NAAQS UPDATE

SIP Steering CommitteeJanuary 13, 2011

Ozone

• 3/2008 - EPA issued primary standard of 0.075 ppm and a secondary standard identical to primary

• 3/2009 – States submitted designation recommendations (MA - nonattainment)

• EPA has not taken action to finalize designations

Ozone Litigation • May 2008 - states, environmental and industry

groups filed petitions for review of the 2008 primary and secondary standards

• March 2009- New administration asked for stay of litigation so EPA could determine whether standards should be reconsidered

• Court directed EPA to notify it by September 16, 2009 of the action it would take and the schedule for action

• September 16, 2009 – EPA Administrator announced will reconsider the 2008 standards

Ozone Reconsideration

• EPA’s reconsideration is based on concerns that the 2008 NAAQS revisions is not protective enough

• During 2008 review, Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) unanimously recommended a primary standard in the range of 0.060 ppm to 0.070 ppm and a distinct secondary standard to protect vegetation

• CASAC reiterated its recommendation following issuance of the .075 primary standard and a secondary standard identical to the primary standard

Ozone Reconsideration

• January 2010 - EPA issued a proposed revision to the NAAQS stating that a final rule would be issued by August 31, 2010

• Proposed a primary range as CASAC recommended – between 0.060 – 0.070 ppm -and a separate secondary standard

• Final rule now delayed to July 2011

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)

• January 2010 - EPA revised the existing annual NO2 standard of 53 parts per billion (ppb) adopted in 1971. Added a new hourly NO2 standard of 100 ppb

• States must submit recommendations for designation under the new 1-hour standard by January 22, 2011

MA NO2 Recommendation

• Existing Massachusetts NO2 monitors (11) show concentrations well below the new 1-hour 100 ppb standard

• EPA is requiring that states place new monitors near major roads to measure peak, short-term concentrations.

• MassDEP will have to install 4-5 new NO2 monitors

MA NO2 Recommendation

• Because existing monitors do not meet the near-roadway criterion, cannot support a recommendation of "attainment"

• MA recommendation will be “unclassifiable” (if approved by Governor)

• January 2012 - EPA intends to designate most areas as "unclassifiable"

Final/Revised NO2 Designations

• States have until January 1, 2013, to have the new near-road monitors operational

• EPA plans to issue revised designations after 2015 based on 3-years of data from the new monitors

Lead NAAQS

• October 2008 - EPA strengthened the lead NAAQS

• October 2009 – MA recommended designations of attainment for Suffolk County and “unclassifiable” for remainder of the state

• MA Recommendation based on data from one monitor in Boston. No lead monitoring elsewhere in MA for nearly two decades

Lead Monitoring• 2008 NAAQS - required that by 1/2011 states operate

1 monitor at each source that emits 1 or more tons per year (tpy) and 1 monitor in each urban area with a population equal to or greater than 500,000

• December 2010 – EPA changed the emissions monitoring threshold to 0.5 tpy for industrial sources (none in MA)

• EPA maintained 1.0 tpy threshold for airports, but is requiring a 1-year monitoring study at 15 additional airports to evaluate lead emissions at airports emitting more than 0.5 tpy, but less than 1 tpy

• Nantucket Memorial Airport listed as study site

Lead Monitoring

• EPA also changed non-source-oriented monitoring by only requiring lead monitoring at NCore sites in CBSAs with a popultion of 500,000 people or more.

• January 2011 – MassDEP measuring lead using low-volume PM10 samples from the monitors at Boston NCore site and in Springfield

• Discussing with EPA plan for study monitoring at Nantucket airport