1 National Ambient Air Quality Standards and State Implementation Plans North Carolina Division of Air Quality National Ambient Air Quality Standards and State Implementation Plans North Carolina Division of Air Quality Air Quality Committee January 8, 2014 Sushma Masemore, P.E. Planning Section Chief

2 Key Acronyms CAA – Clean Air Act NAAQS – National Ambient Air Quality Standards SIP – State Implementation Plan CFR – Code of Federal Regulations

3 NAAQS – National Ambient Air Quality Standards Clean Air Act -> EPA -> NAAQS 6 “criteria pollutants” –Particulate Matter (PM 2.5, PM 10 ) –Ozone (O 3 ) –Carbon Monoxide (CO) –Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ) –Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ) –Lead EPA regulates these pollutants by developing human health-based and environmentally-based criteria for setting permissible levels.

4 NAAQS – National Ambient Air Quality Standards Primary –Standards to protect public health, including the health of “sensitive” populations such as asthmatics, children, and the elderly. Secondary –Standards to protect public welfare, including protection against decreased visibility, damage to animals, crops, vegetation, and buildings.

NAAQS (as of October 2011) 5 Pollutant [final rule cite] Primary/ Secondary Averaging Time Level*Form Carbon Monoxide Carbon Monoxide [76 FR 54294, Aug 31, 2011]76 FR 54294, Aug 31, 2011 primary 8-hour9 ppm Not to be exceeded more than once per year 1-hour35 ppm Lead Lead [73 FR 66964, Nov 12, 2008]73 FR 66964, Nov 12, 2008 primary and secondary Rolling 3 month average 0.15 μg/m 3 Not to be exceeded Nitrogen Dioxide Nitrogen Dioxide [75 FR 6474, Feb 9, 2010] [61 FR 52852, Oct 8, 1996]75 FR 6474, Feb 9, FR 52852, Oct 8, 1996 primary1-hour100 ppb98th percentile, averaged over 3 years primary and secondary Annual53 ppbAnnual Mean Ozone Ozone [73 FR 16436, Mar 27, 2008]73 FR 16436, Mar 27, 2008 primary and secondary 8-hour0.075 ppm Annual fourth-highest daily maximum 8-hr concentration, averaged over 3 years Particle Pollution Particle Pollution Dec 14, 2012 PM 2.5 primaryAnnual12 μg/m 3 annual mean, averaged over 3 years secondaryAnnual15 μg/m 3 annual mean, averaged over 3 years primary and secondary 24-hour35 μg/m 3 98th percentile, averaged over 3 years PM 10 primary and secondary 24-hour150 μg/m 3 Not to be exceeded more than once per year on average over 3 years Sulfur Dioxide Sulfur Dioxide [75 FR 35520, Jun 22, 2010] [38 FR 25678, Sept 14, 1973]75 FR 35520, Jun 22, 2010 primary1-hour75 ppb 99th percentile of 1-hour daily maximum concentrations, averaged over 3 years secondary3-hour0.5 ppmNot to be exceeded more than once per year *Units of measure for the standards are parts per million (ppm) by volume, parts per billion (ppb) by volume, and micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m 3 ).

6 NAAQS Reviews CAA requires EPA to review every 5 yrs Current schedule for ongoing NAAQS reviews (as of Sept 12, 2013) EPA Milestone Pollutant OzoneLeadNO 2 Primary SO 2 Primary NO 2 /SO 2 Secondary COPM ProposalTBD 2014? 2014Feb 2016 Feb 2017 May 2017Mid 2017 TBD FinalTBD Nov 2016 Nov 2017 Feb 2018Mid 2018 TBD

7 Designations After standards are finalized…EPA must designate areas as meeting (attainment) or not meeting (nonattainment) the standard, or undetermined (unclassifiable). Monitoring data are used to determine an area’s design value –Design values are concentration measurements averaged over a specific time interval and are used in designations and redesignations Process –1 yr after NAAQS: states recommend boundaries and designations –120 days prior to final designations: EPA notifies states –2 yr after NAAQS: EPA makes final designations

8 North Carolina’s Current Attainment Status Only the Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury area is designated nonattainment of the 2008 Ozone NAAQS.

9 What is a State Implementation Plan (SIP)? An overall air quality plan for attaining or maintaining the NAAQS. –Codified in 40 CFR Part 52, each state has its own subpart –Public given opportunity to review and comment Infrastructure SIPs (due 3 years after NAAQS revision) –Shows that the state has the basic air quality management program to implement the NAAQS Attainment/Maintenance SIPs (usually 3 years after nonattainment designation) –Identifies emissions control requirements and associated rules necessary for attainment or maintenance

10 Courtesy; James, 2012

11 Redesignations State submits a request satisfying specific elements in CAA Section 107, including –Area has attained the NAAQS –Improvement is due to permanent and enforceable emission reductions –Maintenance plan is approved –All other SIP requirements are met Requires EPA rulemaking (codified in Part 52 and Part 81) EPA’s final approval redesignates an area from nonattainment to attainment/maintenance

12 Thank you. Questions?