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# LYJ UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION 2 290 BROADWAY NEWYORK, NY 10007.1866



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Honorable 

### David 

### A. Paterson 

### Governorof the State 

### of 

### NewYork State 

### Capitol Albany, 

### NY 12224

Dear Governc-rr Paterson :
On 

### March 12,2008, the 

### Environmental Protection 

### Agency (EPA) revised the national ambient 

### airquality standards 

### C{AAQS) for ozone to 

### provide increased 

### protection of public health and

### welfare 

### from ozone 

### pollution. The new 

### primary ozone standard was 

### lowered

### from 0.08 parts per 

### million (ppm) 

### to 0.075 ppm based on numerous 

### epidemiological studies conducted 

### during the past 

### decade. The studies found health effects associated 

### with ozone exposure at and 

### below the 

### level ofthe 0.08 

### ppm standard, 

### which was promulgated 

### in 1991.They include a range 

### of serious 

### respiratory effects and increased premature 

### mortality. EPA also strengthened the secondary 8-hour ozone standard, 

### making 

### it identical to the revised 

### primary standard, 

### to protect against 

### welfare effects such as impacts onvegetation and forested ecosystems.


### Within oneyear

### of promulgation of a new or revised 

### NAAQS, section 

### 107(d)(l)(A) 

### of the Clean

### Air Act requires the 

### governorof each state 

### to submit 

### to EPA a

### list of all areas 

### in the state, recommending designations 

### for each as

### "attainment,'L"nonattainnlent," or "unclassifiable" 

### u'ith respect 

### tothe new or revised 

### standard. We askthatyou 

### provide your designation recommendations 

### with respect 

### to the revised ozone 

### NAAQS, including appropriate area boundaries, 

### to EPA by 

### March 12,2009. Establishing areadesignations is a 

### key step 

### in the process 

### of providing the health protections that the Clean 

### Air Act mandates. Areas that are designated as 

### not attaining the 

### air 

### quality standards

### will be required 

### to adopt plans 

### to reduce ambient concentrations 

### of ozone.

The enclosed memorandum provides guidance

### to state and 

### local air 

### pollution control agencies and

### tribes on the process 

### for designating areas underthe 2008 revised ozone standard. We plan 

### to announce 

### our intended designations asearly as possible after receipt 

### of your recommendations, but 

### no later

### than 120 days 

### prior to 

### promulgating 

### final designations. 

### Following the announcement 

### of intended designations, states andtribes 

### will have the 

### opportunity to comment on any 

### modifications EPA proposes to

### their recommendations. 

### In accordance 

### with section 

### 107(dxl)(B) of the Clean

### Air Act, we intend 

### to issue 

### final designations 

### by 

### March 12, 

### 2010 (although that deadline may be extended up

### to one 

### additional year 

### if EPA detennines that 

### insufficient information is available 

### to establish designations by that 

### date). Our designations

### will be based on the most recentthree years 

### of certified, quality assured 

### monitoring data available. Ozone nonattainment areas

### will be 

### classified atthe

### time of designation. The approach 

### EPA

### will
use

### to classify nonattainment areas under the 2008 revised ozone 

### NAAQS 

### will be established 

### through aseparate 

### notice and comment 

### rulemaking.

Intemet Address (URL) 

### r htp:/hnwv.epa.gov Rocyclsd/RGcyclablc oPrlntrd wlth Vcgctabb OllBr$d lnkr on Rocycbd Papor(illnlmum 501( Portcon umlr cont il)

### We look forward to

### working

### with you and

### your staff 

### to develop area designations under

the 2008 revised ozone standards 

### in a

### timely manner. 

### If you have any questions, please do 

### not hesitate 

### to contact 

### me. Your air

### quality staff may contact 

### RaymondWerner, Chief of the

### Air Programs Branch, at212-637 -4249.

Enclosure



### cc: Pete Grannis, 

### Commissioner New 

### York State Department 

### of,Environmental Conservation



# JfflLlw

Alan J. Steinberg Regional 

### Administrator