What is the difference between regional conformity and project-level (or hot-spot) conformity?
• Regional conformity analyses of Transportation 2040 and the TIP must demonstrate that the total regional emissions produced by activity on the existing travel network plus current and future projects and programs do not exceed the motor vehicle emissions budget identified in the SIP for each criteria pollutant. The emissions budget is a ceiling of total emissions that cannot be exceeded. Regional conformity analyses are performed by PSRC and are based on the U.S. EPA’s approved vehicle emission modeling software. Project- level conformity analyses must be conducted for all nonexempt transportation projects located in carbon monoxide and particulate matter nonattainment or maintenance areas. Project-level conformity is performed by the project sponsor as part of the project’s environmental review process. Project-level, or ‘hot-spot,’ analyses assess the localized impacts of individual projects and compare them to the NAAQS, using an air quality dispersion model. Inclusion of a projec
