Air Nonattainment Area Redesignations | Air Programs

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Section 107(d)(3) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) specifies procedures and requirements for changing an area's designation. These conditions are as follows:

The Administrator has determined that the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) have been attained.
The area in question has a fully approved implementation plan under Section 110(k) of the CAA.
A determination has been made that the improvement in air quality is due to permanent and enforceable reductions in emissions.
An approvable maintenance plan has been submitted as specified under Section 175A. This demonstration of maintenance includes continued ambient monitoring, retention of current control strategies, an emissions budget, and contingency measures to be implemented should the area experience future air quality problems. In some cases, the requirements for an emissions budget may be waived if certain criteria are met. This relaxed approach is known as a limited maintenance plan.
All applicable requirements have been met under Section 110, concerning general SIP requirements, and Part D, concerning nonattainment plans.

Current Status:

Region 6 has redesignated the following areas to attainment for ozone since 1990:

Texas - Victoria County

Louisiana - the parishes of Beauregard, Grant, Lafayette, Lafourche**, St. James, St. Mary, Jefferson, Orleans, St. Charles, and St. Bernard, Pointe Coupee, and Calcasieu.

**Note! On November 18, 1994, the State of Louisiana submitted a maintenance plan and redesignation request for Lafourche Parish to EPA for approval. On August 12, 1995, EPA issued a direct final notice approving Louisiana's request. The EPA's redesignation policy includes language to address how EPA will respond to a monitored violation of the NAAQS prior to the effective date of a redesignation action. The ozone monitor in Lafourche Parish recorded a fourth exceedance of the ozone standard on August 27, 1995, during the 30-day comment period of EPA's approval action on the redesignation request. The EPA did not withdraw its approval of the redesignation action, and it took effect on October 10, 1995. The fourth exceedance was validated on January 10, 1996.

EPA's action to allow the redesignation to move forward in light of the fourth exceedance was in conflict with the statute and EPA policy, as well as other notices of disapproval promulgated by EPA for areas that had violated the NAAQS while their redesignation requests were pending. EPA, therefore, proposed to correct this error by changing the designation of Lafourche Parish to an ozone nonattainment area, and classifying it as an incomplete data area (62 FR 38237, July 17, 1997).

Section Chief - Guy Donaldson (214) 665-7242;
E-Mail: Donaldson.guy@epa.gov

Section address:
U.S. EPA Region 6, 6PD-L
1445 Ross Avenue
Dallas TX 75202-2733

EPA Headquarters Home pages

1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
2. EPA Office of Air and Radiation (OAR)
3. EPA Office of Air Quality Planing and Standards (OAQPS)
4. EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality
5. EPA Ozone transport assessment group (OTAG)
6. Technical Transfer Network

State Web Sites

1. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ): http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/

2. Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ): http://www.deq.state.la.us

3. Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ): http://www.deq.state.ok.us

4. New Mexico Environment Department (NMED): http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us

5. Arkansas Department of Environmenatal Quality (ADEQ): http://www.adeq.state.ar.us

6. City of Albuquerque, New Mexico: http://www.cabq.gov

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