268 Proposed designation recommendations for the 2008 8-hour ozone standard; public meetings announcement

Proposed Designation Recommendations for the 2008 8-Hour Ozone Standard; Public Meetings Announcement

[39 Pa.B. 908]
[Saturday, February 14, 2009]

   Ground-level ozone concentrations above the Federal health-based standard are a serious human health threat and can also cause damage to crops, forests and wildlife. In March 2008, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated a revised 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). The revised ozone standard of 75 parts per billion, measured over an 8-hour period, is more protective of public health than the 1997 8-hour ozone standard.

   The Governor of each state must now submit designation recommendations to EPA in accordance with Section 107(d) of the Federal Clean Air Act. Pennsylvania's designation recommendations are based on air quality monitoring data for 2006-2008, demographic information and other criteria, as recommended by EPA. EPA expects to make final designations in March 2010.

   The Department of Environmental Protection (Department) is seeking public input on the proposed designation recommendations for the 2008 ozone NAAQS. Based on air quality, demographic information and political boundary factors, the Department is proposing to recommend that:

   *  Erie, Greene, Indiana, Lancaster, Berks and Monroe Counties be designated as single-county nonattainment areas;

   *  Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Washington, Fayette and Westmoreland Counties be designated as a multicounty nonattainment area;

   *  Adams and York Counties be designated as a multicounty nonattainment area;

   *  Cumberland, Perry, Dauphin and Lebanon Counties be designated as a multicounty nonattainment area;

   *  Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton Counties be designated as a multicounty nonattainment area;

   *  Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties be designated as part of a multicounty interstate nonattainment area; and

   *  Mercer County be designated as a nonattainment area, most likely part of an interstate area.

   The remainder of the Commonwealth would be designated as attainment.

   This proposal is available on the Department's web site at www.depweb.state.pa.us or through the contact persons listed. The Department will hold public informational meetings as follows:

March 3, 2009	March 3, 2009	March 4, 2009
1 p.m.	1 p.m.	1 p.m.
Waterfront A 400 Waterfront    Drive Pittsburgh, PA	Susquehanna    Room 909 Elmerton    Avenue	Delaware River    Room 2 East Main    Street
	Harrisburg, PA	Norristown, PA

   For more information on the public meetings, contact Yvette House at [phone]; [e-mail]. Individuals with a disability who wish to attend a meeting and require an auxiliary aid, service or other accommodation to participate in the proceeding should also contact Yvette House. TDD users may contact the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Service at [phone] to discuss how the Department can best accommodate their needs.

   Written comments on the recommendations should be sent to Arleen Shulman, Chief, Air Resource Management Division, Bureau of Air Quality, Department of Environmental Protection, P. O. Box 8468, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8468 or [e-mail] (preferred) no later than 4 p.m. on March 6, 2009. Written comments (including e-mail submittals) must include the name, affiliation (if any), mailing address and telephone number of the interested person.

JOHN HANGER,   
Acting Secretary

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 09-268. Filed for public inspection February 13, 2009, 9:00 a.m.]