Transcript Hower Energy and PM Presentation

Energy Policy and Air Quality
Joseph Hower, P.E., DEE
Managing Principal
ENVIRON International Corporation
Los Angeles, California
ENERGY POLICY and AIR QUALITY
 Air quality issues have historically
had little impact on energy policy
 Recent events have changed that
dramatically
 PM2.5 and climate change will
drive this much faster
ENERGY POLICY and AIR QUALITY
 Energy Policies affect all combustion sources of
air pollution, both mobile and stationary
ENERGY POLICY and AIR QUALITY
Combustion Sources emit:
– Primary PM, comprised mainly of elemental and organic
carbon that forms from the carbon in fuel
– Precursor gases that are the main components of
secondary PM:
SOx which can form sulfates
NOx which can form nitrates
(To a lesser extent ammonia, commonly a by-product of
NOx control equipment, which can neutralize both nitrate
and sulfate to form salts in the solid phase)
Energy and Air Policy Interplay
 Air Quality is directly affected by Energy Policy,
 Air Quality considerations historically had less influence on
Energy Policy than other economic and political factors
such as:
– energy efficiency
– domestic and foreign fuel availability, and
– foreign policy
 Air policies and the need for emissions controls
increasingly affect economics of using certain fuels to
generate power
 NRDC has a formal program to oppose every new coalfired power plant
 California’s energy policy increasingly driven by AB32 and
diesel exhaust cancer concerns
PM2.5 Policies and the Energy
Industry
 New Source Review and PSD: Goal to reduce major
stationary sources of pollutants to meet National and State
AAQS.
– Limited direct focus on energy
 Utilities and other combustion sources are significant
sources of primary PM2.5 and secondary PM precursors.
 NSR program not yet developed for PM2.5
 Regional Haze: Goal to improve visibility in Parks and
Wilderness areas. Major source of degraded visibility is
long range transport of PM and secondary PM from point
sources
California Policies/History with
Energy and Air Quality
 Energy shortages in the 70s’s
– Primary concern was energy, little thought of environmental issues
 2000/2001 energy shortage – Governor Davis Executive
Orders to expedite Power Plant Permits, in 30 days
 Power crisis caused many facilities to run diesel
generators
 Power crisis and lack of planning led to RECLAIM crisis in
the South Coast AQMD
 Affected non-power sector RECLAIM facilities
 Some power plants curtailed operations to avoid air permit
and/or RECLAIM violations, then were prosecuted for price
manipulation
California Policies/History with
Energy and Air Quality (cont)
 AB32 – should lead to energy efficiency gains through
reduced fuel use and thus lower levels of emissions. PM2.5
impact of switching to renewable fuels is unclear
 ARB’s Zero-Emissions Vehicle mandate: EV’s need
electricity. Mandate may have led to more hybrids and
Partial ZEV (PZEVs), which lowers NOx emissions per
vehicle and thus likely less nitrates
 Environmental issues starting to drive energy conservation
in other ways
– LEED buildings
– Driving vehicle fuel economy improvements
– Need more direct linkage between conservation and environmental
Natural Gas?
 Natural gas often viewed as clean-burning but…
 Burning natural gas still produces enough PM10 that offsets
are sometimes needed, which are often difficult to obtain
– Drove amendments to Rule 1309.1
 SB 1368 Requires that new base load generation generate
no more GHG emissions than a gas-fired combined cycle
plant, likely drive more such plants, both in and out of CA
 Switching to natural gas is a strategy to reduce diesel
generated PM from mobile sources – but when accounting
for leaks and unburned methane, this switch could result in
higher GHG emissions compared to diesel due to the
methane emitted
Natural Gas? (cont)
 Natural gas demand growing and domestic supply
shrinking
 Prices rising, affecting consumers directly and
indirectly
 LNG terminal development has been difficult
– SES turned down by City of Long Beach, court
– Other proposed facilities facing fierce opposition
– SCAQMD concerned about “hot gas”
Energy Policy Act of 2005
 Preemption of State Authority over Liquefied Natural Gas
(LNG) Terminals
 Limitation on State Authority to Require Clean Fuels for
Motor Vehicles
 Section 1541 effectively bars a state from adopting a new
requirement for cleaner burning fuel unless:
– (1) the fuel would not increase the total number of fuel formulations
in existence in 2004 and
– (2) use of the same fuel is already required elsewhere in that
petroleum distribution district. In practice, this would block state
requirements for any new and innovative type of clean burning
fuels.
 Section 1541 allows EPA to suspend existing state clean
fuel requirements under “extreme and unusual fuel and
fuel additive supply circumstances.”
 Some tax credits for biofuels and other technologies
http://oversight.house.gov/bills.asp?ID=35 House Oversight Committee
Renewable Fuels
 Many pushing use of renewable or biofuels
 Subsidies and requirements for ethanol
 Initial assumption is that biofuels are carbon
neutral because the carbon release from
combustion was absorbed during the plant growth
cycle
– Ignores what would have happened without fuel crops
– Ignores refining emissions, which can also be significant
– Land clearing operations can release huge amounts of
CO2
 Concerns that biofuels are driving up food prices
Contact Information
Joseph Hower, PE, DEE
Managing Principal
ENVIRON International Corporation
707 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 4950
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 943-6319
(949) 798-3646
[email protected]
Also see www.environcorp.com