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San Joaquin Valley Ozone

Recent actions

October 2008: Proposed approval of San Joaquin Valley's 2004 plan to attain the 1-hour ozone standard by 2010.
April 2004: Final rule granting California's request to reclassify the San Joaquin Valley ozone non-attainment area from "severe" to "extreme" for the 1-hour federal standard
February 2004: Proposed rule announcing intent to grant California's request to reclassify the San Joaquin Valley ozone non-attainment area from "severe" to "extreme" for the 1-hour federal standard
September 2002: Finding of failure to submit "severe area" ozone requirements
October 2001: Reclassification ("bump up") of the San Joaquin Valley ozone nonattainment area from "serious" to "severe", effective December 2001. The affected area excludes Eastern Kern County.
May 2001: Proposed designation of Eastern Kern County as a separate ozone nonattainment area, and reproposed "bump up" of the San Joaquin Valley nonattainment area from "serious" to "severe."
October 2000: EPA announces intention to designate eastern Kern County as a separate ozone nonattainment area.
June 2000: Proposed "bump up" of the San Joaquin Valley ozone nonattainment area from "serious" to "severe"

Proposed approval of San Joaquin Valley’s 2004 extreme area plan to attain the 1-hour ozone standard

On October 7, 2008, EPA’s Regional Administrator signed a proposal to approve the San Joaquin Valley’s 2004 Extreme Ozone Attainment Demonstration Plan. The plan, prepared by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, shows that the area will have in place the controls necessary to meet the 1-hour ozone standard by the area’s Clean Air Act deadline of 2010. The plan also addresses the Clean Air Act’s requirements for emission inventories, rate of progress, control measures, and contingency measures.

EPA will be accepting comments on the proposed approval for 30 days following the publication of the proposal in the Federal Register.

The following documents summarize the action.

Contact information :
Frances Wicher (wicher.frances@epa.gov)
Office of Air Planning, EPA Region 9
(415) 972-3957

Final rule granting California's request to reclassify the San Joaquin Valley ozone non-attainment area from "severe" to "extreme" for the 1-hour federal standard

On April 8, 2004 EPA’s Regional Administrator signed a final rule that grants the State of California’s request to reclassify the San Joaquin Valley nonattainment area (SJV) from severe to extreme for the national 1-hour ozone standard. EPA proposed the rule in February 2004 with a 30-day public comment period.

EPA’s final rule requires the State to submit:

  1. within 12 months from the effective date of the rule, revisions to the State Implementation Plan to incorporate the extreme area requirements; and
  2. by November 15, 2004, a plan that demonstrates attainment of the 1-hour ozone standard by no later than 2010.

In addition, once our rule is effective, the federal offset sanction that had been in place for the SJV since mid-March will terminate. The federal highway sanction that would be imposed in September will not be imposed.

The following documents summarize the action.

Contact information
Ray Chavira (chavira.raymond@epa.gov)
Office of Air Planning, EPA Region 9
(415) 947-4218

Proposed rule announcing intent to grant California's request to reclassify the San Joaquin Valley ozone non-attainment area from "severe" to "extreme" for the 1-hour federal standard

On February 13, 2004, EPA’s Regional Administrator signed a Federal Register notice to inform the public that EPA intends to grant the state of California’s request to reclassify the San Joaquin Valley from severe to extreme non-attainment for the 1-hour ozone standard.

EPA seeks comments on when the state, on behalf of the District, must submit:

  1. Revisions to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) to incorporate the extreme area requirements; and
  2. A plan that demonstrates attainment of the 1-hour ozone standard by no later than 2010.

EPA proposes that these submittals occur on October 1, 2004, and 12 months after the effective date of the rule, respectively.

The following documents summarize the action.

Contact information
Ray Chavira (chavira.raymond@epa.gov)
Office of Air Planning, EPA Region 9
(415) 947-4218

Finding of failure to submit "severe area" ozone requirements

Following its reclassification to "severe," the San Joaquin Valley adopted rules to address several of the Clean Air Act (CAA) requirements for severe areas; however, not all the requirements have been met. On September 18, 2002, EPA issued a "finding of failure to submit" for the requirements which have not been met.

Direct comments and questions to David Wampler (wampler.david@epa.gov) at (415) 972-3975.

Reclassification of nonattainment area as "severe"

On October 23, 2001, EPA reclassified ("bumped up") the San Joaquin Valley ozone nonattainment area from "serious" to "severe" because the area failed to attain the health-based, 1-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone by its Clean Air Act deadline of November 15, 1999.

EPA also finalized its designation of Eastern Kern County as a separate ozone planning area which will remain a "serious" area. If the area remains clean, Eastern Kern County will be eligible for redesignation to attainment.

The following documents summarize the action. Note: The contact information in these documents has changed. Direct comments and questions to David Wampler (wampler.david@epa.gov) at (415) 972-3975.

Designation of Eastern Kern County as a separate nonattainment area, and reproposal to reclassify San Joaquin Valley ozone nonattainment as "severe"

On May 10, 2001, EPA proposed to exclude eastern Kern County from the San Joaquin Valley ozone nonattainment area and reproposed to downgrade the entire San Joaquin Valley ozone nonattainment area from "serious" to "severe."

The proposed boundary line follows the Tehachapi Mountain Range and reflects the natural division of the San Joaquin Valley and South East Desert air basins. The air quality in the two regions is distinguishable. While the San Joaquin Valley as a whole was one of the five smoggiest areas in the country over the last few years, eastern Kern County has not exceeded the federal ozone standard since 1998.

This reproposal would limit the air quality downgrade to the newly defined San Joaquin Valley nonattainment area and would keep East Kern County classified as "serious."

The proposal, finalized in October of 2001, required the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District to submit a new attainment plan that demonstrates attainment by 2005. The attainment deadline for East Kern County was extended from November 15, 1999, to November 15, 2001.

EPA requested public comment for 30 days following the publication of this proposal in the Federal Register. Note: the public comment period for this decision is now closed.

The following documents summarize the action:

Announcement of Intention to Exclude Eastern Kern County from the San Joaquin Valley Ozone Nonattainment Area

After receiving more than 400 comment letters requesting that EPA exclude eastern Kern from the June 19, 2000, action in San Joaquin Valley, EPA announced its intention to designate eastern Kern County as a separate ozone nonattainment area.

Proposed "Bump Up" of the San Joaquin Valley Nonattainment Area from "Serious" to "Severe"

On June 19, 2000, EPA proposed to find that the San Joaquin Valley serious ozone nonattainment area did not attain the federal 1-hour ozone standard by November 15, 1999 (the attainment deadline for serious ozone nonattainment areas, according to the Clean Air Act). This finding would downgrade the area's status from "serious" to "severe." A "severe" designation would require the area to develop a new air quality plan for ozone and to attain the 1-hour standard by November 15, 2005.

The proposed finding was based on San Joaquin Valley air monitoring data from 1997 through 1999. During this three-year period, the nonattainment area experienced 80 days of unhealthy levels of ozone pollution.

The following documents summarize the action:

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