Air Quality in Minnesota: Biennial report to the Legislature
Every two years, the MPCA reports to the state Legislature on the status of toxic air contaminants and analyzes the MPCA’s strategies to reduce air pollutants. The agency uses this report as an opportunity to present the most pressing outdoor air quality issues facing Minnesota and to explore the opportunities available for emission reductions.
Legislative charge: Minn. Stat. 115D.15 and 116.925.
2013
Air Quality in Minnesota: 2013 Report to the Legislature
Air Quality in Minnesota - 2013 Report to the Legislature (lraq-1sy13)
Overall air quality in Minnesota has improved over the past 20 years, but current levels of air pollution are still of concern.
Why is air quality important?
Minnesota has a good record of complying with federal air quality standards; nearly all areas of the state have met standards since 2002. It is important for the health of Minnesotans and the economy of Minnesota to continue to meet these standards.
Minnesota's air quality is improving despite increases in population and economic activity.
Exceeding a federal ambient air standard would require Minnesota to adopt strict and expensive new air quality regulations to reduce air pollution levels. If PM2.5 and ozone are reduced, we could expect to save more than $2 billion in healthcare costs.
Key points
- Although urban air quality is generally good, levels of fine particles and other pollutants are elevated in the Twin Cities metropolitan area and other Minnesota cities, compared to most of Greater Minnesota.
- Researchers continue to find serious health effects at ever lower levels of air pollution.
- As more stringent standards are adopted, Minnesota becomes more likely to not meet the revised thresholds. Taking actions to ensure Minnesota meets the standards may be especially challenging because poor air quality days occur for complex reasons, including forces such as weather patterns, pollutant mixing, and pollution coming in from other states.
- Past work to improve air quality has focused on large individual sources of pollution. Continuing to meet new standards and protecting human health will require looking at individually small, but collectively important sources.
Challenges and action areas
Point sources are becoming a smaller part of the air quality problems in Minnesota
Non-point sources are becoming more important. Point sources that are traditionally regulated (factories, power plants) are becoming a smaller part of Minnesota’s air concerns.
The majority of the air pollutants of most concern today come from smaller widespread sources that are not regulated in the way power plants and factories are. These non-point sources include cars, trucks, construction equipment, residential wood burning, and residential garbage burning. The current regulatory structure will not help much with pollution from these sources.
In addition to its ongoing efforts involving point sources, the MPCA is focusing on strategies to reduce emissions or human exposure from several nonpoint sources:
- Residential wood burning
- Residential garbage burning
- Stationary diesel generators
- Mobile sources, both on-road vehicles and off-road vehicles and equipment
- Mercury emissions sources
Targeted efforts will help fulfill the agency’s strategic plan goals of improving ambient air and to address changing federal air regulations. Progress will require an increased need for partnerships and will be multi-pollutant.
Contact us
We welcome your input on this report. Comments and questions should be directed to Catherine Neuschler, 651-757-2607 or catherine.neuschler@state.mn.us
2011
Air Quality in Minnesota: 2011 Report to the Legislature
Air Quality in Minnesota - 2011 Report to the Legislature (lraq-1sy11)
Thanks to enforcement of the Clean Air Act by the state and federal governments as well as the actions of an increasingly engaged and informed citizenry, Minnesota’s air quality has consistently improved. However, in response to our increasing understanding of the serious health effects of air pollution at even low levels, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to finalize new, more stringent standards for all six pollutants that have National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
The 2011 legislative report focuses on the new standards for particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and lead. It discusses the potential ramifications for Minnesota of the new standards and the work that is being done to decrease emissions of these pollutants. These new standards – along with new reporting and permitting regulations for greenhouse gases and the need to reduce the risks posed by air toxics such as diesel particulate, formaldehyde, acrolein, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins/furans and mercury – will present a unique challenge for MPCA in coming years.
The MPCA will need to find ways to reduce air emissions from sources not traditionally regulated in order to reduce health risks and meet federal standards. This will be achieved by leveraging community outreach, voluntary programs and partnerships, as well as through traditional regulatory methods.
This report fulfills MPCA’s requirement to report to the Minnesota Legislature every two years on the status of toxic air contaminants and to analyze the MPCA’s strategies to reduce air pollutants. (Minn. Stat. §§ 115D.15 and 116.925) The report provides an update on MPCA programs and strategies introduced in the 2009 Air Quality Legislative Report.
We welcome your input on this report. Comments and questions should be directed to Kari Palmer, 651-757-2635 or kari.palmer@state.mn.us .
2009
Air Quality in Minnesota — Emerging Trends
2009 Report to the Legislature
- Air Quality in Minnesota - 2009 Report to the Legislature (lraq-1sy09)
- Appendix A: Mercury Emissions Associated with Electricity Production and Consumption in Minnesota, 2006-2007 (lraq-1sy09-appa)
- Appendix B: Air Toxics Emissions Information, 2005 (lraq-1sy09-appb)
This 2009 legislative report explores the trends in emissions and concentrations of air pollutants in Minnesota and highlights concerns such as climate change, emissions of non-stationary sources and cumulative potential effects of air toxics. In addition, it provides an update on MPCA programs and strategies introduced in the MPCA’s 2007 Air Quality Legislative Report.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is required to report to the Minnesota Legislature every two years on the status of toxic air contaminants and to analyze the MPCA’s strategies to reduce air pollutants (Minn. Stat. 115D.15 and 116.925). The MPCA uses this report as an opportunity to present the most pressing outdoor air quality issues facing Minnesota and to explore the opportunities available for emission reductions.
Minnesota and the MPCA have had success in decreasing the emissions and concentrations of many traditional air pollutants since the Clean Air Act was enacted in 1970. Emissions from large facilities have decreased dramatically, resulting in lower concentrations of many pollutants including fine particles, ozone and air toxics.
However, better understanding and management of the health and environmental effects of exposure to multiple pollutants and sources as well as newer challenges such as climate change is needed to further improve the impact of air pollution on Minnesotans’ quality of life.
We welcome your input on this report and its appendices. Comments and questions should be directed to Kari Palmer, 651-757-2635, e-mail: kari.palmer@state.mn.us.
2007
Air Quality in Minnesota: Challenges and Opportunities
2007 Report to the Legislature
This report to the 2007 Legislature focused on air quality and climate change issues relating to energy production and use in Minnesota. In addition, it provides an update on MPCA programs and strategies introduced in the MPCA’s 2005 Air Quality Legislative Report.
- Air Quality in Minnesota: Challenges and Opportunities (lraq-1sy07)
- Appendix A: Mercury Emissions Associated with Electricity Production and Consumption in Minnesota, 2004-2005 (lraq-1sy07-appa)
- Appendix B: Air Toxics Emissions Information (lraq-1sy07-appb)
MPCA’s air program has largely focused on controlling emissions of traditional air pollutants from facilities. As a result, Minnesota has met federal air standards and maintained relatively low levels of toxic air pollutants. However, as our population, economic activity and energy use have increased, so have emissions of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas whose build-up leads to climate change.
Through conservation, efficiency and the use of cleaner, renewable energy sources, not only can emissions of carbon dioxide be reduced, but further reductions of pollutants such as fine particles, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and toxic air contaminants can be achieved.
