UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 

REGION IX 

75 Hawthorne Street 

San Francisco, CA 94105~3901

OFFICE OF THE 

REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR 

DEC 0 9 2011 

The Honorable Janice Brewer 

State of Arizona 

1700 West Washington 

Phoenix,Arizona 85007 

Dear Governor Brewer: 

Thank you for your recommendations dated March 12,2009 and December 1,2011 on air quality 

designations for the revised 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone throughout 

Arizona. I appreciate the information Arizona shared with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as 

we move forward to improve ozone air quality. The purpose ofthis letter is to notify you of the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency's preliminary decision to designate the Phoenix area of Arizona as 

nonattainment for the revised 2008 ozone NAAQS, according to your recommendations, and to inform 

you of our approach for completing the designations for the revised ozone NAAQS. 

On March 12, 2008, the EPA revised its NAAQS for ground-level ozone to provide increased protection 

of public health and the environment. The EPA lowered the primary 8-hour ozone standard from 0.08 

parts per million (ppm) to 0.075 ppm to protect against health effects associated with ozone exposure, 

including a range of serious respiratory illnesses and increased premature death from heart or lung 

disease. The EPA revised the secondary 8-hour ozone standard, making it identical to the primary 

standard, to protect against welfare effects, including impacts on sensitive vegetation and forested 

ecosystems. 

History shows us that better health and cleaner air go hand~in-hand with economic growth. Working 

closely with the states and tribes, the EPA is implementing the standards using a common sense 

approach that improves air quality and minimizes the burden on state and local governments. As part of 

this routine process, EPA is working with the states to identify areas in the country that meet the 

standards and those that need to take steps to reduce ozone pollution. Within one year after a new or 

revised air quality standard is established, the Clean Air Act requires the Governor of each state to 

submit to the EPA a list of all areas in the state, with recommendations for whether each area meets the 

standard. 

As a first step in implementing the 2008 ozone standards, the EPA asked states to submit their 

designation recommendations, including appropriate area boundaries, by March 12,2009. In September 

2009, the EPA announced it was reconsidering the 2008 ozone standards. The EPA later took steps to delay 

the designation process for the 2008 ozone standards pending outcome of the reconsideration. However, in 

September 20 11, the Office of Management and Budget returned to EPA the draft final rule addressing the 

reconsideration of the 2008 standards. On September 22, 20 II, the EPA restarted the implementation effort 

by issuing a memorandum to clarify for state and local agencies the status of the 2008 ozone standards and to 

outline plans for moving forward to implement them. The EPA indicated that it would proceed with initial 

area designations for the 2008 standards, and planned to use the recommendations states made in 2009 as 

updated by the most current, certified air quality data from 2008-2010. While the EPA did not request that 

Prinred on Recycled Paper 
states submit updated designation recommendations, the EPA provided the opportunity for states to do so. 

Thank you for the December 1, 2011 updated designation recommendation from Arizona based on the 

assessment of 2008-20 10 air quality data. 

As required by the Clean Air Act, the EPA will designate an area as nonattainment if it is violating the 

2008 ozone standards or contributing to a violation of the standards in a nearby area. Consistent with 

designations for previous ozone standards, the EPA intends to designate an area as 

unclassifiable/attainment ifthere are certified, quality-assured air quality monitoring data showing the 

area is meeting the ozone standards or there are no monitoring data for the area, and the EPA has not 

made a determination that the area is contributing to a violation in a nearby area. 

After considering Arizona's December 1,2011 ozone designation recommendations, which were based 

on 2008-2010 air quality data, as well as other relevant technical information, the EPA intends to 

support Arizona's recommended area designation and boundary for Phoenix-Mesa. The enclosed 

Technical Support Document provides a detailed analysis to support our preliminary decisions. The EPA 

intends to designate all other areas of the state as unclassifiable/attainment. 

The EPA will continue to work with state officials regarding the appropriate boundary for the PhoenixMesa nonattainment area in Arizona. If Arizona has additional information that you would like the EPA 

to consider, please submit it to us by February 29,2012. The EPA will also make its preliminary 

designation decisions and supporting documentation available to the general public for review and 

comment. We will be announcing a 30-day public comment period shortly in the Federal Register. After 

considering additional information we receive, the EPA plans to promulgate final ozone designations in 

the spring of20 12. 

The EPA is committed to working with the states and tribes to share the responsibility of reducing ozone 

air pollution. Current and upcoming federal standards and safeguards, including pollution reduction 

rules for power plants, vehicles and fuels, will assure steady progress to reduce ozone-forming pollution 

and will protect public health in communities across the country. We look forward to a continued 

dialogue with you and your staff as we work together to implement the 2008 ozone standards. Should 

you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or Amy Zimpfer, Associate Director, Air 

Division, of my staff at 415-947-4146 or zimpfer.amy@epa.gov. 

Jared Blumenfeld 

Enclosure 

cc:	 Hemy Darwin, Director, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality 

Eric Massey, Director, Air Quality Division, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality 

Nancy Wrona, Policy Advisor, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality 

Donald P. Gabrielson, Director, Pinal County Air Quality Control District 

William Wiley, Director, Maricopa County Air Quality Department 

Dennis Smith, Executive Director, Maricopa Association of Govemments 
cc: (without enclosure) 

Clinton Pattea, President, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation 

Mark Frank, Environmental Specialist, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation 

Diane Enos, President, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community 

Daniel Daggett, Acting ENPR Manager, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community 

Ned Norris, Jr., Chairperson, Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona 

Lorinda Sam, Environmental Supervisor, Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona 

cc: (via electronic correspondence) 

Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation 

Stephen D. Page, Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards