Project Grant 00A01442

DESCRIPTION:THE UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) HAS ELECTED TO ISSUE A SINGLE ASSISTANCE AGREEMENT NON-COMPETITIVELY TO THE NORTH-EAST STATES FOR COORDINATED AIR USE MANAGEMENT (NESCAUM) WHO IS LEADING A CONSORTIUM OF ELIGIBLE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCIES UNDER CLEAN AIR ACT (CAA) SECTION 103. THESE FUNDS WILL BE USED BY NESCAUM TO DEVELOP AN EMISSIONS HIERARCHY AMONG THE EXISTING SUITE OF WOOD HEATERS AVAILABLE AT RETAIL STORES IN THE UNITED STATES, ALLOWING STATE, LOCAL, AND TRIBAL AIR AGENCIES TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS REGARDING WHICH WOOD HEATING APPLIANCES TO RELY UPON FOR EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS WHEN INCLUDED IN APPLIANCE CHANGE-OUT PROGRAMS IN THEIR JURISDICTIONS. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EMISSIONS HIERARCHY WILL ALSO BE SUPPORTED THROUGH INDEPENDENT TESTING AND EMISSIONS DATA ANALYSIS FUNDED UNDER THIS GRANT. SECTION 60105(D) OF THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT PROVIDES FUNDING FOR 'GRANTS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES AUTHORIZED UNDER SUBSECTIONS (A) THROUGH (C) OF SECTION 103 AND SECTION 105 OF THE CLEAN AIR ACT (42 U.S.C. 7403(A)-(C), 7405) FOR TESTING AND OTHER AGENCY ACTIVITIES TO ADDRESS EMISSIONS FROM WOOD HEATERS.' RESIDENTIAL WOOD HEATING (RWH) EMISSIONS CONTRIBUTE HEAVILY TO INCREASED AMBIENT PARTICULATE MATTER (PM) CONCENTRATIONS. THEY ARE A PRIMARY REASON FOR THE FEDERAL PM2.5 NON-ATTAINMENT STATUS FOR MANY AREAS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND A PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN. STUDIES ESTIMATE THAT RWH AIR POLLUTANT EMISSIONS ACCOUNT FOR 10,000 - 40,000 PREMATURE DEATHS ANNUALLY IN THE UNITED STATES.1 IN COLD, MOUNTAINOUS AND VALLEY REGIONS, PM2.5 FROM WOODSMOKE CAN CONTRIBUTE 80 TO 90 PERCENT OF THE MASS AND BE THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF ELEVATED PM2.5 CONCENTRATIONS. RESIDENTIAL WOOD HEATING IS ALSO A MAJOR SOURCE OF AIR TOXICS, ESPECIALLY IN RURAL AREAS WHERE THERE ARE MANY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES OVERBURDENED BY ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION.ACTIVITIES:BRIEF PROJECT DESCRIPTION: - CONDUCT REPRESENTATIVE EMISSIONS TESTING TO OBTAIN DATA BEYOND CERTIFICATION TEST DATA TO CREATE INFORMATION FOR LOCAL, STATE, AND TRIBAL ENTITIES TO IDENTIFY CLEANER-BURNING AND MORE ENERGY-EFFICIENT WOOD-BURNING HEATERS. - DEVELOP A LIST OF RANKED APPLIANCE PERFORMANCE BASED ON COLLECTED PROJECT EMISSIONS DATA TO INFORM THE SELECTION OF REPLACEMENT DEVICES ELIGIBLE FOR LOCAL, REGIONAL, TRIBAL, AND STATE FUNDING FOR WOODSTOVE CHANGE-OUT PROGRAMS. - PROVIDE MORE REALISTIC DATA FOR ESTIMATING EMISSION REDUCTIONS FROM CHANGE-OUTS FOR AIR QUALITY MODELING AND DEMONSTRATING ATTAINMENT OF THE PM2.5 NAAQS (NATIONAL AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS) AS PART OF STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS (SIPS). - OBTAIN DATA THAT COULD INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW EMISSION FACTORS FOR STATE, TRIBAL, ACADEMIC, OR FEDERAL ACTIVITIES. - PROVIDE DATA WITHIN 2-4 YEARS TO INFORM FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND TRIBAL NATION DECISION-MAKING. NESCAUM MAY USE THESE FUNDS FOR WOOD HEATER EMISSIONS TESTING AND ASSOCIATED ACTIVITIES TO ADDRESS EMISSIONS FROM WOOD HEATERS AS ELIGIBLE UNDER CAA SECTION 103. EXAMPLES OF ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, THE FOLLOWING: - DEVELOPMENT OF, AND UPDATES TO, LEVEL 1 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECT PLANS (QAPPS) RELATED TO QUALIFYING DATA COLLECTED THROUGH EMISSIONS TESTING OF RESIDENTIAL WOOD HEATING APPLIANCES. DATA USES INCLUDE 1) RANKING APPLIANCE EMISSIONS, PER APPLIANCE CATEGORY, FROM BEST TO WORST PERFORMANCE AND 2) PROVIDING THIS INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC FOR ACTIONABLE PURPOSES (E.G., INFORMING WOOD HEATING APPLIANCE CHANGE-OUT PROGRAMS). - PROCUREMENT AND PURCHASE OF NECESSARY APPLIANCE MODELS, FUEL, SERVICES, AND SUPPLIES NEEDED TO CONDUCT EMISSIONS SAMPLING. - MODELING OF AIR POLLUTION IMPROVEMENTS THROUGH DATA GATHERED FROM TESTING EFFORTS, INCLUDING GREENHOUSE GASES AND POTENTIAL REDUCTIONS UNDER VARYING WOOD HEATER EMISSIONS CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES, AND STRATEGIES RESULTING FROM TEST DATA GAINED THROUGH USE OF THESE INFLATION REDUCTION