UNITED STATES EN VI RONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASH IN GTON , D
. C

. 20460

The Honorabl e Brian Sandoval Governor ofNevada 101 North Carson Street Carson C ity , Nevada 89701 Dear Governor Sandoval: 

## DE'C 1 R 20 14 TH E 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 a

re meeting the national ambient air quality standards for fine particle pollution and which areas must take steps to reduce emissions that contribute to violations of the standard. On December 14,2012, the EPA strengthened the annual, health-based fme partic le standard from 15.0 micrograms per cubic meter (j.!g/m3) to 12.0 j..lg /m 3

. Thousands of scientific studies have linked exposure to these tiny particles-approximately l/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. 1 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 emission 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 po ll ution, I have determined that no area w ithin Nevada violates the 20 12 standard or contributes to a nearby violation of the sta ndard
. As a result, the EPA is designating all of Nevada "unclassifiable /attainment." Because air quality monitoring for 2014 is nearly complete, if a state or tribe requests it, the EPA will evaluate the status of an area based on its annual fine particle monitoring data for 2012-2014. If you would like the EPA to re- evaluate any areas within your state, please submit to the EPA , complete, quality-assured and certified ai r quality data for 2014 by February 27,20 1 5. The EPA shares responsibility with the states and tribes for managing particle pollution levels. Efforts by states and tribes to attain the 1997 and 2006 fine particle pollution standards are already working to reduce unhealthy levels of fine particle pollution. In addition, current and upcoming federal standards and safeguards, including po ll ution reduction rules for power plants, vehicles and fuels will assure steady reductions of fine particle pollution and wi ll protect public hea lth in communities across the country.

l n lernel Add r ess (U RL) • h ltp ://www . epa.gov Recycled/Recyclab l e • Pri nled wi lh Vegelable Oi l Based Inks on 1 0 0% Poslconsumer, P rocess Chlorine Free Recyc l ed PaperTogether , we have made considerable progress to reduce fine particle pollution. Nationwide, monitored levels of fine particle pollution fell 34 percent since 2000 when we first began nationwide monitoring for particles of this size. I am confident this progress will accelerate as tog ether we continue to work towards our shared goal of clean air. For additional information about these designations, please visit our website at: www.epa.gov / pmdesignations .

If you have questions or concerns, please contact me or your staff may contact Mark Rupp, Deputy Associate Administrator for Int e rgovernmental Relations, at rup p. mark@epa.gov or at (202) 564-7178.