Title
Air Quality Management District (AQMD) recommending the Board, acting as the AQMD Board of Directors:
1) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 038-2016, approving proposed Rule 523-1 Federal Non-Attainment New Source Review ("Rule"); and
2) Direct staff to forward the Rule to the California Air Resources Board for transmittal to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a revision to the State Implementation Plan.
FUNDING: None Required.
Body
DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION
The AQMD recommends the Board, acting as the AQMD Board of Directors:
1) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 038-2016, approving proposed Rule 523-1 Federal Non-Attainment New Source Review ("Rule"); and
2) Direct staff to forward the Rule to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for transmittal to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a revision to the State Implementation Plan (SIP).
DISCUSSION/BACKGROUND
In October 2006, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated a new 24-hour PM2.5 ("Particulate Matter" <2.5 microns) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) strengthening the standard from 65µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) to 35µg/m3. In December 2009, the EPA designated a multi-county Sacramento region, including Western El Dorado County, in “non-attainment” of this new standard.
The region’s PM2.5 monitoring data showed that the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS was met by December 31, 2011. In May 2012, the CARB submitted a request that EPA find the Sacramento region in attainment for the standard. EPA issued a proposed rule for Determination of Attainment on October 26, 2012 and a final rule for Determination of Attainment on July 15, 2013. The final rule became effective on August 14, 2013. While the Determination of Attainment finding relieved the Sacramento region air districts from various planning requirements, it did not relieve the AQMD of the requirement to submit a PM2.5 New Source Resource (NSR) rule. The AQMD ...
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