Mayor Jerry Abramson opened the inaugural meeting of the Louisville Metro Air Quality Task Force (Task Force) by thanking the members for their participation in this opportunity to recommend a regional solution to meeting the new federal air quality standards. A quorum of the Task Force was present. Representation on the Task Force goes beyond the Louisville/Jefferson County boundaries to encompass the whole metropolitan area, including Oldham and Bullitt Counties in Kentucky and southern Indiana. Mayor Abramson said that the first task of the Task Force is to answer the question, "What do we do as a community to meet the 8-hour ozone standard?" He indicated that committees will be formed to study various options for reducing emissions. In addition to Task Force members, technical experts from the community will be added to the committees.
Mayor Abramson said that the issues in federal court involving the shutdown of the Vehicle Emissions Testing (VET) program will be addressed by the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District (District). The Louisville Metro government is working to reach agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding emission reductions to compensate for the close of the VET program.
Mayor Abramson indicated that the goal is to develop a recommended plan to meet the 8-hour ozone standard by the end of 2004, well before the EPA's deadline. He said that all emission reduction measures are "on the table" for consideration, including measures that require personal responsibility as well as measures to be implemented by the business and industrial communities. By employing "best practice" measures, the community can balance the needs of enhancing the quality of the air while maintaining a viable economy. Mayor Abramson said that many measures that relate to meeting the 8-hour ozone standard would also address fine particulate and air toxics issues, so these measures may also be considered.
Bruce Traughber, Secretary of the Cabinet for Community Development, will serve as Chairman of the Task Force. Mr. Traughber said that the first need of the Task Force was an inventory of emissions that contribute to the formation of ozone and fine particulates. The emissions inventory also needs to identify those chemicals that are air toxics. After completing the first task of developing a recommended strategy for meeting the 8-hour ozone standard, the Task Force will continue work on developing a recommended strategy for meeting the fine particulate standard. The Task Force will not be developing a recommended strategy for addressing the air toxics issues, but can consider toxicity as one factor in developing its 8-hour ozone strategy. He reviewed the Draft Schedule for Air Quality Task Force-2004 (available from the District's web site - see below).
Turning to administrative matters, Mr. Traughber said that meetings would be scheduled to last no more than two hours. A committee, comprised of Tim Hagerty, Chairman; Dr. Larry Palmer; and Arnita Gadson, was appointed to work with the District in developing agendas for the Task Force meetings. Mr. Traughber indicated that formal minutes of Task Force meetings would not be prepared but a summary of the issues discussed and outcomes would be made. Task Force meeting summaries, agendas, and meeting materials (to the extent that they are in electronic form) would be placed on the District's web site, "www.apcd.org/taskforce/meetings". The Task Force members agreed to establishing the fourth Friday of each month from 2 to 4 p.m. as the standard meeting time. Meetings will be held at the District's office, 850 Barret Avenue, Louisville, in the first floor Board Room. It was requested that time be built into the end of each meeting's agenda to allow the public to address the Task Force.
Art Williams, Director of the District, introduced staff members who will be working with the Task Force. District staff member and Task Force member contact information was provided (available from the District's web site - see below). He indicated that the role of the District was to implement the Clean Air Act in Jefferson County, working collaboratively with the EPA and the Kentucky Division for Air Quality (DAQ).
The District was asked to provide information on the process used by the State Implementation Plan (SIP) Advisory Panel in the early 1990s to develop a recommended strategy for meeting the 15% volatile organic compound (VOC) emission reduction requirement. The criteria for review of individual measures included the amount of reduction, cost, and ease of implementation. The SIP Panel's recommendation also include the concept that each source sector (industry, mobile sources, and area sources) be responsible for achieving a 15% reduction in the emissions of that source sector. It was cautioned that the Task Force should honor the success of the historical SIP Panel process but have the freedom to try new or different approaches.
John Lyons, DAQ Director, said that Louisville should be lauded for the proactive approach of establishing this Task Force to develop a recommended strategy for the new standards. He emphasized that meeting the new standards is important for the health of the citizens of the Louisville area. Mr. Lyons made a presentation on implementation of the new 8-hour ozone standard and the recommended boundaries for the Louisville nonattainment area (available from the District's web site - see below).
Information on the health effects of air pollution was requested to be presented at a future Task Force meeting. Also information regarding the upwind sources and what controls are being employed to reduce those emissions was requested to be presented at a future Task Force meeting.