Agency Strategies

Agricultural Best Management Practices

• Current Activities

The Arizona Agricultural Best Management Practices Committee was established in 1998 by Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S) § 49-457 to research and adopt best management practices (BMPs) for agricultural operations that generate dust. The BMPs are designed to reduce emissions of particulate matter of 10 microns or smaller (PM₁₀) in the Maricopa County Serious PM₁₀ nonattainment area. Periodically the Committee reexamines the BMPs to review effectiveness, modifies them if necessary, or adopts new measures.

Beginning in 2006, the Committee reconvened the Technical Workgroup to review the current use of BMPs in Maricopa County. The Workgroup also reviewed other state agricultural programs and additional agricultural practices to make recommendations for changes to the current BMP program. In the fall of 2007, the Committee adopted five additional BMPs and revised the number of BMPs required per agricultural category from one to two BMPs required per category.

The Arizona Legislature revised A.R.S. § 49-457 in Section 14 of Senate Bill 1552, first regular session 2007. The Statute was revised to require two BMPs to be implemented per agricultural management category beginning December 31, 2007, and revised the definition of the regulated area for BMPs as the Maricopa County portion of Area A. With assistance from ADEQ, the Committee drafted and voted on an interim rule to account for the additional BMPs and legislative actions. The Committee submitted the rule to Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) for inclusion in the Five Percent Plan for PM₁₀ for the Maricopa County Nonattainment Area. The AgBMP State Implementation Plan will be revised to account for rule changes and the updated BMP Guidebook.

For detailed BMP information, please view the Guide to Agricultural PM₁₀ Best Management Practices - Agriculture Improving Air Quality. This document includes an overview of the agricultural PM₁₀ best management practices program, descriptions of the best management practices, suggestions for implementation and a sample record form (sample agricultural BMP general permit record) that commercial farmers can use to document compliance.

• Contacts

See Also:

• Arizona Department of Agriculture: Agricultural Consultation and Training Program offers a compliance assistance program for commercial farmers to ensure compliance with laws and rules that address air quality standards within the Maricopa County PM₁₀ nonattainment area.

Clean Burning Fireplaces

Maricopa County has implemented a Residential Woodburning Restriction Ordinance prohibiting residential woodburning in a non-approved device on days forecasted to be high pollution days in Area A (Phoenix Metropolitan Area). Additionally, Maricopa County Rule 318 - Approval Of Residential Woodburning Devices describes the standards for approved residential woodburning devices.

Clean Burning Gasoline

Arizona Cleaner Burning Gasoline (CBG) was introduced to the Valley in July 1997. When the Federal Environmental Protection Agency classified the Phoenix Metropolitan area as "serious non-attainment" with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for both Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Ozone (O3), Arizona was required to respond with a State Implementation Plan (SIP) outlining to U.S. EPA exactly how the state expected to bring the Phoenix Metropolitan area back into compliance with those NAAQS. Arizona's CBG program is an important part of that plan.

ADEQ, in cooperation with Arizona Department of Weights and Measures (ADWM) , revised Arizona's gasoline standards (A.A.C. Title 20, Chapter 2, Article 7 ) to implement the CBG program in the Phoenix metropolitan area (also known as Area A).

Duane Yantorno - (602) 771-4933

Clean Cities Coalition

The Tucson region participates in the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities program. This is a voluntary, locally based government/industry partnership to expand the use of alternatives to gasoline and diesel fuel.

Tucson Regional Clean Cities Coalition - (520) 792-1093.

Fugitive Dust Control

Maricopa County's Fugitive Dust Rule 310 and 310.01 apply to sources of fugitive dust within Maricopa County. The fugitive dust control program is a major component of the PM₁₀ State Implementation Plan for Maricopa County.

Maricopa County Air Quality Department - (602) 506-6010

Diesel Idling Ordinance

House Bill 2538 (2001 regular session) requires counties containing portions of Area A to implement and enforce ordinances limiting maximum idling time for Heavy Duty Diesel Vehicles weighing over 14,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). Other counties in Arizona also have the option of adopt an ordinance.

Maricopa County Vehicle Idling Restriction Ordinance
Pinal County Air Quality Department Jean Parkinson - (520) 886-6999

Stage II Vapor Recovery

The Stage II Vapor Recovery Program is administered by the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures, (602) 771-4920. Gasoline pump nozzles within the Metropolitan Phoenix area of Maricopa County are equipped with vapor recovery devices to prevent the escape into the atmosphere of vapors that lead to the formation of ground level ozone.

Travel Reduction Programs

Travel Reduction Programs (TRP) were developed for Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal Counties to reduce automobile emissions from commuting to work places and schools. These programs require employers to assist their employees with the use of alternatives to single-occupant-vehicle commuting.

• Maricopa County Trip Reduction Office - (602) 506-6750. Employers within Maricopa County with sites of 50 employees or more at a single work site must participate in the Trip Reduction Program.
  
  
• Pima Association of Governments Travel Reduction Office - (602) 792-1093. Employers within Pima County with 100 or more employees at a single work site must participate in the TRP. An employer with fewer than 100 employees can volunteer to participate in the TRP.
  
  
• Pinal County Air Quality Department, - (520) 866-6929. Employers within the Pinal County portion of Area A with 50 or more employees at a single work site must participate in the TRP. Employers outside of Area A are encouraged to voluntarily participate in the TRP.
  
  

Activities the Public Can Do

Voluntary Diesel Control Programs

House Bill 2538, (2001 regular session) directed ADEQ to develop a program (Voluntary Diesel Control Programs) to recognize those businesses and/or individuals who have voluntarily purchased or completed retrofits of Tier 2 and Tier 3 nonroad diesel equipment or voluntarily use ultra low sulfur diesel equipment and fuel. Information on providers of equipment as well an application for recognition is available.

For more information, please contact Lisa Tomczak, (602) 771-4450.

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