&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Transportation and Air Quality
EPA-420-B-15-090
November 2015
Transportation Conformity Guidance for Quantitative Hot-spot Analyses in Plvh.sand PMio
Nonattainment and Maintenance Areas
Guidance Change Bulletin: November 2015
Part of Guidance
Change from 2013 Guidance to
2015 Guidance
Reason for Change
Section 1.2: Requirement for
Quantitative PM Hot-spot
Analyses
Revised to describe past events
instead of occurring events
Section brought up to date
Section 2.6: NAAQS
Considered in PM Hot-spot
Analyses
Clarified section and added new
footnote to reflect new PM
NAAQS
In December 2012, EPA
promulgated a revised annual
primary PM2.5 NAAQS of 12.0
u.g/m3 (80 Federal Register 2206).
Conformity will apply for this
NAAQS on April 15, 2016
Section 2.8: Appropriate
Time Frame and Analysis
Years
Added sentence to clarify
analysis years must be within
the timeframe of the
transportation plan/regional
emissions analysis, per the
regulations
Reflect guidance implementation
and experience in the field
Section 4: Estimating
Project-Level PM Emissions
Using MOVES
Revised in its entirety to reflect
MOVES2014/MOVES2014a
EPA released MOVES2014 (79
Federal Register 60343); revised
guidance is also applicable to
minor revisions to MOVES2014
model, such as MOVES2014a
Section?: Selecting an Air
Quality Model, Data Inputs,
and Receptors
Described area sources before
volume sources and noted that
area sources may be easier to
characterize correctly compared
to volume sources
Reflect guidance implementation
and experience in the field
Section 7.5: Incorporating
Meteorological Data
Added new sentence
emphasizing representativeness
of meteorological data; added
new sentence about processing
five years of meteorological data
in one AERMOD run
Reflect guidance implementation
and experience in the field
Section 7.6.2: General
Guidance for Receptors for
all PM NAAQS
Clarified receptors should be
placed in areas considered
ambient air, i.e., where the
public generally has access.
Deleted text that said to exclude
areas where public present only
for a short period of time, or
behind fenced property
Updated to be consistent with
Appendix W and EPA guidance for
receptor placement when
modeling air quality for stationary
sources
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Part of Guidance
Change from 2013 Guidance to
2015 Guidance
Reason for Change
Section 7.7: Running the
Model and Obtaining Results
Added new sentence regarding
AERMOD results
Reflect guidance implementation
Section 8.3.2: Adjusting Air
Quality Monitoring Data to
Account for Future Changes
in Air Quality: Using
Chemical Transport Models
Added new sentences regarding
photochemical modeling
Reflect guidance implementation
Section 9.3.3: 24-hour PM2.5
NAAQS
Revised Tier 1 and Tier 2 design
value calculations for this
NAAQS
Changed to be more consistent
with the way the 24-hour PM2.s
NAAQS design value is calculated
with other EPA Programs,
including EPA's "Guidance for
PM2.s Permit Modeling/' issued
May 20, 2014
Section 9.3.4: 24-hour
NAAQS
Revised design value calculation
for this NAAQS. Also ensured
calculation now takes into
account the number of
background concentrations
available
Changed to be more consistent
with the way the PMio NAAQS
design value is calculated for
other EPA programs
Section 10: Mitigation and
Control Measures
Updated web links
Ensure document is current
Appendix A: Clearinghouse
of Websites, Guidance, and
Other Technical Resources
for PM Hot-spot Analyses
Updated web links and
documents
Ensure document is current
Appendix E: Example
Quantitative PM Hot-spot
Analysis of a Highway Project
Using MOVES and CAL3QHCR
Removed content but appendix
retained
The example in this appendix has
been superseded by the example
analysis found in EPA's
quantitative PM hot-spot analysis
course, found on the web at
www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresource
s/transconf/training3day.htm
Appendix F: Example
Quantitative PM Hot-spot
Analysis of a Transit Project
Using MOVES and AERMOD
Removed content but appendix
retained
The example in this appendix has
been superseded by the example
analysis found in EPA's
quantitative PM hot-spot analysis
course, found on the web at
www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresource
s/transconf/training3day.htm
AppendixJ.3: Characterizing
Emission Sources
Described area sources before
volume sources and noted area
sources may be easier to
characterize correctly compared
Reflect guidance implementation
and experience in the field
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Part of Guidance
Appendix J. 6.: Running the
Model and Obtaining Results
Appendix K.4: Example: 24-
hour PM2.5NAAQS
Appendix K.5: Example: 24-
hour PMio NAAQS
Appendix L: Calculating 24-
hour PM2.s Design Value
Using a Tier 2 Approach
Change from 2013 Guidance to
2015 Guidance
to volume sources; included
additional information
Included additional information
for running air quality models
that reflects new design value
calculations specified above in
Section 9.3.3
Revised to reflect new Tier 1
design value calculation
specified above in Section 9.3.3
Revised to reflect new design
value calculation specified
above in Section 9.3.4
Added new appendix to describe
how to calculate the Tier 2
design value approach
Reason for Change
Design value change necessitated
revising instructions
Revised appendix is consistent
with design value used for other
EPA programs
Revised appendix is consistent
with design value used for other
EPA programs
New appendix is consistent with
design value used for other EPA
programs, including EPA's
"Guidance for PM2.5 Permit
Modeling/' issued May 20, 2014
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