UNITEDSTATESENVIRONMENTALPROTECTIONAGENCYREGION5FEB162016TheHonorableBruceRaunerGovernorofIllinois207StateHouseSpringfield,IL62706DearGovernorRauner:77WESTJACKSONBOULEVARDCHICAGO,IL60604-3590REPLYTOTHEATIENTIONOF:ThankyouforyourrecommendationsdatedSeptember18,2015onairqualitydesignationsfortheStateoflllinoisforthe2010revisiontotheprimaryNationalAmbientAirQualityStandard(NAAQS)forsulfurdioxide(S02).ReducinglevelsofS02pollutionisanimportantpartoftheU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency'scommitmenttoaclean,healthyenvironment.ExposuretoS02cancausearangeofadversehealtheffects,includingnarrowingoftheairwayswhichcancausedifficultybreathingandincreasedasthmasymptoms.ThisletteristonotifyyouofEPA'spreliminaryintentionsregardingyourrecommendeddesignations.OnJune3,2010,EPAstrengthenedthehealth-basedor"primary"standardforS02byestablishingastandardfor1-houraverageS02concentrationsatalevelof75partsperbillion.Withinoneyearafteraneworrevisedstandardisestablished,theCleanAirActrequirestheGovernorofeachstatetosubmittoEPAalistofallareasinthestate,withrecommendationsforwhethereachareameetsthestandard.Throughaninteractiveprocess,EPAconsiderstherecommendationsandthenpromulgatesdesignationsforallareasacrossthecountry.OnJuly25,2013,EPAdesignated29areasin16statesasnonattainmentbasedonmonitoredviolations,butdidnotatthattimedesignateotherareas.PursuanttoaMarch2,2015,court-orderedschedule,IEPAmustcompletetheremainingso2designationsbythreespecificdeadlines:July2,2016,December31,2017,andDecember31,2020.Thiscurrentroundofdesignations,tobecompletedbyJuly2,2016,addressestwogroupsofareas:(1)areasthathavenewlymonitoredviolationsofthe2010S02NAAQSbasedonthemostrecentthreecalendaryearsofcertifiedmonitoredambientairqualitydata,and(2)areasthatcontainanystationarysourcethathadnotbeenannouncedasofMarch2,2015,forretirementandthataccordingto·EPA'sAirMarketsDatabaseemittedin2012either(i)morethan16,000tonsofS02or(ii)morethan2,600tonsofS02withanannualaverageemissionrateofatleast0.45poundsofS02/MMBTU.1SierraClubv.McCarthy,No.3-13-cv-3953(SI)(N.D.Cal.Mar.2,2015).Recycled/Recyclable•PrintedwithVegetableOilBasedInkson100%RecycledPaper(100%Post-Consumer)

# After carefully considering

lllin ois' recommendations

and other available

technic

al information

, EPA intends

to designate

as nonattainrnent

or unclassifiable/attainment

the followin

g areas, including

the following
counties

or portions

of counties: Intended

N onattainrne

nt Area A lton Township Williamson

County* Intended Unclassifiable/

Attainment

Area Wood River Township Massac

Coun

t y Putnam/Bureau

Cou nties Jasper County

Intended Nonattainrnent

Counties Madison

Co unt

y (p) Williamson

County Intended

Un classifi

able/ Attainment

Area Counties Madison

County

(p) Massac County Putnam

and Bureau Counties Jasper County The asterisk

(*) indicates

a modification

to the designation

that you have recommended.

The

(p) indicates

only

a portion

of the county

w ill be designated. The enclosed Technical

Support Document

provides

a detailed analysis

that supports

our intended designation
decisions.

If your state has additional information

that EPA

s h ou

ld consider

prior

to finalizing

the

se designations,

please

su bmit

it to
us by April19,

2016.

We also

will

be publishing

a notice

in the 

# Federal Register announcing

a 30-day period

for the public

to provide

input

on EPA's intended designation

decisions.

We will promulgate

the designations

for these areas

by July

2, 2016. We will

d esignate

all

o ther previously undesignated

areas

in the state

on

a schedule consistent

with

the prescribed

timing

of the court order,

i.e.,

by December

31

, 2017,

or December

31, 2020. We look forward

to

a continued
dialogue

with

you

and your staff

as we work together

to complete

the area designations

and implement

the 2010 primary

S02 standard.

For additional information

r egardi

ng designations

under

the S02 standard,

please

v isit our website

at 

# www.epa.gov

/ so2designations.

Should you have

any questions

, please

do not hesitate

to call me,

or have your staff contact

me

at 312

- 886

- 3000, or George Czerniak, Director,

Air and Radiation Division,

at 312-353-2212

or czerniak

. george

@ epa.gov. Sincerely, Robert

A. 

# Kaplan Acting Regional Administrator Enclosure cc: Lisa Bonnet,

Direc

tor

, Tilinois

Envi

r onmenta

l Protection

Agency Julie Armitage

, Chief, Bureau

of Air Illinois Environmental

Protection

Agency