UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460

The Honorab le D ave Heineman Governor ofNebraska P.O. Box 94848 Linco ln , Nebraska 68509-4848 Dear Governor Heineman: THE ADMINISTRATOR

I am wri tin g to summarize the U.S
. Environmental Protection Agency's recent action to address fine particle pollution in your state. As required by the Clea n Air Act, the EPA has determined which areas are meeting th e nationa l ambient air quality standards for fine particle po ll ution and which areas mu st take steps to reduce emi s sio n s that contribute to vio lation s of the standard
. On December 14,2012 , the EPA strengthened the annual, health

- based fine particle standard from 15.0 microg ram s per cubic meter (J..Lg/m 3 ) to 12.0 J..Lg/m 3

. Thousands of scientific stu dies have link ed exposure to these tiny parti c les-approx imately ! /3 0th th e size of a human hair -wi th seriou s human h ealth problems includin g prematur e death in people with heart and lung disease , nonfatal heart attacks , and increased hospital admissions and doctor and emergency room visits for respiratory and cardiovascular d isease. I appreciate the information you and your staff have shared wit h the E PA throughout this p rocess to assess fine particle po ll ution levels in communities across your state and the impact of emission so urce s that could be contrib uti ng to unhealthy ai r. After considering your recommendations , reviewing the mo st recent certified fine particle air quality data for your state and evaluating factors to assess contribution to nearby level s of fine particle po ll ution, 1 hav e determined that no area w ithin Ne bras ka v iolates the 20 1 2 standard or contributes to a nearby vio lati on of the standard. As a resu lt, the EPA is designating all of Nebras ka "unclassifiable/ attainment." Because air quality monitoring for 20 14 is nearly comple te , if a state or tribe requests it , the EPA w ill evaluate the status of an area based on its annual fine particle monitoring data for 20 12-2014. If you would like the EPA to re - evaluate any areas within your state, please s ubmit to the EPA, complete , quality-assured and certified air quality data for 2014 by February 27 , 2015. The EPA sha re s respon s ibility wit h the states a nd tribes for managing particle po ll ution levels. Efforts by s t ates and trib es to attain the 1997 and 2006 tlne particle po ll uti on standards are already working to reduce unhealthy level s of fine particle po ll ution. In addition, current and upcoming federal standards and sa feguards, includin g pollution reduction rules for power plants , vehicles and fuels wi ll assure steady reductions of tlne particle pollution and will protect public health in communities across the country.

Internet Address (URL) • http : //www

. epa . gov R ecycled/R ecyc l ab l e • Printed w i lh Vegetable O i l Based I nks on 100% Postconsumer. Process Chlorine Free Recycled PaperTogether, we have made considerab le progress to reduce fine particle pollution. Nationwide, monitored levels of fine particle pollut ion fell 34 percent s i nce 2000 when we firs t began nat i onwide monitoring for particles of this size. I am confident this progress will acce l erate as together we cont i nue to work towards our shared goal of clean air. For additional information about these designations , please visit our website at: www.epa . gov / pmdesignations .

If you have questions or concerns , please contact me or your s t aff may contact Mark Rupp , Deputy Associate Administrator for In t e r governmental Relations , at rupp.mark @ epa.gov or at (202) 564-7178.