UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION 6 1445 ROSS AVENUE, SUITE 1200 DALLAS TX 75202-2733



### JUN 1 4 2011

The Honorable Bobby Jindal GovernorofLouisiana 900 North 3rd Street Baton Rouge, Louisiana70802

Dear Governor Jindal:

Thank you for yourrecommendations on air quality designations for the revised National Ambient Air Quality Standards for lead throughout Louisiana, This letter is to notify you ofthe U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency's (EPA) preliminary decision to designate all of Louisiana as unclassifiable/attainment and to inform you ofour approach for completing the designations fpr the revised lead standards. Reducing levels oflead pollution is an importantpart ofthe EPA's commitment to aclean, healthy environment. Lead exposure qn cause arange of adverse health effects, mostnotably in children. Exposures to low levels oflead early in life have been linked to effects on IQ, learning, memory and behavior.

On October 15, 2008, the EPA substantially strengthened the health-basedor "primary" National Ambient Air Quality Standardby lowerin

# f it from 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter (llg/mJ) - a level setin 1978

- to a level of0.15 Ilg/m

. This stronger standardprovides increasedprotection against adverse health effects associated with exposure to lead in at-risk groups, including children. To provide increasedprotection against lead-related environmental and other welfare effects, the EPA revised the secondaryNational Ambient Air Quality Standardto be identical in all respects to the revised primary standard. The EPA also determined that the pre-existing ambient leadmonitoring networkwas inadequate for determining whethermany areas are meeting the revised lead standards and established new criteriafor siting ambient lead monitors and new datacollectionrequirements. Monitors meeting the new network siting requirements
were to begin operation January 1,2010.

Within two years ofpromulgating new or revised National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the Clean Air Actrequires the EPA to complete the initial process ofidentifying or designating areas that meet or do not meet an air quality standard. Ifthe Administratorhas insufficient information to make these designations, the EPA has the authority to extend the designation process by up to
one year. In light ofthe new monitoring network, the EPA is completing the lead designations in two rounds. In the first round, published on November 16,2010, the EPA designated as "nonattainment" 16 areas as violating the 2008 Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards based on data from the pre-201O monitoring network. For all other areas, the EPA extended the deadline for designations by up to one year so that data from the newly deployed monitors canbe considered in making appropriate designation decisions. States were given an opportunity to update theirrecommendation letters for those remaining areas for our consideration in the second round ofdesignations by December 15, 2010. The EPA intends to complete the secondround of lead designations by no later than October 14, 20II.

Internet Address (URL) • http://www.epa.gov/region6 Recycled/Recyclable. Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% Recycled Paper, Process Chlorine FreeConsistentwith the Clean Air Act, and after carefullyconsidering Louisiana's October 15, 2009, recommendation letter and all the associated technical information for the 2008 Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards, includingthe mostrecent air quality data from 2008-2010, the EPA is proposing to designate Louisiana as unc1assifiable/attainment. The EPA uses this designation for initial designations to identify areas that have data indicating attainment, or where there is no evidence ofaviolation.

The EPA's preliminary designation decisions and supporting documentation will be made available to the general public for review. We will be accepting comments through August 15, 2011. We will review any information we receive from the State ofLouisiana and the general public by this date, and we plan to promulgate the secondround offinal designations by October 14,2011.

We look forward to a continued dialogue with you and your staffas we work together to implementthe 2008 LeadNational Ambient Air Quality Standards. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me, orhave your staffcontactMr. GuyDonaldson ofmy staffat (214) 665

-7242.

cc: Ms. PeggyHatch, Secretary LouisianaDepartment ofEnvironmental Quality