

Sec.  52.1770  Identification of plan.

* * * * *
    (e) * * *

                              EPA-Approved North Carolina Non-Regulatory Provisions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    State submittal date/   EPA approval      Federal Register
             Provision                  effective date          date              citation          Explanation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                  * * * * * * *
1997 8-hour ozone Maintenance Plan  November 2, 2011, and         12/2/13  [Insert citation of    ..............
 for the North Carolina portion of   supplemented on                        publication].
 the bi-state Charlotte Area.        March 28, 2013.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PART 81--[DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES]

0
3. The authority citation for part 81 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.

0
4. In Sec.  81.334, the table entitled ``North Carolina-1997 8-Hour
Ozone NAAQS (Primary and Secondary)'' is by revising the entries for
``Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC,'' ``Cabarrus County,'' ``Gaston
County,'' ``Iredell County (part) Davidson Township, Coddle Creek
Township,'' ``Lincoln County,'' ``Mecklenburg County,'' ``Rowan
County,'' and ``Union County'' to read as follows:

Sec.  81.334  North Carolina.

* * * * *

                                     North Carolina-1997 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS
                                             [Primary and secondary]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   Designated \a\                     Category/classification
          Designated area          -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           Date \1\                 Type             Date \1\          Type
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-   This action is         Attainment.            ..............  ..............
 SC.                                 effective 12/2/13.
Cabarrus County...................  This action is         Attainment.            ..............  ..............
                                     effective 12/2/13.
Gaston County.....................  This action is         Attainment.            ..............  ..............
                                     effective 12/2/13.
Iredell County (part) Davidson      This action is         Attainment.            ..............  ..............
 Township, Coddle Creek Township.    effective 12/2/13.
Lincoln County....................  This action is         Attainment.            ..............  ..............
                                     effective 12/2/13.
Mecklenburg County................  This action is         Attainment.            ..............  ..............
                                     effective 12/2/13.
Rowan County......................  This action is         Attainment.            ..............  ..............
                                     effective 12/2/13.
Union County......................  This action is         Attainment.            ..............  ..............
                                     effective 12/2/13.

                                                 * * * * * * *
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\a\ Includes Indian Country located in each county or area, except as otherwise specified.
\1\ This date is June 15, 2004, unless otherwise noted.
\2\ Effective April 15, 2008.
\3\ November 22, 2004.
\4\ Attainment date extended to June 15, 2011.

* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2013-28099 Filed 11-29-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


New Methodology for Estimating Emissions from Residential Wood
Combustion

Paper #180

Roy Huntley

Emission Inventory and Analysis Group (EIAG), Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research
Triangle Park, NC 27711

John Van Bruggen, Stephen Colodner, Frank Divita

E.H. Pechan & Associates, Inc., 5528-B Hempstead Way, Springfield, VA
22151

ABSTRACT

The Emissions Inventory and Analysis Group (EIAG) of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards is in the process of updating the methodology it
uses to estimate emissions from residential wood combustion (RWC) for
the National Emissions Inventory (NEI).  The reasons for doing this are:
 1) to account for appliances not accounted for in the old methodology
(e.g., outdoor hydronic heaters), 2) to make the NEI methodology easier
for state, local, and tribal agencies (S/L/T) to input their own
location-specific knowledge (e.g., wood density, estimates of amount of
wood burned per appliance, appliance populations per county, etc.) into
the estimation methodology, 3) to correct some known deficiencies in the
existing NEI methodology, and 4) to make the methodology easier for some
users of the NEI (e.g., emission modelers) to extract appliance
population data from the NEI.

EPA worked with a group of state, local, and regional planning
organization representatives to create the new methodology.  This paper
describes the new methodology and introduces a Microsoft Access Tool
that was developed to allow S/L/T agencies to calculate annual emissions
from RWC sources in the future.  The Tool is designed to allow users to
update county-level input parameter (based on local survey or like
information) and then easily recalculate county-level emissions by
running a query.

INTRODUCTION

Residential wood combustion (RWC) appliances like fireplaces, fireplace
inserts, woodstoves, and hydronic heaters are significant sources of air
pollution in the United States - especially during winter months.  RWC
emits large amounts of fine particulate matter (PM), volatile organic
compounds (VOCs), and hazardous air pollutants that in several studies
have been shown to contribute to poor human health, air quality, and
visibility.  RWC PM2.5 emissions make up about 7 percent of the national
inventory mass according to the 2002 National Emission Inventory (NEI)
on an annual basis; however, local areas can experience much higher
concentrations in the air during the heating season.1

In recent years, sales and use of residential woodstoves have been
increasing due to rising costs of home heating fuel.  In addition and
over the past 5-years, sales of outdoor hydronic heaters (OHH) are also
strong in the Northern U.S. where they are used as the primary heating
source for some homes.  These outdoor wood boilers are essentially
unregulated by Federal air pollution regulations and emit, on an average
per hour basis, about four times as much fine PM as conventional
woodstoves and about 12 times as much as U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA)-certified stoves.2  These OHHs have not been included in
past inventories because, until recently, there were not very many of
them in operation.

EPA’s NEI includes emissions data from RWC, which in large part, are
submitted by state, local, and tribal (S/L/T) agencies to EPA for
inclusion in the NEI.  However, when a state does not submit RWC
emissions data, the EPA estimates those emissions.  For the 2002 NEI,
approximately one-half of the states did not submit emissions data from
RWC even though EPA estimates that this category contributes
significantly in many areas to annual PM2.5 and VOC emissions on an
annual basis.

The Emissions Inventory and Analysis Group (EIAG) is in the process of
updating the methodology it uses to estimate emissions from RWC for the
NEI.  The EIAG assembled a task force consisting of members of state and
local air pollution agencies.  See table for names and contact
information.  Members of the task force are identified in this paper in
the Acknowledgements. The reasons for doing this are:  1) to account for
appliances not accounted for in the old methodology (e.g., outdoor
hydronic heaters), 2) to make the NEI methodology easier for states,
local agencies, and tribes to input their own location-specific
knowledge (e.g., wood density, estimates of amount of wood burned per
appliance) into the estimation methodology, 3) to correct some known
deficiencies in the existing NEI methodology, and 4) to make the
methodology easier for modelers and others of like mind to pull
appliance population data from the NEI.  In addition, the 2002 NEI
methodology used to estimate the percent of conventional wood stoves
versus EPA certified woodstoves was determined in the late 1990’s and
is in need of updating.  Also, the percentage of certified woodstoves
can vary widely geographically due to local regulations or local
woodstove change out programs.

Our approach to performing this update is to develop a MS Access Tool
that houses county-level activity and parameters with queries that
allows recalculation of emissions.  The Tool has been developed to:

Include previously ignored appliance types, like outdoor hydronic
heaters, pellet stoves, wax logs, and indoor wood furnaces.

Provide more transparency.

Allow flexibility.

Allow stakeholders to substitute their own tool inputs

Allow easy updates for future years.

Use consistent and new Source Classification Codes (SCCs).

Make use of readily available data.

Be available from the internet.

Table 1 lists the appliance categories and updated SCCs for RWC sources.
 The first column of Table 1 indicates which source categories were
included in the RWC Tool developed for this project.  Note that these
SCCs are different from the codes used in the 2002 NEI.  The SCC update
was developed by the RWC work group to add missing appliance types and
to avoid double counting of emissions.

Table 1.  Appliance Types and Source Category Codes for RWC Sources.

Included	SCC	Fuel	Appliance Type	Comment

Yes<PHONE_NUMBER>	Wood	Fireplace: general

2104008110	Wood	Fireplace: open	Conventional fireplace with open hearth

<PHONE_NUMBER>	Wood	Fireplace: enclosed (or otherwise modified)	Enclosed
with glass doors or other modifications to a conventional fireplace such
as devices to boost efficiency (heat exchangers)

<PHONE_NUMBER>	Wood	Fireplace: qualified for EPA voluntary program

2104008200	Wood	Woodstove: fireplace inserts; general	Fireplace inserts
are similar to freestanding woodstove but they sit inside a fireplace.
Other types of inserts should use SCC =<PHONE_NUMBER>

Yes<PHONE_NUMBER>	Wood	Woodstove: fireplace inserts; non EPA-certified

	Yes<PHONE_NUMBER>	Wood	Woodstove: fireplace inserts; EPA-certified;
non-catalytic

	Yes<PHONE_NUMBER>	Wood	Woodstove: fireplace inserts; EPA-certified;
catalytic

2104008300	Wood	Woodstove: freestanding, general

	Yes<PHONE_NUMBER>	Wood	Woodstove: freestanding, non-EPA certified

	Yes<PHONE_NUMBER>	Wood	Woodstove: freestanding, EPA certified,
non-catalytic

	Yes<PHONE_NUMBER>	Wood	Woodstove: freestanding, EPA certified, catalytic

2104008340	Wood	Woodstove: freestanding, masonry heater

2104008400	Wood	Woodstove: pellet-fired, general	Freestanding or
fireplace insert

<PHONE_NUMBER>	Wood	Woodstove: pellet-fired, non-EPA certified	Freestanding
or fireplace insert

<PHONE_NUMBER>	Wood	Woodstove: pellet-fired, EPA certified	Freestanding or
fireplace insert

<PHONE_NUMBER>	Wood	Furnace: Indoor, general

	Yes<PHONE_NUMBER>	Wood	Furnace: Indoor, cordwood-fired, non-EPA certified

2104008520	Wood	Furnace: Indoor, cordwood-fired, EPA certified

2104008530	Wood	Furnace: Indoor, pellet-fired, general

2104008540	Wood	Furnace: Indoor, pellet-fired, non-EPA certified

2104008550	Wood	Furnace: Indoor, pellet-fired, EPA certified

2104008600	Wood	Hydronic heater: general, all types

	Yes<PHONE_NUMBER>	Wood	Hydronic heater: outdoor

2104008620	Wood	Hydronic heater: indoor

2104008630	Wood	Hydronic heater: pellet-fired

2104008640	Wood	Hydronic heater: meets NESCAUM phase II standards

2104008700	Wood	Outdoor wood burning device, NEC	Fire-pits and chimeas

Yes<PHONE_NUMBER>	Firelog	Total: All Combustor Types

2104010000	Biomass; All Except Wood	Total: All Combustor Types

OVERVIEW

Calculation Methodology

The emissions from RWC are calculated using the equation below.

Ey = u × EFy × CFy	(Eq. 1)

where:

Ey = annual emissions (ton/year) for a specific appliance (or SCC)

u = annual activity (tons of fuel burned)

EFy = emission factor (tons of pollutant emitted/mass of fuel used)

CFy = control factor

y is a specific pollutant

Note that CFy was assumed to be 1 for all appliances because emission
improvements for RWC are represented by improved appliance designs.
These were accounted for by applying appropriately adjusted emission
factors.  Each of the terms in the equation and their sources are
explained further below.

Activity (u)

Methodologies for determining the activity varied by the type of RWC
appliance.  Activity for the majority of appliance types was derived
from census data.

Fireplaces, Inserts, and Woodstoves

For the first method, which applies to fireplaces, fireplace inserts,
and woodstoves, activity in terms of tons of fuel burned was calculated
based on several factors as shown in the equation below.

u = P × AP × BR × D	(Eq. 2)

where:

P = Number of occupied housing units in a county in 2005

AP = Percentage of occupied housing units for a specific appliance
category

(e.g., catalytic woodstoves used as main heating equipment, fireplaces
without inserts used as supplemental heating equipment, etc.)

BR = Burn rate (cords/year)

D = average density of the wood fuel burned

Outdoor Hydronic Heaters, Indoor Furnaces, and Pellet Stoves

A second method, which applies to outdoor wood burning devices, indoor
furnaces, and pellet stoves, estimates the number of appliances per
county based on state level proportioned to the number of woodstoves per
county.  Activity is calculated using the following formula.

u = AN × BR × D	(Eq. 3)

where:

AN	=	Number of appliances in county

BR	=	Burn rate (cords/year)

D	=	average density of the wood fuel burned

Number of Occupied Housing Units in 2005

Since appliance profiles were estimated in terms of the percentage of
occupied housing units by appliance type, it is important that county
population also be based on number of occupied housing units.  However
these had to be calculated because intercensal estimates of the number
of occupied housing units by county were not available for 2005 from the
U.S. Census – only annual estimates of the total number of units by
county.  It was important to account for this difference because the
occupancy rate varies greatly throughout the country [e.g., from 98.5
percent in Anoka County, Minnesota to 23 percent in Franklin County,
Pennsylvania].3

The 2005 intercensal estimate was used to determine the number of
housing units in each county and then multiplied by the ratio of
occupied housing units to total housing units from the 2000 census to
find an estimate of the number of occupied housing units in 2005.  The
only exception to this procedure was the county of Broomfield, Colorado,
which was established in 2001 and therefore was not in the 2000 census.
The percentage of occupied housing units for Boulder County was
substituted for Broomfield because in 2000 it was mostly contained in
Boulder County.

The number of occupied housing units by county appears in the Tool in
the table named County Populations.

Development of Appliance Profiles

County-level appliance profiles for RWC sources were estimated for each
appliance type listed as included in Table 1.  In order to estimate
county level appliance profiles, several steps were needed because
county specific appliance counts for the entire nation were not
available.  Our goal was to use easily accessible and publically
available data to estimate county-level activity by appliance type for
the entire United States, and let that be the default.  Then use state
or local data as submitted to improve on the default values.

Fireplace and Wood Stove

The American Housing Survey (AHS) conducts national and metropolitan
area surveys on the Nation’s housing, including household
characteristics and heating equipment and fuels.4  Both the national and
metropolitan statistical area (MSA) surveys are conducted during a 3- to
7- month period.  The national survey, which gathers information on
housing throughout the country, conducts interviews at about 55,000
housing units every 2 years, in odd-numbered years.  The metropolitan
area survey consists of 47 metropolitan areas, where householders are
interviewed every 6 years.5  Data is gathered for about 14 metropolitan
areas on an even numbered year until all 47 metropolitan areas are
surveyed.  Table 2 lists the MSAs surveyed in the AHS and the last year
a survey was completed in each area.  Table 3 provides the 2005 AHS
appliance counts by region.

Table 2.  MSAs Gathered in the AHS.

MSA	Year of AHS

Anaheim-Santa Ana, CA PMSA	2002

Atlanta, GA MSA	2004

Baltimore, MD MSA	1998

Birmingham, AL MSA	1998

Boston, MA-NH CMSA	1998

Buffalo, NY CMSA	2002

Charlotte, NC-SC MSA	2002

Chicago, IL PMSA	2003

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN PMSA	1998

Cleveland, OH PMSA	2004

Columbus, OH MSA	2002

Dallas, TX PMSA	2002

Denver, CO MSA	2004

Detroit, MI PMSA	2003

Fort Worth-Arlington, TX PMSA	2002

Hartford, CT MSA	2004

Houston, TX PMSA	1998

Indianapolis, IN MSA	2004

Kansas City, MO-KS MSA	2002

Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA PMSA	2003

Memphis, TN-AR-MS MSA	2004

Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, FL CMSA	2002

Milwaukee, WI PMSA	2002

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI MSA	1998

New Orleans, LA MSA	2004

New York-Nassau-Suffolk-Orange, NY PMSAs	2003

Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, VA-NC	1998

Northern NJ PMSAs	2003

Oakland, CA PMSA	1998

Oklahoma City, OK MSA	2004

Philadelphia, PA-NJ PMSA	2003

Phoenix, AZ MSA	2002

Pittsburgh, PA MSA	2004

Portland, OR-WA PMSA	2002

Providence-Pawtucket-Warwick, RI-MA PMSAs	1998

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA PMSA	2002

Rochester, NY MSA	1998

Sacramento, CA PMSA	2004

St. Louis, MO-IL MSA	2004

Salt Lake City, UT MSA	1998

San Antonio, TX MSA	2004

San Diego, CA MSA	2002

San Francisco, CA PMSA	1998

San Jose, CA PMSA	1998

Seattle-Everett, WA PMSA	2004

Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL MSA	1998

Washington, DC-MD-VA MSA	1998

Table 3.  Example of Regional 2005 AHS Data in Thousands and Percentage.

Heating Category	Appliance type	Total	Northeast	Midwest	South	West

Main Heating	Wood Stove	896	150	143	304	299

Main Heating	Fireplace with Inserts	131	14	22	47	47

Main Heating	Fireplace without Inserts	59	10	0	22	27

Pleasure Heating	Wood Stove	985	258	181	260	286

Pleasure Heating	Fireplace with Inserts	655	74	99	220	263

Pleasure Heating	Fireplace without Inserts	391	30	70	133	157

Secondary Heating	Wood Stove	3,096 	920	635	626	915

Secondary Heating	Fireplace with Inserts	4,323 	486	829	1,673 	1,334

Secondary Heating	Fireplace without Inserts	4,080 	371	643	1,686 	1,381

All Houses	Total	108,871	20,337	24,955	39,722	23,858

Main Heating	Wood Stove	0.82%	0.74%	0.57%	0.77%	1.25%

Main Heating	Fireplace with Inserts	0.12%	0.07%	0.09%	0.12%	0.20%

Main Heating	Fireplace without Inserts	0.05%	0.05%	0.00%	0.06%	0.11%

Pleasure Heating	Wood Stove	0.90%	1.27%	0.73%	0.65%	1.20%

Pleasure Heating	Fireplace with Inserts	0.60%	0.36%	0.40%	0.55%	1.10%

Pleasure Heating	Fireplace without Inserts	0.36%	0.15%	0.28%	0.33%	0.66%

Secondary Heating	Wood Stove	2.84%	4.52%	2.54%	1.58%	3.84%

Secondary Heating	Fireplace with Inserts	3.97%	2.39%	3.32%	4.21%	5.59%

Secondary Heating	Fireplace without Inserts	3.75%	1.82%	2.58%	4.24%
5.79%

The AHS provides RWC appliance information for three different appliance
types:  fireplaces with inserts, wood stoves, and fireplaces without
inserts.  In addition, AHS data provide information on the purpose of
each household heating appliance.  These are separated into three
categories of heating appliances use - main, secondary, or pleasure.

The following are the definitions used by the AHS to differentiate
between different types of equipment ownership, by usage
characteristics.

Main heating equipment – Only one type of equipment was reported as
the “Main heating equipment,” as understood by survey respondents.
More than one category of “Other heating equipment,” which includes
both pleasure and secondary heating equipment, could be reported for the
same household.

Supplemental heating equipment – This is additional heating equipment
for a heated area of the housing unit.  (AHS Appendix A.   HYPERLINK
"http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/ahs/definitions.html"
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/ahs/definitions.html .)  For
example, if a home is usually heated with main equipment which is oil or
natural gas, and the homeowner uses a fireplace at times in winter, the
fireplace is considered to be supplemental equipment.

Parallel heating equipment – This is additional heating equipment for
an area not heated by the main heating equipment.6  For example, if the
main house is heated with a wood stove, and a garage is heated by an
electric heat pump, the heat pump would be considered parallel heating
equipment.

The following are the definitions used by the AHS to differentiate
between different types of RWC Appliances.

Fireplaces without inserts - refers to glass door fire screens or fire
backs inserted in the back of the fireplace to passively reflect heat.

Fireplaces with inserts - have a fan-forced air circulation system to
force the heat into the room.

Wood stove - refers to any range or stove that burns solid fuel
including wood burning, pot belly, and Franklin stoves.

These population percentages were applied to county-level occupied
housing units as described above in order to estimate the number of
appliances in each county.

The Hearth and Patio Association estimates the proportion of EPA
certified wood stoves and inserts to uncertified wood stoves and
inserts.7  In 1999 the estimate was 92 percent uncertified, 5.7 percent
certified using a non-catalytic design, and 2.3 percent certified using
a catalytic design.  EPA estimates an annual growth rate of 1 percent of
certified stoves in operation so a case could be made for altering the
mix of appliances slightly depending on the age of the latest Hearth and
Patio report.8  One estimate of the ratio in 2005 may be as much as 20
percent certified.  For this study, we used a distribution of 80 percent
uncertified, 15 percent certified, and 5 percent certified catalytic for
both fireplace inserts and woodstoves.

Fireplaces without inserts were assumed to burn cordwood 78.3 percent of
the time, and wax/sawdust firelogs 21.7 percent of the time, and the AHS
data was split between the two relevant SCCs accordingly.  This was
based on the proportion of estimated cordwood equivalent for firelogs to
cords consumed in fireplaces without inserts in the 2002 NEI
documentation.1  The most recent analysis performed by E.H. Pechan &
Associates, Inc. (Pechan) resulted in an improvement that we plan to
implement in the 2008 version of this tool.  The updated distribution
between cordwood and wax/sawdust firelogs is assumed to be 86.5 percent
cordwood and 13.5 percent wax/sawdust firelogs.  This was based on
survey data reflecting the number of households which use wax firelogs
exclusively.9

These appliance profiles are in the Tool as a table called Appliance
Profiles.

The product of these appliance profile percentages with the number of
occupied housing units in a county was used to find the total number of
appliances in the county for the majority of appliance types.

Outdoor Hydronic Heaters and Indoor Furnaces

For OHHs and indoor furnaces, a different approach was used to find the
number of appliances.  Sales data was able to provide estimates of the
number of appliances within each county.

Outdoor Hydronic Heaters

For Outdoor Hydronic Heaters, the population of these appliances were
obtained by using sales data compiled by Northeast States for
Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) that was provided by Hearth,
Patio, and Barbeque Association.  The counties populations were
estimated by multiplying the state totals by the fraction of woodstoves
in the county relative to the state.  Sales data were available for all
50 states.

For outdoor hydronic heaters, state level sales data by distributing the
sales within the state to all counties not in MSAs.  This distribution
was in proportion to the number of occupied housing units.  The counties
in the MSAs were not included in the distribution to avoid assigning
high numbers of these units, which are typically found in more rural
environments, to cities, based solely on population density.

Indoor Furnaces

For indoor furnaces, sales data was able to provide county level
estimates of the number of appliances.8  The number of appliances for
both indoor furnaces and outdoor hydronic heaters is listed in the table
Other Appliance Populations in the Tool.

Sales of indoor furnaces were very strong in the 1970’s and 1980’s,
with the strongest sales in the upper Midwest, the Great Lake states,
and New York and Pennsylvania.  After 1988 when the EPA’s NSPS
Woodstove rule was promulgated, sales of indoor furnaces have been weak.
(Roy Huntley email to Frank Divita of Pechan).  Sales in the southern
states and in the Pacific Northwest have traditionally not been strong.

Several approaches were used to estimate the county level appliance
population of indoor furnaces.  For the Mid-Atlantic Northeast
Visibility Union (MANE-VU) states (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and the District of Colombia), we used the
MANE-VU report to obtain the number of furnaces.9  The MANE-VU report
provides the number of centralized heaters/furnaces by state.  This
figure includes both indoor furnaces and OHH, so taking the difference
between this figure and the NESCAUM data for OHH, we were able to
estimate the number of indoor furnaces by state.  We then allocated
these units to the county level by ratioing the state total by the
fraction of woodstoves in the county.

For Minnesota, we used information in a recent report from Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources that provided the number of furnaces by
five Minnesota regions.10  Furnaces were allocated to the county level
by ratioing the state total by the fraction of woodstoves in the county.

For the rest of the Great Lakes states (Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois,
Indiana, and Ohio), we generated an average factor from the Minnesota
report (38 furnaces per 100 woodstoves) for the number of furnaces per
woodstove and used the number of woodstoves in each county to estimate
the number of furnaces.

For the rest of the states, we developed a factor from the 2000
Oregon/Washington/Idaho survey provided by the Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ).  The survey provided the percentages of
device type by region for 4 of the 5 Oregon regions (we were unable to
use data from the southeast region due to incomplete central furnace
data).  The central region furnace data as assumed to be represented by
indoor furnaces and we therefore used the ratio of the percent of
furnaces to the percent of woodstoves by the 4 regions.  The average of
the ratios was used to determine the number of furnaces in the remaining
state not mentioned above.  As a last step, we assumed no outdoor
furnaces in counties that are in climate zones 4 and 5

Burn Rates

Burn rate estimates with the level of detail needed for inventory
purposes was difficult to come by.  National average burn rates were
assumed based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest
Service documents from Midwest or Great Plainstate surveys performed in
the 1990s (publications available from   HYPERLINK
"http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/"  http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/ ).
Burn rate was differentiated by appliance type (woodstove, fireplace,
fireplace with insert, furnace/boiler, and firepit) and burning purpose
(Main, Secondary, and Pleasure).  The Access Tool includes the average
number of cords of wood burned in a year by appliance type.  It was
assumed that these burn rates are based on most of the appliances not
being EPA certified.  To account for the greater efficiencies of EPA
certified appliances, a discount factor of 79.4 percent was applied.
This means that if an uncertified stove burns 7 cords of wood in a
season, a certified stove would burn only 5.55 cords of wood.

Wax/Sawdust firelogs also heat more efficiently than wood, and it is
estimated that their use displaces more than their volume in wood that
would have been burned.  Therefore, the burn rates for wax/sawdust
firelogs were reduced from those of fireplaces without inserts by a
factor of 4.49, which accounts for the increased volume of wood that
would be burnt to release the equivalent amount of heat.11, 12

County level climate zone were used to adjust burn rate profiles to
account for the fact that less wood is burned in warmer states.  The
Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) climate zones are
groups of climate divisions, as defined by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which are regions within a state that
are as climatically homogeneous as possible.  Each NOAA climate division
is placed into one of five zones based on its 30-year average heating
degree-days (HDD) and cooling degree-days (CDD) for the period 1971
through 2000.13  Climate zone is listed in the County Population table.
Burn rates for all SCCs in the national default were multiplied by the
ratio of the average British thermal unit (Btu) consumption to heat a
house each climate zone to the average Btu consumption in climate zone
1.  The ratios were 0.30 for climate zone 5, 0.44 for climate zone 4,
and 0.77 for climate zone 3.8

Modifications by S/L/T agencies with more detailed information may be
made by appending a new burn profile to the Burn Rates table in the
Access Tool and changing the burn profile number of the appropriate
counties in the County Populations table.  Each burn rate profile should
address all the RWC SCCs that are considered by this Tool, and can
distinguish between Main, Secondary, and Pleasure burn rates.  In the
event that appliance populations and burn rates are not distinguished by
burn type (main, secondary, or pleasure), insert the overall average
burn rate in the burn type for which appliance populations are
calculated.  For example, in Minnesota, appliance populations were all
put under the secondary burn type, consequently, burn rates were only
populated in the secondary burn type.

Wood Density

To compute average density of wood by county, we use the density of oven
dried wood because emission factors developed by EPA are based on oven
dried wood mass units.  Dried wood density data was obtained from the
U.S. Forest Service for various wood species.14  The Forest Service
developed a database (called the timber products output) that contained
survey results of sawmill operators that includes the volume of wood by
species for several different categories of use - one of the uses being
fuel wood.

Using the oven dried density by species multiplied by the per-species
volumes gave a per species weight which was summed to calculate the
total weight for the county.  This was then divided by the total volume
of wood in the county to get the average density by county.  This
average is stored in the Density by County table under the pounds per
cubic feet (lbs/ft3) column.  If a county specific density was not
available, regional averages were used instead.

The calculated density by county from the Forest Service data was then
converted to tons/cords.  Officially a cord is defined as a stack of
wood 4 feet wide, 8 feet long, and 4 feet tall or 128 ft3.  However, to
account for air spaces in the stack, we assumed 80 ft3 per cord instead.

For wax firelogs, density was assumed to not vary from county to county,
and a density of 4.005 tons per cord was used.  This was based on the
volume of a typical 5 pound firelog.  For wax firelogs, a cord was
assumed to be actually 128 ft3 because air spaces assumptions are
applicable.  The density figure was arrived at based on a Duraflame
wax/sawdust firelog, which was measured to have a volume of ~138 cubic
inches or ~.0799 cubic feet.  From this a density of ~62.58 lb/ft3  was
derived.  Assuming that for this source type, the equivalent of one cord
was 128 cubic feet, we arrived at a density of ~8010 lb/cord or 4.005
tons/cord.

The wood density by county is in the Tool as in the table Density by
County.  S/L/T agencies can update the appropriate counties with the
density of cordwood consumed, filling in not only the Density (lbs/ft3),
but converting and filling in the Density (tons/cord) column by
multiplying by the factor:  (80 ft3/cord)/(2000 lbs/ton).  The
data_source column should be updated appropriately as well.  When
updating or revising the wood density, users should be sure to use
oven-dried density numbers.

Emission Factors

The emission factors used are expressed as tons of pollutant produced
for every ton of wood burned.  The emission factors were reviewed by the
task force and for the most part are the same as the ones used in past
inventories.  Some minor changes were implemented.  The most significant
change was to the VOC emissions factor.  The old factor was from AP-42
and it was 229 lb VOC /ton of wood burned.  The new factor is 18.9 lb
VOC/ton of wood burned and it was pulled from the Mid-Atlantic Regional
Air Management Association report.  The complete list of the revised
emission factors is in the tool.

DESCRIPTION AND USE OF THE RWC TOOL

The RWC Tool was developed in Microsoft Access to allow S/L/T agencies
to calculate annual emissions from RWC sources.  The Tool is designed to
allow users to update county-level input parameter (based on local
survey or like information) and then calculate county-level emissions by
running a query named “Create Calculated Inventory” to generate a
table called Calculated Inventory.  Figure 1 provides the flow of the
RWC Tool calculations.  The shaded boxes in Figure 1 show calculated
values which the non-shaded boxes show data inputs.

As shown in Table 4, the RWC Tool consists of several tables of
parameters used to calculate emissions associated with burning.  Each
are described below.

Figure 1.  RWC Tool Data Flow Diagram.

Table 4.  Listing and Descriptions of the Tables Included in the RWC
Tool.

Table Name	Table Description

County Populations	Entries contain the county, the number of occupied
housing units in 2005, the appliance profile, the burn profile, and the
climate zone.

Appliance Profiles:	Entries contain the appliance profile, the SCC, the
burn purpose (Main, Secondary, or pleasure) and the percentage of
households with an appliance of the type corresponding to the SCC.

Burn Rates	Entries contain the burn profile, the SCC, the burn purpose,
and the cords burned per year per appliance.

Density by County	Entries contain the county, the density in lb/ft3, the
density in tons/cord, and the data source.

Other Appliance Populations	Entries contain the county, the SCC, the
burn purpose, and the number of appliances in the county with an
appliance of the type corresponding to the SCC.

Emission Factor by SCC	Entries contain the SCC, the Pollutant, the
emission factor with units, the emission factor converted to tons
pollutant/tons of wood combusted, and the data source for the emission
factor.

County Populations - This table lists the number of occupied housing
units in each county in the United States.  These estimates are based on
the 2005 intercensal estimate of total housing units and the percentage
of units occupied in 2000.  If state or local agencies have performed
counts of the number of occupied households per county, these numbers
can be substituted into the county populations table and the query will
recalculate the emissions accordingly.  More accurate counts of the
occupied housing units can be submitted to EPA along with a data source
for reference, and they will be used to replace the current estimates.

Appliance Profiles - The Appliance Profiles table has a number of
existing appliance profiles.  Each profile provides the percentage of
occupied households which utilize each type of wood burning appliance
(SCC) and burn purpose combination.

If more accurate appliance percentages for any or all such combinations
are available for a state or number of counties, a new appliance profile
can be created to accommodate the data.  For example, if state or local
woodstove change-out programs result in a higher concentration of
certified woodstoves in a county or counties, this can be accounted for
by editing the relative proportion of certified to uncertified
woodstoves.  It should be noted in the appliance_profile column which
appliance profile is currently assigned to the state or counties.  If
improved percentages are known only for some appliance/burn type
combinations, the rest should be copied from the original, otherwise all
emissions from these sources will be calculated with a value of zero.
After adding a new appliance profile with a new number, the
appliance_profile column in the county populations table should be
updated for the affected counties.

If local agencies have more accurate data, EPA should be provided with a
table of both the updated and copied percentages (so as to ensure a
complete profile.)  The Federal information processing standard (FIPS)
of the counties to which these percentages apply should also be
provided, along with a reference for the source of the updated
quantities.

In the event that actual equipment populations are known, rather than
percentages, the percentages must be back-calculated by dividing the
number of appliances per each burn type by the county populations.  This
will result in a separate new appliance profile for each geographic area
in which appliance populations are known.  The same steps apply as above
for supplementing incomplete population data with the existing profile
data and providing references for data sources.

Burn Rates - The Burn Rates table contains a number of existing burn
profiles.  Each profile provides the cords burned per year per household
for each type of wood burning appliance (e.g., SCC) and burn purpose
combination.

If more accurate burn rates are known for any or all SCC/burn purpose
combinations, a new burn profile can be created to accommodate this
data.  It should be noted in the County Populations table burn_profile
column which profile is currently assigned to the state or counties.  If
improved burn rates are only known for some appliance/burn type
combinations, the rest should be copied from the original burn profile,
or the amount of wood burned, and consequently the emissions, will be
calculated as zero.  After the addition of a new burn profile with a new
number, the affected counties should have the burn_profile column in
County Populations updated.

If local agencies have more accurate data than is currently in the tool,
EPA should be provided with a table of both the updated and copied burn
rates in cords/year/household.  The FIPS of all the counties to which
these burn rates should apply should also be provided, along with a
reference for the source of the updated burn rates.

If the rate at which cordwood is burned is known in terms of cubic feet
rather than cords, a cord should be assumed to be 80 cubic feet of
stacked dry cordwood when converting the burn rates.  The same steps
apply as above for supplementing incomplete burn rate data with rates
from the currently used existing burn profile and providing references
for data sources.

Density by County - The Density by County table contains estimates of
the average density of dry cordwood that is used in residential
combustion for every county.  Each County has the density listed in both
lbs/ft3 and in tons/cord.  The density can be updated for any county or
counties and the query will recalculate the emissions accordingly.

If more accurate estimates of the average wood density exist for one or
more counties, the improved data, along with a source reference can be
sent to EPA.  If this data is used, the data_source column in the
Density by County table will be updated with this information.  Please
note that all densities must be for dry cordwood.  Also, the conversion
between lbs/ft3 and tons/cord assumes 2000 lbs in one ton and 80 cubic
feet in one cord.

Other Appliance Populations - The Other Appliance Populations table
contains data on the number of appliances for SCCs which were not
covered by the appliances in the American Housing Survey.  These include
pellet-fire woodstoves, indoor furnaces, and outdoor hydronic heaters.
Each county is listed with the number of appliances of each appliance
type and burn purpose combination.

To model different estimates of the appliance population in one or more
counties, this data can be entered by changing the Number of Appliances
column for all affected counties.  If the query is run, it will
calculate the updated emissions accordingly.

If more accurate estimates of the appliance population in one or more
counties are known, EPA should be provided a table of the changes or
additions to the table, including all the columns that appear in the
table in the tool.

Emission Factor by SCC - The Emission Factor by SCC table contains a
list of the emission factors that were used to calculate emissions.  It
also cites the source of each emission factor.  Any changes or additions
to the emission factors will change the results for every county when
the query is run.  Users are not encouraged to change this table.  Any
errors noticed in the current emission factor table should be reported
to EPA.

CONCLUSIONS

An updated methodology was developed as collaboration between EPA,
Pechan, and a group of state, local and regional planning organization
representatives.  In addition, a Microsoft Access Tool was developed in
a way that allows users to update county-level input parameter (based on
local survey or like information) and then recalculate county-level
emissions by running a query.  The Tool is transparent so that inputs
can be easily identified.

EPA is interested in obtaining local data that can be used to calculate
RWC emissions.  Improved data sources in the format used by the Access
Tool can be provided to the authors via email.  For everyone’s
convenience, Pechan has developed a template that will aid in uploading
state specific data to the tool.  The template can be obtained by
contacting the authors of this paper.  As of this writing, EPA is
updating the tool for the 2008 calendar year.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank all of the following individuals who
were members of the EPA RWC Workgroup who provided data and guidance
during the development of the RWC Access Tool.  These include:

Scott DiBiase, Pinal County, Arizona

Di Tian, State of Georgia

David Fees, State of Delaware

Julie McDill, Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association

Sally Otterson, State of Washington

Bart Sponsellar, State of Wisconsin

Christal Thompson, State of Alabama

Chris Swab, State of Oregon

David Wright, State of Maine

REFERENCES

1.	U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Documentation for the Final
2002 Nonpoint Sector (Feb 06 Version) National Emission Inventory for
Criteria and Hazardous Air Pollutants,” Office of Air Quality Planning
and Standards, Air Quality Assessment Division, Research Triangle Park,
NC, July 2006.

2.	Office of the Attorney General Environmental Protection Bureau,
“Smoke Gets in Your Lungs:  Outdoor Wood Boilers in New York State,”
March 2008.

3.	U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder, Data Sets, Census 2000
Summary File 3, Quick Tables, Internet address:    HYPERLINK
"http://factfinder.census.gov"  http://factfinder.census.gov , 2000.

4.	United States Census Bureau, “American Housing Survey for the
United States:  2005, Table 2-4: Selected Equipment and Plumbing,”
Current Housing Reports,   HYPERLINK
"http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/ahs/ahs05/ahs05.html"
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/ahs/ahs05/ahs05.html , U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 2006.

5.	United States Census Bureau, “American Housing Survey Metropolitan
Data,” Current Housing Reports, various years, retrieved from
HYPERLINK
"http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/ahs/metropolitandata.html"
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/ahs/metropolitandata.html ,
November 23, 2007.

6.	U.S. Census Bureau, “2007 American Housing Survey data” retrieved
from   HYPERLINK
"http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/ahs/ahs07/ahs07.html"
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/ahs/ahs07/ahs07.html , 2007.

7.	Hearth & Home, “Hearth, Barbeque, and Patio Retailing, 2000,”
Pages 26-34, April 2000.

8.	Energy Information Administration, Table CE2-1c, Space-Heating Energy
Consumption in US Households by Climate Zone, 2001,
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/recs/recs2001/ce_pdf/spaceheat/ce2-1c_climat
e2001.pdf

9.	Houck, J.E.; Eagle, B.N., “Control Analysis and Documentation for
Residential Wood Combustion in the MANE-VU Region,” prepared for the
Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association by OMNI Environmental
Services, Inc., December 2006.

10.	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, “Residential Fuel Wood
Assessment – State of Minnesota, 2002-2003 Heating Season,” Division
of Forestry, 2005.

11.	Houck, J.E., “Recommended Procedure for Compiling Emission
Inventory Data for Manufactured Wax/Sawdust Fireplace Logs,” OMNI
Consulting for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, October 2001.

12.	Houck, J.E., “Addendum to: Recommended Procedure for Compiling
Emission Inventory Data for Manufactured Wax/Sawdust Fireplace Logs,”
OMNI Consulting for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, November,
2001.

13.	Energy Information Administration, “U.S. Climate Zones for
Commercial Buildings,” retrieved from   HYPERLINK
"http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cbecs/climate_zones.html"
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cbecs/climate_zones.html , 2007.

14.	U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Timber Products Output Survey,”
Forestry Service, retrieved via query from   HYPERLINK
"http://ncrs2.fs.fed.us/4801/fiadb/rpa_tpo/wc_rpa_tpo.ASP"
http://ncrs2.fs.fed.us/4801/fiadb/rpa_tpo/wc_rpa_tpo.ASP , November 19,
2007.

KEYWORDS

Residential wood combustion, National Emissions Inventory, woodstove
emissions, fireplace emissions, wax firelog emissions

  PAGE  1

 Occupied

Units; P

(Households)

Appliance Profile; AP

x

(% of Occupied Units)

 Number of

appliances; AN

x

(Sales Data)

Number of

appliances

(Census Data)

Burn Rate per

Appliance; BR

x

(Cords/year)

Total Volume of

Wood

(Cords)

Wood

Density; D

(Tons/cord)

Total Mass

of Wood

(Tons)

Emission Factor;

EF

y

(Tons Pollutant/

Ton Wood)

Emissions; E

x

y

Census Data Approach

(Fireplaces and Woodstoves)

Appliance Sales Approach

(OHHs and Indoor Furnaces)


[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 75 (Wednesday, April 19, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 24188]
[FR Doc No: 2023-08270]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. ER23-1618-000]

Ocotillo Solar LLC; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based
Rate Filing Includes Request for Blanket Section 204 Authorization

    This is a supplemental notice in the above-referenced proceeding of
Ocotillo Solar LLC's application for market-based rate authority, with
an accompanying rate tariff, noting that such application includes a
request for blanket authorization, under 18 CFR part 34, of future
issuances of securities and assumptions of liability.
    Any person desiring to intervene or to protest should file with the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington,
DC 20426, in accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of the Commission's
Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and 385.214). Anyone
filing a motion to intervene or protest must serve a copy of that
document on the Applicant.
    Notice is hereby given that the deadline for filing protests with
regard to the applicant's request for blanket authorization, under 18
CFR Part 34, of future issuances of securities and assumptions of
liability, is May 3, 2023.
    The Commission encourages electronic submission of protests and
interventions in lieu of paper, using the FERC Online links at http://www.ferc.gov. To facilitate electronic service, persons with internet
access who will eFile a document and/or be listed as a contact for an
intervenor must create and validate an eRegistration account using the
eRegistration link. Select the eFiling link to log on and submit the
intervention or protests.
    Persons unable to file electronically may mail similar pleadings to
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE,
Washington, DC 20426. Hand delivered submissions in docketed
proceedings should be delivered to Health and Human Services, 12225
Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
    In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the
Federal Register, the Commission provides all interested persons an
opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document via the
internet through the Commission's Home Page (http://www.ferc.gov) using
the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three
digits in the docket number field to access the document. At this time,
the Commission has suspended access to the Commission's Public
Reference Room, due to the proclamation declaring a National Emergency
concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), issued by the
President on March 13, 2020. For assistance, contact the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission at [email protected] or call toll-free,
(886) 208-3676 or TYY,<PHONE_NUMBER>.

    Dated: April 13, 2023.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-08270 Filed 4-18-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P