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Regional Differences on Sources for Ozone and Particle Pollution
Region 2: New Jersey, New York and Puerto Rico
Local Sources of VOCs
In Region 2, more than one-third of human-created VOCs come from solvent use, compared with the nation as a whole, where only 27 percent come from those sources. The region’s vehicles, both highway and off-road, generate about the same portion of VOCs in these states as they do in the nation (28% and 15% respectively in the region, versus 29% and 18% nationally). Industrial sources, including chemical, metals, petroleum and other industries, comprise 6 percent, which is comparable to the national rate of 7 percent. In 1999, Region 2 produced 1.149 million tons of VOCs.
Local Sources of NOx
Highway vehicles represent a much higher portion of NOx emissions in Region 2 (40%) than the nation as a whole (33%). The portion from off-highway vehicles is slightly lower in the Region, at 20 percent, than the national percentage (22%). Significantly, emissions from electric utilities are much lower, at 15 percent, than nationally (23%). Industrial fuel combustion is also much lower, at 7 percent than the national percentage (12%), but combustion from other sources is significantly higher (14% versus 5%), so the percentage of total fuel combustion from all three sources (electric utilities, industrial and others) is slightly less in the region (36%) than the national rate (40%). In 1999, Region 2 produced 1.305 million tons of NOx.
Local sources of Particle Pollution (PM 2.5)
In New Jersey, New York and Puerto Rico, other fuel combustion was the largest source of particle pollution (33%), stemming from residential woodstoves and fireplaces, including other processes burning wood in esidential, commercial and institutional settings. This category exceeds the national average for particle pollution by other fuel combustion by 21 percent. Fourteen percent of particle pollution emissions in Region 2 can be attributed to waste disposal and recycling; other major sources include industrial fuel combustion (13%) and other industrial processes (10%). Region 2 produced 211,026 short tons of particle pollution counted in the 1999 inventory.
Trends
Ozone emissions in Region 2 declined by 11 percent from 1983 to 2002, a rate slightly slower than the nation as a whole, which dropped 14 percent in the same period. Greater progress was seen between 1991 and 2000, when the regional ozone level declined by 17.3 percent. Comparable trend data are not available for PM2.5 levels.
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