) UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY I

REGION

IXPRO

75 Hawthorne Street San Francisco,

CA 94105-3901

OFFICE
OF THE FEB

0 6 2013

REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR The Honorable Neil Abercrombie Executive Chambers State Capitol Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Dear Governor Abercrombie: Thank you for your recommendations

dated May 19, 2011 on air quality designations

for the state of Hawaii
for the 2010 revision

to the primary National Ambient
Air Quality Standard

for sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ). Reducing levels
of SO 2 pollution

is an important part of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) commitment

to
a clean, healthy environment. Exposure

to SO 2 can cause

a range
of adverse health effects, including narrowing

of the airways which can cause difficulty breathing
and increased asthma symptoms.
This letter

is to notify you of the EPA’s preliminary intentions regarding your recommended designations. On June

3, 2010, the EPA strengthened

the health-based

or “primary” standard
for SO 2 by establishing

a standard

for 1-hour average SO 2 concentrations

at a level of 75 parts per billion. The Clean Air Act requires
the EPA
to complete

the initial designations process within two years of promulgating

a new or revised standard.

If the Administrator

has insufficient information

to make these designations,

the EPA has the authority

to extend the designation process

by up to one year. On July 27, 2012, the EPA announced
that

it had insufficient information

to complete

the designations

for the 1-hour SO 2 standard within two years and extended

the designations deadline

to June

3, 2013. At this time the EPA

is proceeding
with designating

as nonattainment
most areas
in locations where existing monitoring
data from 2009-2011 indicate violations

of the 1-hour SO 2 standard. The EPA intends

to address
the designations

for all other areas
in separate future actions. With input from

a diverse group
of stakeholders,
EPA has developed

a comprehensive implementation strategy
for these future actions that focuses resources

on identifying

and addressing unhealthy levels
of SO 2 . The strategy

is available

at: www.epa.gov/airquality/sulfurdioxide/implement.html.

The EPA will continue to work closely with you and our other partners

at the state, tribal and local levels

to ensure healthprotective, common sense implementation

of the 1-hour SO 2 standard. The EPA’s review

of the most recent monitored

air quality data from 2009-2011 indicates several monitors

on the Island
of Hawaii may exceed the 2010 SO 2 standard.

In your recommendation

letter, you have requested
that the EPA exclude data from those monitors from being considered

for designations purposes under the EPA’s Exceptional Events Rule due to SO 2 emissions from
an active volcano. The EPA has not yet determined whether such exclusion

is merited under the Exceptional Printed

on Recycled PaperEventsRule.Accordingly,theEPAisnotyetpreparedtoproposedesignationactioninHawaiiandiscurrentlydeferringactiontodesignateareasinHawaiipendingfurtherassessmentofthisrequest.UponourfuturedeterminationregardingwhethertoexcludethedatafromHawaii’smonitors,wewillproceedtotakeappropriatedesignationsaction.InaseparatefutureactionoractionstheEPAwillnotifyyouofourintendeddesignationforHawaii,andseekpubliccommentonsuchaction,nolaterthan120dayspriortopromulgatinganyfmaldesignation.Welookforwardtoacontinueddialoguewithyouandyourstaffasweworktogethertoimplementthe2010primarySO2standard.ForadditionalinformationregardinginitialdesignationsoftheSO2standard,pleasevisitourwebsiteat:www.epa.gov/so2designations.Shouldyouhaveanyquestions,pleasedonothesitatetocallme,orhaveyourstaffcontactDeborahJordan,Director,AirDivisionat415-947-8715,oriordan.deborah(epa.gov.Sincerely, 4&4JaredBlumenfeldcc:LorettaFuddy,Director,HawaiiDepartmentofHealthGaryGill,DeputyDirector,HawaiiDepartmentofHealthStuartYamada,Chief,EnvironmentalManagementDivision,HawaiiDepartmentofHealthNolanHirai,ActingBranchManager,CleanAirBranch,HawaiiDepartmentofHealthGinaMcCarthy,AssistantAdministratorforAirandRadiationStephenD.Page,Director,OfficeofAirQualityPlanningandStandards