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EPA’s Revisions to Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards (PM NAAQS )

EPA’s Revisions to Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards (PM NAAQS ). Air Quality Committee Meeting January 9, 2013 Sushma Masemore, PE Planning Section Chief. 2012 PM NAAQS. Final rule signed Dec. 14, 2012 To be published in the Federal Register soon

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EPA’s Revisions to Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards (PM NAAQS )

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  1. EPA’s Revisions to Particulate MatterNational Ambient Air Quality Standards (PM NAAQS) Air Quality Committee Meeting January 9, 2013 Sushma Masemore, PE Planning Section Chief

  2. 2012 PM NAAQS • Final rule signed Dec. 14, 2012 • To be published in the Federal Register soon • In response to lawsuits filed by the American Lung Association, National Parks Conservation Association, and several states • Also in response to 2009 court ordered remand of primary and secondary annual fine particulate matter (PM2.5) standards

  3. PM2.5 Primary (Health) Standards • Existing • 1997 annual standard 15 μg/m3 • 2006 daily standard 35 μg/m3 • 2012 Final • Strengthen annual standard to 12 μg/m3 • Retain daily standard at 35 μg/m3 μg/m3 = micrograms per cubic meter

  4. How will it affect NC? 2009-2011 Annual PM2.5 Design Values All monitors meet the revised annual standard 12 μg/m3 2009-2011 Daily PM2.5 Design Values All monitors meet the daily standard 35 μg/m3

  5. National Outlook Nationally, 66 counties don’t currently meet 12 μg/m3 PM2.5 annual standard. Source: 2009-2011 air quality data as of July 15, 2012, www.epa.gov/pm

  6. PM10 Primary (Health) Standards • Existing • 1987 daily standard 150 μg/m3 • 2012 Final • Retains daily standard at 150 μg/m3 • All areas in NC meet the standard

  7. PM2.5 and PM10 Secondary (Welfare) Standards • 2012 Final • Retaining existing secondary standards • Annual PM2.5 -15.0 μg/m3 • Daily PM 2.5 - 35 μg/m3 • Daily PM10 – 150 μg/m3 • EPA concluded that current secondary daily PM2.5 standard is appropriate to protect visibility in urban areas. • No impact to NC based on current data

  8. Revisions to Air Quality Index (AQI) • EPA’s color-coded tool for informing public about air quality • Converts ambient concentrations to a number on a scale of 0 to 500 • Effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register

  9. Permitting Impacts • Final rule allows grandfathering of pre-construction permit applications if: • Application deemed complete by Dec. 14, 2012 • Public notice for draft permit or preliminary determination issued prior to effective date of the standard • Grandfathered applications will still have to comply with the 2006 PM2.5 standards • EPA to provide modeling guidance

  10. Ambient Monitoring Impacts • Establish near-roadway PM2.5 monitors • Population of 1 million or more • Co-located with existing nitrogen dioxide or carbon monoxide monitors • Monitors in Charlotte and Raleigh by Jan. 2015 • Possibly Durham and Greensboro by Jan. 2017 • Data will not be available in time to make initial attainment and nonattainment designations.

  11. Designation & Implementation Schedule • Dec. 2013 – states recommend areas to be designated attainment or nonattainment • Dec. 2014 – EPA makes final designations • 2018 (3 yrs after designations) – states submit implementation plans • 2020 (<5 yrs after designations) – states must meet the standards

  12. Questions? • Sushma Masemore • (919) 707-8700 • sushma.masemore@ncdenr.gov

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