EPA Establishes Air Quality Designations

The agency has released additional air quality designations for the 2015 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

June 06, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In March, a federal judge ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to declare most air quality designations by the end of April, after the agency had missed an October 2017 deadline. This week, the EPA released additional air quality designations for the 2015 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

This rule establishes initial air quality designations for certain areas in the United States, including areas of Indian country, for the 2015 primary and secondary NAAQS for ozone. On November 6, 2017, the EPA designated about 85% of the country as attainment/unclassifiable and three counties as unclassifiable.

In this action, the agency is designating all remaining areas, except for eight counties in the San Antonio metropolitan area. Areas are being designated as either nonattainment, attainment/unclassifiable, or unclassifiable. Areas designated as nonattainment also are being classified by operation of law according to the severity of their air quality problems. The classification categories are Marginal, Moderate, Serious, Severe and Extreme. In addition, five nonattainment areas in California are being voluntarily reclassified to a higher classification.

This rule will become effective on August 3. The judge ordered the EPA to review the San Antonio data by July 17.

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