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NARSTO Workshop on Innovative Methods for Emission Inventory Development and Evaluation University of Texas, Austin October 14-17, 2003 |
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Message from the Workshop Co-Chair
Emission inventories are the foundation for air quality management activities and are essential for development of cost-effective emission control strategies. However, the quality of emission inventories often limits their effectiveness and utilization since the time and energy/cost required to develop emission inventories generally exceeds the resources available. The focus of this Workshop is to identify and prioritize new and innovative tools, techniques, and methods to prepare or evaluate emission inventories with improved quality, cost, and timeliness.
The Workshop will focus on new and innovative methodologies related to the development of emission inventories and emission factors, the evaluation and assessment of the adequacy and quality of emission inventories, the application of emission inventories in air quality management activities, and the development of real time emissions inventories for field studies and air quality forecasting. Although most emission-inventory methodologies are applicable to characterization of any species, the emphasis of the Workshop will be on criteria air pollutants and their precursors. Priority will be placed on current controversial issues, including but not limited to, emissions of multicomponent volatile organic compounds, ammonia, and primary organic particulate matter as well as transient and fugitive releases. In keeping with the NARSTO charter, emission inventory issues related to the United States, Canada, and Mexico will be addressed. Methodologies which can advance current approaches for point, area, mobile, and biogenic sources in the 3-5 year as well as the 10-20 year timeframe are of interest.
Following an overview and background session, the Workshop will be organized in breakout sessions. Breakout sessions will consist of presentations on new and innovative techniques related to a topic area followed by discussion of the participants to identify and prioritize techniques which can make an impact in the emission inventory community and are strong candidates for additional research and development funding. The product of the Workshop will be a synthesis paper with findings and recommendations.
NARSTO is a public/private partnership, whose membership spans government, the utilities, industry, and academia throughout Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Its primary mission is to coordinate and enhance policy-relevant scientific research and assessment of tropospheric pollution behavior; its activities provide input for science-based decision-making and determination of workable, efficient, and effective strategies for local and regional air-pollution management. NARSTO was formerly an acronym for "North American Research Strategy for Tropospheric Ozone." However, the term NARSTO has become simply a wordmark signifying this tri-national, public-private partnership for dealing with multiple features of tropospheric pollution, including ozone and suspended particulate matter. More information on NARSTO and the Workshop can be found at http://www.cgenv.com/narsto/.
The Workshop is co-sponsored by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) of North America. The CEC is an international organization created by Canada, Mexico and the United States under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC). The CEC was established to address regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential trade and environmental conflicts, and to promote the effective enforcement of environmental law. The Agreement complements the environmental provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). More information on the CEC can be found at http://www.cec.org.
J. David Mobley
Co-Chair, NARSTO Emission Committee