AIR QUALITY ANALYSIS
Transportation conformity was established for the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) 2040 and the FY 2020-2024 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) adopted by NIRCC’s Urban Transportation Advisory Board, the MPO policy board for the Fort Wayne Urbanized area. (More Description)
2040 Air Quality
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The Air Quality Conformity Determination for the 2040 Transportation Plan was performed to ensure the Plan remains compliant with federal regulations regarding the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), and judicial interpretations of applicable rules, regulations and legislation . Allen County was designated nonattainment (failure to meet standards) for the 1997 ozone NAAQS and was re-designated to attainment (at or above standards) for the pollutant ozone in February 2007. Guidance indicated that conformity determinations were no longer required for any Ozone NAAQS since the 1997. Ozone NAAQS were revoked in April 2015. This resulted from the ruling decided by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in the South Coast Air Quality Mgmt. District v. EPA ruling. Under the recently defined rules, these areas, referred to as orphan areas rather than non-attainment or maintenance areas, necessitate new regional conformity determinations. Since the 1997 Ozone NAAQS have been revoked, a regional emissions analysis is not required for conformity determinations. As no regional emissions analysis is required in orphan areas, there is no requirement to use the latest emissions model, or use either the emissions budget test or interim emissions test. Therefore, transportation conformity can be demonstrated by an MPO for transportation plans and TIPs by showing that the remaining criteria have been met. These criteria generally apply to regional emissions analyses. In orphan areas, ensuring the latest planning assumptions are being used. Development of the 2040 included updating the land use assumptions derived from the estimates of current and future population, employment, travel, and congestion. All forecasts utilized the best available planning assumptions concerning development and socio-economic forecasts to the year 2040. An Interagency Consultation Group (ICG) reviews the draft copy of this document concurrent with the 15-day public comment period to ensure all requirements of the conformity determination have been met. The MTP must also include a financial plan that demonstrates how the adopted plan can be implemented. The financial plan compares the estimates of funds that are reasonably expected to be available for transportation uses, including transit, and the cost of constructing, maintaining, and operating the total (existing, plus planned) transportation system over the period of the plan.
