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Earth
Matters, Inc. is
a woman-owned DBE certified environmental consulting firm specializing
in air quality policy, climate change, planning, and technical services
for regions not attaining air quality health standards. Since its formation
in 1995, Earth Matters has become known for innovation and professionalism
informed by an unusual depth and breadth of knowledge and experience.
Clients
include, or have included, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
state, regional, and local air quality and transportation planning agencies,
the National Academy of Sciences, private industry, and other federal
agencies such as the National Forest Service. Earth Matters has also provided
services to international agencies such as U.S. AID.
On
a recent assignment, founder Kamala Barbara Joy worked with the National
Wildlife Federation for the South Central Office for 15 months assisting
with global warming and wildlife resiliency issues, encouraging environmental
literacy and education, and water issues. Earth Matters also serves as
a subcontractor on projects for the above clients managed by other firms.
Specialty areas include:
Government Sectors
- Tracking
climate change issues and informing clients of potential strategies
to address them
- Emission
inventories for greenhouse gases, ozone precursors and particulate matter
- Interaction
between energy production and electric vehicles
- Mobile
Source Emissions and Control Strategies (MOVEs, EMFAC, I-PLACE3S, INDEX,
URBEMIS, and methodologies developed by B. Joy with EPA funding)
- Transportation/Air
Quality issues
- Transportation
Conformity (strategy, rule interpretation, technical analysis);
- Land use,
transportation and air quality connection;
- Attainment
planning and control strategy development;
- CMAQ applications,
analysis and implementation
- General
conformity;
- Air quality
and emission evaluations and mobile source modeling;
- Innovative
strategies to increase transit, telecommuting, ridesharing, vanpooling,
- Biking/walking
and other alternative modes, and other transportation control strategies);
and
- Cleaner-powered
vehicles
Private Sector
- Title V Permitting Assistance
- Dispersion Modeling (ISC, AERMOD, CALPUFF, OCD, BLP, and CTDMPLUS)
- PSD and non-attainment NSR permitting
- MACT, LAER and BACT control strategy development
- Environmental Impact Reports
- Cap and Trade Programs
General Services
- Proposal and grant applications
- Public
presentations
- Expert witness testimony
- Develop and provide lively presentations and courses for the public, private companies and elected officials
- Project management
- Coalition
building
- Technical writing
Earth Matters
is also experienced with evaluation of climate change policies including cap and trade progams, carbon taxes, and fuel efficiency standards.
Earth
Matters has four technical staff and one support person. |
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EPA Formally Announces Release of MOVES
Model
March 2, 2010. EPA formally announced the
release of the MOVES (MOtor Vehicle Emission Simulator) 2010 in the
Federal Register today, starting a two-year grace period for transportation
conformity determinations. The model itself was released jsut before
Christmas, 2009; the federal register notice triggers a grace period
for conformity determinations on regional transportation plans.
As regional and state transportation planning
agencies know, this means air quality plans (eg SIPs) must be completed
or revised using the MOVEs model or conformity will be difficult or
impossible to show in areas using emission budget tests for regional
emission analyses.
Note that EPA is not approving MOVES2010
for project-level transportation conformity
hot-spot analyses at this time; the Agency will approve the model for
such analyses in the near future via a separate Federal Register notice
when guidance for such analyses is finalized.
The notice itself can be accessed at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-4312.pdf.
Feb 25, 2010. EPA
Announces $7.8 million in Grants to 20 Climate Showcase Communities
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today
that 20 U.S. communities, including two Indian Tribes, will receive
$7.8 million in grants to develop and implement projects that will reduce
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These funds will help Climate Showcase
Communities achieve broad environmental, economic, and social benefits.
The Climate Showcase Communities Grant Program is administered by EPA’s
State and Local Climate and Energy program, which provides technical
assistance, tools, and guidance to help state, local, and tribal governments
implement policies and programs to mitigate climate change. EPA will
monitor the progress of grant recipients and will post quarterly updates
about each recipient online.
To view profiles of each Climate Showcase Community, please visit: http://epa.gov/statelocalclimate/local/showcase/
The 20 Climate Showcase Communities are:
• Gila River Indian Community, AZ
• City of El Cerrito, CA
• Sacramento County, CA
• City and County of Denver, CO
• City and County of Honolulu, HI
• City of Chicago, IL
• City of Springfield, MA
• City of Baltimore, MD
• Northern Cheyenne Tribe, MT
• Durham City County, NC
• Land of Sky Regional Planning Council, NC
• Township of Cherry Hill, NJ
• City of Cincinnati, OH
• City of Eugene, OR
• West Chester Area School District, PA
• City of Warwick, RI
• Salt Lake City, UT
• James City County, VA
• City of Bellingham, WA
• City of Bremerton, WA
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