What’s Next for U.S. Air Quality Management?

The U.S. has regulated air pollution since 1970, with major improvements in the air we breathe. These benefits have been achieved while the population has grown, energy use has risen, and vehicle miles traveled have tripled. The success in air pollution control to date is a story of regulatory monitoring coupled with emission control technologies. End-of-pipe controls, like scrubbers on power plants and cleaner-burning engines, reduce most regulated emissions at the source. However, this control approach has not been effective in reducing carbon dioxide, and misses opportunity for "win win" solutions for health, air quality, and climate.

As the cost of solar and wind decline, and new technologies to support a low-carbon energy system improve, new opportunities exist to integrate energy, climate, and air quality planning. Carbon control necessitates large-scale changes to electricity production, transportation, and the built environment. Success stories and barriers to joint control of carbon and air quality will be discussed, drawing from work using atmospheric models to evaluate energy system change and health impacts.

These past studies use a variety of energy models, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model, and the EPA Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Model. This modeling system has been used to evaluate the air quality benefits of expanded solar generation in the Eastern U.S.; the health and air benefits of energy conservation across the Continental U.S; the potential for expanded freight shipping on trains vs. trucks in the Midwest; and other emerging energy scenarios.

Drawing from past and ongoing studies, we will consider the opportunities and challenges in coordinated management of carbon and air quality, and how interdisciplinary research can support new policy options.