December 4, 2003
Introduction
During the past ten years, scientists from government
agencies and research institutions in southwestern
Canada and the northwestern United States have been
cooperating in an informal way to develop, evaluate,
and apply advanced air quality models. Historically,
this group under the name of the Northwest Regional
Technical Center has succeeded in leveraging related
projects, sharing experiences, and in developing
regionally consistent approaches, and now seeks to
broaden its effectiveness through the formulation of
this Charter. The Charter provides a foundation for
enhanced communication of the science at both the
technical staff and management levels of participating
organizations, and the opportunity to collectively seek
financial backing for projects of common
interest.
Concurrently, another good reason to formalize this air
quality science group came from the Northwest Air
Summit, held in June 2003. At the Summit, promoted by
the Northwest Collaborative Air Priorities Project,
nearly 200 participants from business, non profit
organizations, and local, state, tribal, and federal
governments reviewed the state of air quality in the
region, presented individual concerns, and identified
the most significant risks to human health and the
environment. One result from this summit was a clear
endorsement that air quality management decisions
should be based on sound science. To help secure a
sound scientific foundation for the future, the summit
proposed the establishment of the "Northwest
International Air Quality Science Coordinating
Committee."
This document brings that vision into reality through
the formation of a virtual science center through the
Northwest International Air Quality Environmental
Science and Technology Consortium (NW-AIRQUEST). This
Charter describes the purpose and goals of NW-AIRQUEST,
and the framework within which it will function to
achieve these goals.
For the purposes of this Charter, the Pacific Western
North America Region includes the area encompassing the
states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and
Alaska in the United States, and the provinces of
British Columbia and Alberta in Canada.
Purpose
NW-AIRQUEST seeks to maintain and enhance a sound scientific basis for air quality management decision-making in the Pacific Western Region of North America. It achieves such a basis through collaboration and sharing of experiences to remain abreast of the state-of-the-science and to develop regionally consistent technical approaches to emission inventories, air quality modeling, and air monitoring. NW-AIRQUEST cooperation enhances the effectiveness of individual members in a mutually beneficial relationship while operating within the resource constraints of each member organization. NW-AIRQUEST collaborates to align science and management needs with the air programs of its member organizations.
Goals
NW-AIRQUEST is based on a strong collaboration among members aimed at:
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Providing sound scientific advice to, and receive appropriate input or direction from, decision-makers for the management of air quality issues within the Region;
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Development, operation, and improvement of urban and regional numerical air quality forecast systems to form an archival database of simulated atmospheric data. A key effort will involve coordinating emission inventory and air quality observational databases for model application and evaluation;
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Development, evaluation, and application of tools for specific measurement and modeling studies to address particular issues, or to answer specific science questions related to air quality in the Pacific Western North America Region;
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Education, technology transfer, and communication to enhance understanding of current air quality issues, to improve capabilities among all members for using advanced modeling systems to address these issues, and to promote wide-spread communication of methods and results throughout the Region; and
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Collaboration with other scientific groups, particularly organizations with similar goals in other regions, and organizations involved in the science disciplines associated with risk assessment.
Organization and Membership
NW-AIRQUEST encompasses a virtual air quality science
center dependent on active involvement of all its
sustaining members. Sustaining members encourage that
goals are met through consistent long-term
collaboration.
The current sustaining members are:
Environment Canada
BC Ministry of Water, Lands and Air Protection
University of British Columbia
Greater Vancouver Regional District
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency
Olympic Region Clean Air Agency
Southwest Clean Air Agency
University of Washington
U.S. EPA Region 10
USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research
Station
National Park Service, Pacific West Region
Washington Department of Ecology
Washington State University
Oregon Department of Forestry
Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority
Associate members are affiliated with NW-AIRQUEST, and
may be interested only in specific products or
projects. Associate members may fund developmental work
and participate in all of the proceedings and meetings,
but are excluded from voting. Associate members may
become sustaining members upon affirmation of the
sustaining members.
Linking Science and Policy
To help assure that air quality policy is scientifically grounded, the various members of NW-AIRQUEST provide input to and receive direction from their respective air quality decision makers. Periodically, as appropriate, NW-AIRQUEST or its representatives meets with policy decision-making bodies to align science and management objectives. A key component of such joint meetings is the discussion and concurrence with the proposed annual work plan. The decision-making bodies in the region currently include, but are not limited to, the NW Air Directors Group, the Air Quality Coordinating Committee of the Lower Fraser Valley, and the federal land managers. Participating staff of member organizations are expected to maintain good two-way communication with their management regarding program science needs and policy direction, as well as NW-AIRQUEST activities, capabilities, and products.
Science Plan and Annual Work Plan
Sustaining members work together to develop an annual
work plan that fits into the longer-term science plan.
The science plan describes the two to five year vision
of NW-AIRQUEST. The work plan describes two basic types
of projects, reflecting different roles of NW-AIRQUEST.
The first type of project, and the most common, is a
developmental project sponsored by a member. The role
of NW-AIRQUEST in a member-sponsored project is
primarily an advisory role, facilitating collaboration
and promoting information exchange and technology
transfer. An example of this type of project is a
modeling analysis for a State Implementation Plan
revision. The second type of project is one that
carries a more regional or multi-state/province support
function, and is referred to in this document as
common-regional projects. The role of NW-AIRQUEST in
this case would include project management and
implementation. Examples of the second type of project
are operation of regional air quality forecasting
systems, or development and maintenance of a Web-based
emission inventory repository.
The work plan will maintain a list of currently active
member-sponsored projects to document the range of
activities of member organizations, and to reveal
opportunities for collaboration, technology exchange,
and potential linkages (leveraging) with future
projects. The status of member-sponsored projects will
be updated on a regular basis. The work plan will
describe common-regional projects in more detail,
including project tasks, management structure,
operating costs, and schedules. Sustaining members use
the science and work plans to collectively seek
opportunities for joint funding of common-regional
projects. Specific member-sponsored projects, for which
NW-AIRQUEST will facilitate collaboration, will
continue to be funded and managed as they are now,
through normal member grants and/or contracts.
Responsibilities
All sustaining member organizations designate
representatives to NW-AIRQUEST that will be actively
engaged in the coordination, development, and
implementation of the annual work plan. Member
organizations foster regular communications between
their management and their staff NW-AIRQUEST
representatives. The members willingly collaborate and
share expertise with the other members through
technology transfer opportunities or other mutually
agreed upon arrangements. Sustaining member
organizations seek joint funding opportunities for
common-regional projects.
While supported through NW-AIRQUEST, the Laboratory for
Atmospheric Research at Washington State University
(LAR-WSU) will contribute to maintain the virtual air
quality science center and the emission inventory
repository, and will assist in the generation of a
proposed joint annual work plan. LAR-WSU will make
model and emission inventory input and output data, and
air quality monitoring data publicly available in a
format agreed to by the membership. Members with
emission inventory functions are responsible for
submitting their existing emission inventory data on a
periodic basis to LAR.
The responsibility for generating the automated air
quality predictions for the Region will be shared by
LAR-WSU, Environment Canada, and the USDA Forest
Service Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory. The
University of British Columbia will contribute to the
generation of automated air quality predictions for the
Region while funded by NW-AIRQUEST organizations.
NW-AIRQUEST is operated as a parallel organization with
the Northwest Regional Modeling Consortium that
produces mesoscale (MM5) weather simulations of the
Region at the University of Washington. NW-AIRQUEST
also collaborates with the Geophysical Disaster
Computational Fluid Dynamics Centre at the University
of British Columbia, which produces real-time ensemble
mesoscale and air-quality forecasts for the
region.
The group will designate an administrative liaison
whose function is to facilitate the meetings, to
generate draft meeting agendas based on items received
from the membership, and to ensure that decisions and
meetings are documented.
Operations
For each project undertaken by NW-AIRQUEST, there will
be an "executive sponsor" from one of the sustaining
members whose organization is contributing resources
toward the project.
The group will generally operate through consensus
decision-making for common-regional projects and
administrative matters. In the rare event that
consensus cannot be achieved, any sustaining member may
call for a vote at any time on any issue of concern,
providing a quorum consisting of three-fifths of the
total number of sustaining member organizations is
present. A simple majority of the sustaining members
present is needed to pass a motion. At least half of
the sustaining members present must vote yes in order
for a motion to pass.
Publications will not appear under the name of the
NW-AIRQUEST unless a unanimous decision to do so is
made.
Meetings
At least two meetings will be held annually: a business meeting and a science meeting. The purpose of the business meeting is to finalize the annual work plan. The science meeting will be an opportunity for peer review, evaluation and collaboration, and to assess long-term scientific direction. Minutes of the business meetings and all decisions will be maintained and approved by the members.
Completion Date
This instrument is executed as of the last date shown below and expires two years from this date at which time it will be subject to review and renewal.
Non-Fund Obligating Document
This instrument is neither a fiscal nor a funds obligation document. Any endeavor involving reimbursement or contribution of funds between the parties to this instrument will be handled in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and procedures including those for Government procurement and printing. Such endeavors will be outlined in separate agreements that shall be made in writing by representatives of the parties and shall be independently authorized by appropriate statutory authority. This instrument does not provide such authority. Specifically, this instrument does not establish authority for noncompetitive award to the cooperator of any contract or other agreement. Any contract or agreement for training or other services must fully comply with all applicable requirements for competition.