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Earth Matters, Inc. is a woman-owned DBE certified environmental consulting firm specializing in air quality policy, NEPA, 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. Services have been provided to over 30 areas inproviding air quality/transportation support to local and state transportation planning agencies throughout the U.S: Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Tenessee, Texas, Virginia, New York, and Washington State.

Earth Matters has offices in Austin, TX and Santa Cruz, CA and provides services all across the U.S

Specialty areas include:

Government Sectors

  • Transportation/Air Quality issues
  • Transportation Conformity (strategy, rule interpretation, technical analysis);
  • NEPA Analysis (Air quality portions)
  • 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)
  • 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

  • NEPA Analyses (Air quality portions)
  • 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

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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Fish and Wildlife Service Seeks Comments on National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy by July 1, 2011

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other federal, state, and tribal partners are seeking public comments to prepare a draft National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy. The strategy will provide a unified approach reflecting shared principles and science-based practices for reducing the negative impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife, plants, habitats, and our natural resource heritage. It will serve as a valuable tool for federal and state agencies, wildlife managers, tribes, and private landowners as they continue to manage their lands and natural resources in a changing environment.

Comments are due on or before July 1, 2011. Details on the strategy and instructions for submitting comments are available at: http://www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov/ and http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-05-24/html/2011-12710.htm.

 

 

EPA webinar Feb 6, 2011Overview of EPa's Quantitative PM Hot-spot Guidance (PDF)(65 pp, 656K, February, 2011)  This presentation was given during a webinar February 9, 2011. It provides an overview of "Transportation Conformity Guidance for Quantitative Hot-spot Analyses in PM2.5 and PM10 Nonattainment and Maintenance Areas (PDF).

Transportation Conformity Guidance for Quantitative Hot-spot Analyses in PM2.5 and PM10 Nonattainment and Maintenance Areas
EPA has released final guidance for modeling the local air quality impacts of certain transportation projects on the PM2.5 and PM10 national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). This guidance is to be used by state and local agencies to conduct quantitative PM “hot-spot analyses” for new highway and transit projects that involve significant diesel emissions. This guidance describes how to estimate project emissions using EPA’s MOVES model, California’s EMFAC model, and other methods. It also outlines how to apply air quality models (such as AERMOD and CAL3QHCR) for PM hot-spot analyses. The guidance also includes a list of additional resources that may assist agencies in conducting quantitative PM hot-spot analyses.
Contact: Meg Patulski at 734-214-4842 or patulski.meg@epa.gov

February 25, 2011

Global warming rate could be halved by controlling 2 pollutants, UN study says - Washington Post
The projected rise in global temperatures could be cut in half in coming years if world governments focused on reducing emissions of two harmful pollutants - black carbon and ground-level ozone, including methane - rather than carbon dioxide alone, according to a U.N. study released Wednesday. The study, "Integrated Assessment of Black Carbon and Tropospheric Ozone," by the U.N. Environment Programme, shows the impact that the two short-lived pollutants have on the environment, compared with carbon dioxide, which can stay in the atmosphere for decades.

Transportation Conformity Highlights April 2011

Are available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/air_quality/conformity/highlights/high0111.cfm

EPA Formally Announces Release of MOVES Model

March 2, 2010.

The notice itself can be accessed at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-4312.pdf.



 

 

 

 

 

 

  
 

Earth Matters' vision is to help create and implement
programs that work. We believe a sense of fun, creativity, and pupose invites stakeholders to approach objectives in fresh ways that can also be more effective.

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.

Earth Matters' founder and president, Kamala. Barbara Joy has over 26 years of experience in this field and enjoys a national reputation for technical, policy, outreach and management services. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Environmental Economics in 1985 and joined the renowned firm Systems Applications International (SAI) in 1985. By 1990 she was a senior manager and scientist responsible for transportation/air quality programs. In 1995 she formed Earth Matters which has since gained a considerable reputation as a reliable and creative source of services in the environmental field.