The Honorable Beverly Perdue Governor of North Carolina 

State Capitol 20301 Mail Service Center Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-030 1 

Dear Governor Perdue: 

On November 12,2008, and April 5,2009, the North Carolina Department of 

Environment and Natural Resources (NC DENR) provided the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency's (EPA's) Region 4 Office with revised state implementation plan submissions - 

regarding the attainment demonstration requirement for the 1997 8-hour ozone national ambient . 

air quality standards (NAAQS) for the North Carolina portion of the bi-state Charlotte-GastoniaRock Hill, North Carolina-South Carolina nonattainment area (hereafter referred to as the bistate Charlotte Area). We have reviewed these submissions and are making the determination 

that these submittals have met the requirements for completeness found in Section 110(k)(l) of 

the Clean Air Act (CAA). 

Effective June 15,2004, EPA designated the bi-state Charlotte Area as nonattainment for 

the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, with a moderate classification. As a result of this nonattainment 

designation, by June 15,2007, North Carolina was required to provide EPA with a plan for how 

its portion of the bi-state Charlotte Area would meet the requirement for the area to come into 

compliance with the NAAQS by June 15,2007 (i.e., the attainment demonstration). On 

June 15,2007, NC DENR provided EPA with the required attainment demonstration but 

subsequently withdrew this submission on December 19,2008. 

On May 8,2009, EPA issued a finding of failure to submit the 1997 8-hour ozone 

NAAQS attainment demonstration to North Carolina because of the withdrawal of the original 

attainment demonstration for North Carolina's portion of the bi-state Charlotte Area. 74 Fed. 

Reg. 21 550. This finding started an 18-month sanctions clock for two for one new source 

offsets; and six months later, highway sanctions, if the deficiency was not corrected. To correct 

this deficiency, North Carolina was required to provide a submission that EPA could deem 

complete pursuant to Section 1 1 O(k)(l) of the CAA and the "Criteria for Determining the 

Completeness of Plan Submissions," as described in 40 CFR Part 5 1, Appendix V. 

EPA has reviewed the November 12,2008, and April 5,2009, submissions that comprise 

North Carolina's attainment demonstration for the North Carolina portion of the bi-state 

Charlotte Area and has determined that these submissions meet the completeness determination 

Internet Address (URL) http:llwww.epa.gov 

Recycled/Recyclable .Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on Recycled Paper (Minimum 30% Postconsumer) 
determination on approvability through rulemaking in the Federal Register. 

Should you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me 

at (404) 562-8357 or have a member of your staff contact Kenneth R. Lapierre, Acting Director, 

Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division at (404) 562-9077. 

Sincerely, 

PA. Stanley Meiburg 

Acting Regional Administrator 

cc: Mr. Dee Freeman 

Secretary of NC DENR 

Mr. Robert W. King 

Deputy Commissioner for Environmental Quality Control 

South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC) 

Mr. B. Keith Overcash, P.E. 

Director of NC DENR's Division of Air Quality 

Mrs. Myra Reece Chief of SC DHEC's Bureau of Air Quality 

Mr. Don Willard Director of Mecklenburg County Air Quality