### UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REG!ON 2



### lbe Honorable Joseph J. 

### Martens Commissioner 290 SROAOWAY NEWYORK, NY 10007"1866 

# SEP

- 5 1013

New York State Department ofEnvironmental_Conservation 

### 625 Broadway, 14th 

### Floor Albany, New 

### York**12233~1010** Dear Conunissioner Martens: This is in rcsponseto the 2013 Annual 

### Monitoring Network Review Plan (Plan) 

### for New York State's ambient air monitoring 

### program, which you submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency on Julv 18, 2013. Thisis to infonn you that EPA Region 2 has 

### reviewed New York's Plan 

### for consistencv 

### with 40 Code ofFederal Regulations Part 58.10.

. The portion 

### ofthe monitoring network plan involving the National Core multi-pollutant monitoring stations, 

### PM2.s SpeciaTion Trends Network stations, and Photochemical Assessment Monitoring stations 

### are subjectto approval 

### by the EPA Administrator. Accordingly, 

### we will forward 

### that portion ofNew York's Plan to EPA's Office 

### ofAir Quality Planning and Standards for review. 

### My staff

### will work closely wilh ourHeadquarters counterparts and continue to keep you informed of

### the progress of

### the review ofthat portion ofthe Plan.
In 

### the 2013 Plan, 

### New York included only one proposed change to the existing network; the discontinuation ofa PMwlilter-based monitor at PS 19 in New York City, on

### the basisthat the sampling at 

### PS 19 is redundant

### given similar sampling at 

### the Division 

### Street site. 

### PS 19 also has 

### PM2 5

### filterbased and PM2 5 continuous-based parameters. EPA approves New York's recommendation to consolidate the network and shutdmvn PMw filter-based monitoring at PS 19. Ourunderslanding is !hat 

### sampling will continue through the end ofthis 

### calendar year or until EPAfinalizes a PM 10 clean data determination 

### for Manhattan, whichever comes 

### later. (In January 2013, New York**requ~sted** EPA

### to make a clean data 

### detennination for New York County for 

### the 1987 

### PM1ostandard. EPA expects 

### to publish a proposed determination in

### the Federal Regisler very shortly.)
fhc 2013 

### }lJan also discusses New

### York's efforts to implement the

### N02 nearroadway moniioring 

### requirements, and operation of

### continuous 

### PMz.5 monitors-using the Federal Equivalent 

### Method. The Plan indicates 

### that these FEM 

### instruments have 

### not operated reliably to produce data that compares acceptably with 

### other**PM _,~**  

### monitors. We 

### look forward to working with you and your staff

### over the next year to continue to resolve any issues inimplementing

### both the N02 

### and FEM monitors.
I applaud you and your staffon your continued efforts to address commnnity concerns and Citizen Science projects with the ongoing Community Air 

### Screening Project for 

### taxies as well as the Peace Bri.dge Air Quality Study. EPA looks forward [{) continuing to work with DEC and the public on 

### various Citizen 

### Science initiati'VCS 

### across 

### the state.

lntern&tAddress(URL)• ht\p;/tw-.epa.gov**Re<yc!6<1/R.o~ol&l>l<l•l'tlnl<ld** wltll V-oolllbto OllllaMcl h>kll onR.cyclod Papor(Minlmum**~%** i>oslcQMum"con""'')

### Regional 1\dministrator