08 Oct History of Air Quality Management and basics of our legislation and regulations

Air Quality Management

DQ1 History of Air Quality Management and basics of our legislation and regulations

 

Your course readings and viewings noted different historical cases of air quality.

 

As part of beginning to understand the basis of air quality management in terms of regulations and legislation, please discuss the following questions as a class:

 

Provide a brief history of air quality management in the U.S. and why we moved from local to national air quality legislation.  Is there a scientific basis for the need to manage air quality at the national or even global level?

 

Let’s first review the difference between legislation and regulations. Please explain the difference and how the two are interrelated.  What is EPA’s role with legislation and regulations?  What is meant by enforcement?

 

In your reading about the Clean Air Act (CAA), you were given three different dates for the CAA. Why? Explain the significance of each date.

 

What does the EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) do?

 

What is the regulatory framework for the CAA and the reason for this regulatory framework?  

 

Which titles are most applicable to air quality management today? Explain your answer.

 

Make sure to read what your classmates have written and add to their discussion.  Make sure to cover key words such as NAAQS, primary standards, secondary standards, and best available control technology.

 

And please come back to clarify or add to the discussion as needed.

 

DQ2 Impacts of poor outdoor air quality

 

Some questions to help you discuss the impact of poor air quality:

 

Take one of the six criteria pollutants and discuss the major sources of emissions for that pollutant.  Note the general amounts contributed by these sources.  That is, it is important to focus on major sources of emissions rather than minor sources of emissions.

 

How do the natural sources of these pollutants compare to anthropogenic sources of these pollutants?

 

What is the global air pollutant of greatest concern according to Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policies?  How many premature deaths are attributed to this pollutant and why?

 

Explore the EPA website link provided in this week’s reading on nonattainment.  Where do you live?  Which EPA region are you in? Are you near any of the nonattainment areas for the criteria pollutants.  If so, which criteria pollutant?

 

What are the air quality concerns in your area? Are they human health or welfare concerns – or both?  This is a great way to start thinking about and gathering information for your future assignments.

 

Please add to the discussions by reading what your classmates have discussed and then do one of the following: add some new facts, provide a different perspective, bring greater depth or more connections, or gently correct.

 

DQ3 The Clean Air Act

 

Much of this should be review since this Act is covered in your required course ENMT 303: Environmental Regulations and Policies.  Please use the discussion questions below to help guide an engaging discussion that will refresh all our memories:

 

What do you think about the video “Basics of the Clean Air Act” as a review for CAA?  What aspects were review and what were new from ENMT 303?

 

Thinking ahead to your Final Assessment, which of the six titles of the CAA are applicable?  Explain why.

 

It is important to listen and ask questions as appropriate.  What questions would you ask if you were listening to this live presentation?

 

How applicable are Renewable Fuel Standards to air quality issues in your locality?

 

What can the EPA do if a State Implementation Plan (SIP) does not achieve targets?

 

What is something about the management of air quality that you took away from the video?  Can you connect your takeaway about the CAA with how it applies to your local air quality issues?

 

How is the CAA related to climate change?