UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASH I NGTON, D.C. 20460

The Ho n orable Tom Corbett Governor of Pennsylvania 225 Mai n Capitol Building Harrisburg, Pennsy lvania 17120 Dear Governor Corbett: 

## [lC 

## 1 

# s 2014
THE ADMINISTRATOR

I am writing to summar ize the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent action to address fine particle pollution in your state. As requ ired by the Clean Air Act, the EPA has de termined which areas are meeti ng the national ambient air quality standards for fine parti cle po ll ution and which areas must take steps to reduce emi ss i ons that contribute to violations of the standard. On December 14, 2012, the EPA strengthened the annual, health

- based fine parti cle standard from 15
. 0 micrograms per cubic meter (j.tg/ m 3 ) t o 1 2
. 0 !lg l m3

. Thousands of sc i entific studies have linked exposure to these tiny particles-approximately l/30th the si z e of a human hair- with ser ious human health problems including premature death in peop le with heart and lung disease, nonfata l heart attacks, and increased hospital admissions and doctor and emergency room visits for resp iratory and cardiovascular disease. I appreciate the information you and your staff have shared w ith the EPA throughout this p rocess to assess fine parti cle poll u tion levels in communities across your state and the impact of emission sources that could be contributing to unhealth y air. After co nsidering your recommendati o ns , reviewing the most recent certified fine par ti cle ai r quality data for your state and evaluating fac tors to assess contribut ion to nearby levels of fine particle pollution, I have determined that most areas i n your state meet the 2012 annual fi n e particle stan dard. As a resu lt, the EPA is designating the majority of the state "unclassifiable / attainment." Also, some areas in your state either do not meet the 2012 annual fine parti cle standard or they contribute to a nearby violation of the s tandard
. The EPA is designati ng those areas " nonattainment. " Nonattainment areas will be requ ired to take action to reduce fine parti cle pollution and meet the standard no later than 2021. As required by the Clean Air Act, those actions may inc lude stricter controls on industrial facilities and additional planni n g requirements for transportation

- related sources. The enclosed tab le lists the areas, and counties within them, that the EPA is designat ing nonattainment.

l n lemel Address (URL) • http ://www
. epa . gov Recycled/Recyclable • Prinled w i lh Vegelab l e Oil Based Inks on 100% Postconsumer, Process Chlorine Free Recycled PaperBecause air quality monitoring for 2014 is nearly complete, if a state or tribe requests it, the E PA will evaluate the status of an area based on its annual fin e particle monitoring data for 2012-2014 . If you would li ke the EPA to re-evaluate any areas within your sta te , please submit to th e EPA, comp l ete , quality-assured and certified air quality data fo r 2014 by, , febr uar y 27,20 1 5. The EPA shares responsibility with the states and tribes for managing particle pollution levels. Effo rt s

by states and tribes to attain the 1997 and 2006 fine particle pollution standard s are already working to reduce unhealthy levels of fine particle pollution. In addition , current and upcoming federal standards and safeguards , including pollution reduction r ules fo r power plants , vehicles and fuels w ill assure steady reductions of fine particle pollution and wi ll protect public health in communit ies across the

coun try. Together, we have mad e considerab l e pr og r ess to reduce fine particle po llu tion. Na ti onwide, monitor ed l evels of fine particle pollution have fallen 34 percent si nce 2000 when we first began nationw i de monitoring for particles of this size. I am confident this progress will continue as we work together towards our shared goa l of clean air. For additional information about these designations, plea se visit our website at: \vww.epa.gov ' pmdesignatio n s .

If you have questions or concerns, please contact me or your staff may contact Mark Rupp, Deputy Associate Administrator fo r Intergovernmental R e l ations, at ru pp. mark ' wcpa. g m or at (202) 564-7178. Sincerely, Enclosu re

### Enclosure

- I nitial Nonattainment Area Designations for the 2012 Annual Fine Particle Standard, Pennsylvania

State Area Name 2014 EPA Designated Nonattainment Counties Johnstown , PA Cambria , PA In dia n a, P A (p) D elawa re County, PA Delaware, P A PA Lebanon Count y, PA Lebanon, PA Allegh e n y Coun ty, P A A ll egheny, PA Allentown , P A Lehigh, PA North amp ton, P A (p) par t ial count y