2017 -- H 6055

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LC002324

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO AERONAUTICS - THE PERMANENT AIR QUALITY MONITORING ACT

     

     Introduced By: Representatives McNamara, Vella-Wilkinson, Shekarchi, Bennett, and
Solomon

     Date Introduced: March 31, 2017

     Referred To: House Health, Education & Welfare

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Sections 1-7-1, 1-7-6 and 1-7-9 of the General Laws in Chapter 1-7 entitled

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"The Permanent Air Quality Monitoring Act" are hereby amended to read as follows:

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     1-7-1. Long-term air quality monitoring program.

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     (a) The Rhode Island airport corporation (RIAC) shall design, acquire, install, operate

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and maintain a long-term air quality monitoring program in the vicinity of T.F. Green airport. The

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corporation may hire a consultant to perform these tasks.

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     (b) The monitoring program shall provide for the monitoring of all of the following:

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     (1) Particulate matter, including only PM 2.5, particles less than 0.1 microns, and black

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carbon.; and

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     (2) Volatile organic compounds (VOC's), including, but not limited to: benzene, 1, 3

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butadiene, and naphthalene; and carbonyls including, but not limited to, formaldehyde and

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acetaldehyde; and

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     (3) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, including those that are particulate bound and

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semivolatiles.

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     (c) (1) The design of the monitoring program shall:

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     (i) Include an implementation schedule for the components of the monitoring program set

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forth in subsection (b); and

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     (ii) Assure the quality and meaningfulness of the monitoring data; and

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     (iii) Be set forth in a draft work plan developed, in consultation with the department of

 

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environmental management and the department of health.

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     (2) The consultation with the department of environmental management and the

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department of health shall include, but not limited to:

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     (i) Ensuring that peer review is employed in the development of an air quality monitoring

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strategy;

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     (ii) Providing the corporation with unbiased reviews of current, validated scientific

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knowledge relevant to air quality monitoring and public health impacts;

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     (iii) Assisting with the review of work plans and reports;

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     (iv) Evaluating and comparing the corporation's proposed methodologies, quality

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assurance procedures and monitoring criteria, with other relevant monitoring efforts mandated by

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either state or federal law in order to ensure consistency and comparability among the

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methodologies and criteria.

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     (d) The draft work plan and the final work plan shall describe and justify with reasonable

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specificity all significant aspects of the monitoring program, including, but not limited to, quality

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assurance procedures and a description and justification of the number, type, and location of the

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ambient air quality monitors to be installed as part of the long-term monitoring program.,

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provided that there shall be at a minimum, one monitor placed at each of the following locations:

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North, South, East and West of the airport. The ambient air quality monitors shall be set up in a

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network that shall include at least four (4) monitoring sites and shall be designed to measure air

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quality impacts from airport operations, including those associated with planes operating on the

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extended runway and on neighborhoods adjacent to the airport facility, as well as at the Winslow

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Park playing fields.

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     (e) Notwithstanding the consultation requirement, the draft work plan shall be submitted

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to the department of environmental management and the department of health within the thirty

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(30) days of the effective date of this section for review and comment, pursuant to chapter 35 of

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title 42 of the general laws. The departments shall provide comments within thirty (30) days of

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receipt of the draft work plan. Following the departments' review and comment period, the draft

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work plan shall be made available for review and comment by members of the general public,

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and the air quality monitoring public advisory committee, established by this chapter, pursuant to

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chapter 35 of title 42 of the general laws. Adoption of the final work plan by the corporation shall

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be in accordance with chapter 35 of title 42 of the general laws. The final work plan shall be

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submitted to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the

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senate by the corporation no later than October 30, 2007.

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     (f) The final work plan and all revised final work plans shall include a reasonable

 

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evaluation of funding sources, such as federal grants, that may be available to the corporation to

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cover some or all of the costs of the air quality monitoring.

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     (g) Amendments to the final work plan may be proposed by the corporation in

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consultation with the department of environmental management and the department of health on

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or before March 30, 2009 and every March 30, thereafter. Amendments to the final work plan

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may also be proposed by the department of environmental management, the department of health

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and/or the air quality monitoring public advisory committee on or before January 31, 2009 and

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every January 31, thereafter. Any proposed amendments to the final work plan shall be available

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for review and comment by members of the general public, and the air quality monitoring public

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advisory committee established by this chapter, pursuant to chapter 35 of title 42 of the general

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laws. The purposes of proposed amendments to the final work plan are: (1) to allow the

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corporation, in consultation with the department of environmental management and the

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department of health to consider any adaptations that may be indicated by the data collected from

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the pervious year, including whether new monitoring technologies, methodologies, or criteria are

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necessary; and (2) to make necessary adjustments to the program based on changes to state and/or

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federal regulations. Any proposed amendments to the final work plan shall be incorporated into a

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"revised [as of this date] final work plan" document, upon approval of the corporation, and shall

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be submitted to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the president of the

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senate by the corporation no later than January 1 of each year.

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     (h) Long-term air quality monitors will be procured and in effect by December 30, 2007.

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Interim monitoring shall be performed until such time as the long-term monitoring program is in

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place, and the use of all data generated therefrom shall conform with the reporting requirements

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set forth in ยง 1-7-6(b).

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     1-7-6. Reporting.

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     (a) The corporation shall provide the department of environmental management with an

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inventory of greenhouse gas pollutants, including, but not limited to, carbon dioxide and methane,

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and an annual inventory of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. The inventories

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of data generated in the prior calendar year shall be reported to the department of environmental

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management on or before March 30, 2009 and every March 30 thereafter.

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     (b) Data generated from the permanent air-quality monitors shall be reported to the

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department of environmental management and the department of health on at least a quarterly

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basis and shall be used by the departments to continuously augment and update air-quality

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monitoring studies conducted by the departments.

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     (c) The department of health shall prepare an annual report which shall contain the

 

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department's findings, analysis, conclusions, and recommendations resulting from the data

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generated by and from the permanent air quality monitors (the "monitors"), as well as a summary

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of the data collected from the monitors. The first such report shall be due on or before July 31,

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2017, and on or before July 31 in 2018, 2019, and for any further year thereafter during which

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data is collected and reported pursuant to the provisions of subsection (b) of this section. Copies

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of these reports shall be provided by the required dates to the speaker of the house, the president

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of the senate, the office of the governor, the office of the attorney general, and the offices of the

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mayor and the city council of the city of Warwick.

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     1-7-9. Sunset provisions.

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     On or before January 31, 2017, and on or before January 31, 2018, and January 31, 2019

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thereafter, the department of environmental management, the department of health, and the

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attorney general shall submit to the governor, the speaker of the house, and the president of the

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senate, recommendations as to the continuation of the air monitoring required in this act and,

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unless extended by the general assembly, the corporation's obligation to operate and maintain the

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air monitoring system will cease on July 31, 2017 2019.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO AERONAUTICS - THE PERMANENT AIR QUALITY MONITORING ACT

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     This act would reduce the items which must be monitored by the air quality monitors at

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T.F. Green Airport to particles less than 0.1 microns, and black carbon. This act would also

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require the department of health to prepare a report based on the data collected by those monitors

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and to submit that report to various parties. The act would also revise where the monitors can be

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placed, and would also extend the required air monitoring for two (2) years to July 31, 2019.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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