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Excellence
Awards
Office of Air and Radiation

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About the Clean Air Excellence Awards Program
The Clean Air Excellence Awards Program is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Air and Radiation. The program was
suggested by the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee (CAAAC), a senior-level
federal advisory committee that provides advice to the EPA on Clean Air Act
issues and the Awards Program.
The Awards Program, now in its sixteenth year, recognizes and honors both
individuals and organizations that have undertaken the risks of innovation,
served as pioneers in their fields, advanced public understanding of air pollution,
and improved air quality. Each award recipient has either directly or indirectly
reduced emissions of criteria pollutants, hazardous air pollutants, and/or
greenhouse gases.
The award recipients are chosen through a multi-step judging process. The
EPA staff conduct an initial technical screening of all applications. Selected
entries are then reviewed by a CAAAC panel, which provides advice to the EPA
on the candidates' programs. The EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance
Assurance then provides additional comments on entries. The EPA's Assistant
Administrator for Air and Radiation makes the final award determinations.
The EPA posts information about current and past award recipients on the
Clean Air Excellence Awards Program web site, located at http://www.epa.gov/
air/cleanairawards/.

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2019 Clean Air Excellence Award Recipients
Clean Air Technology
Calren Dairy Fuels Digester Pipeline Cluster
Calgren Renewable Fuels, Maas Energy Works
Community Action
Okanogan River Airshed Partnership
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and Airshed Partners
Education Outreach
Eco-Healthy Child Care®
Children's Environmental Health Network
State/Tribal/Local Air Quality Policy Innovations
StorageTank&Vapor Control System Guidelines
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Transportation Efficiency Innovations
RideFinders Commute Green Summer Challenge
RideFinders
Thomas W. Zosel Outstanding Individual Achievement Award
Ned Sanders
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Clean Air
Technology
Award
Awards
Calgren Dairy Fuels Digester Pipeline Cluster
Calgren Renewable Fuels, Maas Energy Works
The Calgren Dairy Fuels (CDF) digester pipeline cluster is the first and
only California dairy digester pipeline cluster thus far that is currently
upgrading dairy biogas to biomethane for utility pipeline injection.
It is also the largest dairy biogas operation in the country! There
are currently 22 participating dairies in this cluster (20 digesters).
Currently, 8 digesters are operational and sending biogas to the CDF
centralized conditioning facility via private gathering lines. Another 4 digesters are under physical
construction and will come online in 2019. There are 9 additional expansion dairies that joined the
cluster in 2019 and are all in active development.
CDF's renewable power plan is to employ 100% of the digester's biogas to make Renewable
Compressed Natural Gas (R-CNG) transportation fuel. The gas is transported to the cluster Hub
via private, low pressure gas pipeline. Once at the existing CDF biogas conditioning facility, the
biogas is upgraded to pipeline quality and supplied to remote CNG stations across the state via
the SoCalGas utility pipeline connection at the Hub.
When Phase 1 (first 12 digesters) is completed later this year, CDF will be capturing over 150,000
tons of carbon from over 70,000 cows that would have been released into the atmosphere and
utilizing it by delivering over 3,000,000 gallons of fuel a year into the California CNG market.
The cluster's conditioning facility and SoCalGas injection point is located at the Calgren Ethanol
Refinery in Pixley, CA and is fully operational.The CDF cluster has successfully demonstrated
the ability to deliver dairy CNG clusters to market, near-term achievement of GHG benefits, and
criteria pollutant emissions reductions both on dairies and on the California roadways.
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Community
Action
Award
Excellence
Awards
Okanogan River Airshed Partnership
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
and Airshed Partners
The Okanogan River Airshed Partnership formed in December
2015, with this mission statement: We are seeking non-regulatory
community projects, programs, partnerships and outreach
opportunities which increase our understanding of PM25 air
pollution in the Okanogan River Airshed and help to reduce it.
To date, over 90 participants including the Colville Tribes, Washington State Department of Ecology
(WADOE), EPA, Okanogan County Commissioners, Okanogan Conservation District (OCD), the Cities
of Okanogan and Omak and many more local governments, non-profits and businesses are partners.
Projects and programs the partnership is presently engaged with:
•	Community clean up and leaf pick up events in Omak and Okanogan have been expanded
and remove tons of material from being burned
•	Ecology gathered air quality information in a county wide survey that has been instrumental in
guiding projects
•	Okanogan Conservation District held wood debris chipping events that diverted material
from being burned or sent to the landfill.The chips are available to the community at a central
location.
•	Establishment of a PurpleAir sensor community network that provides the area with
neighborhood scale PM?S information.
•	Upgrading agency PM25 monitor to an FEM BAM 120
•	Conduct a woodstove changeout and buyback program by replacing non-certified stoves for
new more efficient models and removing old stoves from the area. All stoves were recycled.
•	Implement media campaigns to increase awareness and promote alternatives to outdoor
burning and woodstove use.
•	Presently pursuing community composting facility and other methods to make soil not smoke
including school gardens.
With the strong support of all members, the Okanogan River Airshed Partnership will help decrease
our exposure to PM25 and improve our health.

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Awards
Eco-Healthy Child Care®
Children's Environmental Health Network
Eco-Healthy Child Care® is an award winning and science-based
program of the Children's Environmental Health Network, It is the
only national environmental health endorsement program for early
care and education providers. Eco-Healthy Child Care® partners
with child care professionals to reduce environmental hazards
found in and around child care facilities. Creating environmentally
healthy early learning environments is key to protecting our nation's children. Eco-Healthy Child
Care® offers a 2-year endorsement to child care facilities (both center and home-based child care)
that qualify as "Eco- Healthy" by complying with 24 of 30 simple, free or low-cost environmental
health best practices. These changes immediately benefit the well-being of young children. Eco-
Healthy Chiid Care®'s best practices covers: Air Quality, Household Chemicals and Radon among
other environmental hazards. More than 2,800 facilities, serving over 111,000 children within 49
states, six Canadian provinces, five Australian states and Puerto Rico have qualified as Eco-Healthy.
The Eco-Healthy Child Care® program also educates and trains child care professionals on improving
children's environmental health. Over 1,000 child care trainers, administrators, health/nurse
consultants and licensing staff have participated in the Eco-Healthy Child Care®'s 5-hourTrain the
Trainer session. Once trained, these individuals work with child care providers to implement eco-
healthy changes within their facilities.
To expand the reach of the Eco-Healthy Child Care® program, an e-learning course (Protecting
Children's Environmental Health) which is available for child care providers and caretakers was
implemented. Eco-Healthy Child Care® has also partnered with the National Resource Center for
Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education to create an environmental health standards
collection for its Caring For Our Children standards, a nationally known resource for the early care
community.
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The Colorado Air Pollution Control Division (APCD), as a national
leader in the development of air quality regulations for the oil and gas
industry, has pioneered the regulation of VOC and methane emission
reduction from hydrocarbon storage tanks. These regulations require
operators to ensure that storage tanks equipped with emissions
controls be properly designed, operated and maintained to ensure emissions are captured.
Hydrocarbon storage tanks are the largest single source of VOC emissions in Colorado's ozone non-
attainment area. Through inspection activities utilizing infrared (IR) cameras, the agency observed
storage tank emissions were not consistently being captured. Ensuring storage tank emissions
control is a critical need for Colorado to maintain progress toward attainment of the National
Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS).
State/Tribal/
Local Air
Quality Policy
Innovations
Storage Tank & Vapor Control System Guidelines
Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment
In July 2016, recognizing the need for improved performance, the APCD convened a workgroup with
oil and gas industry members and consultants on the development of a set of flexible guidelines
to help ensure compliance with Colorado air quality regulations .The workgroup collaborated for
over 22 months to develop the guidelines published in May 2018.The guidelines provide owners
and operators with information to assist in designing, operating and maintaining storage tanks and
vapor control systems in accordance with Colorado law, while also granting flexibility to adapt the
concepts to company's unique operating practices.
The ultimate goal for this project is to improve the performance of storage tank emissions capture
and control systems to ensure protection of public health and the environment.This work is an
example of how government and industry collaboration to develop innovative policy can effectively
support regulations.The division hopes these guidelines may serve as a resource and a model for
other states.
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Excellence
Awards

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Transportation
Efficiency
Innovations
Award
RideFinders Commute Green Summer Challenge
RideFinders
Awards
By partnering with Agile Mile, RideFinders provided quantifiable emissions data. The results of the
challenge were:
•	6,014 greener trips recorded. Green trips were defined as bus, rail, carpool, vanpool, bike, walk,
multimodal trips or telecommuting.
•	119,028 lbs. of emissions prevented
•	125,679 miles not driven
•	5,391 reduced car trips
•	6,073 gallons of gas saved
•	49,638 calories burned
•	$68,495 money saved
RideFinders Commute Green Summer Challenge campaign demonstrated tangible, quantifiable
results that solidified investment in the program as well as intangible benefits - education,
awareness, public relations and relationship development- help to make the case for TDM as mobility
management and as a cost-effective approach to reducing pollution emissions to help air quality.
Central Virginia's rideshare and transportation-demand management
(TDM) agency aims to educate and encourage consumer behavioral
changes relative to air quality, transportation, and quality of life issues
within the Greater Richmond Region. With limited funding and resources
and more focus on outcomes versus outputs, RideFinders was able to
quantify the results of its marketing campaign by capturing important
emissions data. RideFinders used the newly developed special events
function of the co-branded Agile Mile (formerly NuRide) platform to develop the RideFinders
Commute Green Summer Challenge,
The goals of the month iong campaign were to engage current and new members to record their green
trips on their personalized trip calendar during the month, to maximize current resources — using prizes
that were already in-house and collaborating with an established partner, Agile Mile — and to utilize
no cost platforms such as the website, social media and the Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC)
network to promote the challenge, No paid advertising was used during the entire campaign.

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Thomas W.
Zosel
Outstanding
Individual
Achievement
Award
Ned Sanders was Chairman of the Houston County Board of
Commissioners in 2003 when Houston County, along with two
neighboring counties, were to be designated in non-attainment for the
8-hour ozone NAAQS. Such a designation would have been detrimental for Robins Air Force Base, due
to their inability to take on new missions within a non-attainment area, Mr. Sanders recognized clearly
that air quality and economic well-being are inextricably linked.
Ned Sanders
For nearly two decades, Ned Sanders has been the foremost champion
of clean air within Middle Georgia, His work has reshaped how a
regional community can take action to reduce NOx and Ozone while
maintaining robust economic growth. In doing so, Mr. Sanders has
created a model for public action that can be replicated anywhere
across the country.
Chairman Sanders responded by forming a coalition of elected officials throughout Middle Georgia
to take a regional approach to air quality.This idea became the Middle Georgia Clean Air Coalition
(MGCAC). Mr. Sanders led development of the MGCAC charter and served as its first chairman.
As Chairman of the MGCAC, Mr. Sanders led a delegation to Washington to secure grant funding to
convert seven old diesel locomotives at one of Norfolk Southern's largest rail yards. He also convinced
Georgia Power to install selective catalytic reduction systems and scrubbers at Plant Scherer—the
nation's largest coal-fired power plant.
Because of his leadership, every county in the region is
in attainment for the 8-hour ozone NAAQS, with average
concentrations reduced from 0.075 ppm to 0.065 ppm.
He promised EPA that the MGCAC would never go away,
even after the region was in attainment.This promise
holds true today.
Excellence
Awards
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Acknowledgments
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Office of Air and Radiation
Anne L. Idsal
Acting Assistant Administrator
John Shoaff
Director, Office of Air Policy and Program Support
Jonathan Lubetsky
Group Leader, Office of Air Policy and Program Support
Larry Weinstock
Designated Federal Official, Clean Air Act Advisory Committee
Sabrina Hamilton
Liaison Specialist and FOIA Coordinator
EPA Regional Review Panel
Region 1 - Alison Sirncox, John Rogan, and Susan Lancey
Region 2 - Hannah Greenberg
Region 3 - Andrew Kreider and Megan Goold
Region 4 - Chandler Milhollin and Kelly Sheckler
Region 5 - Andrew Meindl
Region 6 - Robert Imhoff
Region 7 - Jed Wolkins and Steven Brown
Region 8 - Chris Dresser and Laura Farris
Region 9-Trina Martynowicz
Region 10 - Justin Spenillo and Kelly McFadden
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Acknowledgments
Office of Air and Radiation Review Panel
Chris Griffin, Stefanie Bacon, and Vito llaqua	Margaret Walters
Office of Radiation and Indoor Air	Office of Program Management Operations
Laura Bunte	Mariah Steele
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards	Office of Atmospheric Programs
Photos
Review Panel - Carissa Cyran and Wanda Farrar,
Office of Air Policy and Program Support
Front Cover: Ocean Breeze, David Choi
Opening Photos: Denali National Park,
John Steller; Costa Rica Waterfall and Pool,
Susan Fairchild
Clean AirTechnology: EPA RadNet Fixed Air
Monitor, Washington, DC, Lowell G. Ralston
Community Action: Clear Blue Skies at Red
Rock Canyon National Conservation Area,
Southern Nevada, Sandra Elkouz
Middle Spread: Mobile Bay and Palm
Garden, Chris Sarsony; Morning Red, Joshua
Young; Fall in Michigan, David Choi
Education/Outreach: The Gateway Arch,
Travis Johnson
State/Tribal/Local Air Quality Policy:
Grand Canyon, Steven Fine
Transportation Efficiency: Dogwood
Flowers at EPA-RTP Campus, David Mintz
Zosel Award: Monumental DC Skies, Celia
Doherty
Back Cover: Crisp, Clean Fall Air, Nora
Hassan

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For more information on the Clean Air Excellence Awards
Program or the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee,
visit http://www.epa.gov/air/cleanairawards/.
Recycled/Recyclable
Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on Recycled Paper
(Minimum 50% Postconsumer) Process Chlorine Free
Excellence
Awards

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