UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION Ill 1650 Arch street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-2029

The Honorable Earl Ray Tomblin Governor ofWest Virginia 1900 KanawhaBoulevard East Charleston, West Virginia 25305
Dear Governor Tomblin: 

### AUG 19 Z014

Thank you for your recommendations, dated December 10,2013 and May 27,2014, regarding air quality designations for the 2012 revised primary annual fine particle (PMz.s) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) throughout West Virginia. I appreciate the information West Virginia shared with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as we move forward to improve PMz

.s air quality. This letter is to notify you ofEPA's preliminary response to West Virginia's recommendations and to inform you ofour approach for completing the initial area designations for the 2012 revised primary annual 

### PMz.s standard.
OnDecember 14, 2012, EPA promulgated a revised primary annual PMz.s NAAQS (78 FR 3086, January 15, 2013). In that action, EPA revised the primary annual PMz.s standard, strengthening it from 15.0 micrograms per cubic meter (!lg/m3) to 12.0 !lg/m3; retained the existing 24-hour PM2

.sstandard at 35 !lg/m3; retained the existing 24-hour PM10 (coarse particle) standard at 150 !lg/m3; and retained the current suite ofsecondary PM standards. EPA revised the primary annual PMz

.sstandard based on an integrated assessment ofan extensive body of new scientific evidence, which substantially strengthens our body ofknowledge regarding PMz

.srelated health effects. The revised primary annual 

### PMz.s standard will provide increased protection for children, older adults, persons with pre-existing heart and lung disease, and other at-risk populations against an array ofPMz.s-related adverse health effects, including premature mortality, increased hospital admissions and emergency department visits, and development and exacerbation ofchronic respiratory disease. History shows us that betterhealth and cleaner air go hand-in-hand with economic growth. Working closely with the states and tribes, EPA is implementing the standards using a commonsense approachthat improves air quality and minimizes the burden on state, local, and tribal governments. As part ofthis routine process, EPA is working with the states and tribes to identify areas inthe country that meetthe standards and those that need to take steps to reduce PMz.s air pollution. Within one year ofpromulgating a new or revised air quality standard, the Clean Air Act (CAA) requires the Governor ofeach state to submitto EPA a list ofall areas in the state, with a designation recommendation for each area. As a first step in implementing the 2012 annual PMz.s standard, Governors were required to submittheir designation recommendations, including appropriate area boundaries, by December 13, 2013



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As required by the CAA, EPA thenpromulgates designations for all areas across the country. EPA designates an area as "nonattainment" ifit is violating the 2012 annual PM2

.s NAAQS or ifit is contributing to a violation ofthe NAAQS in a nearby area. Consistent with designations for previous PM2.s standards, EPA intends to use a designation category of "unclassifiable/attainment" for areas that are monitoring attainment or do not have monitors, but for which EPA has reason to believe are likely attainment and are not contributing to nearby violations. Additionally, EPA intends to designate as "unclassifiable" those areas where EPA cannot determine based on available information whetherthe area is meeting the NAAQS or where EPA has not determined that the area contributes to a nearby violation. Atthis time, EPA is proceeding with intended initial area designations using quality-assured, certified air quality monitoring data from 2011 to 2013.
We have consideredthe annual PM2

.sdesignation recommendations submitted by West Virginia on December 10, 2013 and May 27, 2014 and have reviewed the relevant technical information, including 2011-2013 air quality data. These data do not indicate any violation of the 2012 annual PM2.s NAAQS in West Virginia or contributionto any nearby area. Accordingly, EPA intends to designate the entire State ofWestVirginia as unclassifiable/attainment.
EPA will make its preliminary designation decisions and supporting documentation available to the general public for review and comment. We will be announcing a 30-daypublic comment period shortly inthe Federal Register. After considering the additional information we receive, EPA plans to promulgate final annual PM2

.s designations in December of2014.
EPA is committed to working with the states and tribes to share the responsibility of reducing PM2.s air pollution. Current and upcoming federal standards and safeguards

- including pollution reduction rules for powerplants, vehicles, and fuels- will ensure steady progress to reduce PM2.s-forming pollution and will protect public health in communities across the country. We look forward to a continued dialogue with you and your staffas we work together to implementthe 2012 annual PM2.s standard. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, or have your staffcontact Mr. Mark Ferrell, EPA's West Virginia Liaison, at (304)-542-0231 orferrell.mark@epa.gov. Sincerely

.

# ~v**r:! ~**  Regional Administrator

cc: Honorable Randy C. Huffman, Secretary West Virginia Department ofEnvironmental Protection
William Durham, Director Division ofAir Quality, West Virginia Department ofEnvironmental Protection