Summary

This report documents the assessment of the 2011 Constrained Long Range Plan (CLRP) with respect to air quality conformity requirements under the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. The assessment used criteria and procedures contained in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s final conformity rule, published in the November 24, 1993 Federal Register, with subsequent amendments and additional federal guidance published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The assessment is a responsibility of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB). The report presents an overview of the conformity requirements contained in the legislation and subsequent guidance, and documents the technical procedures used in the analysis including travel demand forecasting, emissions calculation procedures and impacts of transportation emission reduction measures. The analysis demonstrates that mobile source emissions, estimated for the TIP and for each analysis year of the long range plan, adhere to all carbon monoxide, ozone season volatile organic compound and nitrogen oxide, and fine particle (PM 2.5) pollutants (direct 2.5 and precursor nitrogen oxide) emissions budgets established by the Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee (MWAQC), which are either approved or under review by the EPA. Additionally, the “action scenario” (forecast year) emissions for fine particles are not greater than the base year 2002 emissions, thus satisfying the requirement for pollutants without an established budget. These results provide a basis for a determination of conformity of the 2011 CLRP.