UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION IX 75 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94105·3901

OFFICE OF THE REGIONAL AOMINISTRATOR 

## JUN 1it 2011

The Honorable Edmund G. Brown Jr Governor ofCalifornia State Capitol Building, Suite#1173 Sacramento, California 95814 Dear Governor Brown: Thank you for your State's recommendation regarding the airqualitydesignation for the revised National Ambient Air Quality Standardsfor lead throughout California. On November 16, 2010, in accordance with California's recommendation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated southern Los Angeles Countynonattainment for the revised standard for lead. This letter is to notify you ofEPA's preliminarydecision to designate the rest ofCalifornia as unclassifiable/attainment and to inform you ofour approach for completing the designations for the revised lead standards. Reducing levels oflead pollution is an important part ofthe EPA's commitment to a clean, healthy environment. Lead exposure can cause a range ofadversehealth effects, most notably in children. Exposures to low levels oflead early in life havebeenlinked to effects on 1Q, learning, memory, and behavior. On October 15, 2008, the EPA substantially strengthened the health-based or "primary" National Ambient Air Quality Standard for lead byloweringit from 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter ()lg/mJ )
- a level set in 1978

- to a level of0.15 )lglmJ

. This strongerstandard provides increased protection against adverse health effects associated with exposure to lead in at-risk groups, includingchildren. To provide increased protection against lead-related environmental and other welfare effects, the EPA revised the secondaryNational Ambient Air Quality Standard to be identical in all respects to the revised primary standard. The EPA also determined that the pre-existing ambient lead monitoring network was inadequate for determining whethermany areas are meeting the revised lead standards and established new criteria for siting ambient lead monitors and new data collection requirements. Monitors meeting the new network siting requirements were to begin operationJanuary 1,2010. Within two years ofpromulgatingnew orrevised National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the Clean Air Act requires the EPA to complete the initial process ofidentifying or designating areas that meet or do not meet an airquality standard. Ifthe Administratorhas insufficient information to make these designations, the EPA has the authority to extend the designation process by up to one year. In light of the new monitoringnetwork, the EPA is completingthe lead designations in two rounds. In the first round, published on November 16,2010, the EPA designated as "nonattainment" 16 areas as violating the 2008 Lead National AmbientAir Quality Standards based on data from the pre-20I0 monitoring network. For all other areas, the EPA extended the deadline for designationsby up to one year so that

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### data from the newly deployed monitors can be considered in making appropriatedesignation decisions. States were given an opportunity to update their recommendation letters for those remaining areas for ourconsideration in the second round ofdesignations by December 15, 2010. The EPA intends to complete the second round oflead designations by no later than October 14, 2011. Consistent with the Clean Air Act, and after carefully considering California's October 14,2009 recommendation letter and all the associated technical information for the 2008 Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards, including the most recent air quality data from 2008-2010, the EPA is proposing to designate California, exceptsouthern Los Angeles County, as unclassifiable/attainment. The EPA uses this designation for initial designations to identify areas that have data indicating attainment, or where there is no evidenceofa violation. Ifyour state has additional information that the EPA should consider with respectto ourproposed modification to your designation recommendation, please submit it to us by August 15,2011. The EPA's preliminarydesignation decisions and supportingdocumentation will bemade available to the general public for review. We will be accepting comments through August 15,2011. We will review anyinformation we receive from the State ofCalifornia and the general publicbythis date, and we plan to promulgatethe second round offinal designations byOctober 14, 2011. We look forward to a continued dialogue with you and your staffas we work together to implementthe 2008 Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me, orhaveyour staffcontact Air Division Director Deborah Jordan at 415-947-8715.

cc: Linda S. Adams Acting Secretary, CaliforniaEPA Mary Nichols Chairman, CARS James Goldstene Executive Officer, CARS Lynn Terry DeputyExecutive Officer, CARS