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Example Projects .................................................................................................................. Preparation of Environmental Impact Statements (1998 – 2008). For various clients, Earth Matters has evaluated the air quality effects of projects ranging from highway widening and campus additions to large industrial and mixed use complexes, preparing summaries of relevant air quality considerations, local standards, developing estimates of potential air quality impacts, and applying potential mitigation strategies. Ther work has been successfully reviewed by the author of CEQA handbooks and guidelines. In these projects, Earth Matters applies air dispersion modeling techniques such as AERMOD, ISC, CAL3QHC, OCD, BLP, and CTDMPLUS after developing emission estimates and appropriate meteorological inputs. Evaluation of Emissions Impacts of Controlled Forest Burns in
California (2003- 2007) and evaluation of air quality impacts of Special
Use Permits Provide Air Quality Coordination Services (1994 – 2005) to transportation planning agencies related to land use, air quality, transportation sector, conformity, emissions evaluation, control measure evaluation, liaison with air district and other agencies. From 1995 to 2004 Earth Matters served as the Air Quality Coordinator for six Metropolitan Planning Organizations and two rural transportation planning agencies located in the largest nonattainment (ozone, particulate matter and carbon monoxide) area in the U.S. They facilitated interagency working groups, teaches courses on conformity, oversaw completion of interagency work plans, helped to ensure consistency between MPO activity forecasts and SIP emission budgets so that the SIPs are based on the latest travel assumptions, drafted comments on EPA actions such as the conformity rule amendments, the new air quality standards, the latest planning assumptions, MOUs between FHWA and EPA, and other relevant guidance. Provide Guidance to Romanian Air Quality Professionals on Dispersion Modeling and Industrial Analysis Developed and presented a week-long course on U.S. style dispersion modeling and populaiton exposure analysis for Romanian engineers and air quality professionals. Subsequently spent three weeks working with three different 'states' and sets of personnel within Romania to implement the course material in a real-life setting. Specific industries evaluated included refineries, cement plants, pesticide plants, coal-fired utilites, and aluminum plants. Evaluation of Clean Air New York Campaign (2006 - 2009). In this project Earth Matters is assisting in the devlopment of advertising and marketing materials and providing evaluation of the effects on travel and other behavior for the Clean Air New York campaign (CANY). The campaign's intent is to increase public awareness of air quality problems through radio, newspaper, internet, advertising and television. Notices are released when air quality is expected to be unhealthy, and the campaign has an ongoing component to obtain reductions in travel and other polluting behavior on non-clean air action days. The campaign covers the entire metropolitan New York area. Air Quality Services for Tennessee Department of Transportation (2006 - ongoing) In this project Earth Matters is assisting all four metrpolitan and rural areas in Tennessee that are not in attainment with federal air quality standards. Assistance ranges from preparation of methodologies to apply to evaluate the effects of air quality control measures, development and presentation of training courses to local planners on applying the methodologies, interagency consultation, conformity issues, and evalaution of the impact of growth on air quality in the state. Transportation Control Measure Analysis for Houston, Texas (2005 - ongoing). In a current rapid-response project for the Houston-Galveston Association of Governments, Earth Matters is evaluating an exhaustive list of over 600 potential air quality control measures for the transportation sector. The Houston metropolitan area must reduce ozone forming emissions of nitrogen oxides by 50 to 85 percent in the next three years in order to attain the ozone standard by 2009 as required. The measure categories include sustainable and transit-oriented development, increased and improved transit services, vanpooling, ridesharing, telecommuing, compressed work weeks, alternative vehicle standards and fuels, congestion pricing, value pricing, shared vehicles, public outreach and education programs, pricing measures, pay-as-you-drive insurance programs (PAYD), parking cash-out programs, Best Workplaces for Commuters, and many others. Earth Matters is selecting programs from among the 600 that have potential to achieve significant additional emisison reductions, is evaluating the potential air quality benefits of these programs and will assist in implementation and program coordination amongst responsible agencies, implementing employers and the public. Transportation Control Measure Analysis for Dallas, Texas (2005). In a recent rapid-response project for the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Earth Matters evaluated measures they selected, in collaboration with the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and local stakeholders and interest groups from an exhaustive list of over 600 potential measures. Earth Matters obtained data from various sectors of the Dallas area, defined measures in a manner that could be evaluated and assessed the potential emission reductions from each selected measure that affected travel activity. These measures included improved transit programs, ridesharing, vanpooling, telecommuting, alternative work schedules, traffic flow improvements, speed limit decreases, pay as you drive insurance programs (PAYD), congestion pricing, toll roads, shared vehicles and many others. Performance Audit of Transportation Fund for Clean Air Projects for San Francisco Bay Area (2005 - 2007). In this project Earth Matters assisted in evaluating the emission reductions from transportation control meaure projects funded through the California vehicle registration surcharge for clean air. The Bay Area Air Quality Mangement District has funded many of these projects and the Board is desireous of ensuring that the projected emission benefits are being realized and that the evaluation methods are consistent and accurate. Develop Methodologies for evaluating the effects of Transportation Control Measures (1997 – 2001) (TCMs). Most recently featured in EPA's new Transportation Air Quality Center, these methodologies were developed for use by EPA regional offices in reviewing SIP credits for TCMs and for nonattainment areas needing to quantify TCM effects. The methodologies were the first to directly consider synergistic and antagonistic TCM effects, to quantify effects in ways directly connectable to emission issues (e.g., vehicle starts, trip length, time of trip) as well as frequently ignored issues such as induced demand resulting from decreased congestion, additional VMT for picking up ridesharers, or simple but generally ignored issues such as accounting properly for emissions resulting from a carpool driver (previously many methodologies assumed that all ridesharers reduced emissions). In an independent review by the Texas Transportation Institute, Ms. Austin Joy's methodologies were ranked as the highest in quality amongst all those reviewed. Develop Methodologies for Evaluating the Effects of Voluntary Trip Reduction Programs Earth Matters provided assistance in a study to develop a methodology for evaluating the emission benefits of voluntary employer trip reduction programs. California's AB 836, known as the Lewis Bill, phases out mandatory employer trip reduction programs required in Southern California under Rule 2202. This study developed a methodology for evaluating the effect of voluntary programs for employers with between 100 and 249 employees. Earth Matters developed those portions of the methodology related to valuing emission and air quality impacts. Assessing the Impact of New Air Quality Standards on the Transportation Sector (1999 – 2005). In a nationwide project for the National Cooperative Research Center (part of the National Academy of Sciences), under subcontract to ENVIRON International Corporation, Earth Matters evaluated the conformity and interagency coordination implications for areas that will be designated nonattainment under the new 8-hour ozone standard and the new PM 2.5 standard. The project addressed several questions faced by transportation agencies regarding (1) the numbers and boundaries of nonattainment areas, (2) the relative severity of nonattainment among areas, (3) attainment strategies and how much the transportation measures under local and regional control can reasonably be expected to contribute to attainment and the likely contribution to expect from other measures, (4) ways in which the standards will affect ongoing planning, project development, transportation system improvements, conformity, and NEPA, (5) how best to participate more effectively and equally in decisions by EPA and state air agencies on implementing and attaining the standards, and (6) how best to prepare for, and deal with, the changes that the standards will bring. Evaluation of Voluntary Transportation Control Measures for the
Houston-Galveston Area Council of Governments (2002 – 2008) Advisory Panel for Atlanta, Georgia (2001 – 2008). Earth Matters has been serving as an expert advisor to the Center for Transportation and Environment for the Atlanta, Georgia region. Ms. Joy serves on a panel of experts and provides additional technical support in the ongoing evaluation of the area’s voluntary mobile source program, which includes surveys, quantification of changes in travel behavior, and estimation of emission effects of net reductions in commute and non-commute travel.
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