Call for Delegates: Non-Point Source Project Team, Clean Air Strategic Alliance

Background:
Non-point source (NPS) air emissions are a key element in the Government of Alberta’s (GoA) Clearing the Air: Alberta’s Renewed Clean Air Strategy (CAS), and a significant issue to CASA stakeholders. NPS emissions must be addressed if we are to maintain and improve air quality in Alberta. A project to address NPS emissions aligns with the CASA goals of providing strategic advice, and of contributing to the development and implementation of effective air quality management in Alberta. It would also contribute to management of air quality in the Capital region, Red Deer, and Calgary, by informing potential actions that could be taken as a part of regional management response plans under Alberta’s Land Use Framework, or identifying cross-cutting actions benefitting all areas. On a provincial scale, an NPS project complements CAS.

Following the work of the Vehicle Emissions Team, a Statement of Opportunity focusing on NPS emissions was developed and presented to the CASA Board in June 2013. In October 2013, CASA hosted representatives from a broad cross-section of stakeholder organizations at an NPS Workshop in order to begin developing a common understanding of NPS emissions in Alberta, and to discuss needs, gaps, and opportunities for CASA to add value. The NPS Working Group was convened in June 2014 to further refine the scope of work, and develop the NPS Project Charter (attached).

Scope:
The work of the project team will be limited to NPS emissions of primary PM_2.5, and precursors of secondary PM_2.5 and O₃ (SO_x, NO_x, VOCs, and ammonia). While work to reduce these substances is likely to have the co-benefit of reducing other emissions, recommendations of the project team should address only these substances. Limiting the scope in this manner creates a manageable piece of work, with the potential to complement existing initiatives.

The primary focus of the project team will be on the six major categories of sources of NPS emissions in Alberta, which are (in no order): agriculture, transportation, construction, biogenic, road dust, and forest fires.


Project Goals & Objectives:
The goal of the Project Team is to help address non-point source air emissions contributing to ambient PM_2.5 and O₃ standard non-achievement in Alberta with a focus on PM_2.5 and O₃ non-achievement in the orange or red management levels of the Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS). To achieve this goal, the following objectives have been identified:

1. Compile and review information and agree on a common understanding of non-point sources in Alberta.
2. Identify non-point source opportunities in Alberta, where CASA’s multi-stakeholder approach could add the most value.
3. Identify and recommend management actions, which could include recommending policy change, to address the highest value non-point source air emissions opportunities in Alberta (from Objective 2).
4. Develop and implement a strategy and action plan for communicating the work of the project team and engaging stakeholders and the public.

With the exception of Objective 4, which will be considered throughout the process, the objectives are largely sequential (i.e., the outcomes from Objective 1 are the inputs to Objective 2, and the outcomes from Objective 2 are the inputs to Objective 3). The project team should also assess the entire process to identify opportunities for work to be done concurrently.