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UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 

REGION2 

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NOV - 3 2014 

The Honorable Joseph J. Martens 

Commissioner 

290 BROADWAY 

NEW YORK, NY 10007-1866 

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 

625 Broadway, 141

h Floor 

Albany, New York 12233-1010 

Dear Commissioner Martens: 

This is in response to the 2014 Annual Monitoring Network Review Plan (Plan) for New York State's 

ambient air monitoring program, which you submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on 

July 29,2014. The EPA Region 2 has reviewed New York's Plan for consistency with 40 Code of 

Federal Regulations Part 58.10. 

The portions of the monitoring network plan involving the National Core multi-pollutant monitoring 

stations, PM2.s Speciation Trends Network stations, and Photochemical Assessment Monitoring stations 

are subject to approval by the EPA Administrator. Accordingly, we will forward that portion ofNew 

York's Plan to EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards for review. My staff will work 

closely with our Headquarters counterparts and continue to keep you informed of the progress of the 

review of that portion of the Plan. 

In the Plan, the New York State Department Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) proposes to 

decrease the PM10 filter based sampling at 40 Division St. in New York City (Division St. site; AQS 

#36-061-0134) and 185 Dingens St. in Buffalo (Buffalo site; AQS #36-029-0005) from 1 in 3 days to 1 

in 6 days. In accordance with 40 CFR Part 58.12(e), the EPA allows for reduced PM10 sampling 

frequency from 1 in 3 days to 1 in 6 days if the maximum 24 hour value in the past year is below 70% of 

the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) of 150 ug/m3. The maximum value in 2013 for 

Division St. and Buffalo were 47.2 ug/m3 and 45.5 ug/m3, respectively. These values are well below 105 

ug/m3, 70% ofthe annual standard. Accordingly, the EPA concurs with these changes in PM10 sampling 

at the Division St. and Buffalo sites. 

I would also like to take this opportunity to address the changes on New York State's Lead-Total 

Suspended Particles (Pb-TSP) airport short term special study. In accordance with 40 CFR Part 58 

Appendix D 4.5(a)(iii), Pb-TSP air monitoring would be conducted at 15 airports across the country. 

The monitoring would be conducted for a period of 12 consecutive months, unless the monitoring data 

showed an exceedance of 50% of the Pb NAAQS on a rolling 3-month average, in which case Pb 

monitoring will continue at the site. 

New York State has two of the Pb-TSP airport monitoring sites, Brookhaven and Republic. The 

Brookhaven site (AQS #36-103-0024) was installed in October 2011 and proceeded to collect 13 

consecutive months of data. The highest 3-month rolling average was 0.033 ug/m3. The Republic site 

Internet Address (URL) • http://www.epa.gov 

Recyc:led/Recyc:lable • Printed with Vegetable 0 11 BaNd Inks on Rec:yc:l«t Paper (Minimum 50% Postcon.umer content) 
(AQS #36-1 03-0005) was operational from October 2012 to September 2013. Its highest 3-month 

rolling average was 0.013 ug/m3. Both these values are below 0.075 ug/m3

, which is 50% of the 

NAAQS. As a result and in accordance with the regulations, these special study sites were shutdown. 

The EPA appreciates NYSDEC's involvement in this effort and concurs with New York on the 

shutdown ofthese sites. EPA looks forward to continuing working with NYSDEC on other upcoming 

new initiatives. ·; 

If you have further questions, please contact me at (212) 637-3736 or your staff can contact Mr. Karl 

Mangels at (212) 63 7-4078 or Ms. Mazeeda Khan at (212) 63 7-3 715 of our Air Programs Branch. 

Sincerely, . 

J~~D~ Clean Air and Sustainability ~( Division 

cc: David Shaw 

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 

Dirk Felton 

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 

Brian Lay 

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 

Mo SiuHong 

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 

David Wheeler 

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation