Meeting Notes November 5 and 6, 2003
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Greater Yellowstone Area Clean Air Partnership
Meeting NotesNovember 5 and 6, 2003West Yellowstone, MontanaMark Story, Gallatin NF, initiated the meeting with welcome and introductions, and a overview of GYA-CAP. The GYACAP started in 1997. This is the 10th meeting. The GYACAP acts as an advisory group to the GYCC (Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee) and a forum for information exchange and air quality program coordination between the GYA National Forests, National Parks, Montana DEQ, Wyoming DEQ, Idaho DEQ, INEEL, and USGS. Mark has applied for seed money to initiate update of the GYA-CAP Air Quality assessment which was completed in 1999. Mike Abbott, INEEL, summarized his 2003 monitoring of atmospheric emissions of mercury from the Yellowstone Geothermal Region. This is one of the first studies of natural emissions of mercury using a highly accurate flux chamber placed on soil surface. Tekran equipment with power source is housed in a mobile trailer. The sensors were transported via backpack to the measurement spots. Measurement of elemental versus gaseous mercury is measured in ng/m2/hr. An infrared camera was also used to show hotspots, and equipment to measure temperature and wind speed was monitored to show how meteorology drives surface flux. Mercury measurements were very high in some locations. Measurements were extrapolated over acidic lithologies in the Park which indicates that Yellowstone geothermal areas are potentially contributing considerably over manmade emissions of mercury. Mike is pursuing funding for additional mercury monitoring in Yellowstone NP. Comments: The toxic form of mercury is methylated mercury which must deposit in aquatic bodies to enter the food chain. Leora Nanus, USGS Colorado Water Resource Division, gave a presentation on Atmospheric Deposition Maps of the Rocky Mountains. Leora combined data from NADP/NTN network and snow chemistry from the USGS Rocky Mountain Snowpack Synoptic program to develop overall deposition maps. The deposition data were entered into a kriging model in ArcView with PRISM thirty-year precipitation averages and elevation in a 1 km grid. Nitrates NO3 and sulfates SO4 were found to concentrate along urban fronts in the Wasatch Front, the Front Range, the Park Range (in northern Colorado), and in the Greater Yellowstone Area . Acidity H+ is not so pronounced, but shows a similar pattern. Ammonia NH4 has too wide a range of regional differences to combine the data. Comments: on PRISM- The model is proprietary information so don’t know where the weather station sites are located. The 30-year precipitation map averages were developed before some of the NADP/NTN and all of the RMSS sites were established. An electronic copy of Leora's publication is available. George Ingersoll, USGS Colorado Water Resource Division, provided an Update of Northern Rockies Snow Chemistry Monitoring program. Some of the results show that the 2003 snowfall was not as dry as 2002, with several 2003 snowpacks near average. Ammonium NH4+ increased slightly in CO, MT, WY, especially in the Yellowstone area. Nitrate NO3- decreased across the region, and sulfate SO42-decreased across the region (probably due to use of low sulphur coal). Snowmobile routes show changing ammonium, nitrates, and sulfate concentrations. Mercury is lower than 2002, but is terrain dependent. Also, mercury is volatile in snow. Snowmobile emissions may be decreasing in ammonia and sulfates. Cara Casten, Wyoming DEQ, summarized the CO Monitoring Results at Flagg Ranch, where average carbon monoxide concentrations were found to be well below the Wyoming 1- and 8- hour ambient air quality standards. Cara Casten and Darla Potter, Wyoming DEQ, provided an Update on Long Term Strategy for Visibility Protection in Wyoming. So far, no “reasonably attributable” visibility impairment to a single stationary source or small group of stationary sources, has been documented in Wyoming. Progress has been made, however, and is detailed in the 2003 Draft Review Report. Emission trends, including the AIRS actual emissions inventory, the AQDS potential emissions, the Northeast Wyoming NOx inventory, and the WRAP 1996 emission inventory, have been documented. CO and SO2 emissions are decreasing from gas plant modifications, NOx emissions are decreasing due to power generator modifications, and VOC’s have increased from oil and gas production. Progress toward the 2000 recommendations has been made in the regional haze standards, the SWWYTAF air quality monitoring project, additional visibility monitoring (IMPROVE sites), and the smoke management plan. The IMPROVE data trends show a greater effect of ammonium sulfate over ammonium nitrate on visibility impairment. Darla Potter, Wyoming DEQ. Wyoming DEQ & Regional haze. The regional haze SIP is the state’s response to the federal (EPA) directive to reduce human-caused visibility impairment in national parks and wilderness areas across the country over the next 60 years (by 2063). Using a model SIP created by the Western Regional Air Partnership, there are 12 specific areas which Wyoming must address, including clean air corridors, stationary and mobile sources, fire programs, paved and unpaved road dust, and pollution prevention. The plan requirements include public involvement through the SIP process, as well as through the Regulatory process. These meetings are all in the works through the end of the year as outlined in http://deq.state.wy.us/aqd/regionalhaze.asp. The Smoke Management Regulation Development program is equally demanding. A development team of 25 stakeholders has formed along with a review team. The program is about air quality, minimizing emissions, and is geared to be equitable and workable for all burners. The charge of the group is to collaboratively address Wyoming emissions and impacts of smoke, consider all sources of vegetative burning, recognize the natural role of fire in the ecosystem and its use as a land management tool. There are a couple more meetings before the official review later this year, followed by the into the Rulemaking Process. More details are available at http://deq.state.wy.us/aqd/smokemanagement.asp Cara Casten, Wyoming DEQ, presented Wyoming’s New Visibility Website. http://www.wyvisnet.com The website provides near real time digital images, visibility data, and air quality data from sites around Wyoming operated by the WDEQ, NPS, and USFS as well as general visibility information and links to other visibility sites. John Ray, NPS Denver, presented results of National Park Service Air Quality Monitoring at the West Entrance, Old Faithful, and Flagg Ranch. The CO meeting, which was coordinated between the NPS, Montana DEQ, and Wyoming DEQ, was initiated during the 2002 GYACAP meeting. At West Yellowstone, the PM2.5 and CO show “in and out” peaks of snowmobiles entering the Park, and a peak in the middle of the night which may come from woodsmoke from West Yellowstone. At Old Faithful the CO is more spread out, which may be related to how the snowmobilers arrive, watch the eruptions, and depart. A PM2.5 peak just before sunrise has no obvious explanation. The highest CO is at West Yellowstone, the highest PM2.5 is at Old Faithful. There are no monitored exceedances of standards for CO or PM2.5. Mercury monitoring was done at Lake, showing concentrations much greater than the Eastern United States. Comments/discussion: the nephelometer might be fogging; some problems with mercury sensor in cold. Howard Haines, poke about winter snowmobile use and emissions and the new Best Available Technologies (BAT) to reduce snowmobile emissions. Cleaner machines are available to meet the first year of compliance in 2006. This year 80% of the machines into the Park must meet the standards of 70% CO, 90%HC, and noise level reductions. Howard also discussed the Greater Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities Coalition and Winter Use Plan has received funding from DOE incentives for the new park service bus: “The Yellow Bus”. Howard discussed the Fuel Cell becoming available next year in Gardiner. Biodiesel fuels are also being used in and around the Park. More information is available at http://www.deq.state.mt.us/bioenergy Mary Heckner, Yellowstone NP, provided an update on Green Parks Program. Using grant funding from the state of Montana, a program for composting garbage, and recycling the non-composting materials, is operational for about half of the dumpsters in the Park. The composted material will be used for reclamation projects for the Forest Service, the YNP plant nursery, and landscaping at the railroad museum in West Yellowstone. A micro-hydropower system is in the works for Mammoth. Snowmobiles are now available with the 4-stroke less-polluting engines. Plastic lumber is being used on boardwalks, and all the fleet in the Park runs on biodiesel or ethanol (ethanol is the only gas sold in the Park). Ted Porwoll , Bridger Teton NF, summarized accomplishments in the air quality program based on the recommendations of the conference on Air Quality and Acid Deposition Potential in the Bridger and Fitzpatrick Wilderness Areas in March 1984. The work has included synoptic sampling of 140 lakes (22 are sensitive lakes with ANC’s less than 50 ueq/liter), a new sampling site at Frozen Lake, lakebed sediment sampling of diatoms, heavy metals, long term lake sampling sites, temporary rain gages including bulk collectors and Hubbard-Brook samplers, the SWWYTAF study, visibility IMPROVE site monitors. The program has moved toward implementation of all the conference’s recommendations and has minimized costs. Ted Porwoll, Bridger Teton NF, explained recent developments on Bridger Teton Oil and Gas fields. These Green River Basin oil and gas fields on BLM land have developed far beyond the initial proposals, and are now considering up to 10,000 wells on the Anticline west of Pinedale. There are also exploratory wells being drilled for coal bed methane near South Piney with large potential for extensive coal bed methane development. Ted showed some maps and aerial photos of the development, and explained how the limited the BLM staffing in Wyoming is to handle the permitting. There was lots of discussion. Mark said the GYA-CAP air quality assessment (1999) concluded that SW Wyoming oil and gas emissions are currently the greatest threat to air quality in the GYA-CAP area. Bob Habeck,DEQ Montana, summarized Montana DEQ reorganization into a more inclusive air quality bureau. Bob spoke about WFU’s and PM2.5 designation status. Elton Erp, DEQ Montana, summarized Air Quality Monitoring in West Yellowstone, which was coordinated with NPS (John Ray). The maximum emission events parallel the high use snowmobile weekends. Monitoring results show an apparent reduction in emissions suggesting emission controls may be effective. Discusssion: Park employees at the West Entrance are becoming physically ill, wearing respirators, not to mention potential cumulative effect of all toxins on employee’s health. Consistent exposure to snowmobile emissions, even though compliant with NAAQS, has causes health problems in NPS employees. This leaves in question the applicability of NAAQS for the West Entrance/ John Coefield, Montana DEQ explained how the NAAQS CO maximum 8-hour standard was written. Ann Acheson, USFS summarized the Wilderness Fires Use (WFU's) in USFS in USFS R1 in 2003. Approval of wildland fire use requires a structured process that must be be pre-approved and tiered to the Forest Plan and the Fire Management Plan. WFU's must be a natural ignition. Ann explained the three stages and tight time frames used to determine appropriate response, predict fire behavior, determine impacts such as smoke management, determine long term risks, and assess the complexity associated with the wildland fire use event. In Region 1 in 2003, there were a number of WFU’s, including the Bob Marshall (33,000 acres in ten different incidents) and the Selway-Bitterroot (10,000 acres in forty different incidents), which overlapped with suppression events happening at the same time. This made it difficult to distinguish WFU smoke in Montana in 8/2003 from wildfire smoke. Fire Use Management Teams are set up similarly to the Incident Command System on suppression fires. Even if most of the Montana 8/2003 WFU's were designated wildfires the resources for suppression would have been very limited. The Forest Service, the Montana DEQ (especially regarding smoke), and VIS are set up to interact with the WFU teams. The costs for WFU’s are much less than suppression, as well as the benefit of bringing fire back into the ecosystem. John Coefield, Montana DEQ meterologist, discussed WFU’s, smoke and air quality concerns. In 8/2003 in Montana lots of smoke impacts were high in the Flathead valley and around Missoula. The Montana DEQ had to respond to air quality, weather outlooks, and situation reports with many different fires. Wildland fires contributed to an estimated 10% of the fire-related concerns, mostly due to smoke. The EPA has an air quality index, and a qualitative health effects index which are useful to provide smoke health information. Comments: Wyoming DEQ has a 50 acre trigger for WFU’s to contact the Wyoming DEQ. The reporting is already being done in Montana. Julie Shea, Gallatin NF presented the GYA Fuel Modeling Project which was initiated to make a seamless GIS database of vegetation and fuels by the Fire and Fuel staffs of the USFS and NPS. GYCC granted $10,000 for the project. The FARSITE (l:24,000) model was run along with Anderson 13 fuel models. All the mapping/modeling was done using existing data and satellite imagery. Julie Shea, Gallatin NF also talked about Prescribed Burning Program on the Gallatin NF which is similar to programs on other GYA National Forests. The emphasis of the fuel management program is protection of the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Reducing conifer encroachment, rangeland improvement, and maintaining Condition Class I (“normal” fire regime within given habitat type), are the main areas targeted. The focus is 70% WUI usually without any associated timber harvest. Burn windows are tight due to wind and elevation, and the best time is spring burns, with some fall and winter burns. NEPA takes a lot of time, particularly where some commercial harvest component is proposedl The GNF target is 5,000 acres with 10-15,000 acres “on the shelf”. WFU’s on the Gallatin are done for the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. In the future WFU’s will expand to inventoried roadless and wilderness study areas. Anna Anderson , Gallatin NF - Hegben Lake District, gave a presentation on the Hegben Basin Fuel Reduction Project in the WUI. According to the National Fire Plan, the West Yellowstone community and associated outlying homes, structures, and subdivisions, are at risk to fire. Most of the stands around West Yellowstone is lodgepole pinewith some Douglass fir/spruce/subalpine fir in the Targhee Pass area, and is in poor condition class. The purpose of the program in the Hegben Basin WUI is to reduce the fuel continuity in crown and ladder fuels through mechanical harvest, understory thinning, and lop and scatter. Each method will involve some prescribed burning as well as chipping. Comments: Congress lumps condition class (an ecological rating) with fire hazard. Lodgepole pine is typically a stand-reducing fire; the mechanical harvest is a compromise – simulating the natural fire by thinning and cleaning up. This kind of thinning lasts about 20 years, will take about 5 years to implement the start of the project. Chipping will support composting activities, and can be a useful alternative to burning to avoid smoke emissions. Chippers can cost from $50,000 to $150,000. Mark Story, Gallatin NF, summarized the Air Quality NEPA analysis for the Hegben Basin Fuel Reduction Project. Mark used the USFS Region 1 NEPA methods for air quality analysis for prescribed burns which includes using a decision tree to guide modeling and constraints. FOFEM and SASEM modeling indicated that 3 of the units close to West Yellowstone required daily burn acreage limitations to insure NAAQS PM2.5 compliance. In the future the SIS model will be used for air quality analysis. Ann Acheson and Mark Story, USFS, demonstrated the SIS spreadsheet. The Smoke Impact Spreadsheet (excel template) incorporates the FOFEM5 model for emissions and the CALPUFF model for dispersion. The model is very sensitive to fuel moisture, i.e. can overpredict emissions, but is much more accurate than the FOFEM4. CALPUFF allows the users to evaluate complex terrain whereas the SASEM is flat terrain only. The spreadsheet and user manual are available at: http://www.airsci.com/SIS.htm. GYA CAP 2004 meeting, October 5 and 6th, The tentative iternary includes a field trip to Pinedale Area oil and gas fields and 11th annual GYA-CAP meeting in Jackson. Meet Tuesday October 5th at 10:00 at Pinedale FS office. Field trip until late afternoon in Pinedale area, and drive to Jackson for the indoor meeting October 6th. Ted will look into the possibility of having the indoor 6th meeting in Pinedale, but Jackson lodging is probably less expensive and more available. Mark Story will work with Ted Porwoll and Terry Svalburg on the meeting agenda. to the GYCC
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