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Statement of the Air and Radiation Management Administration 

Maryland Department of the Environment 

For the Public Hearing Concerning the 

Implementation, Maintenance, and Enforcement of the PM2.5 

National Ambient Air Quality Standard 

State Implementation Plan 

Held on March 26, 2008 

Good morning. My name is Jim Wilkinson. I am a Planner in the Air Quality Planning Division, 

Air Quality Planning Program of the Air and Radiation Management Administration, Maryland 

Department of Environment (MDE). 

This public hearing concerns Maryland's proposed plan for implementation, maintenance, and 

enforcement of the PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standard. 

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 in 

• The Baltimore Sun on February 22, 2008, and 

• The Maryland Department of the Environment's website on February 20, 2008 and remained 

on the website until today's hearing. 

Copies of these notices will be submitted with the formal SIP submission package to the U.S. 

EPA. 

Copies of the proposed SIP were submitted for review to the State Clearinghouse and are also 

submitted at this time into the hearing record. Copies were also made available for public 

inspection on the Maryland Department of the Environment's website, at the Air and Radiation 

Management Administration offices in Baltimore, Cumberland, and Salisbury, and at all local 

health departments or local air quality control offices. 

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

the proposed SIP document. 

Summary of Proposed State Implementation Plan 

The purpose of this document is to examine Maryland’s State Implementation Plan (SIP) and 

determine if all necessary air quality monitoring, implementation, maintenance, and enforcement 

measures for the PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) are in place. 

 §110(a)(2) of the Clean Air Act provides a detailed listing of various requirements for state 

implementation plans regarding the national ambient air quality standards. In this SIP document, 
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each subparagraph from (A) through (M) is broken down, with various provisions supporting the 

requirements. Should any portion of Maryland’s state implementation plan be found lacking, a 

prompt submittal to correct such deficiencies must be made. 

The ambient air quality monitoring/data system section of this document under §110(a)(2)(B) is 

intended to replace Maryland's air quality monitoring network SIP revision of 

December 20, 1979 approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on 

August 31, 1981 (FR 46:43677). 

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 (SIP). 

The comment period for this SIP ends by 5 p.m. today, March 26, 2008.