# San Joaquin Valley HEALTHY AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DISTRICT July 13, 2015 Jared Blumenfeld Regional Administrator US EPA Region 9 75 Hawthorne Street Mail Code : ORA-1 San Francisco, CA 94105 Richard Corey Executive Officer California Air Resources Board 1001 "I" Street Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Request for EPA Finding that the San Joaquin Valley has Attained the Federal 1-hour Ozone Standard Dear Mr
. Blumenfeld and Mr. Corey: The San Joaquin Valley Air District (District) formally requests that the U
.S. Environmental Protection Agency determine that the San Joaquin Valley (Valley) has attained the federal 1-hour ozone standard. Per federal requirements , the attached submittal includes a clean data finding and a finding that attainment is due to permanent and enforceable emissions reductions. Once again, du ring 2012-2014, the Valley recorded minimal violations ofthe 1 -hour ozone standard established by EPA under the federal Clean Air Act. The Valley now meets the 1-hour ozone standard based on the most recent three year period air monitoring data (2012-2014)
. The 1-hour ozone standard has been the key focus ofthe Valley's air quality management strategies for more than two decades
. Since 1992, the District has developed and implemented num

_ erous attainment plans and has adopted over 500 of the most stringent

**rul~s** in the natron to obtain the significant emissions reductions needed to demonstrate attainment. Additionally, the District has supplemented its regulatory programs with a robust voluntary incentive program that has invested over $1 billion in clean air projects, resulting in over 100,000 tons of emission reductions. The Valley will be the first and only region in the nation to attain a standard after being classified as "extreme" nonattainment by EPA. The District wishes to express our gratitude to EPA, the California Air Resources Board, and other stakeholders in helping Valley residents reach this tremendous milestone
.

Northern Regiorl 4800 Enterprise Way Modesto, CA 95356·8718 Tel: ( 2091557·6400 FAX: (2091557·6475 Seyed Sadredin Executive Director/Air Pollution Control Officer Central Region !Main Officel

1990 E. G ettysburg Avenu e fresno, C A93726·0244 Tel: (5591230·6000 FAX: 15591230·6061 www. valleyair.org www.healthyairliving.com Southern Region 34946 Flyover Court Bakersfield, CA 93308·9725 T el: 661·392·5500 FAX: 661 ·392·5585 PrlnLedonraeycledpaper QRequest for EPA Finding that the San Joaquin Valley has Attained the Federal1-hour Ozone Standard July 13, 2015 Page 2 of 3 This historic accomplishment reaffirms the effectiveness ofthe investment and commitment by Valley businesses and residents to reduce emissions and improve public health. Emissions from stationary sources have been reduced by over 80%, and the number of ozone violations in the Valley has consistently dropped over the years. Despite strings oftriple-digit temperatures and wildfires, 2013 and 2014 were the cleanest years on record for ozone: • Minimal hours over the 1-hour standard • Lowest 8-hour design values • Lowest number of 8-hour exceedances 

## Tota: l Hours over the 1-hour 03 Standard among all Sites perYear 350



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### Year The attached Attainment Determination Requestsupports both a clean data finding and a finding that attainment is due to permanent and enforceable emissions reductions: 

### Clean Data Finding: • Monitoring data: Air monitoring data from the relevant three-year period (2012- 2014) meets the 1-hour ozone standard via the

**~~expected** exceedance days" test. 

### • Monitoring network: As regularly documented in annual monitoring network plans, the Valley's ozone monitoring network meets monitoring requirements. •

# ..Request for EPA Finding that the San Joaquin Valley has Attained the Federal 1-hour Ozone Standard July 13, 2015 Page 3 of 3 • Saturation study confirms monitoring approach: A recent saturation study in Arvin shows that the current monitoring site location is appropriate. Permanent and enforceable emissions reductions: • Regulations and emissions reductions: The District and ARB have adopted the nation's most stringent regulations, and these regulations achieve significant ozone precursor emissions reductions. • No unusually favorable meteorology: Meteorological analysis shows that 2012-2014 ozone season meteorology was neither unusual northe cause of attainment. • No decrease in economic activity: Analyses ofvehicle miles traveled and state fuel sales as indicators of economic activity shows that there wasn't a decrease in economic activity that is responsible for attainment. Of course, as you know, despite this major achievement, the Valley continues to face many air quality challenges in meeting the current and upcoming air quality standards for ozone and particulate matter. The District has several air quality plans in place, including the 

### 2007 Ozone Plan (for the 1997 8-hour ozone standard), the 

### 2008 and 2015 PM2.5 Plans (for the 1997 PM2.5 standard), and the 

### 2012 PM2.5 Plan (for the 2006 PM2.5 standard). The District is also in the early stages of developing attainment plans to address the 2008 8-hour ozone standard and the 2012 PM2.5 standard. An EPA finding of 1-hour ozone attainment will in no way diminish the intensity and magnitude ofthe work the Valley must continue to do under these plans. Rather, a finding of 1-hour ozone attainment will enable the Valley and all of its affected stakeholders to better focus its efforts and investments on these upcoming challenges. Ifyou have any questions regarding this plan, please contact me or Jon Klassen at (559) 230-5800. The District thanks you and your stafffor your assistance.



### ~eyed 'saetredin

Executive Director/Air Pollution Control Officer 

### Attachments
Cc: Mary D. Nichols, Chairman, California Air Resources Board Deborah Jordan, Director, US EPA Region 9 Kerry Drake, Associate Director, US EPA Region 9 Kurt Karperos, Deputy Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board