Welcome to the Emission Inventory (EI)/Tribal
Emission Inventory Software Solution (TEISS)
Training Curriculum: Course 1-EI Fundamentals
Module 3 - Emissions Inventory Overview, Part II
If you are not clear about the information in this section or are not sure why it is important, we recommend
that you take an introductory EI course. The EPA's Air Pollution Training Institute (APTI) provides a free
“Introduction to EI” web course that can be accessed at
http://www.epa.gov/air/oaqps/eog/course419a/index.html. The APTI web course can provide the
foundation of knowledge required for this training. The course number is SI-419A.
SLIDE 1: Discussion of Homework: Use the poll to respond to what level of EI they are going to begin
with. Instructor discusses answers and queries a few people as to why they are starting with that level.
Use Rene’s as a default example if people do not volunteer answers. What sources are on the
reservation that they are aware of? (For the pre-recorded webinar, discuss Bishop Paiute, and can we
ask Rene Curo permission to discuss hers, briefly?)
SLIDE 2: This module continues the brief overview on emission inventories (EIs). Learning objectives
for this session:
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Know how emission estimates are made.
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Know what types of data are collected for different source types.
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Know what to include in the written EI report.
SLIDE 3: EIs contain ESTIMATES of emission rates from each source for the chosen list of pollutants.
Examples:
1,000 tons/year NOx from a
gas plant:
50 tons/day CO from onroad vehicles in Phoenix:
10 pounds/year mercury
from a small power plant:
Estimating emission rates for each source you choose to include in your inventory is the final goal of your
EI work. It is also very important to document the information you used to make your estimate and the
source of that information.
SLIDE 4: General discussion of how emissions can be estimated, using actual stack (e.g.)
measurements or different models. We don’t have to use these models (except for mobile, but we
recommend scaling down county-level estimates of mobile source emissions to a reservation-level
estimate using excel for mobile, so there is an option other than using mobile6 or whatever, and we have
not worked with that model or a tribe who has so between TEISS and excel we should be able to estimate
emissions)
SLIDE 5: How are emissions estimated?
Usually, Emission Factors are multiplied by Activity data (throughput) to get Emissions.
What are Emission Factors? Emission factors are conversion factors provided by EPA (AP-42) or other
sources to quantify emissions. For example, lbs of mercury per ton of coal burned in a boiler.
What are Activity data? Activity data must consist of process data. For example, tons of coal burned for
a small power plant or hours of operation for a tractor. This value is also called the throughput.
Multiplying the Emission Factor by the Activity gives the Emission rate for a single pollutant. For example,
10 pounds per year mercury from a small power plant.
Sometimes, emissions are directly measured and do not need to be calculated with the Emission Factors
and Activity. An example of this is a facility that has air monitoring equipment that can be used to
estimate annual emissions from their stacks.
SLIDE 6: Emission Equation
Basic estimating equation:
E = EF x A
E = Emission Rate
EF = Emission Factor
A = Activity
Example: Wood Burning stoves
EF = 34.6 pounds PM10 emitted per ton of wood burned
A = 1,000 tons of wood burned in woodstoves every year
E = 34,600 pounds PM10 emitted from woodstoves every year.
If you were estimating emissions with TEISS for a source, you collect and enter the Activity, aka
throughput, into the TEISS calculator. TEISS has the Emission Factors built into the calculators. After
entering the Activity data into the TEISS calculator and clicking on the Calculate button, TEISS estimates
the Emission Rate.
SLIDE 7: Where do activity data come from?
Process activity data:
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Directly from the source—e.g., after figuring out what info you need, call the gas station and just
ask them for about how many gallons of gas they sell
Permits-permit applications may be available online at the regional EPA website
Monitoring data, from EPA or the source
Questionnaires/Surveys-we have example letters that you could take to the source and ask them
to complete, or you could work with them over the phone to gather the information, using the
survey
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SLIDE 8: Explains the structure of the next slides. Each source type has Data Collection slides,
information you collect about the source in real world terms, and TEISS Data Entry slides, how the data
collected fits into the TEISS structure.
SLIDES 9 and 10: POINT SOURCE DATA COLLECTION; What kind of data are collected
and reported for point sources?
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Location data, including the site name, physical address (not the corporate address or a PO Box),
and latitude/longitude coordinates of the physical location of the facility.
Stack parameter data if emissions are coming from a stack (if the facility is permitted, the stack
parameter data should be available on the permit).
o Height
o Diameter
o Flowrate
o Exit gas temperature
Process-level information could include
o Flow diagram
o Materials being consumed (type and amount)
o Boiler throughput
o Operating schedules
o Control devices/efficiencies
See the Emission Inventory System (EIS) training website for details on what data are submitted to the
NEI database.
SLIDE 11 refer people to this handout on the server: What point source DATA are housed in
TEISS?
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Facility data, including facility name and latitude/longitude coordinates of the physical location
Release Point data (vertical and fugitive are the two that are most commonly used. The other
options are horizontal, goose neck, vertical with rain cap, and downward-facing vent. The only
example I can think of for using these other options would be a vent. If you choose any other
option in TEISS than fugitive, you are required to fill in stack parameters, such as height,
diameter, exit gas temperature, etc.)
Emission Unit data (physical objects, such as a boiler, tank, machine, etc. )
Emission Process data (the event that occurs to produce the emissions. Yes, you select the SCC
based on the process. In TEISS, you then select the calculator at the reporting period level
based on the process.)
Control Equipment data, this can be at the Emission Unit or Emission Process level, but not both
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Reporting Period data (time frame of emissions, usually annual, other options include seasonal,
monthly, ozone season, summer day, and episodic)
Emissions data
Each of these have a specific location and data entry screen in TEISS.
SLIDE 12: nonpoint sources DATA COLLECTION
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Type of process, examples:
o Gasoline storage tank refilling
o Unpaved roads
“Activity data” needed to calculate emissions, can be more than just a throughput value (as
shown in the examples). If calculating emissions with TEISS, activity data are entered into the
TEISS calculators to estimate emissions. Examples:
o Type of refilling process (splash or submerged)
o Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT), vehicle weight, speed, road silt content, etc.
Pollution-management practices or control measures, example:
o Dust abatement with water or petro-based chemical
SLIDE 13: nonpoint data are housed in TEISS?
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Location
o Your reservation if you enter data for on-reservation sources
o A county if you import county-level data from the NEI database (explain the scalingdown-in-excel option from county to reservation areas)
Emission Process data
Control Equipment data
Reporting Period data (time frame of emissions, usually annual, and from whence the calculator
needs to be launched, just start repeating that into their ears)
Emissions data
SLIDE 14: mobile sources DATA COLLECTION:
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On-Road Mobile sources
o Road types, such as rural major collector
o Vehicle types & use, such as heavy duty gasoline exhaust
o Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT)
Off-Road Mobile sources
o Engine types, such as 2-stroke gasoline residential lawnmower
o Horsepower rating
o Hours of use
Model used to estimate emissions. Most On-Road and Off-Road emissions are estimated with a
model. For example, EPA MOVES model for On-Road emissions and EPA NONROAD model
for Off-Road emissions.
SLIDE 15: What mobile source data are housed in TEISS?
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Location
o Your reservation if you enter data for on-reservation sources
o A county if you import county-level data from the NEI database
Process data. Use the SCC code, which is necessary to format the files needed to go into NEI,
and for their own records, but they would not calculate any emissions with TEISS but would use
the county-scaled-down-proportionally-using-excel method, and enter these reservation-only
emissions in TEISS so the NEI-formatted file can be generated, and they can use the charting
function
Reporting Period data (time frame of emissions, usually annual)
Emissions data (you enter based on road length, type, as a proportion of similar roads in the
county as a whole or from EPA model calculations)
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SLIDE 16: Fire Source DATA COLLECTION: What kind of data are collected and reported for fires?
Fires are a special case because they cover a large are, like a nonpoint source, but in a defined location
like a point source. Data elements of fires include:
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Dates of the fire
Latitude/Longitude coordinates
Fire type, for example, wildfire or prescribed burn
Number of acres burned
In the new EPA format and TEISS, fires are reported as events. Exceptions: agricultural fires and
structure fires are still reported as nonpoint sources.
EPA will only be accepting input corrections for Event fires for 2014 and beyond. They are working
towards mapping wild and prescribe fires to Indian country. This will allow the Tribes to review and
correct the inputs prior to being included in EIS. It could end up that fire data is simply imported from EIS
after inputs have been reviewed instead of entry of data fields into TEISS.
SLIDE 17: What fire source data are housed in TEISS?
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Event identification data
Reporting Period data (time frame of the fire)
Location
o Your reservation if you enter data for on-reservation fires
o A county if you import county-level data from the NEI database
Geographic Coordinates data
Emissions Process data (wildfire or prescribed burn)
Emissions data (EPA calculates wildfire emissions for tribes and you can find them online.
Emissions can also be calculated with TEISS, but it is much easier to download emissions from
EPA.)
SLIDES 18 and 19: What should be included in the completed emission inventory report?
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A description of the geographic area covered, with a map of the reservation,
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The time interval represented (for example, annual, seasonal, or hourly),
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Background information about the need for an inventory,
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A tabular summary of emission estimates by source category, and if possible, graphs of the data,
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A complete narrative of each source category describing how the data were collected, the
sources, and the emission estimation methods and calculations. Also, copies of any
questionnaires and the results, and the documentation of assumptions and references should be
included.
ITEP has several examples of Tribal EIs in our Tribal Documents Library, which can be accessed through
our Resource Information Center (RIC). To find the EI documents, search RIC for Tribal Documents, then
select Emission Inventories. RIC will instruct you to email an ITEP employee to get the documents you
are interested in.
SLIDE 20 HOMEWORK: The Bishop Paiute Tribe recently completed an EI and posted it to their
website at:
http://www.bishoptribeemo.com/Library/Inventories%20and%20Plans/SOURCE%20AND%20EMISSION
S%20final%202012.pdf. Please read this EI to get a sense of what is included in an EI. Then answer the
questions in the Homework_EIOverviewPart2 document and email your answer to the instructors.