Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 70.76
Liaison Richard Johnson
Submission Date Oct. 13, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Rice University
OP-2: Outdoor Air Quality

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Richard Johnson
Director of Sustainability
Facilities Engineering and Planning
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have policies and/or guidelines in place to improve outdoor air quality and minimize air pollutant emissions from mobile sources on campus?:
Yes

A brief description of the policies and/or guidelines to improve outdoor air quality and minimize air pollutant emissions from mobile sources:
The Facilities Engineering and Planning department established a building standard for transportation last revised 9/23/15 related to vehicle idling requiring: "Vehicle Idling a. The engine of a gasoline or diesel powered motor vehicle and/or equipment shall not idle for more than five (5) minutes while the motor vehicle is parked, stopped, or otherwise not in motion, except as follows: i. If the engine of the vehicle is being used to provide air conditioning or heating necessary for employee health or safety while the employee is using the vehicle to perform an essential job function related to construction or maintenance; ii. If the motor vehicle is equipped with a heavy-duty diesel engine or liquefied or compressed natural gas engine that has been certified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency or a state environmental agency to emit no more than 30 grams of nitrogen oxides emissions per hour when idling; iii. If the motor vehicle is providing a power source necessary for mechanical operation, other than propulsion and/or passenger compartment heating or air conditioning; iv. If the motor vehicle is being operated solely to defrost a windshield. b. Vehicles will not be left idling when unattended unless operationally required to safely perform a job function." https://facilities.rice.edu/sites/g/files/bxs1011/f/34%2000%2000%20Transportation.pdf

Has the institution completed an inventory of significant air emissions from stationary campus sources or else verified that no such emissions are produced?:
Yes

Weight of the following categories of air emissions from stationary sources::
Weight of Emissions
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) 29.48 Tons
Sulfur oxides (SOx) 0.84 Tons
Carbon monoxide (CO) 2.48 Tons
Particulate matter (PM) 1.89 Tons
Ozone (O3) ---
Lead (Pb) 0 Tons
Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) ---
Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) ---
Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations ---

A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
The EAS annually collects statewide data on emissions from industries that meet the Emission Inventory (EI) reporting requirements and stores those data in its database, the State of Texas Air Reporting System (STARS). An EI is the result of a process the EAS uses to collect data on standardized forms to ensure consistency among types of data collected, and to facilitate data entry into and retrieval from STARS. The data collected identify the company, site, point of contact, emission source, abatement device, emission point, and path emissions. Every EI is currently identified with and indexed by a site-specific air regulated entity reference number, a unique identification number assigned by the TCEQ. A site's air regulated entity reference number will thus also uniquely identify its EI.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.