# Appendix E

Public Notice Report,

Comments Received and Responses(This page intentionally left blank)Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses i Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 Appendix E Redesignation Demonstration and Ma intenance Plan December 18, 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Public Notice Report .......................................................................................................... ..............1

Comment Letter: 12/7/2009, Richard A. Sc hutt, Chief of Air Planning Branch, USEPA Region 4 ................................................................................................................ .3

Letter: 12/18/2009, B. Keith Overcash, Re sponse to USEPA Region 4 comment letter,

dated 12/7/2009 ............................................................................................................... .....7

The Greensboro News and Record Affidavit .................................................................................11

The Hickory Daily Record Affidavit ............................................................................................ .12

The Winston-Salem Journal Affidavit ........................................................................................... 13Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses ii Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 Appendix E Redesignation Demonstration and Ma intenance Plan December 18, 2009 (This page intentionally left blank)Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 1 Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 Appendix E Redesignation Demonstration and Ma intenance Plan December 18, 2009 

### Public Notice Report

For The North Carolina Redesignati on and Maintenance Plan for the Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point

Annual PM 2.5 

### Nonattainment Area

On October 30, 2009, a draft version of the Nort h Carolina redesignation and maintenance plan for the Hickory and Greensboro/ Winston-Salem/High Point (referr ed to as the Triad area),

annual PM 2.5 nonattainment areas was submitted to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). A request for public hearing, in accordance with 40 CFR 51.102, and the public comment period were noticed in the local ne wspapers on Friday, October 30, 2009. The public comment period was open from October 30, 2009 , through December 7, 2009, with a tentative hearing scheduled for Monday, December 7, 2009. No request for public hearing was received and the hearing was cancelled. A hearing can cellation notice was posted on the North Carolina Division of Air Quality (NCDAQ) website on Wednesday, December 2, 2009. The public comment period elicited comments from the USEPA.

Background

The Hickory and Triad areas North Carolina, located in Catawba, Davidson, and Guilford counties, was designated nonattainment for the annual PM 2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) on January 5, 2005 (70 Federal Register 944) and became effective on April 1, 2005. The nonattainment designation was an action taken by the USEPA under Section 107(d) of the Clean Air Act (CAA). The CAA requires that some area be designated as

nonattainment if a monitor is found to be in violation of the NAAQS. The USEPA took designation action in 2005 based on the ambient data from 2001- 2003. At that time, the design values for the Hickory and Triad nonattainment areas were 15.6 μg/m 3 and 15.9 μg/m 3

, respectively.

All violating monitors we re attaining the annual PM 2.5 standard with the inclusion of the 2008 ambient data. The 2006-2008 design values for th e Hickory and Triad nonattainment areas are 14.2 μg/m 3 and 14.5 μg/m 3 , respectively. Both areas continue to attain the daily PM 2.5 standard. Therefore, the Hickory and Triad PM 2.5 nonattainment areas are in attainment of the annual

PM 2.5 NAAQS and eligible to be consider ed for redesignation to attainment.

Summary of Public Notice and Comment Period

The public comment period was open from October 30, 2009 through December 7, 2009. The only comments received were from the USEPA, wh ich are attached at the end of this Appendix. For the most part the comments on the PM 2.5 redesignation and maintenance plan were minor

and have been addressed in the final submittal. One comment from the USEPA was that North Carolina needed to provide additional informati on which addresses the impact of transport fromPublic Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 2 Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 Appendix E Redesignation Demonstration and Ma intenance Plan December 18, 2009 adjacent states during the maintenance period in order to approve the maintenance plan due to the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) remand. The NCDAQ believes it ha s adequately addressed

the concern in its transmittal letter and in the response to comments letter. The NCDAQ response to comments can be found at the end of this Appendix.

Conclusions

The NCDAQ believes it has adequately addr essed the USEPA’s comments. The NCDAQ will be moving forward with the final submittal to the USEPA of the North Carolina redesignation demonstration and maintenance plan for the Hi ckory and Greensboro/Wi nston-Salem/High Point

annual PM 2.5 nonattainment areas.