Regional Haze – MDEQ

Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality

Regional Haze

EPA and other Agencies have been monitoring visibility in national parks and wilderness areas since 1988. In 1999, EPA announced a major effort to improve air quality in national parks and wilderness areas. The Regional Haze Rule calls for state agencies to work together with the EPA, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and other interested parties, to develop and implement air quality protection plans to reduce visibility-impairing emissions and improve visibility in 156 national parks and wilderness areas, referred to as Class I areas. Although Mississippi does not have a Class I area within our borders, Mississippi must develop and implement a long-term strategy, called a Regional Haze Plan, to monitor and reduce emissions from Mississippi sources that may impact Class I areas outside the State.

Mississippi also submitted an implementation plan containing emission limitations representing the Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) for each BART-eligible source that was reasonably anticipated to cause or contribute to impairment of visibility in a Class I area. Mississippi has submitted all required elements of the BART implementation plan.

Prehearing Regional Haze Plan Revision for Second Implementation Period and Progress Report

The following documents include a REVISED public notice of a 60-day comment period beginning June 19, 2023 and ending August 18, 2023, for the proposed comprehensive Regional Haze Plan Revision for the second implementation period (2019-2028) required by 40 CFR 51.308(f), including the appendices to the Plan Revision. Section 13 of the Plan Revision addresses the Progress Report required by 40 CFR 51.308(g). In lieu of an in-person public hearing, a virtual public hearing will be held on Wednesday, August 16, 2023 at 12:00 PM (Noon), Central Time. The hearing will be held online using Zoom. To register for the hearing, complete the online registration form.

* Note that some of the following appendices are large PDF files that may take a few minutes to load. If there is a file referenced that is not available online, please contact Carla Brown.

REVISED Public Notice of Hearing for Proposed Regional Haze Plan Revision Prehearing Regional Haze Plan Revision - Second Implementation Period Appendix A - Project Reports Appendix B - Emissions Preparation and Processing Appendix C - Monitoring, Meteorological, and Other Data Acquisition and Preparation Appendix D-1 - Area of Influence Analysis Southeastern VISTAS II Regional Haze Analysis Project – Revised Final – December 2, 2020 Appendix D-2 (Part 1) - AoI and HYSPLIT Graphics for VISTAS and Nearby Class I areas Appendix D-2 (Part 2) - AoI and HYSPLIT Graphics for VISTAS and Nearby Class I areas Appendix E-1a - Regional Haze Modeling for Southeastern VISTAS II Regional Haze Analysis Project – Final Modeling Protocol June 27, 2018 Appendix E-1b - Regional Haze Modeling for Southeastern VISTAS II Regional Haze Analysis Project Final Modeling Protocol Update and Addendum to the Approved Modeling Protocol for Task 6.1 (June 2018) August 31, 2020 Appendix E-2a - Regional Haze Modeling for Southwestern VISTAS II Regional Haze Analysis Project 2011el and 2028el CAMx Benchmarking Report Task 6 Benchmark Report #1 Covering Benchmark Runs #1 and #2 August 17, 2020 Appendix E-2b - Regional Haze Modeling for Southeastern VISTAS II Regional Haze Analysis Project 2011el CAMx Version 6.32 and 6.40 Comparison Report Task 6 Benchmark Report Number #2 Covering Benchmark Run #3 August 17, 2020 Appendix E-2c -Regional Haze Modeling for Southeastern VISTAS II Regional Haze Analysis Project 2011el CAMx Version 6.40 12km VISTAS and EPA 12km Continental Grid Comparison Report Benchmark Report Task 6 Benchmark Report #3 Covering Benchmark Run #5 August 17, 2020 Appendix E-2d - Regional Haze Modeling for Southeastern VISTAS II Regional Haze Analysis Project 2028 CAMx Version 6.32 and 6.40 Comparison Report Task 6 Benchmark Report #4 Covering Benchmark Run #4 August 17, 2020 Appendix E-2e -Regional Haze Modeling for Southeastern VISTAS II Regional Haze Analysis Project 2028elv3 CAMx Version 6.40 12km VISTAS and EPA 12km Continental Grid Comparison Report Task 6 Benchmark Report Number #5 Covering Benchmark Run #6 August 17, 2020 Appendix E-2f - Regional Haze Modeling for Southeastern VISTAS II Regional Haze Analysis Project 2028 Emissions Version V3 and V5 Comparison Report Benchmark Report Task 6 Benchmark Report #6 Covering Benchmark Run #7 September 22, 2020 Appendix E-3 - Model Performance Evaluation for Particulate Matter and Regional Haze of the CAMx 6.40 Modeling System and the VISTAS II 2011 Updated Modeling Platform for Task 8.0 October 29, 2020 Appendix E-4 - Deposition Model Performance Evaluation Southeaster VISTAS II Regional Haze Analysis Project (Task 8.1) August 17, 2020 Appendix E-5 - Model Performance Evaluation for Ozone of the CAMx 6.40 Modeling System and the VISTAS II 2011 Updated Modeling Platform (Task 8.0) August 17, 2020 Appendix E-6 - Future Year Model Projections Task 9a September 23, 2020 Appendix E-7a - Particulate Source Apportionment Technology Modeling Results Task 7 August 31, 2020 Appendix E-7a (Attachment A) - Excel Spreadsheet with PSAT Tag Results Appendix E-7b - Roadmap for PSAT Scaled Adjustments Appendix E-8 - SMAT 2028 Bulk- EPA 2019 Modeling with graphics Appendix F-1 - VISTAS State to VISTAS State Consultation Appendix F-2a - VISTAS Consultation with AR Office of Air Quality Appendix F-2b - VISTAS Consultation with IN Office of Air Quality Appendix F-2c - VISTAS Consultation with MO Air Pollution Control Program Appendix F-2d - VISTAS Consultation with OH Division of Air Pollution Control Appendix F-2e - VISTAS Consultation with PA Bureau of Air Quality Appendix F-2f - MDE Consultation with VERSO Corporation - Luke Mill Appendix F-3 (Part 1) - EPA/FLM/Stakeholder Outreach and Presentations: F-3a - F-3h Appendix F-3 (Part 2) - EPA/FLM/Stakeholder Outreach and Presentations: F-3i - F-3o Appendix G - Hearing Report, Comments Received, and Responses Appendix H - Chevron Pascagoula Refinery SO2 Data

Regional Haze Plans and Progress Reports

MS Regional Haze Plan approved June 27, 2012 MS Regional Haze Plan Update approved June 27, 2012 MS Regional Haze Progress Report approved October 6, 2021 MS BART EGU SIP Revision approved October 6, 2021

Additional Information

EPA's Visibility and Regional Haze Website

Visibility Improvement State and Tribal Association of the Southeast (VISTAS)

For additional information on Mississippi’s Regional Haze Program, contact Carla Brown or Matt Carpenter.

Regional Haze

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