UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGEN CY WASHINGTON , D.C
. 20460

The Honorable Patrick McCrory Governor of North Caro li na 20301 Mail Service Center Raleigh, North Carolina 27699
-030I Dear Governor McCrory: 

## J(C 1 8 201.1
. 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 standards for fine particle pollution and which areas must take steps to reduc e emissions that contribute to violations of the standard. On December 14 , 2012, the EPA strengthened the annual , health-based fine particle standard from 15.0 micrograms per cubic meter (Jlg/m3) to 12.0 Jlg/m3

. Thousands of scientific studies have linked exposure to these tiny particles-approximately 1/30th 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 emiss ion sources that could be contributing to unhealthy air. After considering your recommendations , reviewing the most recent certified fine particle air quality data for your state and evaluating factors to assess contribution to nearby levels of fine particle pollution, I have determined that no area within North Carolina violates the 2012 standard or contributes to a nearby violation of the standard . As a result, the EPA is designating all ofNorth Carolina " unclassifiable /attainment. " Beca use air quality monitoring fo r 2014 is nearly complete, if a state o r tribe requests it, the EPA will evaluate the status of an area based on its annual fine particle monitoring data for 20 12-2014. lfyou would Iike the EPA to re- evaluate any areas within your state, please submit to the EPA, complete, quality-assured and certified air quality data for 2014 by February 27 , 2015. The EPA shares responsibility with the states and tribes for managing particle pollution level s. 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 standa rds and safeguar ds , including pollution reduction rules for power plants, vehicles and fuels will assure steady reductions offine particle pollution and will prot ect public health in communities across the country.

In terne t Ad d ress (URL) • htlp: // www. epa .gov Recycled/Recyclable • Printed w ith Vege tab le O i l Bas ed I n ks on 100% Po stco n su mer, P r ocess Chl o rine Free Recycled PaperTogether, we have made considerable progress t o reduce fine particle pollu t ion. Nationwide, moni t ored leve l s of fine particle po ll ution fell34 percent since 2000 when w e first began nationwide monitoring

for particles of this si z e. I am confid e n t this progress will acc e l erate as together we con t i n u e t o work towards our shared g oal of clean air. For additional i nformation about these des i gnations , please visit ou r website at: www.epa.gov / pmdesignations . · If you have que s tions or concerns , pl e ase co n tact me or your staff may co n tact Mark Rupp , De p uty Associate Admin i stra t or fo r I ntergovernmenta l Relations , a t rupp.mark @ epa.gov or a t (202) 56 4 -7 1 78. (1? ' dE??