| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 71.58 |
| Liaison | Steve Mital |
| Submission Date | May 18, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Oregon
OP-2: Outdoor Air Quality
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Jeremy
Chambers EHS Professional 3 Enterprise Risk Services |
Does the institution have policies and/or guidelines in place to improve outdoor air quality and minimize air pollutant emissions from mobile sources?:
A brief description of the policies and/or guidelines to improve outdoor air quality and minimize air pollutant emissions from mobile sources:
"The Climate Action Plan and Oregon Model for Sustainability reduce GHG emissions by requiring LEED Gold in all new buildings. A portion of new buildings go to an account that supports energy effiiency projects in older buildings. Additionally, we have restrictions on transportation (very limited use of vehicles permitted in core campus plus significant limations on parking and free bus passes for all faculty and staff). Vehicles operated by UO Catering, Operations, and others who must travel through campus core have largely been converted to electric, non-emitting vehicles. Our Climate Action Plan has the following goals:
Scope I and II emissions:
• 2010: stabilize and begin to reduce GHG emissions
• 2020: achieve GHG levels 10% below 2004 levels
• 2050: achieve GHG levels 75% below 2004 levels
Additionally, the Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority requires that the University track and report air pollutant emissions from certain mobile sources. "
Has the institution completed an inventory of significant air emissions from stationary sources on campus?:
A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
UO uses the Clean Air-Cool Planet Campus Carbon Calculator to estimate carbon emissions. Other emissions (like NOx and SOx) are regulated by the Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority. See its website for detailed accounting and reporting methods UO follows.
Weight of the following categories of air emissions from stationary sources::
| Weight of Emissions | |
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | 95.52 Tons |
| Sulfur oxides (SOx) | 2.55 Tons |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 79.01 Tons |
| Particulate matter (PM) | 10.04 Tons |
| Ozone (O3) | 0 Tons |
| Lead (Pb) | 0 Tons |
| Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) | 0 Tons |
| Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) | 0 Tons |
| Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations | 4.86 Tons |
A brief description of the institution’s initiatives to minimize air pollutant emissions from stationary sources, including efforts made during the previous three years:
"1) In 2012, the UO Steam Plant was configured with one new boiler and a significant overhaul of one existing boiler. The boiler plant uses upgraded combustion air units and automated control system increasing efficiency for steam production. The Central Plant also added a Cogeneration plant consisting of a natural gas fueled 7.5MW Combustion Turbine, Heat Recovery Steam Generator, and 2MW Steam Turbine. The Cogeneration plant offers the option of producing steam for campus and producing electrical power. The Combustion Turbine can be used to power the campus with or without the Cogeneration plant in operation.
In March of 2015, the Central Power Plant responded to changes in the regional energy markets by taking a market driven approach towards power generation and Cogeneration plant operation. This market driven approach has resulted in a 31% reduction in natural gas use and related CO2 emissions from 2014 to 2015. Emissions from emergency diesel generators are minimized by an ongoing proactive maintenance program that incorporates Preventive, Predictive and a Reliability Centered Maintenance approach. The maintenance ensures a high degree of reliability and minimal run time for testing which reduces emissions. Additionally, UO Central Power Station conducts annual testing on Boiler and Combustion Turbine emissions and conducts Boiler Tuning as necessary to ensure the proper air/fuel flow mixtures meet local/state emission standards and maximize boiler efficiency. 2) There is a no smoking policy on campus. 3) More electric cars are being used by campus operations."
The website URL where information about the institution’s outdoor air quality policies, guidelines or inventory is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The website URL where information about the institution’s outdoor air quality policies, guidelines or inventory is available: University of Oregon complies with all local, state, and federal air quality requirements. We have an air permit which is regulated through LRAPA.It sets discharge limits for all of the boilers that we have on site. http://ehs.uoregon.edu/, http://www.lrapa.org/ No smoking policy on campus. https://policies.uoregon.edu/smoking-and-tobacco-restrictions
Tony Hardenbrook also provided data for some of these responses.
The website URL where information about the institution’s outdoor air quality policies, guidelines or inventory is available: University of Oregon complies with all local, state, and federal air quality requirements. We have an air permit which is regulated through LRAPA.It sets discharge limits for all of the boilers that we have on site. http://ehs.uoregon.edu/, http://www.lrapa.org/ No smoking policy on campus. https://policies.uoregon.edu/smoking-and-tobacco-restrictions
Tony Hardenbrook also provided data for some of these responses.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.