UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECT I ON AGENC Y WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460

The Honorab le M i ke Beebe Govenor of Arkansas 500 Woodlane Street, Suite 250 Little Rock , Arkansas 72201 Dear Governor Beebe: 

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THE ADMINISTRATOR

I am writing to summarize the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent action to address fine particle po ll ution i n your s tate. As required by the Clean Air Act, the EPA has determin e d which areas are mee ting the nat i o n al ambient air quality standards for fine particle po ll ution and whic h areas must take steps to reduce emissions that contribute to violations of the s tandard
. On December 14,2012, the EP A st reng thened the annua l, health-base d fine particle standard from 15.0 m icrograms per cubic meter (f.lg/ m 3 ) to 12.0 f.1g/m 3

. Th ousands of scie n tific stud i es have linke d exposure to these tiny particle s- approximately 1/ 30th the size o f a human hai r -with serious human health probl ems including premature de ath in people with heart and lu ng disease, nonfatal h eart attacks, and increase d hosp i tal admiss i ons and doctor and emergency room visits fo r re s piratory and ca rd i ovascu l ar d isease. I appreciate the informat ion you and your staff have s hared with the EPA throughout this process to assess fine parti c l e pollution levels in communities across your state and the impact of emission sourc es that could be con tr ibutin g to unhealthy air. After considering your recommendations, reviewing the most recent certified fine particle air quality data for your stat e and e val uatin g factors to assess contribution to nearby le vels of fine particle pollution, I have determined that no area within Arkansas violates the 2012 standard or contributes to a nearby vio l at i on of th e stand ard. As a resu l t, the EPA is des ig na t i ng all of Arkansas " unclassifiable / attainment." Because ai r qu a li ty monitoring for 2014 is near ly complete, if a state or tribe requests it, the EPA will evaluate the status of an area bas ed on its annual fine particle monitoring data for 2012

- 20 14. If you would li ke th e E PA to re - evaluate any areas within your state, please submit to the EPA, co mpl ete, quali ty -assured and certified air quality data for 2014 by February 27 , 20 1 5. The EPA s ha res responsibility with the states and tribes for managi n g particl e p oll ution leve ls
. Effo rts by states and tribes to attain th e 1 997 and 2006 fin e particl e pollution s tandard s are a lr eady working to reduce unheal th y l evels of fine particle pollution. In addition, current and upcoming federal s tandards and safeguard s, includ in g poll ution reduc tion rules for power plan ts, vehicles and fuel s w ill assure s teady red ucti ons of fine particle pollution and w ill pro tec t publ ic health in communitie s acro ss th e coun try .

I nternet Address (UR L ) • http ://www
. epa . gov Re c ycted/Recyc;lable • Printed with Vegetable O i l Based Inks on 100% Postconsumer , Process Chlorine Free Recycled PaperTogether, we have made considerable progress to reduce fine particle pollution . Nationwide, monitored l evels of fine particle pollution fell 3 4 percent since 2000 when we first began na t ionwide monitoring for particles of this size . I am confident this progress will accelerate as together we continue to work towards our shared goal of clean air. For additional information about these desi gnations, please visit our website at: www.epa.gov / pmdesignati6ns . I f you have ques t ions or concerns, please contact me or your staff may contact Mark Rupp, Deputy Associate Administrator for In tergove rnmental Relations, at rupp.mark@epa.gov or at (202) 564-7178.