I I

# I .5.o"r.* 

# I g'-

# a -rr

# tYrUNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION 2 290 BROADWAY NEWYORK, NY 10007-1866



### DEC

# 2

# s 2000 Honorable Jon S.

### Corzine Governor 

### of the State 

### of New Jersey 

### Office of the 

### Governor PO 

### Box 001 Trenton, 

### NJ 08625
Dear Governor 

### Corzine:
On 

### March 

### l2,2A08,the Environmental Protection 

### Agency (EPA) revised the national ambient 

### air quality standards 

### (NAAQS) for ozone 

### to provide increased 

### protection of 

### public health and

### welfare 

### from ozone 

### pollution. The new 

### primary ozone standardwas 

### lowered 

### from 0.08 parrs per 

### million (ppm) 

### to 0.075 

### ppm based on numerous 

### epidemiological studies conducted 

### during the past 

### decade. The studies

### found health effects associated 

### with ozone exposure at and 

### below the 

### level of the 0.08 

### ppm standard, 

### u'hich was promulgated 

### in 1997. They include a range 

### of serious 

### respiratory effects and increased premature 

### mortality. EPA also strengthened the secondary 8-hour ozone standard, 

### making 

### it identical tothe revised 

### primary standard, 

### to protect against 

### welfare effects such as impacts onvegetation andforested ecosystems. 

### Within oneyear 

### of promulgation 

### of a 

### new or revised 

### NAAQS, section 

### 107(d)(l)(A)

## of the Clean

### Air Act requires the 

### govemor of each state 

### to submit 

### to EPA.a 

### list of all areas in the state, recommending designations 

### for each as

### "attainment," "nonattainment," or 

### "unclassifiable" 

### with respect to the new or revised 

### standard. We askthatyou 

### provide 

### your designation recommendations 

### with respect to the revised ozone 

### NAAQS, including appropriate area boundaries, 

### to EPA by 

### March 12,2009. Establishing area designations 

### is a 

### key step 

### in the process 

### of providing the health protections that the Clean 

### Air Act mandates. Areas 

### that are designated as not 

### attaining the 

### air

### quality standards 

### will be required 

### to adopt plans 

### to reduce ambient concentrations 

### of ozone. The enclosed memorandum 

### provides guidance

### to stateand 

### local air 

### pollution control agencies and

### tribes onthe process 

### for designating areas underthe 2008 

### revised ozon€standard. We plan 

### to announce our intended designations asearly aspossible after receipt 

### of your recommendations, but no later 

### than 120 days 

### prior to promulg'ating 

### final designations. 

### Following the announcement 

### of intended designations, states andtribes 

### will havethe

### opportunity to cornmenr on any 

### modifications EPA proposes 

### totheir recommendations. 

### In accordance 

### with section 

### 107(dXlXB) of the Clean

### Air Act, we intend 

### to issue

### final designations 

### by 

### March 12, 2010 (although that deadline may be extended up 

### to one 

### additional year

### if EPA determines that 

### insufficient information is available 

### to establish designations by that 

### date). Our designations 

### will be based onthe most recentthree years 

### of ceftified, quality assured 

### monitoring data available. Ozone nonattainment areas

### will be classified atthe

### time of designation. The approach 

### EPA

### will
use 

### to classify nonattainment areas under the 2008 revised ozone 

### NAAQS 

### will be established through a separate notice and comment 

### rulemaking.

Rccycrrd,Rocycrrbro
. p,rntrd w'h

# Jl"::1frffil1H:"Hffi# ill -r' 50?r porrco','umer con,nr)

## a------------

We look forward to

### working with you and 

### your staff

### to develop area

### designations under

the 200g revised ozone standards 

### in a

### timely manner. 

### If you have 

### any questions, please do 

### not hesitate 

### to contact 

### me. Your air 

### quality staff may contact 

### Raymond Werner, 

### Chief of the

### Air Programs 

### Branch, at 212-637

### -4249. Sincerely, 

## fi'l')"

# ^ /) i.h LVIA/I

# Lt,

# ;l/ Alan J. Steinberg Regional 

### Administrator
Enclosure


### cc: Malk N. Mauriello, Commissioner New Jersey 

### Department of Environmental Protection