House of Representatives

HB 2585

air quality; regional haze program

Sponsors: Representatives Huffman, Allen, Gullett et al

DPA	Committee on Environment
DPA	Committee on Natural Resources & Agriculture
DPA	Caucus and COW
DPA	Third Read
X	As Passed the House

HB 2585 gives authority to DEQ to submit to EPA a state implementation plan (SIP) to address regional haze visibility impairment in mandatory federal class I areas (national parks, monuments and wilderness areas) under the federal Clean Air Act.

History

The Regional Haze SIP is required to protect and improve visibility in the country's 156 national parks and large wilderness areas (referred to as mandatory Class I areas). The rule became final on July 1, 1999, and requires Arizona to develop a revision to the SIP to address haze for the state's 12 federal parks and wilderness areas caused by all sources of pollutants that impair visibility (primarily smoke, soot, dust, oxides of nitrogen and sulfur dioxide from fires, vehicles, off road equipment, industrial sources and other activities that generate pollution). DEQ initiated a stakeholder process for this effort. The regional haze rule provides two options for states and Indian tribes in the nine state Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission (GCVTC) region. States submitting SIPs in 2003 will be implementing GCVTC recommendations. States submitting SIPs in the 2006-2008 time frame will be implementing programs applicable to the rest of the nation. The state has been actively involved in visibility and regional haze issues for some time, beginning with the GCVTC and continuing with the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP), the successor organization to the GCVTC.

Provisions

· Defines the four “Arizona Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission class I areas.”

· Defines the eight “Arizona mandatory federal class I areas.”

· Defines the sixteen “Grand Canyon visibility transport commission class I areas”.

· Defines the 156 “Mandatory federal class I areas.” (twelve are in Arizona)

· Allows DEQ to participate in interstate regional haze programs established by the regional planning organization (WRAP).

· Requires the director to submit a regional haze SIP to EPA addressing regional haze visibility impairment in mandatory federal class I areas and allows the director to adopt rules necessary for such revisions. Any of the following may be included in the plan: monitoring strategy, implementation of stationary source emissions reduction strategies, provisions addressing mobile source emissions, provisions addressing the impact of dust emissions, provisions relating to pollution prevention, best available retrofit technologies, a long term strategy, a projection of the improvement in visibility conditions and periodic progress reports.

· Allows the department to establish and participate in intrastate and interstate market trading programs.

· Allows DEQ to submit a SIP under 40 CFR section 51.308 or section 51.309; permits DEQ to submit a plan revision under 40 CFR section 51.309 only if it is determined that mobile source emissions from areas within the state do not contribute significantly to visibility impairment in any of the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission Class I Areas.

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· 45th Legislature

· Second Regular Session 3 April 10, 2002

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