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

OFFICE OF THE REGIONAL AOMI"lISTRATOR 

## JUN 14 2011

The Honorable Eddie Baza Calvo Governor Territory ofGuam Ricardo J. Bordallo Governor's Complex Adelup, Guam 96910
Dear Governor Calvo: On September 9, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent a letter infonning Governor Camacho ofGuam's opportunityto provide recommendations on air quality designations for the revised National Ambient Air Quality Standards for lead throughout Guam. This letter is to notify you ofthe EPA's preliminarydecision to designate all ofGuam as unclassifiable/attainment and to infonn you ofour approach for completingthe designations for the revised lead standards. Reducing levels oflead pollution is an important part ofthe EPA's commitmentto a clean, healthy environment. Lead exposure can cause a range ofadverse health effects, most notably in children. Exposures to low levels oflead early in life havebeen linked to effects on IQ, learning, memory, and behavior. On October 15,2008, the EPA substantially strengthened the health-based or "primary" National Ambient Air Quality Standard for lead bylowering it from 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter (llg/m3)

- a level set in 1978

- to a level of0.15 Ilg/m3. This stronger standard provides increased protection against adverse health effects associated with exposureto lead in at-risk groups, including children. 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 detenllined that the pre-existing ambient lead monitoring network was inadequate for detennining 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 operation January 1,2010. Within two years ofpromulgatingnew orrevised National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the Clean AirAct requires the EPA to complete the initial process ofidentifying ordesignating areas that meet or do not meet an air quality standard. Ifthe Administrator has insufficient infoll11ation to make these designations, the EPA has the authority to extend the designation process by up to one year. In Iight 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 Ambient Air Quality Standardsbased on data from the pre-20l0 monitoring**Prin,~d** on**Recycl~d** Papa

### network. For all other areas, the EPA extended the deadline for designations by up to one year so that data from the newly deployed monitors can be considered in making appropriate designation decisions. States were given an opportunityto update their recommendation letters for those remaining areas for ourconsideration in the second round ofdesignationsbyDecember IS, 20I

### O. The EPA intends to completethe second round oflead designations by no later than October 14, 2011. Consistent with the Clean Air Act, and after carefully considering all the associated technical information for the 2008 LeadNational Ambient Air Quality Standards, the EPA is proposingto designate Guam as unclassifiable/attainment. The EPA uses this designation for initial designations to identify areas that have data indicating attainment, orwhere there is no evidence ofa violation. The EPA'spreliminary designation decisions and supporting documentation will be made available to the general public for review. We will be accepting comments through August 15,2011. We will review any information wereceive from Guam and the general publicbythis date, and weplan to promulgate the second round offinal designations by October 14, 2011. We look 

### forward to a continued dialogue with you and your staffas we work together to implement the 2008 Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me, orhave your staffcontact Air Division Director Deborah Jordan at 415-947-8715.

cc: Ivan Quinata Administrator, Guam EPA Peter Cruz Air Pollution Control Program Manager, Guam EPA