UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASHI N GTO N , D.C
. 20460

The Honorable Gary R. Herbert Governor ofUtah P.O. Box 142220 Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-2220 Dear Governor Herbert: 

# DEC 1 8 2 0i4

THE 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 are meeting the national ambient air quality standards for fine particle pollution and which areas must take step s to reduce emissions that contribute to violations ofthe standard. On December 14 , 2012, the EPA strengthened the annual, health-based fine particle standard from 15.0 micrograms per cubic meter (f.J.g/m3) to 12.0 f..lg/m3

. Thousands of scientifi c st udies have linked exposure to these tiny particles-approximately 1/ 30th the size of a human hair-with serious human health problems including premature death in people w ith heart and lung disease, nonfatal heart attacks , and increased hospital admissions and doctor and emergency room visits for respiratory and cardiovascular disease. I 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 pollution, I have determined that no area within Utah violates the 20 12 standard or contributes to a nearby violation of the standard. As a result, the EPA is designating all of Utah "unclassifia ble/attainment." Because air quality monitoring for 2014 is nearly complete, ifa stat e or tribe requests it, the EPA will evaluate the status of an area based on its annual fine particle monitoring data for 20 12-2014
. If you would like the EPA to re-evaluate any areas within your state, please submit to the EPA, complete, quality-assured and certified air quality data for 2014 by February 27,2015. The EPA shares re sponsibility 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 leve ls of fine particle pollution. In addition, current and upcoming federal standards and sa feguards , including pollution reduction rules for power plants , vehicles and fuels will assure steady red uctions of fine particle pollution and will protect public health in communities across the country.

Internet Address ( U R L) • h ttp ://www
. epa .gov Recycled!Recyclable • Printed w ith Vegeta bl e Oil Based Inks o n 100% Postconsume r , Process C hl orine Free Recycled PaperTogether, we have made considerable progress to reduce fine particle pollution. Nationwide, monitored l evels of fine particle poll u t i o n fe ll 34 percent s inc e 2000 w h en we first began nationwide monitoring fo r particles of this size. I am confident this progress will accelerate as together we cont i n u e to work towards our sha r ed 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 Assoc iat e Admi ni strator for Intergovernmental Relations, at rupp.mark @ epa.gov or at (202) 564 -7178. S inc ere l y,