Regional Tech Operations Work Group

Overview

Over time, regional, federal, state, and local efforts have built a strong foundation that enables the WRAP Regional Technical Center to operate effectively—delivering credible, up-to-date, consistent, and accessible technical information, as outlined in the WRAP Strategic Plan and informed by WRAP member input.

The WRAP Regional Technical Center selected by the RTOWG for regional monitoring, emissions, and modeling data and analysis activities is the Air Data Management System (ADMS). The ADMS provides a flexible IT framework that helps users store, manage, view, analyze, and share air quality data. The system supports analysts, modelers, planners, and policy-makers with a set of connected tools built on a shared technical framework and also provides a foundation for developers to create similar online air quality applications. The RTOWG supports the ADMS by coordinating workgroup projects for storage and distribution via the ADMS, and by helping to design and test user-friendly ways to access essential air quality data.

The focus of the Regional Technical Operations Work Group in the context of the Regional Technical Center includes:

Regional analysis in support of planning activities related to emissions and modeling for Class I area visibility and regional haze, as well as ozone, PM, and other indicators across the region.
Background and regional transport, international transport, sensitivity and other analyses of emissions data focused on the western U.S. sources.
Perform and leverage modeling, data analysis, and contribution assessment studies.
Investigation of “background ozone” impacts to western U.S. locations.
Coordination and collaboration with the WRAP member-sponsored regional air quality modeling center (ADMS), and leveraging work by groups including NW-AIRQUEST,EPA-OAQPS, and other state and local agencies performing regional modeling; and
Close coordination with other WRAP Work Groups.

The RTOWG also has an important role to coordinate regional communication and knowledge-sharing among WESTAR-WRAP members. The RTOWG will address the members’ programs and implementing their data collection efforts. The RTOWG will provide oversight and coordinate efforts with projects and activities for WESTAR-WRAP and with other groups regionally and nationally, related to emissions and air quality modeling.

The WRAP Regional Technical Center is overseen by WRAP/WESTAR staff and provides data support and decision support for regional inputs to air quality planning in the WRAP region and is comprised of two interrelated components.

Data housed at the Colorado State University’s Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CSU-CIRA) managed through a cooperative agreement with WESTAR. These data are stored, accessed, and analyzed via the CSU-CIRA Air Data Management System (ADMS).
Websites designed, implemented, and maintained by CSU-CIRA deliver data, analysis results, and decision support for air quality planning activities. Those currently include the Technical Support System and the Federal Land Manager Environmental Database (FED). These websites also provide access to data required to support regional air quality modeling including meteorological, emission inventories, air quality modeling platforms, and monitoring data, and the websites collectively support a variety of western air quality modeling activities.

Duties & Products

These RTOWG Workplan Scope activities are intended to provide a structure and sequence for building and using a regional modeling platform, when needed. As of April 2025, no regional modeling needs have been identified.

Once the WESTAR-WRAP membership determines that a regional modeling platform is needed, the RTOWG would take the lead in tracking related tasks and activities, coordinating closely within WESTAR-WRAP under the guidance of the Technical Steering Committee (TSC).

Operations & Reporting

The Co-Chairs will provide a summary report to the TSC at each TSC/WGCo-Chairs meeting, about the status of activities, findings, and work products for the topics described above. The Co-Chairs, with support from WESTAR-WRAP staff, will maintain an active open membership composed of interested state, tribal, local, and federal air agency and land manager experts, and publish the RTOWG membership list and track participation on the Regional Technical Operations Work Group web page. No formal detailed workplan is required but welcome. The RTOWG will have regular virtual or in-person meetings, initially on a quarterly basis to manage activities and provide oversight to projects. Subcommittees or Teams to be defined by the RTOWG will execute, track, and provide oversight for both in-kind and/or contractor-supported RTOWG projects, including the IWDW-WAQS systems, and will meet at self-defined separate intervals. The task-oriented topics and responsibilities for a Subcommittee or Team will be a subset of the bulleted topics above from the Responsibilities and Deliverables section. The leads for Teams and Subcommittees will meet monthly with the RTOWG Co-Chairs to note progress. The topics above will need additional clarification and definition in the process of defining a Subcommittee’s or a Team’s scope, assignments, and intended deliverables in writing. Any Teams and Subcommittees will report regularly to the RTOWG. The RTOWG Co-Chairs will plan and direct the regular calls and meetings, and with assistance from WESTAR-WRAP staff, take the lead in communications and other necessary TSC and Board interaction.

Active Projects

Work Products & Materials

Procedures for Making Visibility Projections and Adjusting Glidepaths using the WRAP-WAQS 2014 Modeling Platform (March 1, 2021, final draft)

November 2020 Modeling Scenarios summary table update (PDF) (final)

WRAP/WAQS2014/2028 Regional Haze Modeling Run Specification Sheets (October 2020 update, final)

Sources of emissions sector data for the WRAP RepBase2 and 2028OTBa2 modeling scenarios (September 2020, final)

Work Group Meetings

April 28, 2025 RTOWG Meeting

Meeting Notes | Recording

Presentation on PM2.5 Source Apportionment Modeling for NAAQS Implementation – Greg Stella, Alpine Geophysics

June 1, 2022 RTOWG Meeting

Air Quality Modeling for 2015 Ozone NAAQS Transport, Norm Possiel, EPA OAQPS

Recording

February 16, 2022 RTOWG Meeting

VOC and ozone measurements in Tucson, AZ, Richard Pepel and Eric Betterton, U. Arizona
MEGAN3 emission factors, stress responses, and urban emissions, Alex Guenther, UC-Irvine
Description and preliminary evaluation of BELD 6 and BEIS 4, Jesse Bash, EPA
OAQPS’ plan for using BELD6/BEIS4 in the 2020NEI, Jeff Vukovich, EPA

Recording

December 14, 2021 RTOWG and IWDW-WAQS Technical Committee Meeting

Meeting materials

Recording

November 2, 2021 RTOWG Meeting

(Scope and List final versions after WG review during Nov.)

Nov. 29, 2021 final RTOWG Workplan Scope

Nov. 29, 2021 RTOWG Membership List

March 2, 2021 RTOWG Meeting

Meeting Notes | Recording

2028 Projections – 3 options for selecting a 2028 RPG
End-of-Glidepath adjustment options
2002-RepBase2-2028OTBa2 Dynamic Evaluation and Modeling Glidepath of U.S. Anthropogenic reductions

RTOWG Meetings and Materials 2018 through 2020

December 16, 2020 (Meeting Notes)

Presentations:

Columbia University GEOS-Chem results for haze on IWDW – western U.S. focus – Arlene Fiore
Verification effort for IWDW and 2014v2 results – Marco Rodriguez, Ramboll
Updated projections write-up overview – Ralph Morris, Ramboll

Discuss schedule for delivery of results for RepBase2 and 2028OTBa2, emissions/modeling results, updated and new projections loaded on TSS, URP Adjustments – Tom

July 15, 2020 (Recording)

Ramboll presentation topics:

April 29, 2020

Ramboll modeling progress report – Ralph Morris
Summary comparing 2028 Regional Haze projections using WRAP modeling results to date to EPA 2016-based results – Gail
Overview of projections methods – Pat Brewer and Tom Moore
Review draft of May 19-20 WebEx/call agenda on TSS-delivered Regional Haze monitoring/emissions/PAC1 vs. OTB projections results – Tom

March 31, 2020 (Meeting Notes)

Ramboll presentation (PDF)

2028OTBb (future year ‘on the books’ with 2014v2 fires) results applied to calculate reasonable progress goals
Weighted Emissions Potential / Area of Influence (WEP / AOI) results and delivery via browser
Review spec sheet for 2028OTBb PSAT and APCA – source categories and regions

March 12, 2020 National Oil & Gas Emissions Committee call – presentation by Brian Timin: EPA 2028 Regional Haze Modeling – Modeled Oil & Gas Impacts

March 12, 2020 (Meeting Notes)

Agenda

Model performance evaluation of CAMx 2014v2 presentation – Ralph Morris (Ramboll) (PDF)
“2014v2 to representative baseline” emissions changes by sector by state, including showing the grid cell state definitions, and EGU unit level “2014v2 to representative baseline” emissions changes in the WRAP region specifically – presentation and spreadsheet review – Tejas Shah (Ramboll) (PPT)
Review spec sheet for upcoming: representative baseline source apportionment run – Ralph Morris (Ramboll) (DOC)