Ozone NAAQS Public Hearings Set for 2015

U.S. EPA will hold three (3) public hearings to discuss the proposed revision to the “National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Ozone” rule that was published in the Federal Register on December 17, 2014.  The public hearings provide the public the opportunity to present data, arguments, and comments and will take place at the following locations, dates, and local times:

1. Washington, DC – January 29, 2015, 9am to 7:30pm
2. Arlington, TX – January 29, 2015, 9am to 7:30pm
3. Sacramento, CA – February 2, 2015, 9am to 7:30pm

Presenters will have five (5) minutes for their presentation.  U.S. EPA may ask clarifying questions to the presenters, but U.S. EPA will not respond to questions from the presenters during the public hearing.  If you are interested in presenting at a public hearing, contact Ms. Eloise Shepherd of U.S. EPA via email at shepherd.eloise@epa.gov to make a reservation.  Written comments can also be submitted to U.S. EPA by March 17, 2015.

As a reminder, U.S. EPA is proposing to change the primary and secondary ozone standards to be within the range of 0.065 to 0.07 parts per million (ppm).  Changes to the ozone monitoring season, Federal Reference Method for monitoring ozone, procedures for testing, and Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Station network are also proposed.  To learn more about photochemical modeling, please review our recent blog post. 

In addition, U.S. EPA proposes to revise the ozone data handling conventions and Air Quality Index, revise regulations for Prevention of Significant Deterioration to incorporate a transition provision, and propose an implementation schedule.  The proposed revision to the ozone NAAQS also covers revising event schedules and removing obsolete regulatory language from expired deadlines.  The document also addresses requirements and language regarding nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter.

The final ozone NAAQS standards are planned to be issued by October 1, 2015.  Read more about the proposed revision in Tom Saylor’s blog post.