Opinion ID: 187435
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Sixth and Seventh Factors:.Distance Between a Power Plant and a Violating Monitor

Text: EPA takes account of the distance between a power plant and a violating monitor to help determine whether an area's meteorological features (the sixth factor) and its particular geography and topography (the seventh factor) will increase the likelihood that emissions from the plant will contribute to a violation. State petitioners argue that EPA used this distance inconsistently. For example, the agency designated Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, as attainment even though it has a power plant 60 miles from a violating monitor. See id. § 6.3.4.2 (Discussion). By contrast, EPA designated Orange County, New York, as nonattainment even though its power plant is 50 miles from the closest violating monitor. See id. § 6.2.2. But EPA never placed the type of weight on the distance factor that petitioners' argument assumes. Although EPA considered the distances, it weighed other factors as well. For example, Orange County has very high emissions levels, and meteorological data show winds blowing from the county toward violating monitors elsewhere. See id. Clearfield County, on the other hand, has mountainous terrain and other geographic features limiting emissions travel. See id. § 6.3.4.2 (Discussion). Petitioners claim that the attainment designation for Jasper County, Georgia, demonstrates inconsistency because it has a power plant 45 miles from the nearest violating monitor. But the plant's emissions are relatively insignificant, and other factors  such as low population and few commuters  support the county's designation. See id. § 6.4.2.1 (Justification for Changes to EPA Recommendations Contained in the June 24, 2004, Letters to States); Letter from Ron Methier to Beverly Bannister at 2. Once again, seizing upon a single factor misapprehends the purpose of the nine-factor test.