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

The Honorable Bobby Jindal Governor of Louisiana P.O. Box 94004 Baton Rouge , Louisiana 70804-9004 Dear Govern or Jindal: THE ADMINISTRATOR

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 standard s for fine particle pollution and whic h areas must take steps to reduce emissions that contribute to violations of the standard. On December 14,2012 , the EPA strengthened the annual , health

- based fine particle standa rd from 15 .0 micrograms per cubic meter

**(~J.g/**

**)** to 12.0 IJ.g/m 3

. Thousands of scientific stud ies have linked exposure to these tiny particle s-approximately 1/30th the s ize of a human hair-wi th seri ous hu man health prob lems including premature death in people with heart and lung di sease , 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 po ll ution levels in communities across your state and the impact ofemission sources that could be contributing to unhealthy air. After considering your recommendations, reviewing the most recent certified fine particl e air quality data for your state and evaluating factors to assess contribution to nearby level s of fine particle pollution, I have determined that no area within Louisiana vio lates the 20 12 standard or contri butes to a nearby v iolation of the standard
. As a result, the EPA i s designatin g all of Louisiana "unclassifiable/attainment." Because air quality monitoring for 2014 is nearly complete, 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 1 2

- 20 14. If you would like the EPA to re-evaluate any areas within your state , please submit to the EPA, complete , quality-assure d and certified air quality data for 2014 by February 27 , 2015. T he EPA sha res respon s ibility with the states and tribe s for managing particl e pollution level s. Efforts by states and tribes to attain the 1997 and 2006 fine particle pollution s tand ards are already working to reduce unhealthy levels of fine particle pollution. I n addition, current and upcoming federal standards and safeguards , including pollution reduction rules for power plants, vehicles and fuels will assure steady reductions of fine particle pollution and will protect public health in communit ie s across the country.

Internet Address (URL) • htlp ://www

. epa . gov R e cyc l e d ! R ecyclable • Pri nted wit h Vegetable Oi l Based Inks on 1 00% Postconsumer , Process Chlorine Free Recyc l ed PaperTogether, we have m ade considerab l e progress to reduce fine part i c l e pollut i on. Nationwide, monitored l evels of fine p artic l e pollut i on fe ll 34 p erce n t s i nce 2000 when we first bega n nat i onw i de mo ni to r i n g fo r part icl es of t hi s size. I am confident this progress w ill accelerate as together we continue to work towa r ds our s h a r ed goal of clea n air. For additiona l information about these designations, please v i s i t

our website at: www.epa.gov / pmdesignations .

If you have questions or concerns, please con t act me o r your staff may contact Ma rk Rupp, Deputy Associate Administra t or for Intergovernmental Relations, at rupp.mark @ epa.gov or at (202) 564-7178.