Maryland’s Innovative Measures State Implementation Plan 2004 EPA Air Innovations Conference Brian J. Hug – Chief, Air Quality Policy and Planning Division

2 Maryland’s Air Quality Ozone levels in Maryland are very high Fine particulate levels are high Air pollution contributes significantly to Bay pollution Regional haze and air toxics are also significant air pollution problems in Maryland

3 Maryland’s Innovative Measures SIP A very flexible SIP that: –Bundles together several land use projects and other innovations that generate air quality benefits –Establishes conservative emission reductions targets for the short term and a larger and more aggressive target in the long term (these projects take time to develop) –No pressure on individual programs – pressure only on the bundle itself Builds off of EPA’s land-use and voluntary measures guidance Also incorporates trading concepts to address uncertainty and to create incentives

4 The “Bundle” Land Use Initiatives –Infill development in Baltimore City –TOD –Mixed Use Development Transportation Measures –Maryland Commuter Tax Credit Initiative –Alternatively Fueled Vehicle Program –Incident Management Program Episodic Controls (Ozone Action Days)

5 “The Can Company” Brownfield site Portion of revitalized waterfront Variety of mixed use commercial tenants Redeveloped housing nearby

6 “Montgomery Park” MDE’s new offices Former Montgomery Wards warehouse –Now undergoing “green building” restoration

7 Benefits of Smart Infill Development Expected reduction of 340,000 – 700,000 VMT per day Increased emphasis on transit NOx and VOC benefits should exceed.5 tpd in 2005 (higher in 2025) Significant reduction on Greenhouse Gas Emissions (especially CO2 – could be over 100 tons per day !)

8 Transit Oriented Development Multi-use development at the end of the Baltimore Metro Line Pedestrian bridge to link offices/retail with metro station Improved bike and pedestrian access

9 Mixed Use Development Just outside of Annapolis in Anne Arundel County Redevelopment of central business district Mixed use Proposed bus and trolley station Still in planning stage – lots of controversy

10 Transportation Initiatives Commuter Tax Credit Program Incident Management (CHART Program) Alternative Fuel Vehicle Program

11 Episodic Reductions: Ozone Action Days Clean Air Partners coordinates a regional ozone education & voluntary action program for Baltimore and Washington Effort focuses voluntary reductions from: –Vehicle use –Paint and consumer product use –Lawn and garden equipment Annual and episodic surveys to track progress

12 Land Use Credit Tools Current tools are relatively new and will be refined with time SIP is using a multiple tool/ model approach During future analysis new tools and models will be used to further refine the expected emission benefits

13 Multi-Pollutant Benefits Original initiatives focus on reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) SIP approach could be used for other initiatives or pollutants in the future Reducing VMT lowers mobile source emissions across the board –Particulate Matter –Volatile organic compounds (VOC) –Nitrogen oxides (NOx) –Greenhouse Gases –Toxics

14 Challenges Coordination with other agencies and interested parties Connections with transportation planning Analysis tools/Quantification Multi-purpose SIP (policy driven) Changes in Overarching Policy and Timing 1hr vs 8hr Ozone Standards – where does this concept fit best? - does this work best to maintain the NAAQ standards as real benefits (to combat continued sprawl) are decades and not years away?