Ozone Transport Commission

The overall goal of the Ozone Transport Commission (OTC) grant is to facilitate collaboration among the OTC jurisdictions, notably the State Environmental Commissioners/Secretaries, State Air Directors and their staff, to assist them in reducing ozone precursor emissions in their states and in representing their ozone related issues to the EPA. The focus of the OTC is to ensure real results in air quality improvement in the Ozone Transport Region. The OTC brings together the State members to coordinate reductions in air pollution to benefit the entire region. The Ozone Transport Commission (OTC or the Commission) is the single regional multi-state organization created under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAA) responsible for advising the EPA on ground-level ozone and its precursor pollutant transport issues. The Commission is responsible for developing and implementing regional solutions to the ground-level ozone problem in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States. As directed under the CAA, the EPA awards grants to the Commission under the authority of Section 106 of the CAA. Section 184 of the CAA established the Ozone Transport Region (OTR) that, by law, develops and recommends regional strategies for cleaning up air pollution.

An agency or commission designated by the Governors of the affected States, which can recommend to those Governors' plans for implementation of national primary and secondary ambient air quality standards and which includes representation from the States and the appropriate political subdivisions within the affected air quality control region.

Upon initial designation by the Governors of the affected States, pursuant to Sections 106 or 111 of the Clean Air Act of 1990, the Administrator is authorized to pay for up to 2 years, and up to 100 percent of the air quality planning program costs of a designated commission or interstate agency. After the initial 2-year period, the Administrator is authorized to make grants to such agency or such commission in amounts up to 3/5 of its air quality management plan costs.

Fiscal year 2025: Funded projects include (1) EPA implementation timelines for ozone nonattainment bump-up areas and (2) state planning, rulemaking, and implementation timelines. Also, the management, support, and facilitating ongoing work to: (1) develop the highest quality base and future year projected emission inventories for photochemical modeling purposes; and (2) track ozone trends and transport patterns into and within the OTR.