ACRP Report 84: Guidebook for Preparing Airport Emissions Inventories for State Implementation Plans
Abstract
ACRP Report 84 is a Guidebook with an accompanying interactive tool designed for airport operators and air quality regulators as they prepare the airport emissions inventory component of a state implementation plan (SIP). In particular, this Guidebook includes an assessment of the current state of the practice combined with suggestions on how to improve airport emissions inventories, emphasizing key data inputs for aircraft, auxiliary power units, and ground support equipment. Consideration is also given to application of future year forecasts of airport operational levels. The research that led to this Guidebook focused on civilian airports, both commercial service and general aviation (GA). The Guidebook offers three approaches (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced) for preparation of an airport emissions inventory. The approaches become progressively more complex from Basic to Advanced, requiring increasingly detailed input data and, in turn, generating greater airport specificity and accuracy. The choice of a particular approach is up to the user as a function of the level of response appropriate to a specific airport, the demands of the facility and the surrounding community, and data availability. For nonhub and GA airports, the accompanying CRP-CD-131 provides an Airport Emissions Estimator Tool that applies to the Basic Approach. In addition, the CD includes the appendixes that accompany this report as well as other project-specific material. Regulatory agencies, airports, and their consultants will find this Guidebook especially helpful for complying with the Federal Clean Air Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and other regulations that require documenting air emissions at airports. To meet that objective, the Guidebook provides clear and concise descriptions and procedures on how to compute airport-related emissions for SIPs, ensuring that these emissions are accounted for properly.