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DEQ presents air quality report to transportation board

Idaho Transportation Board members last week learned about the threats of something rarely seen, but too often experienced – air pollution.

Representatives of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality presented information about the ill effects of pollution, of which a major part is attributable to motor vehicle emissions. The report was part of the board’s monthly business meeting.

Air pollution has negative impacts on health, according to the report. It can result in irritation to lungs, eyes and other membranes; lung damage and respiratory disease; and reduced disease resistance. It also aggravates heart conditions, DEQ representatives said. Air pollution also can have negative impacts on the economy through reduced crop yields, damage to vegetation and increased health care costs and can make an area less attractive to new businesses.

National standards are available for six common pollutants: particulate matter (PM), ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and lead. Franklin County and Pinehurst are areas of concern for PM 2.5. For ozone standards, Boise is nearing the limit, and the Craters of the Moon has elevated levels. Issues with PM 10 were identified previously in Northern Ada County and Pocatello; Northern Ada County also had issues with carbon monoxide.

If violations occur, a State Implementation Plan is required. The plan must include control measures that clean the air and meet clean air standards by the attainment date. Transportation plans and projects must be consistent with the Air Quality Plan. If conformity lapses occur, highway sanctions could be implemented.

The federal Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality(CMAQ) program provides funds to address air quality. Some previous projects included funding for flusher and sweeper trucks, Compressed Natural Gas buses, signalization and vanpools.

Other board discussion

Delegations
Legislative Office of Performance Evaluations and Legislative Services Office
Officials from the Legislative Office of Performance Evaluations (OPE) and Legislative Services Office (LSO) reported to board members on the organization and its responsibilities.

OPE is a nonpartisan, independent legislative office that evaluates state agencies, programs, and policies. It provides tools for state agencies, makes recommendations to those agencies and the legislature, and follows up on implementation progress. The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee assigns projects. Some of the reports it completed in the past few years included establishment of an efficiency commission, state employee compensation and turnover, lottery operations and charitable gaming, and distribution and sale of liquor.

LSO conducts legislative audits. Its primary financial or compliance audits and reviews include Statewide Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), Statewide Single Audit Report, Management Reviews/Report and Entity Financial Audits.

Specific to ITD, the department is considered a major fund and identified as a separate column in the state’s basic financial statements, which are under the auspices of CAFR. For Single Audit, ITD’s federal funds require inclusion in the statewide audit at least once every three years; the management review is cyclical.

This year, the review will focus on areas not reviewed during CAFR and Single Audit work. The audit process includes fieldwork at the agency, then compiling the results. The reports are submitted to Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee co-chairs for approval and release.

Annual Report on audits
The Internal Review staff presented its annual report, covering internal and external audits performed in 2012, work planned this year and the status of audit resolution.

Last year's activities included an audit of the Motor Carrier Services section’s internal controls and previous audit recommendations, a procurement performance audit in the Business and Support Management (BSM) Office, consultant overhead rate reviews and pre-award reviews of consultant agreements, and employee training on internal controls.

Some of the work planned in 2013 will include an analysis of how the department ensures it manages BSM contracts and agreements for time, budget, and contractor performance; monitor the project lifecycle for the Division of Motor Vehicles’ system modernization project, particularly inclusion of internal controls into the system; and provide contract procurement guidance to all employees for the procurement of service agreements.

IPLAN update
IPLAN, which will improve inter-departmental data sharing and access to data, is proceeding on schedule. Deliverables thus far include the framework, stakeholder meetings, the vision document, the requirements document, the draft data standards document, and the solution document with architectural assessment and gap analysis. Data sets for inclusion also have been requested. The study is nearing completion; the next step will be configuration.

Benefits of a web-based portal include better searches for specific data, the ability to share content, and a mechanism to display planning scenarios to identify and track performance measures. Intangible benefits that will be realized include better synchronization of projects, increased efficiency in project delivery activities, enhanced public involvement and decreased time needed to respond to stakeholders.

ITD is involved in a pilot project with a number of western states on the IPLAN concept. The project not only will enable the states to share data easier and more efficiently, but also share lessons learned and best practices.