Health and Equity Impacts of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Infrastructure

Goal

To support the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) by developing an integrated modeling methodology to quantify the human health and environmental justice impacts of emissions related to NOx, SO2, VOCs and PM.

Objectives

With this study, the Holloway Group will develop a computationally feasible method to assess air pollution exposure near LNG terminals and related industrial facilities. This will involve leveraging advanced scientific tools such as satellite datasets and chemical transport models along with local scale air pollution dispersion model for fine-scale impact assessment. Additionally, we will use concentration-response functions from epidemiological studies as well as demographic data on census tract scales to study the disparities in impact.

Deliverables

Periodic sharing of results via reports/presentations with the NRDC Science team.

Funding Partners:

National Resources Defence Council (NRDC)

Timeline:

2024-2025

Tools:

American Meteorological Society/Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model (AERMOD), Community Multiscale Air Quality Modeling System (CMAQ), Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program (BenMAP)

Core Team Members:

Tracey Holloway, Paul Meier, Drashti Amin

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