Alternative Energy Draft EA - NASA Visitor Center at Wallops Flight ...

Affected Environment
Shoreline Sanitation. Administered by the Virginia Department of Health, this program
regulates the installation of septic tanks to protect public health and the environment.
Air Pollution Control. Administered by VDEQ, this program implements the Federal
Clean Air Act (CAA) through a legally enforceable State Implementation Plan.
Coastal Lands Management. Administered by the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance
Department, the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act guides land development in coastal
areas to protect the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
Because WFF is within Virginia’s CMA, its activities are subject to the Federal Consistency
requirement.
3.1.3 Air Quality
The CAA (P.L. 108-201, 42 U.S.C. 85 et seq.), as amended, requires EPA to set National
Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for pollutants considered harmful to public health and
the environment. The CAA established two types of NAAQS: primary and secondary standards.
Primary standards set limits to protect public health, including the health of sensitive populations
such as asthmatics, children, and the elderly. Secondary standards protect public welfare,
including protection against decreased visibility and damage to animals, crops, vegetation, and
buildings.
The EPA has set NAAQS for six principal pollutants that are called criteria pollutants. They are:
carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOX), ozone (O3) for which volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) and NOX are the main precursors, lead (Pb), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and
particulate matter (PM). EPA divides PM into two categories: inhalable coarse particles (i.e., PM
less than 10 micrometers [PM10] but larger than 2.5 micrometers) and fine particles (i.e., PM less
than or equal to 2.5 micrometer [PM2.5]). Although States have the authority to adopt stricter
standards, the Commonwealth of Virginia has accepted the Federal standards and has incorporated
them by reference in 9 VAC 5-30 (VDEQ, 2008c; see Table 7).
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