State
of
Oregon
Department
of
Environmental
Quality
Memorandum
Date:
June
26,
2003
To:
Governor
Kulongoski
From:
Stephanie
Hallock
Subject:
Area
designations
for
8­
hour
ozone
standard
The
US
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(
EPA)
revised
the
national
ambient
air
quality
standard
(
NAAQS)
for
ozone
in
1997
to
an
8­
hour
standard
that
EPA
believes
is
more
protective
of
air
quality
than
the
former
1­
hour
standard.
Implementation
was
delayed
by
court
cases
that
were
not
fully
resolved
until
the
US
Supreme
Court
upheld
the
rule
in
2001
and
all
remaining
challenges
were
resolved
in
March
2002.

The
EPA
is
obligated
under
the
Clean
Air
Act
and
consent
decree
to
designate
all
areas
of
the
country
as
"
nonattainment"
or
"
attainment/
unclassifiable"
under
the
revised
8­
hour
ozone
standard.
The
term
"
nonattainment"
means
an
area
has
had,
or
has
contributed
to,
nearby
ozone
violations
over
a
three­
year
period.
EPA
is
not
requesting
a
distinction
between
areas
where
monitoring
data
is
available
and
those
areas
without
monitors.

EPA
sent
you
a
letter
on
March
31,
2003
requesting
that
we
submit
recommended
designations
for
Oregon
by
July
15,
2003.
Based
on
monitoring
data
collected
during
2000,
2001,
and
2002,
all
areas
in
Oregon
are
meeting
the
8­
hour
ozone
NAAQS.
A
draft
letter
is
attached
for
your
signature,
recommending
that
EPA
designate
all
areas
of
Oregon
as
"
attainment/
unclassifiable".

EPA
expects
to
publish
final
area
designations
in
the
Federal
Register
by
April
15,
2004.

If
you
have
any
questions,
please
contact
Andy
Ginsburg,
Administrator,
Air
Quality
Division,
at
(
503)
229­
5397.
