ECMPS Support

Over a year ago, the email address for technical support changed to ecmps-support@camdsupport.com. Until now, emails sent to the previous technical support email address (ecmps-support@pqa.com) were forwarded to the new email address.

As of now, users should only use the email address ecmps-support@camdsupport.com in order to contact technical support. The previous technical support email has been disabled, and emails sent to the previous technical support email address will no longer be forwarded.

Labels: Technical Support

Recently, stakeholders have started to receive emails regarding the Cross State Air Pollution Rule, which is also referred to as the Transport Rule.

In order to insure that ECMPS stakeholders have received this information, we will be posting the emails on ECMPS News. Previously, an email from the director of CAMD was posted.

The following email was sent from the Clean Air Markets Division (CAMD) on August 11, 2011 and signed by Janice Wagner who is the Chief of the Market Operations Branch of CAMD:

EPA's Clean Air Markets Division (CAMD) will soon begin allocating allowances for the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), establishing the Transport Rule (TR) trading programs. The first phase of the TR NOx and SO2 annual programs begins on January 1, 2012. The Transport Rule text, along with a fact sheet and other supporting information, can be found here.

In order for your TR-subject facilities to receive TR allowance allocations, CAMD must first receive a Certificate of Representation covering these facilities, indicating who the Designated Representative (DR) is for the TR programs. A facility will not be allocated allowances until this requirement is met. Please note that if a source is covered by multiple programs (ARP, CAIR, RGGI or any TR trading program), the DR must be the same person for all these programs.

CAMD encourages users to submit and update Certificate of Representation information for the TR programs electronically via the CAMD Business System (CBS). This functionality was made available in CBS on August 10, 2011. The link to CBS can be found here. A step-by-step guide explaining how to associate DRs with programs can be found here

CBS users should ensure that a DR is in place for each of the programs to which their units and facilities are subject. Please note, only a Primary DR can associate himself with the TR programs, and only a Primary DR can associate the Alternate DR with the TR programs. Neither the Alternate DR nor an Agent can make these program associations. Again, a facility will not be allocated allowances until the Certificate of Representation is updated.

If you choose to submit the paper Certificate of Representation form, you must include every page of the paper form with your submission, even if none of the facility or unit data is changing. The form must be signed by both the Primary and Alternate DRs. The updated Certificate of Representation form has been modified to include the Transport Rule, and is available for downloading here. Please note that the Agent Notice of Delegation form has also been updated to include the Transport Rule. Use the form found here (see bottom of web page) when designating agents in the future.

If you have questions regarding CBS or the Certificate of Representation, contact Laurel DeSantis at desantis.laurel@epa.gov. If you have other questions regarding the Transport Rule, contact Robert Miller at miller.robertl@epa.gov.

Please update your Certificate of Representation as soon as you are able, so we can allocate 2012 allowances to your facilities/units without delay. Thank you in advance for helping to ensure successful implementation of the Transport Rule programs.

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Recently, stakeholders have started to receive emails regarding the Cross State Air Pollution Rule, which is also referred to as the Transport Rule.

In order to insure that ECMPS stakeholders have received this information, we will be posting the emails on ECMPS News.

The following email was sent from the Clean Air Markets Division (CAMD) on July 28, 2011 and signed by Sam Napolitano who is the Director of CAMD:

The Cross State Air Pollution Rule, establishing the Transport Rule (TR) trading programs, was signed by the EPA Administrator July 6, 2011.

This rule establishes four trading programs -- the TR NOx annual, NOx ozone season, SO2 Group 1, and SO2 Group 2 trading programs -- to further reduce emissions of NOx and SO2 in the eastern half of the United States. These new interstate trading programs are very similar to the existing Acid Rain and CAIR trading programs, using, for example, the same designated representatives and the same data systems for reporting emissions and managing allowances. The Transport Rule text, along with a fact sheet and other supporting information, can be found here.

Between now and January 1, 2012, when the first phase of the TR NOx and
SO2 annual programs begins, EPA will record 2012 TR allowance allocations for existing units. This will be completed this fall; allocation amounts for existing units can be viewed at EPA's website above. Before an allocation can be recorded for a unit, the current DR (or a new DR, if the owners and operators select a different DR) for the source that includes the unit must associate himself or herself with each applicable TR trading program for the source. Later this Summer, DRs will be able to complete this task either online via CBS, or by submitting a hardcopy Certificate of Representation form. CAMD will send an email when the CBS functionality and the modified Certificate of Representation form are available. If a source is covered by multiple programs (ARP, CAIR, or any TR trading program), the DR must be the same person for all of these programs.

If you have any questions about the TR allocations or the method used to calculate the allocations, contact Brian Fisher at 202-343-9633 or fisher.brian@epa.gov. For general questions about the TR trading programs, contact Robert Miller at 202-343-9077 or miller.robertl@epa.gov.

We will be in touch via email as we work together to ensure smooth implementation of the TR trading programs.

One of the most important ways that the EPA keeps in touch with stakeholders is through email. The EPA uses emails to send important information, and therefore, it is important that stakeholders insure that their email addresses are current in the CAMD database.

For ECMPS and CAMD Business System (CBS) users, email addresses can be verified and changed via CBS. In order to verify or change your email address, log in to CBS and then scroll to the bottom of the CBS home page. Your personal information, including your email, will be displayed in a gray box.

If you need to change your email address, simply click the Edit button. On the Change Personal Information page, change your email address, type in your CBS user name and password, along with the answer to the challenge question, and click the Save button.

After you make a change to your email address, an email will be sent to the old and new email addresses in order provide you a confirmation of the email address change.

Also, please make a note that if, in the future, your email address changes, you should log in to CBS and update your email address. Keeping your email address up-to-date is important in order to insure that you receive all your correspondence from the EPA and it is a requirement of using CBS and ECMPS.

Labels: CAMD Business System

It is always helpful to get users' feedback on what is working, what is not working, and what suggestions users have for improvements. One of the ways that we get that feedback is through the Shared Database Users' Group meeting. This meeting is for ECMPS Client Tool users who are supporting or use a shared database setup. The meeting is held via a web conference quarterly in the month after a reporting period. The next one will be held later this month.

All suggested enhancements, whether they are received from the Shared Database Users' Group or through emails send to technical support, are presented to CAMD for further discussion. Then CAMD determines whether those enhancements should be included in a future release of the Client Tool. Each of these is tracked on the Requested Enhancements page.

We also think that each meeting has proved to be a valuable opportunity for participants to learn from one another, and we assume that future meetings will continue to have that benefit. The meeting notes were sent out last week to everyone who is on the Shared Database Users' Group email list.

If you are not already participating in the Shared Database Users' Group and you want to be part of the next meeting, send an email to technical support to request your name be added to the list of invitees.
We do ask that participants be current users of a shared database configuration or planning to establish a shared database configuration.

Labels: Shared Database