FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies Holds 2022 Spring Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah
In-person meeting highlights Clean Air Act priorities for state and local agencies
May 2, 2022
Lexington, KY
From April 27 to 29, the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (AAPCA) held its 2022 Spring Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. The meeting included over 110 governmental and nongovernmental participants, with senior officials attending from more than 20 state and local environmental agencies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and multiple regional EPA offices.
“AAPCA is a primary technical forum for state, local, and federal partners to engage on air quality priorities and continue to find success under the framework of the Clean Air Act,” said AAPCA President Bryce Bird, Director for the Utah Division of Air Quality. “Utah was excited to host the Association’s first in-person meeting in more than two-and-a-half years.”
AAPCA was honored to have Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall as the keynote speaker during a luncheon for all attendees on April 28. Attendees also heard from Tomás Carbonell with U.S. EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation about the Agency’s Clean Air Act priorities, including developing a strategy for reducing carbon emissions from the power sector.
“Understanding EPA’s plans and priorities is of particular importance to state and local air agencies, which are tasked with undertaking complex planning efforts to maintain and improve the nation’s air quality,” noted AAPCA Vice President Mike Abraczinskas, Director for the North Carolina Division of Air Quality.
Beginning with an in-depth session on Energy Sector Technology Transitions and Emissions, the agenda included speakers from state, local, and federal agencies and other Clean Air Act stakeholders. Additional topics covered were reviews of the national ambient air quality standards, or NAAQS, for ozone and particulate matter; state implementation plans and NAAQS implementation; air toxics; permitting; environmental justice; carbon capture and sequestration; and air sensors.
Rhonda Thompson, Chief of the South Carolina Bureau of Air Quality and AAPCA Secretary-Treasurer highlighted that, “Despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, we were glad to be back in-person and have conversations with other agencies about resource challenges, community engagement, and other issues critical to our work.”
AAPCA Past President Bob Hodanbosi, Chief for the Ohio Division of Air Pollution Control, said, “State and local governments are critical to on-the-ground efforts to protect the environment and we are particularly proud of the air quality progress that has been achieved.”
All available presentations from AAPCA’s 2022 Spring Meeting are available here. The Association’s 2022 Fall Business Meeting is scheduled to be held September 28, 29, and 30 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
AAPCA Background
The Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (AAPCA) is a consensus-driven organization focused on assisting state and local air quality agencies and personnel with implementation and technical issues associated with the federal Clean Air Act. AAPCA members work collaboratively on behalf of states and the communities they protect to act as a conduit for and provide feedback to federal regulators on air quality rules that have significant impacts across the entire nation. AAPCA represents nearly 50 state and local air agencies, and senior officials from 21 state environmental agencies currently sit on AAPCA’s Board of Directors. AAPCA is housed in Lexington, Kentucky as an affiliated association of The Council of State Governments (CSG).
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