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Transportation Plan – Air Quality Conformity
OVERVIEW • VISIONS AND POLICIES • THE LAST 25 YEARS
UNIVERSE OF PROJECTS • AIR QUALITY CONFORMITY • PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
The 1990 federal Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) require metropolitan planning organizations within air quality nonattainment areas to perform air quality conformity determinations prior to the approval of Transportation Plans and Transportation Improvement Programs (TIPs), and at such other times as required by regulations. A nonattainment area is a region that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated as not meeting certain air-quality standards.

A conformity determination is a demonstration that plans, programs, and projects are consistent with the State Implementation Plan (SIP) for attaining federal air quality standards. The SIP is developed by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. The federal CAAA requirement to perform a conformity determination ensures that the federal government approves and funds only those transportation activities that are consistent with air-quality goals. This requirement is set out in federal regulations (40 CFR Part 93) and in Massachusetts Conformity Regulations (310 CMR 60.03).

For a more detailed discussion of air quality and the long-range transportation plan, see Chapter 15 – Air Quality Conformity Determination, in the JOURNEY TO 2030 Plan.