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Executive Summary

As required by 40 CFR Section 51.308 of the Regional Haze Rule, the New York State 

Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Air Resources has prepared 

this State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision demonstrating how reductions in the 

emissions of visibility impairing pollutants will result in a decrease in the degree of 

visibility impairment in Class I areas in the northeastern United States. 

The overall goal of the Federal Haze Program (64 FR 35714) is to reduce haze to 

natural, pre-industrial conditions in these areas by 2064. This SIP, however, as 

required by the Regional Haze Rule deals with the first planning period that ends in 

2018. The decrease in New York State emissions, in concert with the efforts of other 

states, is focused on attaining this goal, decreasing visibility impairment to the 

necessary degree by 2018 to be on a “glide path” to meet the ultimate 2064 goal. 

Although New York State has no Class I areas, emissions in the State contribute to 

visibility degradation in downwind Class I areas in several other states. These include:

the Lye Brook Wilderness Area, VT, Brigantine Wildlife Refuge, NJ, Presidential RangeDry River Wilderness Area and Great Gulf Wilderness Area, NH, RooseveltCampobello International Park, Acadia National Park, Moosehorn Wildlife Refuge, ME, 

and the Shenandoah National Park in VA. These emissions include sulfates, nitrates, 

particulate matter, ammonia, and volatile organic compounds (i.e., VOC). 

Since emissions must be addressed on a region-wide basis, the Mid-Atlantic Northeast 

Visibility Union (MANE-VU) was formed by the states, tribes, and federal agencies in 

the mid-Atlantic and northeast areas to coordinate regional haze planning activities for 

the region and with the four other Regional Planning Organizations (RPOs) covering 

other areas of the country. MANE-VU has provided technical analyses and other 

assistance to the member organizations in affiliation with the Northeast States for 

Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Air 

Management Association (MARAMA). 

This SIP revision satisfies the requirements of the federal haze program found in 40 

CFR Section 51.308 by evaluating the current and future projected inventory of sources, 

assessing the progress necessary to reduce emissions to meet the 2018 goal, providing 

for consultation with other states, tribes and federal land managers (FLMs) in 

establishing progress goals, and establishing a strategy by which New York’s share of 

regional emission reductions will be implemented. This strategy was arrived at through 

a consultation process with other states and tribes, FLMs and the Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA). The State of New York agrees and commits to implement 

this strategy as described in this document. 

40 CFR Section 51.308(f) requires a State to revise its regional haze implementation 

plan and submit it to the EPA by July 31, 2018 and every ten years thereafter. 

Additionally, Section 51.308(g) requires periodic reports evaluating progress toward the 
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reasonable progress goals established for each mandatory Class I area. In accordance 

with the requirements listed in Section 51.308(g) of the federal rule for regional haze, 

New York also commits to submitting both the SIP revision and the periodic report on 

reasonable progress to the EPA every five years.