UNITED STATES EN V IR O NMENTAL PROTECTION AGEN CY WASHINGTON , D.C. 20460

The Honorabl e Bill Walker Governor of Alaska P.O. Box 110001 Juneau, Alaska 99811

- 000 1 Dear Governor Walker: 

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## 8 2014
THE AD M IN I STRATOR

I am writing to summarize the U .S. Environmental Protection Agency's rec ent 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 steps to reduce emissions that contribute to violations of the standard. On December 14, 2012 , the EPA strengthened the annual, health- based fine particle standard from 15.0 micrograms per cubic meter (J..lg/m 3) to 12.0 J..l g/m3

. Thousand s of sc ientific studies have linked exposure to these tiny particles-approximately 1/30th the size of a human hair-with serious human health problems including prematur e dea th in people with heart and lun g disease , nonfatal heart attacks , and increas ed hospital admissions and doctor and emergency room v isits for respiratory and cardiovascular disease. I appreciate the information your predecessor and your state staff have shared with the EPA throughout this process to assess fme particle pollution levels in communities across your state and the impact of emission sources t hat could be contributing to unhealthy air. After considering yo ur state's recommendations , reviewing th e 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 Alaska violates the 2012 standard or contributes to a nearby violation of the standard. As a resu lt , the EPA is designating all of Alaska " unclassifiabl e /attainment." Be cause 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 20 12-20 14. 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 201 4 by February 27,2015. The EPA shares responsibility with the states and tribes for managing particle pollution levels

. Efforts by states and tribes to attain the 1997 and 2006 fine particle po llut ion standard s are already working to reduce unhealthy level s of fine particle pollution. In addition , current and upcoming federal standards and safeguards , including pollution reduction rules for power p lants, vehicles and fuels wi ll assure steady reductions of fine particle pollution and will protect public heal th in communities across the country.

I n ternal A dd ress (URL) • h ttp : /l www . epa.gov Recycled/Recyclable • Prin ted w ith Vegetable Oil Based I nk s o n 1 00% Pos t co n sumer, P rocess Chlorine Free Recyc l ed Pape rTogether , we have made considerable progres s to reduce fine particle pollu ti on. Nationwide, monitored levels of fine particle pollution fell 34 percent since 2000 when we first began nationwide monitoring for particles of thi s size. I am confident this progress will accelerate as tog ethe r we continue to work towards our shared goal of clean air. For additional information about t hese des i gnat i ons, please v i s it our website at: www.epa.go v/ pmdesignations . '

If you have questions or concerns, please contact me or your staff may contact Mark Rupp, Deputy Associate Administrator for Int ergovernme ntal Relations, at rupp.mark @ epa.gov or at (202) 564-7178. Sincerely,