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Statement of the Air and Radiation Management Administration 

Maryland Department of the Environment 

For the Public Hearing concerning the Baltimore Serious Nonattainment Area 

0.08 ppm 8-Hour Ozone State Implementation Plan 

Demonstrating Rate of Progress for 2008, 2011 and 2012 

Revision to 2002 Base Year Emissions; and 

Serious Area Attainment Demonstration

July 19, 2013 

Good Afternoon. My name is Molly Berger. I am a Natural Resources Planner in the Planning and Policy 

Division, Air Quality Planning Program of the Air & Radiation Management Administration, Maryland 

Department of the Environment. 

This public hearing is related to the air quality plan entitled the Baltimore Serious Nonattainment Area 

0.08 ppm 8-Hour Ozone State Implementation Plan Demonstrating Rate of Progress for 2008, 2011 and 2012

Revision to 2002 Base Year Emissions; and Serious Area Attainment Demonstration 

This public hearing is being held pursuant to federal law found at 42 U. S. C. § 7410(a) and 40 CFR Parts 

51.102 and 251. It is also being held in conformance with the State Administrative Procedure Act, under 

the State Government Article, beginning at Section 10-101. 

Notice of this public hearing appeared on the Maryland Department of the Environment's website on June 18, 

2013, and remained on the website to the date of today's hearing. 

Copies of each of the public hearing notices and the proposed SIP revision will be part of the formal hearing 

record. Access to the proposed document was made available via the website of the Maryland Department of 

the Environment. Hard copies were also available at the Maryland Department of the Environment.

The purpose of this hearing is to provide the public with an opportunity to formally comment on the 

proposed document. 

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The Clean Air Act was passed in 1970 to protect public health and welfare. Congress amended the Act in

1990 to establish requirements for areas not meeting the National Ambient Air Quality Standards 

(NAAQS). The Clean Air Act Amendments established a process for evaluating air quality in each region 

and identifying nonattainment areas according to the severity of its air pollution problem. The Clean Air 

Act sets health standards for six ambient pollutants: carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, 

ozone, lead and particulate matter. The Environmental Protection Agency establishes rules and regulations 

to implement the Clean Air Act. 
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On February 1, 2012 (effective March 2, 2012) EPA reclassified the Baltimore, MD Nonattainment Area 

as a “serious” nonattainment area. As a serious nonattainment area for 8-hour ozone National Ambient

Air Quality Standard (NAAQS), the Baltimore region is required to meet the requirements defined in the

Clean Air Act, Section 182 (d) and to submit a revised serious area SIP by September 30, 2012. The 

“serious” nonattainment area requirements include: 

• Meet all requirements for moderate nonattainment areas 

• Adopting state regulations to meet CAA Section 182 (d) 

• Adopt a contingency plan for 2008 Reasonable Further Progress (RFP) 

• Require new or expanding sources to offset increased emissions by 1.3:1 

• Revise and submit an updated attainment demonstration that reflects MOVES-based motor vehicle 

emissions budgets 

• Demonstrate 3% per year reasonable further progress from 2008-2011 and from 2011-2012 

• Adopt contingency measures for failure to make RFP in those periods and 

• Submit an analysis of Reasonably Available Control Measures for the region. 

CONSIDERATION OF COMMENTS 

The Department will consider all pertinent comments, and revise the proposed plan if necessary, before

making a final decision to adopt the plan and submit it to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for 

approval as a Maryland State Implementation Plan. Oral and written comments may be presented at this 

hearing. The 30-day public comment period that began on June 18, 2013, for receipt of all comments to

the plan will close at 5:00 PM today.