The Maine Air Toxics Initiative

• Phase I
• Phase II
• Final Recommendations and Maine Air Toxics Strategy

In 2003, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection undertook the Maine Air Toxics Initiative (MATI) . MATI was a facilitated stakeholder process aimed at verifying whether or not federal risk assessment results seemed reasonable, and if so, the identification of which air toxics are the most responsible for creating health risks, and the creation of cost effective solutions to reduce the risk. This holistic assessment of air toxics risks, funded from an EPA Healthy Communities Grant, was to enable Maine to target available resources for maximum risk reduction. The ultimate goal of this project was to reduce exposure to acceptable levels of air toxics for all Maine citizens .

Phase I of the MATI process involved the creation of the Air Toxics Advisory Committee (ATAC), composed of community organizations, government organizations (local, state and federal), industrial organizations and environmental organizations having an interest in air toxics. The ATAC's first project was the development of the Air Toxics Priority List for Maine. The priority list is based on the ATAC's evaluation of existing data from ambient air monitoring programs, emissions inventories, chemical toxicity databases, and national air modeling.

Maine Air Toxics Priority List - Final (July 2007)
Rank	Pollutant or Pollutant Category	Rank	Pollutant or Pollutant Category
1	Polycyclic Organic Matter	15	Acetaldehyde
2	Naphthalene	16	Lead Compounds
3	Acrolein	17	Cadmium Compounds
4	Formaldehyde	18	Chloroform
5	Benzene	19	Manganese Compounds
6	Chromium Compounds	20	Tetrachloroethylene (Perchloroethylene)
7	Cobalt Compounds	21	Methyl Bromide
8	1,3-Butadiene	22	Carbon Tetrachloride
9	Sulfuric Acid	23	Dioxins and Furans
10	Diesel Particulate Matter	24	Hydrogen Sulfide
11	Nickel Compounds	25	Ethylene Dichloride (1,2-Dichloroethane)
12	Arsenic Compounds	26	Ethylene Dibromide (Dibromethane)
13	Particulate Matter from Nanotechnology	27	Mercury Compounds
14	Brominated Flame Retardants

• Consensus Report of the Maine Air Toxics Advisory Committee, regarding the Maine Air Toxics Priority List and Next Steps in the MATI Process, as agreed to at the November, 2005 meeting, with revision on February, 2006 (PDF)

For Phase II of the MATI, the ATAC appointed subcommittees to develop appropriate early actions and identify a long-term, targeted strategy with clear implementation goals and timeframes to reduce air toxics to acceptable levels. These strategies could include economic incentives; targeted, pollution prevention programs; voluntary programs; enhancement of existing regulatory programs; or no action at all. The three subcommittees were formed by the ATAC:

• Science Assessment Subcommittee (SAS): This subcommittee was charged with evaluating and verifing the scientific data used in MATI to develop the Air Toxics Priority List; locate regions of the state where air toxics are of particular concern; and evaluate the assumptions that underly air toxics reduction options.
  • Science Advisory Subcommittee Report to the ATAC: Verification Projects for Phase II of the MATI Project with Recommended Follow-up Actions (PDF)
  • Narrative of the derivation of revised toxicity factors used to weight the revised 2005 air toxics emissions inventory (DOC)
    
• Stationary Sources Subcommittee (S3): This subcommittee explored short- and long-term reduction strategies for pollutants on the Air Toxics Priority List, focusing on ways to reduce the most risk for the least cost.
  • Stationary Source subcommittee Report to the Air Toxics Advisory Committee: Recommendations for Air Toxics Reductions from Stationary Sources (PDF)
  • Additional SAS and S3 Recommendations to the ATAC (PDF)
  • 2006 MATI Status Report to the Maine Legislature with a focus on air toxics and emissions from municipal waste to energy facilities (PDF)
    
• Mobile Sources Subcommittee (MoSS): Similar to the S3 subcommittee, MoSS explored cost-effective air toxic reduction strategies, but for mobile sources.
  • Mobile Sources Subcommittee Report to the ATAC: Recommendations for air Toxics Reductions from Mobile Sources (PDF)
  • Appendices: Mobile Sources Subcommittee Report to the ATAC (PDF)

On June 26, 2007, the Air Toxics Advisory Committee met and reached agreement on recommended strategies to reduce air toxic emissions in Maine. The Department applied the ATAC recommendations to develop the Maine Air Toxics Strategy. The strategy maps out concrete goals, steps, resource allocations and timelines to achieve air toxics reductions. The plan includes provisions for continued gathering, analysis and communication of air toxics data.

• Final ATAC Recommendations (PDF)
• Maine Air Toxics Strategy (PDF)