American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), Washington, D.C., USA, President and CEO Donna Harman issued the

following statement regarding Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance to modernize ambient air policy under the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) program. EPA released a draft memo with the updated guidelines for receptor placement on Nov. 9, 2018.

"Applying decades-old ambient air policy under the NAAQS implementation program, represents an unrealistic ‘once-size-fits-all’ modeling approach. Paper and wood products manufacturers welcome EPA’s recognition that times and technology have changed by taking action to modernize ambient air policy.

"By clarifying where the public is truly exposed, EPA eliminates many hypothetical modeling scenarios that can bog down projects unnecessarily. For example, assessments have been done for areas inside property boundaries where the public does not have legal access. Using receptor locations where the general public has legitimate and realistic access makes scientific and common sense. This action takes a long-overdue first step toward ensuring real-world air quality modeling is used to determine any air quality impacts from a project."