Bill Text: MI HB4256 | 2017-2018 | 99th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Environmental protection; air pollution; air quality index reporting and forecasting program; revise standards, and restrict emissions during thermal inversions. Amends 1994 PA 451 (MCL 324.101 - 324.90106) by adding sec. 5543.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-02-22 - Bill Electronically Reproduced 02/21/2017 [HB4256 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2017-HB4256-Introduced.html
HOUSE BILL No. 4256
February 21, 2017, Introduced by Reps. Chang, Hammoud, Rabhi, Pagan, Hoadley, Phelps, Yanez, Green, Gay-Dagnogo, Inman and Geiss and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources.
A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled
"Natural resources and environmental protection act,"
(MCL 324.101 to 324.90106) by adding section 5543.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 5543. (1) As used in this section:
(a) "AQI" means the air quality index required to be reported
under 40 CFR 58.50.
(b) "PM 2.5" means particles with an aerodynamic diameter of
less than or equal to a nominal 2.5 micrometers.
(c) "Thermal inversion" means a weather condition in which a
layer of warm air overlies a layer of cooler air near the ground
and acts like a lid, limiting vertical mixing and thereby trapping
pollutants near the ground.
(2) The department shall make forecasts of the AQI and
publicize the forecasts on its website and through other means. The
forecasts must be made at least 24 hours in advance using the most
accurate and reasonable procedures considering meteorology,
topography, availability of data, and forecasting expertise.
(3) The department shall do both of the following:
(a) Declare 1 or more action days for a geographic area of
this state when, as determined by the department's AQI reporting
and forecasting program, the department expects in that geographic
area an air quality index or a PM 2.5 subindex in the moderate
category, or worse.
(b) Designate an action day as a "winter thermal inversion
action day" if the action day is the result of a thermal inversion
anytime during the period of November through March.
(4) Within 180 days after the effective date of the amendatory
act that added this section, the department shall review its AQI
reporting and forecasting program and, if indicated by the review,
do 1 or more of the following:
(a) Revise the ozone or PM 2.5 standards to account for
thermal inversions when declaring action days.
(b) Revise voluntary pollution prevention measures requested
on action days or when action days are forecast.
(c) Further restrict industry emissions of PM 2.5 or industry
emissions contributing to ozone when the department forecasts a
thermal inversion.
(5) The director of the department shall convene a workgroup
to study thermal inversions and recommend any actions that should
be taken by this state to improve air quality and protect public
health during thermal inversions. The workgroup shall include 1 or
more public health experts, air quality experts, representatives of
environmental protection organizations, and residents of geographic
areas of this state with higher levels of air pollution. Within 1
year after the effective date of the amendatory act that added this
section, the workgroup shall submit a report on its findings and
recommendations to the director of the department and to the
standing committees of the senate and house of representatives with
primary responsibility for environmental and public health issues.
The workgroup is dissolved 90 days after the report is due.
Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days
after the date it is enacted into law.
