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Emissions Factors Improvement Projects
- Surveys and Workshops
- Products for Improving the Emissions Factors Development Process
- updated emissions factors procedure draft document available - July 2006.
Surveys and Workshops
2nd International Workshop On Remote Sensing Of Emissions – New Technologies And Recent Work
Research Triangle Park, NC, April 1-2, 2008.
Program and Agenda (PDF 875K)
The workshop summary will be posted later this year.
VOC Fugitive Losses: New Monitors, Emission Losses, and Potential Policy Gaps. 2006 International Workshop
October 25-27, 2006.
Workshop Presentations and Panel Discussions (PDF 8M)
This workshop was held to summarize new techniques, including the recent IR camera, differential absorption light detection and ranging (DIAL) spectroscopy, and radial-plume mapping spectroscopy findings, and relate them to estimation methods now in use. Attendees reviewed ongoing and imminent national and state studies, as well as contract/grant resources and test sites potentially available for further confirmation studies. Also discussed were the options available to national and state regulators for addressing these fugitive VOC losses (i.e., regulatory, permitting, and enforcement) and their impacts on emission inventory compilations.
Use of these new techniques in the U.S., Canada, and Europe shows a surprising quantity of hitherto unknown quantities of VOC being lost (emitted) nationally by the processing, distributing, and consuming of petroleum and petroleum byproducts. These new monitoring devices and field studies indicate that unexpected levels of fugitive VOC losses (currently defined as “leaks”) could be emitted on a routine basis from storage tanks, pumps, pipes, cooling towers, wastewater separators, and the like. One study suggests that actual VOC emissions could be more than fifteen times the amounts previously estimated.
The workshop resulted in suggestions and recommendations for future actions to be taken by the various regulatory bodies represented at the meeting. For more information contact, John Bosch in the Measurement Policy Group at john.bosch@epa.gov.
Emissions Factors Improvement Project Fact Finding Survey
In fiscal year 2003, OAQPS began a complete reevaluation of the emissions factors program to:
- Identify ways to make the program more responsive to the broad and diverse range of the users of emissions factors;
- Identify methods that would expand the capabilities for improving the number and quality of available emissions factors;
- Identify and implement ways to improve and speed up the emissions factors development process;
- Characterize the deficiencies of using emissions factors by quantifying the uncertainties associated with their varied uses; and
- Provide users with alternative methods of quantifying emissions to reduce the levels of uncertainty and to increase the accountability of stakeholders.
In early 2004, the Measurement Policy Group (EFPAG) talked to 94 various emissions factors users and then held a series of four workshops with stakeholders to solicit their input on what is needed to update and improve the emissions factors program.
Initial Fact Finding Survey:
The June 2004 report Summary of Emissions Factors Improvement Project Fact Finding Survey:
(1) outlines the information gathering process; (2) provides a summary of the findings; (3) presents the major conclusions from the survey; and (4) identifies
stakeholders recommendations for next steps.
The draft Emissions Factors Program Improvement Efforts report (PDF 138K) documents EFPAG's workshop efforts. In addition, the report appendices include more detailed information on:
| A. | Options papers provided to workshop attendees to facilitate developing recommendations
for: 1. Assessing and Documenting the Quality of Source Tests (PDF 71K); 2. Assessing and Documenting the Quality of Emissions Factors (PDF 34K); 3. Automating Components of the Emissions Factors Development and Delivery Process (PDF 60K); and 4. Providing Guidance Regarding the Use of Emissions Factors for Purposes Other than Emissions Inventories (PDF 56K). |
B. | Meeting minutes for the Emissions Factors Development Workshops: Clearwater, FL (PDF 49K) June 8, 2004, Washington, DC (PDF 430K) August 25, 2004 Washington, DC (PDF 1.3M) August 26, 2004, and Research Triangle Park, NC (PDF 300K) November 8, 2004. |
| C. | Comments received from stakeholder participants of the workshops regarding the draft Emissions Factors Program Improvement Efforts report. (PDF 568K) |
Products for Improving the Emissions Factors Development Process
Emissions Factors Procedure Document, revised final draft - July 3, 2006
Comments were due by September 20, 2006 to Ron Myers at myers.ron@epa.gov.
Electronic Stack Testing and Assessment Product:
The Electronic Reporting Tool (ERT), a Microsoft Access desktop application, is an alternative to EPA's emissions
measurement Methods 1 through 5 and Method 202 for stationary sources. The ERT replaces the time-intensive manual preparation and
transcription of stationary source emissions test plans and reports currently performed by contractors for emissions sources and the time-intensive
manual quality assurance evaluations and documentation performed by State agencies.