UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASHINGTON, D

. C

. 20460

The Honorable Pat Quinn Governor of Illinois State Capitol 207 Statehouse Springfield, Illinois 6060 I Dear Governor Quinn : 

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T HE ADM I NIST RATOR

I am writing to summarize the U.S. Environmental Protection 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 meeting the national ambient air quality standards for fine particle pollution and which areas must take steps to reduce emissions that contribute to violations ofthe standard. On December 14,2012, the EPA strengthened the annual, health-based fine particle standard from 15.0 micrograms per cubic meter**(~-tg )**  to 12.0**~-tg/m .**  Thousands of scientific studies have linked exposure to these tiny particles-approximately l /30th the size of a human hair-with serious human health problems including premature 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 disease.
I appreciate the information you and your staff have shared with the EPA throughout this process to assess fine particle pollution levels in communities across your state and the impact of emission sources that could be contributing to unhealthy air. The EPA identified data quality issues earlier this year that invalidated fine particle pollution monitoring data for your state
. As a result, the EPA cannot determine based on available information whether areas in Illinois are meeting the 20 I 2 standard or contribute to a nearby violation, and the EPA is designating the state "unclassifiable." The EPA will work closely with Illinois to ensure that identified problems with air quality monitoring data are corrected. The agency intends to reassess levels offine particl e pollution throughout Illinois once sufficient complete air monitoring data are available. The EPA shares responsibility with the states and tribes for managing particle pollution levels. Efforts by states and tribes to attain the 1997 and 2006 fine particle pollution standards are already working to reduce unhealthy levels offine particle pollution. In addition, current and upcoming federal standards and safeguards , including pollution reduction rules for power plants , vehicles and fuels will assure steady reductions offine particle pollution and will protect publi c health in communities across the country.

Internet Address ( URL) • http :// www
.epa gov Recycled/Recyclable • Pnnted W ith Vegetable Oi l Based Inks on 100% Postconsume r
. Process Ch lori ne Free Recycled PaperTogether , we have made considerable progress to reduce fine particle pollution. Nationwide, monitored levels of fine particle pollution have fallen 34 percent since 2000 when we first began nationwide monitoring for particles of this size. I am confident this progress will continue as we work together towards our shared goal of clean air. For additional information about these designations, please visit our website at: """'-v..epa.gov / p m designatio n s . Sincerely , **{:>** :: cCarthy