E-Enterprise convened a team of partners to build the State Planning Electronic Collaboration System (SPeCS). SPeCS is a user-friendly electronic system that state and local air agencies and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) use to more effectively plan, submit, and review complex air quality documents. SPeCS replaces inefficient paper-based submissions and saves agencies time and resources.
Submitting State Implementation Plans can be onerous and burdensome for state and local air agencies
Under the Clean Air Act, state and local air agencies are responsible for developing and submitting to the EPA State Implementation Plans (SIPs) that provide for attainment, maintenance, and enforcement of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and protection of visibility in certain national parks and other areas. The same agencies may also develop and submit exceptional event notifications and demonstrations to the EPA. Both SIP and exceptional event demonstration submissions are frequently comprised of multiple documents containing tens or hundreds of pages. Prior to the development of SPeCS, most submissions were made on paper copies.
SPeCS streamlines SIP and exceptional events submissions across all 50 states
All 50 states now use SPeCS for SIPs and the Exceptional Events and Tracking System. To date, state and local agencies have submitted more than 1,880 SIPs and 181 exceptional event demonstrations through the system. Thanks to the E-Enterprise SPeCS initiative, agencies can efficiently upload their SIPs and exceptional event notification and demonstration packages and EPA can manage and track submittals like never before.
By the numbers
50 states have adopted SPeCS
> 1,880 SIPs submitted
> 181 exceptional events packages submitted
Electronic submissions through SPeCS have enabled the EPA to provide public dashboards providing SIP element and area status information. The three tools are:
What’s next for SPeCS?
Planned updates to SPeCS include:
- Continuing system maintenance and other enhancements
- Upgrading the process for Regional Haze submissions
- Expanding the current SPeCS system to enable additional types of submissions
- Exploring the possibility for the system to accommodate Tribal submissions, and
- Exploring the possibility for the system to allow states to share exceptional events demonstration submissions with one another.
Electronic submissions through SPeCS streamline air quality submissions, save resources, and improve transparency
SPeCS provides the following benefits to state and local air agencies, Tribes, the EPA, and the public:
- Streamlined submittals
- Cost savings
- Efficiencies across agencies
- Increased transparency through data availability, and
- Accountability of regulated entities and the government.
Key Contacts
Ron Evans, Project Lead
U.S. EPA Office of Air and Radiation
evans.ron@epa.gov
919-541-5488
Robert D. Bielawa, Project Lead
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
robert.bielawa@dec.ny.gov
518-402-8396
Gobeail McKinley, Project Lead
U.S. EPA Office of Air and Radiation
SPeCS for Exceptional Events
mckinley.gobeail@epa.gov
919-541-5246
Mia South, Project Lead
U.S. EPA Office of Air and Radiation
SPeCS for SIPs
South.Mia@epa.gov
919-541-5550
