EPA’s Related Programs and Coordination with NASA

Presentation to the NASA Environmental Compatibility IV Workshop, August 12-13, Colorado Springs, CO

Lisa Chang and Bryan ManningOffice of Air and Radiation

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA’s mission and strategic goals encompass areas of aviation’s environmental impact

EPA’s mission: protect human health and safeguard the natural environment - air, water, and land

Aviation affects air and water quality at and near airports, global warming, and other environmental concerns.

EPA’s clean air goal: the air in every American community will be safe and healthy to breathe

– children, elderly, and people with respiratory ailments will be protected from health risks of breathing polluted air

The Clean Air Act (CAA) directs EPA to set and enforce national standards for “criteria pollutants”

EPA sets National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for pollutants considered harmful to public health and the environment (“criteria pollutants”: CO, NO2, PM, Pb, SO2, O3)

Aircraft activity at airports in some NAAQS “non-attainment” areas are projected to be a growing contributor to regional emissions of criteria pollutants and their precursors (EPA, 1999)– e.g., NOx and volatile organic compounds are precursors to

ground-level O3

Location of “non-attainment” areas for criteria pollutants as of September, 1998

PM-10

Lead

CO

Ozone

SO2

Notes: Incomplete data, not classified, and Section 185(a) areas are not shown. Ozone nonattainment areas on map based on pre-existing ozone standard. Nonattainment designations based on revised 8-hour ozone standard will not be designated until 2000. PM-10 nonattainment areas on map are based on pre-existing PM-10 standards. Nonattainment designations based on revised PM-10 standards have not yet been made. Source: U.S. EPA, National Air Quality and Emissions Trends Report, 1997 .

EPA establishes emission standards for aircraft engines and FAA enforces these standards

States cannot establish such standards for aircraft

EPA has regulated NOx, hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and smoke emissions from aircraft

A recent EPA study confirmed that cost-effective control options - beyond what is achieved by current regulations - on ground-level aircraft emissions may be warranted

– study focused on 10 selected US cities

Aircraft contribution to regional mobile source NOx emissions at selected US cities is estimated to increase

Estimated commercial aircraft contribution to regional mobile source

emissions of NOx

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Atlanta BostonCharlotteChicagoHouston

LA NYPhila.

Phoenix

DC

% reg mobile source emiss

19902010

Source: Table 4-2, EPA 420-R-99-013, "Evaluation of Air Pollutant Emissions from Subsonic Commercial Jet Aircraft," April, 1999

Aviation CO2 emissions are a significant source of GHGs

020406080

100120140160180

Passenger cars

Aviation ChemicalsIron & steelCement manu

Aluminum

Semiconductors

Sources: USEPA 1990-1996 Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks. Table ES-2 (for cars and utilities); White House Climate Change Task Force Industry Background Papers (for all other sectors).

1996 CO2 emissions, by sector (MMTCE)

* Utilities emit approximately 500 MMTCE CO2

Worldwide aviation emissions are expected to grow, despite emission reduction technologies

Calculated emissions from global civil aviation

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

Year

Tg fuel or CO

2-C

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Tg as NO

2

Fuel burned

CO2

NOx

Source: NASA inventory values, IPCC 1999 (Table 9-4, p. 303)

The global climate impact from subsonic aircraft extends beyond that from CO2 alone

Source: Figure 2, IPCC Special Report on Aviation, Summary for Policymakers. Bars indicate best estimate of forcing; whisker is 2/3 uncertainty range based on best available information. “Total” uncertainty calculated as square root of sums of squares of upper and lower ranges for individual components. Current information on cirrus allows only range of best estimates. Level of scientific understanding for each individual component in above figure is judged to be good (CO2), fair (O3, contrails, direct sulfate, direct soot), poor (CH4, H2O), very poor (cirrus). See IPCC 1999 report for further explanation.

Rad

iati

v e f

orci

ng

(W/m

2)

Estimated globally and annually averaged radiative forcing from aircraft in 1992.

EPA actively participates, with FAA and NASA, in ICAO/CAEP’s technical working groups (WGs)

WG3 - Emissions - technical– evaluates environmental need

– evaluates technological options, goals and frameworks

WG4 - Operational measures and best practices

WG5 - Market-based options– focuses on market-based approaches to reducing CO2 emissions

from aviation, such as emissions trading, levies, and voluntary programs

EPA and NASA exchange and coordinate on science, technology, and policy developments affecting aviation

Cooperative activities under 1998 EPA-NASA Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)– Engine NOx and CO2 emissions analyses

– Aviation health and environmental risk assessments

Steering group, NASA Atmospheric Effects of Aviation Project (AEAP)– NASA Atmospheric Effects of Stratospheric Aircraft (AESA)

assessment review participant

– AEAP conferences

NASA’s activities are critical to the environmental sustainability of aviation

Atmospheric sciences: investigating, assessing, and reporting key aspects of and uncertainties related to aviation’s atmospheric impacts

Technological innovation: providing pre-competitive research on technologies aimed at reducing air emissions