EPA Recommends Nonattainment Designations for Eight-Hour Ozone NAAQS

摘要

In a December 10, 2003 Federal Register notice (68 FR 68805), EPA announced the availability of the agency's recommended non-attainment designations for the eight-hour ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). The agency's proposed area designations are based on nonattainment area boundary recommendations received from states in July 2003. The agency is required (by consent decree) to make non-attainment area designations by April 15, 2004. States will have the opportunity to comment on EPA's nonattainment area designations, and to provide new information and analyses, if necessary. While states made their recommendations to EPA based on monitoring data from 2000-2002, EPA will base its final decision on the most recent monitoring data available, generally 2001-2003. States with designated nonattainment areas will have to submit plans (i.e., state implementation plans, or SIPs) by 2007 describing how the state will meet the eight-hour ozone NAAQS. Deadlines for achieving the NAAQS will range from 2007 to 2021, depending on the severity of the ozone problem in a given nonattainment area.