UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENC Y WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460

The Honorabl e Terry McAuliffe Govern or of Virginia 111 East Broad Street Richmond, Virg inia 23219
Dear Governo r McAuliffe: 

# ,flc t 

# s

**4** THE ADMINISTRATOR

I am writing to summarize the U.S. Environmental Protec tion Agency ' s recent action to address fine particle pollution in your state. As required by the Clean Air Act, the EPA has determined which areas are me e ting the national ambient air quality standards for fine particl e pollution and wh ich areas must take steps to reduce e mi ssi ons that contribute to violations of the s tandard. On December 14 , 2012, the EPA strengthened the annual , health-based fine particle standard from 1 5.0 micrograms per cubic meter (jl g/ m3 ) to 12.0 jlg/m 3

. T hou sands of scie ntifi c stud ies have linked exposure to th ese tiny particles--approximately l / 30th the s ize o f a human hair

- w ith seri ous human health problems includ ing premature d eath in peopl e with heart and lung disease , nonfatal heart attacks , and increased hospital admiss io n s and doctor and emer gency roo m visi ts fo r resp iratory and cardiovascul ar disease.
I appr ecia te th e information you and your staff have shared with the EPA throughout this process to assess fine p articl e pollution levels in communities acros s your s tate and the impact of emiss ion source s that could be contribu ti ng to unhealthy air. After con sid erin g your rec ommendations , reviewing the most recent certified fine particle air quality data for your state and evalua ting factors to assess contribution to nearby leve l s of fine particle po ll ution, I have determined that no area within Virginia violates the 2012 standard or co ntribute s to a nearby violation of the standard. A s a r es ult , the EPA i s designating a ll of Virginia "un class i

### ti ab Ie /attainment."
B eca u se air qua lity monito ring for 2014 is nearly complete , i f a sta te o r tribe reques ts i t, the EPA will evaluate th e status of an area based on its annual fine particle monitoring data for 20 12-2014. lfyou would like the EPA to re-evaluate any areas withi n your state , please subm it to th e EPA , complete, quality-assured and ce rtifi ed air quality data for 2014 by February 27 , 2015. The EP A s hares res pon si bilit y with the sta tes and tribes for managi ng particle pollution levels. Efforts by s t ates an d tribes to attain the 1 997 and 2006 fine particle pollution s tandards are already worki ng to reduce unhealthy levels o f fine partic le p oll ution. In addition , current and upcoming federal standards and safeguards , including pollution reduction rules for power plants , vehicles and fuels w ill assure s t

eady reductions of fine particle pollution and will protect public h eal th in co mmunities across the country.

Internet Address (URL) • hllp ://www

. epa
. gov Recycled/Recyclable • Pri nted wilh Vegetable Oll Based Inks on 100% Postconsumer, Process Chlori ne Free Recyc l ed PaperTogether, we have made considerable progress to reduce fine particle pollution. Nationw ide , mon i to red levels of fine particle pollution fell 34 percent since 2000 when we firs t began nationwide monitor i ng for particles of this size. I am confident th i s progress will accelerate as together we continue to work towards our shared goa l of clean air. For additional information about these des i gnat i ons, please visit our website at: www.epa.gov / pmdesignations .

If you have questions or concerns, please contact me or your staff may contact Mark Rupp, Deputy Associate Administrator for Intergovernmental Relations, at rupp . mark@epa.gov or at (202) 564-7178 .