As the environment changed with time, the essential characteristics of air pollution in Taiwan are different from those in the past. Since the operation of the Air Pollution Prevention Fund in 1995, there have been great improvement in air quality. From the variabilities of the monitored data, however, the preservation and the improvement of the air quality in some areas, where the classifications belong to non-attainment areas of fine particulate matter and ozone, are still necessary. Besides, there is a lot of effort need to be made to match the air quality standard of PM2.5 announced by the EPA in 2012.
According to the Paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 6 in Air Pollution Control Act, those new or modified stationary pollution sources within Class 2 and Class 3 of air pollution classification, where air pollutant emissions reach a certain regulatory scale, are required to perform air quality modeling by suitable air quality model and demonstrate the results will not exceed the allowable increment limits. As the Paragraph 2 of Article 8 in Air Pollution Control Act stands, within a total-control-system district that meets air quality standards, those new or modified stationary pollution sources which emissions reach a certain regulatory scale are required to perform air quality simulation by suitable air quality model and verify the compliance demonstration that the sources will not will not cause or contribute to the violation of allowable increments.
Development and application of air quality models need to integrate the interdisciplinary science, knowledge and information. In addition, a standard operating procedures about the choice of air quality models and the performance of simulation processes should be legislated when the air quality modes are involved for the application of air pollution regulations. However, the information of air quality model is scattered among academic and technical advisory organizations, often resulting in shortcomings such as resource fragmentation, repeated construction and information barrier. Therefore, the establishment of an air quality model support center to integrate the relevant resources of the models and to provide relevant information for the model simulation specification, is demand and necessity in practice. In order to promote the allowable increments in the Air Pollution Control Act and the necessity for the standardization of the air quality model related to environmental impact assessment, the Air Quality Model Support Center was established to integrate human and data resources related to industry and government in 1991. After years of hard work, the Center has accumulated considerable experience and achievements, and has substantially offered contribution to the air quality protection polity decisions. For the entire air quality protection work, the multiple works related to allowable increments and air quality mode simulation regulations must continue to be promoted. Moreover, in response to the research and evaluation of fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) pollution improvement strategies, the dynamic changes for the long-distance transportation of overseas influence on Taiwan, and the assessments of instantaneous air pollution episodes, there are still many tasks that need to be promoted and implemented in the future. Hence, it is crucial for the establishment and implementation of this project。
