UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENC Y WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460

The Honorable Dennis Daugaard Governor of South Dakota 500 East Capitol Avenue Pierre , South D akota 57501 Dear Governor Daugaard: 

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THE ADMINISTRATOR

l am writing to summarize th e U.S. Environmenta l Protection Agency ' s recent act ion to address fine particle pollution in your state. As required by the Clean A ir Act, the EPA has determined which areas are meeting the national amb ient air quality standard s for fi ne particle po ll ution and which areas must take steps to reduce emi ss ions that contribute to v iolations of the standard. On December 14,2012 , the EPA st rengthened the annual , health

- based fine particle standa rd from 15.0 micrograms per cubic m eter

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**.** Tho u sands of scientific s tud ies ha ve linked exposure t o the se tiny particle s-app ro ximate ly l/30th the size of a human hair

- with seri o us human health problems includi ng premature death in people with h eart and lung disease, nonfatal heart attacks , and increased hospital admissions and doctor and emergency room visits for respiratory and card io vasc ul ar disease. I appreciate the information you and your staff have shared with the EPA throughout this process to assess fine particle pollution levels in communitie s across your state and the impact of emission source s that could be contributing to unhealthy air. After considering your recom mendations , reviewing the most recent certified fin e p artic le a ir quality data for your s tate and evaluating factors to assess contribution to nearby levels of fin e partic l e polluti on, I hav e d etermine d that no a re a within So u th Dakota violates th e 2012 standard or contributes to a nearby vio l ation of the standard. As a res ult , the EPA is de s ignatin g all of South Dakota "unclassifiab le/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 EP A , co mpl ete , quali ty
-assured and certified air quality data for 20 1 4 by February 27 , 2015. The EPA shares respon s ibili ty with the states and t ribes for managin g parti c le pollution levels. Efforts by states and tribe s to attai n th e 1997 and 2006 fine partic le pollution s tandards are al ready work ing to reduce unhealthy levels of fine particle pollution. In add it io n , current and upcoming fede ral standards and safeg uard s , including pollution reduction rule s for power plants , vehicles and fuels w i ll assure steady reductions of fine particle pollution and wi ll protect public health in communities across the country.

Internet Address (URL) • http://www

. epa . gov Recycted/Recyclable • Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% Pos t consurner , Process Chlorine Free Recycled PaperTogether, we have made considerab l e progress to reduce fine particle po ll ution . Nationwide, monitored levels offme particle pollution fel134 percent since 2000 when we first began nationwide monitor i ng for particles of this size. I am confident this progress will accelerate as together we cont i nue to work towards o u r shared goal of clean air. For additional i nformation abo u t these designa t ions, please visit our website at: www . epa.gov / pmdesignations .

If you have quest i o n s or concerns, please contact me or your s t aff may contact Mark Rupp, Deputy Associate Administrator for Intergovernmenta l Relations , at rupp.mark @ epa . gov or at (202) 564-7178.