UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASH I NGTON, D
. C
. 20 4 60

The Honorable John P. deJongh , Jr
. Governor of the U.S
. Virgin Islands Government House, 2 1 -22 Kongens Gade Charlotte Amali e St. Thomas, Virg in Is l ands 00802 Dear Governor deJongh: 

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# a 2014

THE ADM I NIS T RA T OR

I am writing to summar i ze the U.S. Envirorunental Protection Agency's recent action to address fine part icle 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 po ll ution and which areas must take steps to reduce emissions that contribute to vio l ation s of the standa rd. On December 14 , 2012, the EPA strengthened the annual, health-based fine particle standard from 15
.0 micrograms per cubic meter**(~g )**  to 12.0**~tg .**  Thousands of sc ientific stud i es have linked exposure to these tiny particle s - approximately 1130th the size of a human hai r- with serious human health problems including premature death in peop le with heart and lung disease, nonfatal heart attacks , and increased hospital admissions and doctor and emergency room visits for respiratory and cardiovascular disease. I appreciate the information you and your staff have shared with the EPA throughout this process to assess fine particle pollution levels in communit ies across your state and the impact of emi ssion sources that could be contribut ing to unhealthy air. Because the Virgin Islands does not have sufficient air quali ty monitoring data to determine whether your territory meets the 2012 annual fi n e particle standard, the EPA is designating the U.S. Virgin Islands "unclassifiable." The EPA will work closely with the Virg in Islands to ensure that identified problems with air quality monitoring data are corrected. The agency intends to reassess leve l s of fine particle po ll ution throughout th e Virgin Islands once sufficient comp lete air monitoring data are availab le . The EPA shares responsibility w ith the states and tribes fo r managing particle pollution levels. Efforts by states and tribes to a t tain the 1997 and 2006 fine particle pollution standards are already work ing to reduce unhealthy le vel s of fine pa rticle pollution. In add iti on , current and upcoming federal standards and safeguards, including pollution reduction rules for power plants, vehicles and fuels will assure steady r eductions of fine particl e pollution and will protect publi c health in communities across the country .

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. epa . g ov Recycled/Recyclable • P r i nted wi th Ve g etable Oi l B ased Inks on 1 00% P ostconsumer, P rocess Chlori ne Free Recyc l ed PaperTogether , we have made considerable progress to reduce fine particle pollution. Na t ionwide, monitored l evels of fine particle pollution ha ve fallen 34 percent since 2000 when we first began na t ionwide monitoring for particles of this size . I am confident this progress will continue as we work together towards our shared goal of clean air. For additional information about these designations , please visit our website at: \ovww . epa.gov/pmdes i gnat i ons .

If you have questions o r concerns , please contact me or your sta ff may contact Mark Rupp , Deput y Associate Admin i strator for Intergovernmental Relations, at ru pp. markra2e p a. g ov or at (202) 564-7178. Sincere ly,