Responses to Significant Comments on the State and Tribal Designation Recommendations for the 2015 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) Docket Number EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0548 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency April 2018 Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 4 2.0 Background ....................................................................................................................................... 4 3.0 Responses to Significant Comments on the State and Tribal Designation Recommendations for the 2015 Ozone NAAQS .................................................................................................................................... 5 3.1 General Issues ............................................................................................................................... 5 3.1.1 Super-Regional Areas ........................................................................................................... 5 3.1.2 Exceptional Events .............................................................................................................. 11 3.1.3 Effective Date ..................................................................................................................... 11 3.1.4 NAAQS Implementation ..................................................................................................... 12 3.1.5 Air Quality Data .................................................................................................................. 12 3.1.6 Nonattainment Boundaries .................................................................................................. 12 3.1.7 The Term “Nearby” ............................................................................................................ 12 3.1.8 Other Options and the Ozone Transport Commission ........................................................ 12 3.2. Area-Specific Issues .................................................................................................................... 13 3.2.1 EPA Region I ...................................................................................................................... 13 3.2.2. EPA Region II ..................................................................................................................... 13 3.2.3. EPA Region III.................................................................................................................... 13 3.2.4. EPA Region IV ................................................................................................................... 19 3.2.5. EPA Region V ..................................................................................................................... 19 3.2.6. EPA Region VI ................................................................................................................... 37 3.2.7. EPA Region VII .................................................................................................................. 42 3.2.8. EPA Region VIII ................................................................................................................. 42 3.2.9. EPA Region IX ................................................................................................................... 63 3.2.10. EPA Region X ..................................................................................................................... 66 3.2.11. Multi-State Areas ................................................................................................................ 67 3.3 Comments Not Requiring a Response from EPA ....................................................................... 81 3.3.1 NAAQS Related .................................................................................................................. 81 3.3.2 Comments on Unrelated Programs ..................................................................................... 82 2 List of Acronyms CAA Clean Air Act CAMx Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions CBSA Core Based Statistical Areas CFR Code of Federal Regulations CMSA Combined Metropolitan Statistical Area CSA Combined Statistical Area CSPAR Cross-state Air Pollution Rule DFW Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas EE Exceptional Events EGU Electric Generating Unit EPA Environmental Protection Agency FR Federal Register HGB Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, Texas HYSPLIT Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model IEPA Illinois Environmental Protection Agency I/M (Vehicle) Inspection and Maintenance LAER Lowest Achievable Emission Rate MACT Maximum Achievable Control Technology MDE Maryland Department of the Environment MPO Metropolitan Planning Organization MSA Metropolitan Statistical Area NESHAP National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants NAA Nonattainment Area NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality Standard NEI National Emissions Inventory NFR Notice of Final Rulemaking NOx Oxides of Nitrogen NSPS New Source Performance Standards NSR New Source Review NYC New York City NYMA New York Metropolitan (Nonattainment) Area OAQPS EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards OMB Office of Management and Budget OTR Ozone Transport Region PADEP Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection PPB Parts Per Billion PPM Parts Per Million PSD Prevention of Significant Deterioration QA/QC Quality Assurance/Quality Control RACT Reasonably Available Control Technology SIP State Implementation Plan TCEQ Texas Commission on Environmental Quality TPY Tons per Year TSD Technical Support Document VMT Vehicle Miles Traveled VOC Volatile Organic Compounds 3 1.0 Introduction This document, together with the preamble to the final rule, and the Technical Support Documents (TSDs) for the designations, presents the responses of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the significant comments we received on our proposed designations. The responses presented in this document are intended to augment the responses to comments that appear in the preamble to the final rule and the TSD or to address comments not discussed in those documents. 2.0 Background On October 1, 2015, the EPA promulgated revised primary and secondary ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS (80 FR 6592, October 26, 2015)). In that action, the EPA strengthened both standards to a level of 0.070 parts per million (ppm), while retaining their indicators, averaging times, and forms. The EPA revised the ozone standards based on an integrated assessment of an extensive body of new scientific evidence, which substantially strengthens our knowledge regarding ozone-related health and welfare effects, the results of exposure and risk analyses, the advice of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee and consideration of public comments. The revised primary standard provides increased protection for children, older adults and people with asthma or other lung diseases, and other at-risk populations against an array of adverse health effects including lung function, increased respiratory symptoms and pulmonary inflammation and asthma exacerbations; effects that contribute to emergency department visits or hospital admissions; and mortality. The revised secondary standard provides protection of natural forests from adverse growth- related effects and is expected to provide increased protection from other effects of potential public welfare significance, including crop yield loss and visible foliar injury. On November 6, 2017, the EPA issued final designations for the 2015 NAAQS for ozone for most areas in the United States (U.S.). Specifically, the Agency found that most areas in the country met the standards and designated those areas, including 2,646 counties, two tribal areas and five territories, “attainment/unclassifiable.” This represented about 85 percent of the counties in the U.S. The EPA also designated three counties in the state of Washington as “unclassifiable”, because there was not enough data to calculate a 3-year ozone design value. On December 22, 2017, the EPA responded to state and tribal recommendations by indicating the anticipated area designations for the portions of the country not already designated for the 2015 ozone standards. These responses started a 120-day period for states and tribes to provide additional information before the EPA determines the final designations. The EPA also opened a 30-day comment period for the public to provide input on these designations before they are finalized. Following are summaries of significant comments received on the 2015 ozone designation recommendations and the EPA’s responses to those comments. 4 3.0 Responses to Significant Comments on the State and Tribal Designation Recommendations for the 2015 Ozone NAAQS The following sections address the state, tribal, and public comments received by the EPA on the state and tribal ozone designation recommendations for the 2015 Ozone NAAQS. Comment summaries and responses are presented below. Comments and responses addressing general issues are presented first followed by area-specific comments and responses. The EPA has provided additional detail for some nonattainment areas in the TSD for that area. Commenters can find the TSDs in the electronic docket for this action (www.regulations,gov, docket number EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0548) and at the EPA’s Ozone Designations Web Page (www.epa.gov/ozone-designations). 3.1 General Issues