Air Quality Management Work Group

Following the release of the National Research Council's (NRC) report titled "Air
Quality Management in the United States," the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee
(CAAAC) formed a work group to develop recommendations for improvements to
the air quality management program. The charge to the Air Quality Management
(AQM) Work Group was to evaluate the NRC's recommendations as well as other
potential improvements, and develop recommendations for consideration by the
CAAAC. The AQM Work Group is comprised of representatives from EPA, State
and local agencies, Tribes, industry, and environmental and research organizations.

Under the AQM Work Group, two sub-groups have been formed to research and
develop specific recommendations. They are the Policy and Planning Sub-group
and the Science and Technology Sub-group. The Policy and Planning Sub-group
is charged with examining and providing recommendations on short and long-term
approaches for improving air quality management. This includes ways to:

•	Develop a more integrated approach to air quality management;

•	Assess the most appropriate roles for the different levels of government;

•	Take action on a local, regional, and national level to improve the state
implementation plan (SIP) process; and

•	Address ecosystem protection in developing standards and control strategies.

The Science and Technology Sub-group is charged with evaluating issues and
providing recommendations for improving the scientific and technological
foundations of air quality management in the United States. In particular, this
group will specifically examine ways to:

•	Improve accountability and performance of air quality management in
achieving environmental goals;

•	Improve emissions inventories, refine meteorological data bases, enhance air
quality models, and target information on control techniques for relevant
industrial source categories;

•	Support the integrated management of multiple pollutants; and

•	Develop measures to define and assess multimedia and ecological impacts of
multiple air pollutants.

Recommendations from the AQM Work Group are expected to include specific
actions that could be taken by EPA in the short term (next 1 to 2 years) within the

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existing statutory framework. The AQM Work Group also expects to address
other issues that could potentially be implemented over a longer time period
(beyond 2 years). Should the Work Group identify areas where legislative changes
would be necessary to the existing Clean Air Act to remedy an issue, it would
identify those potential areas to the CAAAC for consideration.

For further information on the NRC's report on "Air Quality Management in the United States, "
published in January 2004, visit http: mnr.nay, edu catalog/10728.html. For hard copies, this
report is available fi'om the National Academies Press (NAP) http://www, nap, edu/.

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