Air Quality

For nearly 10 years, ERG has supported the U.S. Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) in characterizing and analyzing air emissions associated with the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas industry. MMS plays a vital role in managing the nation's natural resources and ensuring a consistent flow of energy. ERG evaluated criteria pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas platforms and other sources, including supply ships, commercial marine vessels, and helicopters. In addition to tracking emission trends and identifying areas where enhanced controls might be warranted, ERG provided the input data to model the onshore air quality impacts of these key energy-producing operations.

ERG compiled a comprehensive inventory of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) emissions from several thousand small combustion emission sources to evaluate their role in ozone formation for the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.  Emissions from these sources had not previously been well documented or included in ozone analyses.  ERG evaluated the sources’ baseline control status and projected emissions for several future years to analyze the impact of source growth and potential control improvements on ozone nonattainment.  We also assembled input files for air quality modelers to quantify the impacts on future ambient air quality, determine possible control strategies, and evaluate the need for additional regulations.    

In the past 20 years, the United States has made great strides in reducing the pollutants that cause acid rain and ground-level ozone. ERG helps document the success of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs that have made these reductions possible with highly engaging progress reports. The reports describe how EPA’s market-based regulatory programs are cost-effectively reducing the emissions, concentrations, and deposition of harmful air emissions from power plants and other major stationary sources. Each year, ERG’s communications experts assemble a wealth of text, data, and graphics to craft reader-friendly, visually appealing reports illustrating the programs’ progress.

ERG designed a state-of-the-art, Web-based system for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) that integrated our nationally recognized emissions inventory expertise with our expert information technology engineering skills. The system enables TCEQ to archive, access, and secure area, onroad and nonroad mobile, and biogenic emissions data. The system provides TCEQ with critical audit trail, reporting, analysis, and visualization functionality. It also assists TCEQ staff with everyday tasks such as developing inventories and supporting analyses, responding to public data requests, and compiling reports. ERG used Oracle (both for transactions and data warehousing), ColdFusion, Java, and geographic information system (GIS) software ArcIMS tools to construct the 75-gigabyte system.