ECMPS Support

The first day of the 2019 Q1 reporting period is Monday, April 1, 2019. Sources required to report 2019 Q1 emissions data under the Acid Rain Program (ARP), the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), the NOx SIP Call (SIPNOX), the Texas SO2 Trading Program (TXSO2), the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), and the Mercury and Air Toxic Standards (MATS) rule have until the end of the day on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 to submit their emissions data to the EPA using the ECMPS Client Tool.

During this reporting period, the EPA expects to receive approximately 4,000 emissions data submissions. Sources are encouraged to begin working on their submissions as early as possible in order to give them sufficient time to complete all submissions by the deadline.

Start Early

With the large volume of submissions expected, we encourage sources to start working with their data as soon as possible because, if you have questions you will get a faster response to your technical support request the earlier in the month you submit your request. If you wait until later in the month to begin working with your data and you run into problems that require technical support, your request will be added to a much longer queue of technical support requests.

Technical Support Information

Information on getting technical support through the resources on the Website or by submitting a technical support request has all been consolidated in the Website's Help section. Technical support would like to highlight that, as necessary, FAQs and Known Issues will continue to be updated throughout the submission period. Hours for technical support are listed on the Contact Us page.

Resubmission Requests

Requests to resubmit QA or emissions data should be made using the Resubmission Request Form.

Keep Up-To-Date

To keep up-to-date with ECMPS News items, we would suggest subscribing to the ECMPS News.

You can receive the ECMPS News posts via email by subscribing to ECMPS News or adding the ECMPS News feed to your RSS Reader. To subscribe via email, simply enter your email address in the box provided on the upper right part of the ECMPS News page and click the Subscribe button. To receive the RSS feed, click on the RSS Feed button, which is located at the bottom of every page on the Website.

Labels: Technical Support Tip

EPA has assembled the following FAQs in support of the upcoming changes to the reporting of system and component IDs during substitute data periods:

1. Will missing system and component IDs during substitute data periods in the 2019 Q2 reporting period be flagged as Informational Messages or Critical Errors, and will that change in the future? 

Beginning with the 2019 Q2 ECMPS release, EPA will require the reporting of system/component IDs during the use of substitute data. For the Q2 reporting period the absence of these values will result in an Informational Message. EPA will monitor the number of instances resulting in this Informational Message and will change this error message from Informational to Critical Level 1 in the future based on that information.

2. Since this change is slated to be effective for the 2019 Q2 reporting period, what is the expectation for resubmission of emissions files for quarters prior to Q2?  
             
Beginning with the ECMPS Q2 release, submission of all emissions files (even historical emissions files) will require the reporting of system/component IDs during periods of substitute data. Making this a blanket change prevents the creation of two different data evaluation standards, which can be problematic for both sources and EPA.

3. Why implement the change in 2019 Q2 and not at the beginning of the year?

EPA had originally intended to make this change for the 2019 Q1 reporting period, but due to the government shutdown this change was delayed until the Q2 reporting period.

4. Can you expand upon the intent of having the system/component IDs reported during the use of substitute data? 

As part of EPA’s ongoing efforts to improve both the quality of reported emissions data and streamline the reporting process itself, EPA has identified several issues with respect to the tracking of unit/stack operating hours and required QA. This change will improve the accuracy of emissions evaluations and reduce the number of incorrect errors and/or messages, enable the removal of several QA test extension and exemption records, and result in an overall more efficient reporting process with better data quality.

5. Does this also apply to MATS parameters?

No, this does not affect the MATS parameters themselves, however any other parameters reported and quality assured for Part 75 purposes (e.g., flow) are affected.

6. Will this involve XML Schema changes?

No, schema changes are not included with this change.

7. Will EPA provide draft reporting instructions?

Yes, EPA will post a supplemental draft version of the ECMPS Emissions Reporting Instructions for monitored and derived hourly value records on or before April 15, 2019. This will be posted to the ECMPS Support website along with a News announcement. Also, in conjunction with EPRI’s Continuous Emissions Monitoring User Group 2019 conference, EPA will host a DAHS vendor question and answer session on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, at 10:30 AM, in Ballroom I of the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel. Everyone is welcome to attend, however the focus of the meeting will be on addressing technical implementation questions as a result of this change.

Labels: Reporting Instructions, Technical Support Tip

As part of EPA’s ongoing focus on data quality, ECMPS will begin requiring the reporting of System and Component IDs during the use of missing data beginning with the 2019 Q2 release. This is a change from the current emissions reporting instructions where users are specifically instructed not to report these IDs during time periods of missing data.

Why is this change being made?
This change will allow ECMPS to better track system and component operating hours across quarter boundaries and ensure a more accurate evaluation of emissions data.

What do I need to do?
ECMPS users should work with their DAHS vendors to ensure these changes are made to the DAHS reporting software prior to reporting emissions for the 2019 Q2 reporting period. More specific details with draft reporting instructions will be released prior to this change.

Questions?
If you have questions contact ECMPS technical support or Chris Worley at Worley.Christopher@epa.gov. 

Labels: Reporting Instructions, Technical Support Tip

EPA Clean Air Markets will be hosting two one-hour sessions in conjunction with this year’s Continuous Emissions Monitoring User Group Conference & Exhibit 2019 in Birmingham, Alabama. The sessions are scheduled for the afternoon of Tuesday, May 7, 2019. A description of the each session and registration details are provided below.

U.S. EPA Clean Air Markets Division: ECMPS 101
This one hour training is designed for users new to the Emissions Collection and Monitoring Plan System (ECMPS) software. Users with more than one year of experience should not attend this session. Use the password “EPA_ECMPS” to register.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/us-epa-clean-air-markets-division-ecmps-101-registration-56594471588

U.S. EPA Clean Air Markets Division: ECMPS Focus Group
EPA is in the process of enhancing ECMPS to provide more flexibility and value for emission reporters. This one hour focus group is intended for experienced ECMPS users to provide feedback about the current tool and suggestions about the future redesign of the software. EPA will give a brief presentation and then allow audience members to provide feedback and suggestions. Use the password “EPA_ECMPS” to register.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/us-epa-clean-air-markets-division-ecmps-focus-group-tickets-56595152625

Information on the EPRI conference itself can be found here:
http://www.cvent.com/events/continuous-emissions-monitoring-user-group-conference-exhibit-2019/event-summary-052375d4b0e74aa692e45afea398375a.aspx

Labels: Communication, Stakeholder Meeting, Technical Support

The 2019 Quarter 1 Release of the Client Tool is now available.  The Client Tool must be upgraded to the 2019 Q1 version in order to report data in the next reporting period which begins on April 1, 2019.

More information about what is included in the release is shown in the Release Notes.

In order to use the Client Tool, you must be a Designated Representative (DR), Alternate Designated Representative (ADR), or an ECMPS agent for a representative. In addition, you must have a CAMD Business System (CBS) user name, current CBS password, and have completed a CROMERR Subscriber Agreement Form.

All current users of the Client Tool will be prompted to upgrade to this latest version the next time each user logs in to the EPA Host System. For more information about the Update Service which updates the Client Tool, watch the Update Service tutorial.

All new users of the Client Tool should download and install the 2019 Q1 version of the Client Tool. Users are urged to follow all instructions on the ECMPS Support website and to consult the Installation Guide for step-by-step instructions on how to install the Client Tool.

In order to insure that all technical support questions are tracked and answered, EPA has requested that all technical support questions, including installation questions, be submitted to ECMPS Technical Support.

Labels: Release Schedule Information, Technical Support Tip