1 Data Management And QA/QC Procedures In The United States And Canada Presented by Ms. Rebecca Lee Tooly USEPA Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards Emissions Inventory and Analysis Group Marc Deslauriers Environment Canada Pollution Data Division Science and Technology Branch 8 th Joint TFEIP/EIONET meeting Dublin, Ireland, October 23-24, 2007

2 Overview  Data collection process – ex. facility data  Compilation procedures for national inventories  QC/ QA practices  Interactions with stakeholder groups  Challenges / future directions

3 Data Collection Process – Example: Sources of Information for the compilation of the point source inventory CANADIAN EIUS NEI Industry multi-media submissions (PRTR) State/ local/ tribal submissions (AERR) Provincial submissionsEGU CEM SO2 Technical studies and surveys compiled with and without industry associations EPA industry sector experts Historic dataIndustry response to new rulemakings Industry multi-media submissions (TRI) Historic data

4 CANADIAN EIUS NEI Annual reporting (NPRI), specified thresholdsAnnual reporting (AERR), specified thresholds Annual multi-media releases for more than 323 substances with emission quantities for CAC, including 60 VOC species Emission quantities for CAC (180 toxic air pollutants reported voluntarily every 3 yrs) ~ 8,700 facilities~85,000 facilities Facility identification (location, contacts) Total facility emissions  emission release type Process-level emissions and specifications obtained for selected sectors and provinces at different frequencies Process-level emissions and specifications  emission factor  activity Stack emissions with physical parameters  for stacks >= 50meters  exceeding threshold quantities  point location for the facility lat/ lon Emission release point locations (lat/ lon) with physical parameters Temporal variations (mo/ wk/ day)Temporal variations (seasonal/ wk/ day) Calculation methodsCalculation method Control device information obtained through a separate at different frequencies Control device information Note/ comments on changes in emissions from previous year Anticipated releases over next 3 yrs Pollution prevention practices Facility Data Reporting

5 Compilation Of The Canadian Emissions Inventory  The facility reported emissions are complemented with Emission estimates performed for the pollutants that are not reported by the facilities Top down emission calculations (performed for all industrial sectors) to ensure the completeness of the industrial emissions Emissions information compiled by the provinces using permits and other data collection mechanisms Technical studies and surveys compiled by Environment Canada (with and without the collaboration of industrial associations, including process level information)

6 Verifications Of The Industrial Information Collected In Canada  Online data acquisition software performs checks before accepting the facility submission e.g. TPM emissions must be greater than PM10 emissions, PM10>PM2.5  Comparison with previous year emission submission Large variations are identified Comments provided by the facilities in their emission submission are reviewed Data issues are prioritized (based on the pollutant(s), quantity released, program priorities) Facilities are contacted where inadequate explanations are provided and/or where calculation errors have been identified all communications are logged in a contact management database  Other QC checks Identification of outliers (calculation errors, incorrect units used resulting in order of magnitude differences) Pollutants are not reported Identical values reported Comparison of VOC speciation emissions and total VOC emissions reported Late reporters  All QC activities performed during a 3-4 months period

7 Review Of The Canadian Emissions Inventory  The review of the emission estimates is performed by 1.Emissions inventory managers responsible for the overall compilation of the annual emissions inventory Verification that the emissions were compiled using the latest estimation methods and statistics Calculation assumptions are reviewed Estimation methods are documented to facilitate the review and the update during the following year 2.Industrial sector experts within Environment Canada 3.Provincial agencies (review the industrial and non-industrial emissions) The extent of the review varies by province/territory and is linked to the available resources Review of calculations and comparison of reported emissions with permit information (performed through the EI compilation period, ~6 months) A formal acceptance of the emission estimates by each province and territory is required before the finalisation and publication of the annual emissions inventory  Transportation emission estimates, transportation model assumptions, vehicle statistics, etc are also reviewed by the provinces and interested industry experts through a technical working groups

8 Review of The Canadian Emissions Inventory  Comparison with the previous year estimates (for all industrial and non-industrial sources) Performed for each source category in the inventory and at the national, provincial, territorial levels  Review of historical trends estimates to ensure the consistency and comparability of the data Adjustments and recalculations are performed where required  Adjustments to the spatial and temporal allocation of the emissions are performed based on the input received from air quality modellers

9 Compilation and Review Process for US NEI  Preliminary distributed to state/local/ tribal agencies for review and comment Created from previous cycle facility data and national nonpoint methods (e.g., model runs for onroad and nonroad mobile, other nonroad – alm)  State/ local/ tribal agencies submit point and nonpoint data Secure and standardized data exchange procedure (CDX) xml format Basic format checks prior to submission  Draft created by merging S/L/T submitted data with other sources QC, QA, review between EPA and S/L/T’s during draft preparation  State/ local/ tribal agencies review and comment on draft NEI  EPA resolves issues and incorporates comments Includes ‘shakedown’ for air quality modeling uses Industry comments from sector studies/ regulatory analysis  EPA releases final NEI

10 Example QC/ QA Practices for US NEI Point Sources Inventory  Checks / reports to data submitters: ‘Top 10’ lists by pollutant/ source category Missing facilities Missing or erroneous pollutants from processes Previous emission year comparisons/ outliers Comparison to state/ national statistics  Data corrections/ augmentation: Geo coordinates – census area, emission release points Industrial classification (NAICS) Regulatory program applicability codes Stack parameters, i.e, consistency ht/diam; diam/velocity/flow Units Seasonal operating percentages (based on category specific profiles) PM species – primary, filterable, condensible Compare reported VOC and PM with sum of VOC HAP and PM HAPs

11 Challenges of the Current Process US NEI  It’s a complex process Accepts multiple file types Relies on multiple data sources: whose data is correct? Lacks a standard for review and comment Requires too much time to format data and process corrections Start from scratch each cycle Takes three years to create an emissions inventory Limited transparency Inconsistent/limited access to NEI data  New challenges Fully integrated multi-pollutant inventory (CAPs, HAPs, GHG) Better spatial and temporal resolution desired to meet new program requirements Shrinking resources requires more agreement and accountability among stakeholders

12 US NEI Reengineering: The Emissions Inventory System (EIS)  Reduce time to create a national ‘bottom up’ inventory from 3 years to 12 to 18 months Streamlined data reporting requirements Consistent file transmission method Timely on-line access to draft inventory data  Enhance quality assurance Centralized and standard QA protocol that applies to all data Users will be able to QA their data prior to submission New analysis functionality  Standard review and comment method  Improve access to data  Enhance capabilities to acquire, QA, store, and distribute a ‘bottom up’ GHG inventory