North Carolina DepartrrH:mt of Environment and Natural Resources 

Pal McCrory 

Governor 

John E. Skvarla. IIi 

Secretary 

i\ ugu<;t 22. 20 .~ 

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f"f 'l t7 "' <>, -·- ; ~ 

:vis. Gi.na Mc( :<ulhy. i\drninistrator 

l iSEP.'\ llead~ u:lrtl.~rs 

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lJ~ m Aclministr:Hor JvtcCanhy 

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I am \\Til ing ro a:.;k for EPA' :, 1i 11 m on an important matw r relawd Ill :'\orth Carolina· . .., 

Pt'l' ,·0nt icm of Signi f'italll Deterioration ( "'PS D") pcrmi tring prograrn. In October of 1010, EPA 

promulgated its Pi\{,-" lncrelll(' lll Ruk requiring ah~~ with app rl)v( d PSD progwms. like North 

Carolina, to ndopt rq~ulation•; satio,; fyi ng the PSD in('rcme!H requirements. According tn the 

rulernaking document:-., EPA belk ved il had rwo option<, : retain the 1975 ha:'cli ne date ftlJ' 

particulate mutter. or treat Pivf, , as :.1 nnv pollutant and re~ct the bw;c l inc date to 20 I 0. The 

ha~'> nc date is un ituport:ml pnrl of the PSD increment program b( raus(: it ri c~ the date on 

wltich sources ~.: gin lu consJtlllc tlw li mil~: d PSI> int.:n·tnent. ln !he final 2010 rukrnaki ng. EPA 

de<'ided thai Pl'Vl; ,, ~.;huuld lx: treated <h :1 nl'w pollu tant and tllcrd(m.: res{'.! the ba.o.,eline from 

1()75 h ) 20 10. 

On .la111ta ry 'L 2013. lilt~ D.C. Cit\:ttit Court ni' Appeals remanded EPA's 2007 PM.: :. 

lrnrlenwntntion f< ttk and :wm; Pf\·'1 , _, ~SR Imp lementation Rule t".lanuary NRDC Der ision' '!. 

lw~e l\\'t'l 1uks, ak1ng \\·ith thl' PM .' ltti.'J'l: ttlcut Ruk. 111ake up EPA' " 0\\:rall Pi\ ·~ Ni\AQS 

implementati on. Till' Pl\l~·· lmpkmctlta!i\Jn Rule and PM_,., NSR lrnpkmenta1ion Ru le wc1-.: 

remanded b-.·um~L' the 1:nurr found llwl prvr , 5 i-. pan of P\,1 "' :llhl dn ~: HPA mosr rc 

promulpalc the·~..: ru le<> un~kr Subpart '·I· (If P:trt D, Tille l. 

,:\1 the tim,; ot the .bnuary :\J~UC D ... is1on. Uh~ North ( :arui inu hnvirPnmenta1 :Vlanagemenl 

ll tnJnl~si<•n CLVIC"i the slate'-. ruk:rmtking body -.va" in proccs~ of arnc tlding the PSD 

rcgulat iun ~ to incorporate the 'v ~ i ncrcment. ·rtn; January NRDC De(: is ion <lppear d !tight y 

rdcvant because if. as a matter of law. PM~-. 5 is included in the- de-finition of PM1o. lhcn il is 

unclear how the ba~elinc date can properly be reset from 11

>75 to 2010. De,pite tbl' (kcision. 

~ March 2013 comments !o Norlh Carolinn' <> PSD amendrrll'nh indicated tlwl' North 

Carolina should ~~ the 2011) hasc!i ~ rathe r !han rh\~ J75 ba-;dine. EPi\ n issued a k:tcr on 

.l unc 6. 2013 sraring t:haL in light of thl: .Jantw.ry 4'" NRDC Decision. " EPA i:-. in the proccs" of 

<'valuat ing I he cffccr of the INRDC 1 deci:;ion 0 11 PIVI::- ~ ;\1 AAQS in lcm~ nt •HitHl.'' lt r frotn 

St pbl n D. Pa ~. Director of' Off'i ~ of Air Quality Planni ng and Slil ndard-.., U.S. EPA. to 

Rcgit:\tWi Air Directors. Region' IX LJun . Cl , 2013). North Carolina is llll i)n~ co nfused a.-. to 

C( l ,~ i S{;rv:c ~ C~ :' ~(; . F\ ;:-:;0~- \(~ r1 ; Ct f~) f1ft 7UJ:~ · ~q 

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M:-. c;inn McC'arlhY 

Angus! .. 

12, .20 13 

P;,ge 2 

\v hat effec t ·~ /\ dl ~\es the ];mu:n-v NRDC Deri,,ion h;h on the P:Vl.:, ln ncrncnt ~uk . 

pani<.:ul <lrly un the: ba~cline date . 

The P!'vl , ', incrcm,:nl h'-lll'. and rnmc :-.pct:lilcally the h;hcliJW date , h of critit:<il economic 

importancl' tel North Car"tllirw. \Vh1k all \(ak'" <ifl~ buund tP the '>illllC inl:n:m-::nl \'<lluc. the 

:-. lringcncy of the illCJ{'l\lCIH denJO!lslratloll dq.,.:mls on th.~ ha"c.! inc couccntr<ltion of pollution on 

h,~ baseline date. Reductions 1n rmssinn~ aflcr th e ha~clirw date expand incrcmcnl, thw; 

al lowing for incrca!'cd economic development. As you ;trc nu doubt <1\Viire. :\onh CmY1iina has 

an excepti onal record as a lc ;t~ kr in the f'ighl l(lr cle an ;lir and l"t'sponsible .~c ono ic 

development. In 2002, Nnrt h ( ';lrolina ctuded the ('Jean Smokc-,tacb :\ct. he~:orning first tat~.~ 

to enact a C\!!nprchcn:--i vc cod I i'i red ul iIi t y crni-,~ iun reduct i Pn progr;1m. North Cnrolin<l filed 

Clean Air Act Section !26 petitiolls with the FJ\\ .in 2004 n·quGsting a\si\l<mce i.n t·educing 

interstate tra ~porf of poll tHIOn. ln 200(), ~icllth Can>lina sued the '1\:·nnc:-.:-.cc VaHey 1\ulhnrity 

( rVA) and ex pended C\lll \ ide rablc 1\~.SOU!H \ llllirnatc!y leading ln a sctrkmcnt l\'Cjlliri.ng rVA t!.) 

suh-,tarnially reduce their cmi-;sions. 

I\orth C\1rolina i:-. -.~agcr lo !earn FPA':- p(1sitiun rm the Clean Air /;cl a~ it rclatc" to the PSD 

program. since if could pbcc lHIJ' st;~rc ar n signific:mt ccnnomic disa(h ;mt<tgr sirnply bcca c 

Nnt·th Carolina n~c r(:d <'mi~ sion rcduc(ions ,•;lrJicr tb;ll) olllcr ~.tilh.:s . t.:1Hkr an incrcnwnt ruk 

\v i!h a 2010 hHsdine date. none of lf1osc reduction-, would ,;x.pand the imTcrnenl and lhercl'ore 

would no! provide any additional ~lpportunity for economic growth. In cnnlra~L late~ \\'lwrc 

T VA is located \>.. .. ould ht:: situated to econmnically lin from the ~:0 [ 0 baseline dale. The 

reductions calkd ll•r in the TV.-\ Scttkmcnl ;\~·rccnwnt wo111d ~crve ro !ol.h:r !"be ba~diuc 

cuneentratiun t. Le .. expand intTl'tnl'rH} and aii11W con:~.J(krahly mnn· roo lll l'or C<'lllWlllic growth 

as COHiparcd tu \\>tth C;u\lliua. 

t)ih:n ihe obvious importance uf this issue {lll' .\'oriil C'arolitw, l. <Jlll n:(jlll~st Jlg th<tt you state the 

l-]1 i\'•; position 1\'latcd lo Lllc illlpacl of' lih~ .lanunry NRDC Dcci:--inn on ihl' hasdinc d~ifc used in 

the Pi•vt .'· rncrl'fl1('lll Ruk. I <~rn '>lit\' we "tl;n(' <l cnnnnnn gua! or cnvirorlllh:~ntal pnlt.:ction with 

~~~P~\nsihle ccononuc dcvdopnlcnt. <Jm sh;ucd cummitrnenl tt\ llwt gn;d n~quire\ a healthy. 

cuop,~rative df!,rt with an l l!\.'rl and lr n~parcnt cx_dungc o f concern~ und idea\. l .lnok l(lr\\·';!rd 

to your written n~ ... pon:-.e l1l I)UJ' req11c-.L li )'1lU han: any qm·:-.tiuni< pkasl' ll'd lt\:l: to C\-.nl:H:t 111~ 

dirl:ctly or to ,;nntilcl my dircctnr nl the Divi~,ion ill Atr Quality . . "i!11.·.il;1 llnhuan. a1 (919) 707 

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Lc: A. SL.wley 1vkiburg. r\t'ling Rt~giomd Administrator, 

EPA Region ·l· 
Carolina Department of 

nment and Natural Resources 

n of Air Quality 

ail Service Center 

 NC 27699-1641 

Rerum 

Seruir-"! 

II\ I Ill l 1\ l\\111 \1\ I \11111\ \\IIIII FCL10076354 

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