Arkansas Governor Hutchinson sent a December 10th letter to the Regional Administrator of the Region VI Office of the United States Environmental Protection Agency requesting a:
… redesignation to attainment for Crittenden County, Arkansas part of the Memphis, TN–MS–AR Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) for the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS).
The Clean Air Act requires that EPA set ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for a limited number of air pollutants.
One such air pollutant is ozone. The states are required to develop plans to ensure that its air quality control regions meet the various NAAQS. The State Implementation Plans contain the measures and actions the state will undertake to attain each NAAQS.
An air quality control region such as Crittenden County (part of a multi-state air quality control region) may be classified as non-attainment. If so, the Clean Air Act imposes additional responsibilities on such air quality regions. Because of these additional responsibilities, states have a significant incentive to undertake measures such that the air quality control region will attain the relevant NAAQS.
Governor Hutchinson’s December 10th letter notes in part as a rationale for the requested redesignation:
Ozone monitoring data for the period of 2012 through 2014 shows that Crittenden County has attained and continues to attain the 2008 eight-hour ozone NAAQS. In addition, all other regulatory monitors in the tri-state Memphis, TN-MS-AR nonattainment area have also attained the 2008 eight-hour ozone NAAQS during the same period. Monitoring data for 2014 have undergone quality assurance and have been certified and submitted to EPA’s Air Quality System (AQS) database. This meets the requirements of the Clean Air Act § 107(d)(3)(E)(i).
Measured reductions in ozone in and around Crittenden County, Arkansas, are largely attributable to reductions from emission sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (Nos), which are precursors in the formation of ground-level ozone. The majority of these reductions have been realized from federal measures related to mobile sources and electrical power generation. In addition, continuing new emissions control programs will help to ensure a further decrease in emissions throughout the area in the future. Emissions projections indicate that current controls, and existing state and federal air quality rules will be sufficient to maintain the NAAQS in the area for the duration of the maintenance plan period.
A link to the Governor’s letter and the ADEQ redesignation request can be found here: https://www.adeq.state.ar.us/air/planning/default.aspx#crittenden.
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