develop consensus standards for use by TNI's programs. This group has a support role in assisting other programs with activities such as guidance and standards interpretation.
fosters the generation of data of known and documented quality is through the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, or NELAP. The purpose of this program is to establish and implement a program for the accreditation of environmental laboratories.
is to establish and maintain a national PT program to support TNI’s National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, and other activities.
Field Activities Program (NEFAP) Executive Committee is to establish and implement an accreditation program for field sampling and measurement organizations (FSMOs).
Audit Sample Program is to develop consensus standards for the manufacture and analysis of audit samples for source emission testing.
on a variety of topics of interest to the environmental measurement community. TNI also hosts two regularly scheduled meetings per year, typically in January and August. Both are a week long and involve open meetings of TNI committees as well as training courses and other special sessions.TNI Suspends Stationary Source Audit Sample Program
Date Posted: 3-11-2022
On February 21st, the SSAS Expert Committee met with Jerry Parr, Executive Director of TNI, and Craig Huff of ERA. Craig Huff announced that ERA will cease to sell Stationary Source Audit Samples effective March 31st, 2022. ERA will cease reporting returned results from Audit Samples on December 31st, 2022.
With ERA no longer manufacturing or selling Audit Samples, the Audit Sample Program no longer has any Accredited Audit Sample Providers.
The Committee wrote a letter to the EPA to notify them of the lack of Providers. The letter was sent to the Director of the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS).
The letter stated that, at this time, the SSAS Committee's operations were suspended, and that, barring a significant change to the SSAS Program, the Committee would cease functioning as the Program's Voluntary Consensus Standards Body as of December 31st, 2022. This course of action would result in the SSAS Program having no Providers and no Consensus Body.
The letter also requested a meeting between OAQPS and the TNI SSAS Committee.
At this time, the SSAS Committee is no longer engaged in the normal operations of a TNI Expert Committee. Meetings may be called by the Chair to address specific issues.
The Committee is of the opinion that the best course of action at this juncture is to wait until they can meet with representatives of the EPA. After that meeting has occurred, the Committee will discuss the best course of action for the future.