Appendix E 

Public Notice Report, 

Comments Received and Responses 
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Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses i 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 Appendix E 

Supplement to the Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan December 22, 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

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

Comment Letter: 12/7/2009, Richard A. Schutt, Chief of Air Planning Branch, 

USEPA Region 4 .................................................................................................................3 

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

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

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

The Hickory Daily Record Affidavit .............................................................................................13 

The Winston-Salem Journal Affidavit ...........................................................................................14 

Supplement Public Notice Report ..................................................................................................15 

Comment Letter: 12/17/2010, Richard A. Schutt, Chief of Air Planning Branch, 

USEPA Region 4 ...............................................................................................................17 

Letter: 12/22/2010, Sheila C. Holman, Response to USEPA Region 4 comment letter, 

dated 12/17/2010 ................................................................................................................19 

The Greensboro News and Record Affidavit for Supplement .......................................................20 

The Hickory Daily Record Affidavit for Supplement ...................................................................22 

The Winston-Salem Journal Affidavit for Supplement .................................................................23 
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses ii 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 Appendix E 

Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan December 18, 2009

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Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 1 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 Appendix E 

Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan December 18, 2009

Public Notice Report 

For 

The North Carolina Redesignation and Maintenance Plan 

for the Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point 

Annual PM2.5 Nonattainment Area 

On October 30, 2009, a draft version of the North Carolina redesignation and maintenance plan 

for the Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point (referred to as the Triad area), 

annual PM2.5 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 newspapers 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 cancellation 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 PM2.5 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/m3

 and 15.9 μg/m3, 

respectively. 

All violating monitors were attaining the annual PM2.5 standard with the inclusion of the 2008 

ambient data. The 2006-2008 design values for the Hickory and Triad nonattainment areas are 

14.2 μg/m3

 and 14.5 μg/m3, respectively. Both areas continue to attain the daily PM2.5 standard. 

Therefore, the Hickory and Triad PM2.5 nonattainment areas are in attainment of the annual 

PM2.5 NAAQS and eligible to be considered 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, which are attached at the end of this Appendix. 

For the most part the comments on the PM2.5 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 information which addresses the impact of transport from 
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 2 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 Appendix E 

Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance 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 has 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 addressed 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 Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point 

annual PM2.5 nonattainment areas. 
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

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 Appendix E 

December 18, 2009
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

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 Appendix E 

December 18, 2009
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

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 Appendix E 

December 18, 2009
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

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 Appendix E 

December 18, 2009
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

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 Appendix E 

December 18, 2009
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

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 Appendix E 

December 18, 2009
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

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 Appendix E 

December 18, 2009
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

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 Appendix E 

December 18, 2009
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

 11 

 Appendix E 

December 18, 2009
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

 12 

 Appendix E 

December 18, 2009
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

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 Appendix E 

December 18, 2009
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

 14 

 Appendix E 

December 18, 2009
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 15 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 Appendix E 

Supplement to the Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan December 22, 2010

Public Notice Report 

For Supplement to the 

Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan for the 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point 

Annual PM2.5 Nonattainment Area 

On November 15, 2010, a draft version of the North Carolina supplement to the redesignation 

demonstration and maintenance plan for the Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point 

(referred to as the Triad area) annual fine particulate matter (PM2.5) 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 

newspapers on Wednesday, November 17, 2010. The public comment period was open from 

November 17, 2010, through December 17, 2010. No request for public hearing was received 

and 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 PM2.5 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/m3 and 15.9 μg/m3, 

respectively. 

All violating monitors were attaining the annual PM2.5 standard with the inclusion of the 2008 

ambient data. The 2006-2008 design values for the Hickory and Triad nonattainment areas are 

14.2 μg/m3

 and 14.5 μg/m3, respectively. Both areas continue to attain the daily PM2.5 standard. 

Therefore, the Hickory and Triad PM2.5 nonattainment areas are in attainment of the annual 

PM2.5 NAAQS and eligible to be considered for redesignation to attainment. The North Carolina 

Division of Air Quality (NCDAQ) submitted a redesignation demonstration and maintenance 

plan for the Hickory and Triad PM2.5 nonattainment areas on December 18, 2009. 

In March 2010, the USEPA announced in the Federal Register (FR) that the new mobile model, 

Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES), was required for State Implementation Plan 

purposes and would be required for transportation conformity purposes starting March 2012 

(40 FR 9411). The NCDAQ committed to the transportation partners to revise the motor vehicle 

emission budgets using the MOVES model. This supplement revises the on-road mobile source 

emissions used in the maintenance plan and the motor vehicle emission budgets which will be 

used for transportation conformity purposes. 
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 16 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 Appendix E 

Supplement to the Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan December 22, 2010

Summary of Public Notice and Comment Period

The public comment period was open from November 17, 2010 through December 17, 2010. 

The only comments received were from the USEPA, which are attached following this report 

along with the NCDAQ’s response to comments. Both comments received from the USEPA 

were not on the mobile source emissions, but rather information in the original plan submitted 

December 2009. The first comment will be addressed in a separate errata document while the 

second was a suggestion to move a rule reference from one section to another. Both comments 

were minor and did not impact the supplemental information being provided. The NCDAQ 

believes it has adequately addressed the concern in the response to comments letter. 

Conclusions

The NCDAQ believes it has adequately addressed the USEPA’s comments. The NCDAQ will 

be moving forward with the final submittal to the USEPA of the North Carolina supplement to 

the redesignation demonstration and maintenance plan for the Hickory and Greensboro/WinstonSalem/High Point annual PM2.5 nonattainment areas. 
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 Supplement to the Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

 17  Appendix E December 22, 2010
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 Supplement to the Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

 18  Appendix E December 22, 2010
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Supplement to the Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

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 Appendix E 

December 22, 2010
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Supplement to the Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

 20 

 Appendix E 

December 22, 2010
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Supplement to the Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

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 Appendix E 

December 22, 2010
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Supplement to the Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

 22 

 Appendix E 

December 22, 2010
Public Notice Report, Comments Received, and Responses 

Hickory and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Annual PM2.5 

Supplement to the Redesignation Demonstration and Maintenance Plan

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 Appendix E 

December 22, 2010