Ozone Early Action Compacts
EPA designated 8-hour ozone nonattainment areas in April 2004. Some of these areas are participating in Early Action Compacts. As long as Early Action Compact areas meet agreed upon milestones, the impact of nonattainment designation for the 8-hour ozone standard will be deferred. More information... Click on the links below to read: Early
Action Compact agreements and supporting documents by state and area
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Note: Click on the blue ball to retrieve detailed information on a specific Early Action Compact. The asterisk * denotes a county in a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). This Early Action Compact webpage is still under development with frequent updates of new documents. |
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Information DirectoryEarly Action Compact Rulemaking NoticesDecember 2007 Early Action Compact Attainment Letters and Final Progress Reports
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Region VI | |||
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New Mexico — San Juan County EAC Area | |||
Oklahoma — Central Oklahoma EAC Area | |||
Oklahoma — Tulsa EAC Area | |||
Texas — Austin &mdash: Round Rock EAC Area | |||
Texas — Northeast Texas EAC Area | |||
Texas — San Antonio EAC Area |
Early Action Compact Guidance and
Other Resources
EPA, August 5, 2004 ... Guidance on SIP Credits for Emission Reductions from Electric-sector Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Measures | |
EPA, June 23, 2004 ... Guidance on Quantifying NOx Benefits for Cetane Improvement Programs for Use in SIPs and Transportation Conformity (EPA Report No.— EPA 420-B-04-005) | |
EPA, February 18, 2004 ... Weblinks to State and Local Websites | |
EPA, January 16, 2004 ... Matrix of EPA Guidance Documents for Preparing EAC Control Measures | |
EPA, April 4, 2003 ... Guidance for the June 16, 2003 Submission and Other Clarifications | |
EPA, November 14, 2002 ... Schedule for 8-Hour Ozone Designations and its Effect on Early Action Compacts | |
EPA, June 19, 2002 ... Protocol for Early Action Compacts Designed to Achieve and Maintain the 8-hour Ozone Standard | |
EPA, November 24, 1999 ... "Serious and Severe Ozone Nonattainment Areas: Information on Emissions, Control Measures Adopted or Planned and Other Available Control Measures" | |
EPA, May 31, 1999 ... "Draft Guidance on the Use of Models and Other Analyses in Attainment Demonstrations for the 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS" | |
EPA, July 1994 ... "Methodologies for Estimating Emission and Travel Activity Effects of TCMs" | |
STAPPA/ALAPCO, July 1994 ... "Controlling Nitrogen Oxides Under the Clean Air Act: A Menu of Options" | |
STAPPA/ALAPCO, September 1993 ... "Meeting the 15 Percent Rate-of-Progress Requirement Under the Clean Air Act: A Menu of Options" |
Early Action Compact Milestone Requirements
For an area to participate in the Early Action Compact program, the local community must develop and implement through the State SIP a local air quality plan that will bring the area into attainment of the 8-hour NAAQS by December 31, 2007. The development and implementation of this plan must include specific steps and must meet certain target deadlines as set forth in the following list of milestones.
December 31, 2002 | No later than December 31, 2002, compacts must be completed, signed by local, State (or Tribal) and EPA officials, and formally submitted. | |
June 16, 2003 | Compact areas identify/describe local control measures that are being considered during the planning process. Deadline for describing the control measures must be met to maintain program eligibility. | |
March 31, 2004 | The resulting local plan, including control measures, must be completed and submitted to the State by this date for inclusion in the SIP. | |
December 31, 2004 | States must submit a SIP consisting of the local plan, including all adopted control measures that demonstrate attainment of the 8-hour ozone NAAQS by December 31, 2007. | |
December 31, 2005 | Compact areas must implement the local control measures that have been incorporated into the SIP. | |
June 30, 2006 | Compact areas must certify progress toward attainment since previous milestone, e. g., continued implementation and progress toward improvement in air quality and emissions reductions. | |
December 31, 2007 | Area must attain the 8-hour ozone NAAQS. Failure to attain by this date will result in the nonattainment designation becoming effective. |
Early Action Compact Related Correspondence
Correspondence related to Early Action Compacts from EPA, State and local agencies, industry, the regulated community, environmental groups and citizens is included here. We have cataloged this correspondence according to whether it is national, state-wide, or compact-specific in scope.
National Scope | ||||
Memorandum dated July 27, 2006, from Makeba Morris, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3, Air Quality Planning Branch, to Barbara Driscoll, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Geographic Strategies Group — Assessment of Progress for Region 3 Early Action Compact Areas | ||||
Memorandum dated July 27, 2006, from Kay T. Prince, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, Air Planning Branch, to Barbara Driscoll, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Geographic Strategies Group — Assessment of Progress for Region 4 Early Action Compact Areas | ||||
Memorandum dated July 21, 2006, from Richard Long, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8, Air and Radiation Program, to Barbara Driscoll, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Geographic Strategies Group — Assessment of Progress for Region 8 Early Action Compact Area | ||||
Memorandum dated July 19, 2006, from Thomas H. Diggs, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6, Air Planning Section, to Barbara Driscoll, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Geographic Strategies Group — Assessment of Progress for Region 6 Early Action Compact Areas | ||||
Letter dated September 7, 2004, from J. David Farren and Marily Nixon, Southern Environmental Law Center, Chapel Hill, NC, to Richard Schutt, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4 | ||||
Letter dated May 15, 2003, from J. David Farren and Sierra B. Weaver, Southern Environmental Law Center, Chapel Hill, NC, to James A. Joy, III, Bureau of Air Quality, SC Department of Health and Environmental Control | ||||
Letter dated March 25, 2003, from Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Knoxville, TN, to U.S. EPA, Region 4 | ||||
State-wide Scope | ||||
North Carolina | ||||
South Carolina | ||||
Tennessee | ||||
Compact-specific Scope |
Frequently Asked Questions
As State and local agencies move forward to complete milestones in support of Early Action Compacts, they have asked a number of questions for clarification of previously issued guidance and its application to EAC areas. These questions have been reviewed and responses prepared by EPA Regional Offices, OAQPS and OGC. This is a living document, and EPA intends to provide responses to additional questions as needed.
January 15, 2004 ... Frequently Asked Questions on Implementing the DRAFT 8-Hour Ozone Modeling Guidance to Support Attainment Demonstrations for Early Action Compact | |
May 15, 2003 ... Frequently Asked Questions on 8-hour Ozone Early Action Compacts--Volume 1 | |
February 19, 2004 ... Frequently Asked Questions on 8-hour Ozone Early Action Compacts--Volume 2: Weight of Evidence |
Summary of Local Measures Under Consideration by EAC Areas
By June 16, 2003, EAC areas were required to submit a list of local measures that each area is considering for adoption and implementation, based on stakeholder involvement. By March 31, 2004, these areas are required to submit a local plan that includes a final selection of local measures for adoption and submittal to EPA as a SIP revision by December 31, 2004. This final selection of measures will be based on a technical demonstration showing attainment of the 8-hour ozone standard by December 31, 2007.
Below is a matrix of local control measures under consideration by each EAC area. This matrix is a summary of the measures based on the submittals EPA received by the June 16, 2003 deadline. To make the table more manageable, the control measures have been grouped into 16 major categories. Each major category has been grouped further into subcategories.
Each of the June 16, 2003 submittals is posted under the area-specific listing on this website. .
December 31, 2004 ... Compiled list of local measures submitted by EAC areas as part of the State Implementation Plan required for the December 31, 2004 Milestone (Revised 5-10-2005) | |
March 31, 2004 ... Compiled list of local measures under consideration by EAC areas reported in March 31, 2004 Milestone | |
December 31, 2003 ... Compiled list of local measures under consideration by EAC areas reported in December 31, 2003 progress reports | |
June 16, 2003 ... Highlight matrix of local measures under consideration by EAC areas | |
June 16, 2003 ... Compiled list of local measures under consideration by EAC areas |
December 31, 2004 SIP Submission for EAC Areas
Region 3 |
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Maryland ... Washington County EAC area | ||
Virginia ... Northern Shenandoah Valley Region EAC area | ||
Virginia ... Roanoke EAC area | ||
West Virginia ... Eastern Panhandle EAC area | ||
Region 4 |
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Georgia ... Chattanooga EAC area | ||
Georgia ... Lower Savannah - Augusta EAC area | ||
North Carolina ... All four EAC areas | ||
South Carolina ... All ten EAC areas | ||
Region 6 |
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Louisiana ... Shreveport - Bossier City EAC area | ||
New Mexico ... San Juan County EAC area | ||
Oklahoma ... Central Oklahoma EAC area | ||
Oklahoma ... Tulsa EAC area | ||
Texas ... Austin - San Marcos EAC area | ||
Texas ... Northeast Texas EAC area | ||
Texas ... San Antonio EAC area | ||
Region 8 |
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Colorado ... Denver EAC area | ||
Technical Support Document |
List of Early Action Compacts with Links to Area-Specific Submittals and Information
Arkansas
Memphis Area (see also Mississippi and Tennessee) Denied deferral of effective date of nonattainment designation — June 15, 2004 |
Crittenden County* DeSoto County,* MS Fayette County,* TN Shelby County,* TN Tipton County,* TN |
Colorado
Denver Area Denied deferral of effective date of nonattainment designation — November 20, 2007 |
Adams* & Arapahoe* Counties (the part west of
Kiowa Creek - excludes extreme eastern portions of the counties)
Boulder County* (part of - excludes Broomfield and Rocky Mtn National Park) Broomfield County* Denver County* Douglas County* Jefferson County* |
Georgia
Chattanooga Area (see also Tennessee) |
Catoosa County* Walker County* Hamilton County,* TN Marion County,* TN Meigs County, TN |
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Lower Savannah - Augusta Area (Aiken - Augusta area) (see also South Carolina) |
Columbia County* Richmond County* Aiken County,* SC Allendale County, SC Bamberg County, SC Barnwell County, SC Calhoun County, SC Orangeburg County, SC |
Louisiana
Shreveport - Bossier City Area | Bossier Parish* Caddo Parish* Webster Parish* |
Maryland
Washington County (west of Washington, DC) |
Washington County* (part of Washington-Baltimore MSA) |
Mississippi
Memphis Area (see also Arkansas and Tennessee) Denied deferral of effective date of nonattainment designation — June 15, 2004 |
DeSoto County* Crittenden County,* AR Fayette County,* TN Shelby County,* TN Tipton County,* TN |
New Mexico
San Juan County (Farmington area) |
San Juan County |
North Carolina
Fayetteville (Fayetteville area) |
Cumberland County* | |
Mountain Area of Western NC (including Asheville) |
Buncombe County* Haywood County Henderson County Madison County* Transylvania County |
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Triad Area (Greensboro - Winston Salem - High Point area) |
Alamance County* Caswell County Davidson County* Davie County* Forsyth County* Guilford County* Randolph County* Rockingham County Stokes County* Surry County Yadkin County* |
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Unifour Area (Hickory - Morganton -Lenoir area) |
Alexander County* Burke County* Caldwell County* Catawba County* |
Oklahoma
Central Oklahoma (Oklahoma City area) |
Canadian County* Cleveland County* Logan County* McClain County* Oklahoma County* Pottawatomie County* |
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Tulsa Area | Creek County* (part of) Osage County* (part of) Rogers County* (part of) Tulsa County* Wagoner County* (part of) |
South Carolina
Appalachian (Greenville - Spartanburg - Anderson area) |
Anderson County* Cherokee County* Greenville County* Oconee County Pickens County* Spartanburg County* |
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Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester (Charleston area) |
Berkeley County* Charleston County* Dorchester County* |
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Catawba (part of Charlotte - Gastonia - Rock Hill area) |
Chester County Lancaster County Union County York County* |
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Central Midlands (Columbia area) |
Fairfield County Lexington County* Newberry County Richland County* |
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Low Country (Beaufort area) |
Beaufort County Colleton County Hampton County Jasper County |
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Lower Savannah - Augusta Area (Aiken - Augusta area) (see also Georgia) |
Aiken County* Allendale County Bamberg County Barnwell County Calhoun County Orangeburg County Columbia County,* GA Richmond County,* GA |
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Pee Dee (Florence area) |
Chesterfield County Darlington County Dillon County Florence County* Marion County Marlboro County |
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Santee Lynches (Sumter area) |
Clarendon County Kershaw County Lee County Sumter County* |
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Upper Savannah (Abbeville - Greenwood area) |
Abbeville County Edgefield County* (actually in Augusta-Aiken MSA) Laurens County Saluda County Greenwood County |
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Waccamaw (Myrtle Beach area) |
Georgetown County Horry County* Williamsburg County |
Tennessee
Chattanooga Area (see also Georgia) |
Hamilton County* Marion County* Meigs County Catoosa County,* GA Walker County,* GA |
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Haywood County (near Memphis) |
Haywood County | |
Knoxville Area Denied deferral of effective date of nonattainment designation — June 15, 2004 |
Anderson County* Blount County* Jefferson County Knox County* Loudon County* Sevier County* Union County* |
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Lawrence County (southern TN, between Chattanooga and Memphis) Opted out of Early Action Compact |
Lawrence County | |
Memphis Area (see also Arkansas and Mississippi) Denied deferral of effective date of nonattainment designation — June 15, 2004 |
Fayette County* Shelby County* Tipton County* Crittenden County,* AR DeSoto County,* MS |
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Nashville Area | Cheatham County* Davidson County* Dickson County* Robertson County* Rutherford County* Sumner County* Williamson County* Wilson County* |
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Putnam County (central TN, between Nashville and Knoxville) |
Putnam County | |
Tri-Cities Area (Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol area) |
Carter County* Hawkins County* Johnson County Sullivan County* Unicoi County* Washington County* |
Texas
Austin - San Marcos Area | Bastrop County* Caldwell County* Hays County* Travis County* Williamson County* |
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Northeast Texas Area (Longview - Tyler area) |
Gregg County* Harrison County* Rusk County Smith County* Upshur County |
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San Antonio Area | Bexar County* Comal County* Guadalupe County* Wilson County* |
Virginia
Northern Shenandoah Valley Region (Winchester Area) |
City of Winchester Frederick County (adjacent to Washington-Baltimore MSA) |
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Roanoke Area | Botetourt County* City of Roanoke* City of Salem* Roanoke County* |
West Virginia
The Eastern Pan Handle Region (Martinsburg area) |
Berkeley County* Jefferson County* (part of Washington-Baltimore MSA) |