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Microgrid Architecture and Regulation
Published in Stephen A. Roosa, Fundamentals of Microgrids, 2020
The Clean Air Act is the law that defines U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responsibilities for protecting and improving the nation’s air quality and the stratospheric ozone layer [21]. The EPA establishes requirements on the use of fossil fuel generation systems which are enforced by state and local governments. Microgrids using fossil fuels must comply with its provisions (see https://www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview). Of greatest concern for microgrids is Title I of the Act which covers air pollution and control. Its parts identify requirements for air quality and emission limitations, ozone protection, preventing significant deterioration of air quality, and requirements for nonattainment zones. Title III covers general provisions including administration, licensing, economic impact analysis, and exemptions. Title V identifies permitting requirements.
Pollution
Published in Sigrun M. Wagner, Business and Environmental Sustainability, 2020
The Clean Air Act in the US identifies six major air pollutants, also known as criteria pollutants. These are particulate matter (or particulates), carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, lead and ground-level ozone. The first five are primary pollutants, directly released from their sources, whilst ground-level ozone is a secondary pollutant only forming as a result of chemical reactions between primary pollutants and other constituents in the air (Robertson 2017). VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are a key component of this formation, which is why they are included as a main air pollutant in the EU’s list of main air pollutants, as is ammonia as a building block for secondary particulate matter, and methane which contributes to ozone formation through reactions with nitrogen dioxide. The World Health Organization lists particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide as key air pollutants.
Regulation of natural gas pipeline construction and operation in the United States
Published in Tina Soliman Hunter, Ignacio Herrera Anchustegui, Penelope Crossley, Gloria M. Alvarez, Routledge Handbook of Energy Law, 2020
Finally, this chapter has examined the regulatory frameworks for onshore interstate pipelines. Here, the primary authority lays with the FERC. For intra-state pipelines, similar functions are under the competence of State Regulatory Commissions. It must also be noted that while the FERC is the key authority for interstate pipelines, many other agencies have specific roles to play: for example, the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA), acting through the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS), regulates, monitors, and enforces safety in pipeline operations. Also, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a role to play under the Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Clean Air Act.
The Meandering Life of a Research Trajectory: Rare Earths in the Aubervilliers Research Centre (1953–2020)
Published in Ambix, 2021
Vehicle emission control is a subject that appeared in the 1960s alongside many other environmental issues. In 1963, the US introduced the Clean Air Act, which was subsequently expanded with the Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act in 1965 and the Air Quality Act in 1967. These regulations aimed to reduce the emissions of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and lead (the substances present in exhaust fumes). Many industrialised nations introduced similar laws over the following years.39 To satisfy these new requirements, cars had to be equipped with catalytic converters, which California made mandatory in all new cars in 1975.40 The same year, the American automotive giant General Motors embarked on a collaboration with Rhône-Poulenc to develop technology for catalytic emissions control for their cars.41 Three years later, due to another restructuring, the catalysis unit returned from La Croix-de-Berny to Aubervilliers, including the newly acquired competence in emissions control. The laboratory, Minéral – Catalyse, was created and devoted exclusively to the challenges of catalysis in various applications. Among its clients from the automotive world we can find General Motors and the French national automotive company Renault.42
Nuclear Energy, Environment and Public Safety: North-South Politics
Published in Strategic Planning for Energy and the Environment, 2019
Instances of environmental degradation due to the combustion of fossil fuels became apparent during the mid-1970's. The U.S. Clean Air Act set in motion the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate the emissions of air pollutants that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare. This was among the first policies designed to reduce the level of toxic air pollutants. Since its enactment, the EPA has established several follow-up regulations to safeguard the environment and reduce the levels of pollutant gases. Among these was support for the Montreal Protocol in an effort to reduce the release of refrigerant gases which were determined to be responsible for the breakdown of the atmospheric ozone layer.
Wildfire and prescribed burning impacts on air quality in the United States
Published in Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 2020
Daniel A. Jaffe, Susan M. O’Neill, Narasimhan K. Larkin, Amara L. Holder, David L. Peterson, Jessica E. Halofsky, Ana G. Rappold
As smoke plumes move over populated areas, they can elevate PM2.5 and/or O3 levels over health standards. Large and extended wildfires can be associated with respiratory issues and premature mortality (e.g., Liu et al. 2015a; Reid et al. 2019). The plumes can affect regions directly and/or mix with other urban pollutants. In the U.S., the Clean Air Act of 1963 was enacted to protect public health and welfare. In 1970 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for six criteria pollutants. The criteria pollutants most relevant to wildland fire emissions are PM2.5, O3, and CO. For daily average PM2.5, the current primary standard is 35 µg/m3 at the 98th percentile, averaged over three years. For O3, the current primary standard is 0.070 ppm for the annual fourth-highest daily maximum 8-hour concentration (MDA8), averaged over three years. For CO, the current primary standards are 9 ppm for an 8-hour averaging time, and 35 ppm for a one-hour averaging time, not to be exceeded more than once per year. Although CO from fires is rarely a concern to the public, it can affect wildland firefighters, and recent work analyzes exposure in terms of National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) standards (Henn et al. 2019). Smoke plumes from wildland fires have caused substantial exceedances of the EPA standards for both PM2.5 and O3, but a state may try to exclude these data from regulatory consideration under the exceptional events rule (See Section 8, Regulatory context for air quality management, for further discussion).