UNITED STATES EN V IRONMENTAL PROTECT I ON AGENC Y WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460

The Honorable Bill H as l am Govern or of Tennessee 1 st Fl oo r , State Capito l Nas hville , Tennessee 37243 Dear Governor Haslam: THE ADMINISTRATOR

I am writing to summarize the U.S. E nv ironme n ta l Protection Agency 's recen t ac tion to address fin e particle pollution in your state. As required by the C lean A ir Act, the EPA has determined wh ich areas are meeting the nation al ambient air quality standards for fine particle pollution and whic h areas must take steps to reduce emissions that contribute to v io l ations ofthe standard. On D ecember 14 , 2012, the EPA stre ngthened th e annual, health-based fin e particle standard from 15.0 micrograms per cubic m eter (pg/m3) to 12
.0 p g/m3

. Thousands of scientific studi es have linked exposure to these tiny particle s- app r oximately 1130th the size of a human ha ir -with se rious human health problems including prematur e death in peop le with he art and lung di se ase , nonfatal heart attacks , and increased hospital admissions and doctor and emergency r oom visits for re sp iratory and card iovascular disease. I app rec iate the informati o n you and yo ur s taf f have shared with the E PA throughout this proce ss to assess fine particle pollution leve ls in comm uni ties across your state and the imp ac t of emiss ion sou rces that could be contributing to unhealthy air. The E PA identifi ed data quality issues earlie r this year that invalidate d fine particl e po llution monitoring data f o r nearly all of Te nne ssee . As a res ult , the EPA does not have sufficient air quality monitoring data fo r 2011-2013 to determine whether areas in your state meet the 20 1 2 annual fin e particle standar d or co ntribute to a nearb y vio lation. T he EPA expects that addi ti onal monitoring data collected after 2013 will provide the requis ite amou nt of valid data for designations and the EPA i s deferring final designations for most of the state. Once we have determined that sufficient quality assured data are available, we will proceed with a final des ign ation. H oweve r, the monitoring data for some area s in T ennessee can be us ed for initial area designations. After cons iderin g your reco mm endations , reviewin g the mo s t recent certified fine pa rticle air quality data for th e Chattanooga area and evaluating factors t o assess contribution to nearby levels of fine particle p o llution , I am pleased to inform you that at t hi s time, three Tennessee countie s in the Chattanooga area (i.e., Hamilton , Marion and Sequatchie Counties) do not v iolate the 20 12 stand ard o r contribute to a nearb y v i olation of the standar d. As a result , the EPA is designating tho se counties

" unclassifiable / attainment. "

lnteme t Address (URL) • http ://www

. epa . gov Recycled/Recyclable • Printed w i th Vegetab l e Oil Based Inks on 100% Postconsume r, Process Ch l ori ne Free Recycled PaperBecause air quality monitor i ng for 201 4 i s nearly complete, if a state or tribe requests it, t he E PA will evaluate the status of an area based o n its a n nual fine particle mon i toring data for 2012- 2 0 1 4. If you would li k e the EPA to r e-eva l uate any areas within you r state , please subm i t to the EP A , comp l ete, quality-assured and cer t ified air qua li ty data for 2014 by F e bruary 27,2015. The EPA shares r espo n s i bility wit h the states an d tribes for manag i ng part i cle p ollution levels. E ff orts

by states and tr ibes to attain t he 1997 and 2006 f i ne part i cle pollution standards are already wor ki ng t o reduce unheal t hy l evels of fine particle po ll ution . In addi t ion, cu r rent and upcomi n g federal standa r ds and safeguards, i ncl u ding pollution r e d uct i o n rul es for power pl ants, vehicles and fuels will assure stea d y r educt i ons of fine p art icle pollut i o n and will pro t ec t public h ealth i n co m mun i ties across t h e country. T oget h er , we have ma d e co n s i derable progress t o reduce fine particle po ll u t ion. Na t i o n w i de, mon i to r ed levels of fi n e part i cle po ll ution have fallen 34 pe r ce n t si n ce 20 0 0 w h en we first b egan nationwide mo n itor i ng for p articles of this size . I am confide n t this progress will contin u e as we work t ogethe r towards our s h ared goal of clean air . For additiona l info r matio n abo u t t h ese designations, please visit our we b site at: www. e pa.gov / pmdesignations .

If you have q u est i o n s or concerns, please con t ac t me o r your staff m ay contact Ma r k Rupp, Deputy Assoc i ate Administrator fo r Intergove rnm e n tal Relations, at ru pp . m ark ( a kpa.Qov o r at (202) 564-7 1 78. Sincerely,