UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

REGION III

	1650 Arch Street

	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  19103

DATE:	September 17, 2009

SUBJECT:	Technical Support Document (TSD) for Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking – Determination of Clean Data for the 1997 Fine Particulate
Matter Standard

FROM:	Marilyn Powers, Environmental Engineer   

Air Quality Planning Branch 

TO:		File

THRU:	Cristina Fernandez  

		Chief, Air Quality Planning Branch

A.  BACKGROUND

On July 18, 1997 (62 FR 36852), EPA established a health-based PM2.5
NAAQS at 15.0 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) based on a 3-year
average of annual mean PM2.5 concentrations, and a twenty-four hour
standard of 65 µg/m3 based on a 3-year average of the 98th percentile
of 24-hour concentrations.  EPA established the standards based on
significant evidence and numerous health studies demonstrating that
serious health effects are associated with exposures to particulate
matter.  The process for designating areas following promulgation of a
new or revised NAAQS is contained in section 107(d)(1) of the CAA.  EPA
and State air quality agencies initiated monitoring for the 1997 PM2.5
NAAQS in 1999.  On January 5, 2005 (70 FR 944), EPA published its air
quality designations and classifications for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS based
upon air quality monitoring data from those monitors for calendar years
2001-2003.  These designations became effective on April 5, 2005.  The
Hagerstown-Martinsburg nonattainment area (Berkeley County, WV and
Washington County, MD), the Parkersburg-Marietta nonattainment area
(Wood County, WV, Washington County, OH, and the Grant Tax District of
Pleasants County, WV), and the Wheeling nonattainment area (Marshall
County, WV, Ohio County, WV, and Belmont County, OH) were designated
nonattainment for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS (see 40 CFR Part 81).

On July 31, 2009 (74 FR 38154), EPA published a notice of proposed
rulemaking (NPR) to determine that each of the West Virginia portions of
these three nonattainment areas for the 1997 fine particulate (PM2.5)
National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) has clean data for the
1997 PM2.5 NAAQS.  These West Virginia portions are: Berkeley County,
part of the Hagerstown-Martinsburg MD-WV nonattainment area; Wood County
and the Grant Tax District in Pleasants County, part of the
Parkersburg-Marietta WV-OH nonattainment area; and Marshall County and
Ohio County, part of the Wheeling WV-OH nonattainment area, hereinafter
referred to in this notice as the West Virginia portions of the
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, Parkersburg-Marietta, and Wheeling PM2.5
nonattainment areas.  This proposed determination is based upon quality
assured, quality controlled, and certified ambient air monitoring data
that show that each of these areas has monitored attainment of the 1997
PM2.5 NAAQS based on 2006 - 2008 data.  On August 27, 2009 (74 FR
43653), EPA published a correction to the NPR which corrected the
description of the Parkersburg-Marietta nonattainment area to include
the Grant Tax District of Pleasants County, which had been inadvertently
omitted.  

On August 31, 2009, EarthJustice submitted comments on both the July 31,
2009 rulemaking for West Virginia and a similar rulemaking (74 FR 38161)
for nonattainment areas in Maryland that was published on the same date.
 EarthJustice requested that the 2009 data referred to in the notice be
placed in the docket and that the comment period be reopened to enable
the public to comment on whether the 2009 data supports EPA’s
determination that these areas have clean data.  This TSD contains the
information requested by EarthJustice and clarifies the 2006-2008 data
that EPA relied upon to support its determination that each of these
areas has clean data.  This TSD only addresses the data that pertains to
the July 31, 2009 rulemaking for the West Virginia portions of the
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, Parkersburg-Marietta, and Wheeling PM2.5
nonattainment areas.

B.  EPA REQUIREMENTS

A nonattainment area for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS is determined to have
clean data when the design values for the annual and the 24-hour
standards meet the requirements stipulated in 40 CFR Part 50, section
50.7 as follows:

  

(1) The annual primary and secondary PM2.5 standards are met when the
annual arithmetic mean concentration, as determined in accordance with
40 CFR Part 50, Appendix N, is less than or equal to 15.0 µg/m3; 

(2) The 24-hour primary and secondary PM2.5 standards are met when the
98th percentile 24-hour concentration, as determined in accordance with
40 CFR Part 50, Appendix N, is less than or equal to 65 µg/m3.

	

Upon a determination by EPA that an area designated nonattainment for
the PM2.5NAAQS has attained the standard, 40 CFR section 51.1004(c)
provides that the requirements for such area to submit attainment
demonstrations and associated reasonably available control measures,
reasonable further progress plans, contingency measures, and other
planning SIPs related to attainment of the PM2.5NAAQS shall be suspended
until such time as the area is redesignated to attainment, at which time
the requirements no longer apply, or if EPA determines that the area has
violated the PM2.5  NAAQS, at which time the area is again required to
submit such plans.

C.  EPA’S ANALYSIS OF MONITORED DATA

1.  2006 – 2008 data 

EPA’s determination that the Hagerstown-Martinsburg,
Parkersburg-Marietta, and Wheeling nonattainment areas have clean data
is based upon quality assured, quality controlled, and certified ambient
air monitoring data for the 2006 – 2008 period, as measured by Federal
reference method (FRM), Federal equivalent method (FEM), or Approved
Regional Method (ARM) monitors described in 40 CFR Part 50 Appendix N. 
The monitored data show that these areas have annual design values that
are less than 15.0 µg/m3 and 24-hour design values that are less than
65 µg/m3.

a.  The annual design values for these areas are calculated as the
3-year average of the annual mean concentration as shown in the
following three tables, using the rounding convention described in 40
CFR Part 50, Appendix N, section 4.3(a).  All values in the tables are
in µg/m3.

Hagerstown-Martinsburg MD-WV

 	Site ID	2006 annual mean	2007 annual mean	2008 annual mean	3-year
Average	Annual design value 

Washington County, MD	240430009	11.888953	12.868648	11.832957	12.196852
12.2

Berkeley County, WV	540030003	14.933678	15.612241	14.187966	14.911295
14.9



Parkersburg-Marietta WV

 	Site ID	2006 annual mean	2007 annual mean	2008 annual mean	3-year
Average	Annual design value 

Wood County, WV	541071002	14.684559	15.254055	13.842023	14.593546	14.6



Wheeling WV

 	Site ID	2006 annual mean	2007 annual mean	2008 annual mean	3-year
Average	Annual design value 

Marshall County, WV	540511002	14.478495	14.994758	13.082234	14.185162
14.2

Ohio County, WV	540690010	13.130632	15.200649	12.8056	13.712294	13.7



b. The 24-hour design values for these areas are calculated as the
3-year average of the 98th percentile concentration as shown in the
following three tables, using the rounding convention in 40 CFR Part 50,
Appendix N, section 4.3(b).  All values in the tables are in µg/m3.

Hagerstown-Martinsburg MD-WV

	Site ID	2006 98th percentile concentration	2007 98th percentile
concentration 	2008 98th percentile concentration 	3-year Average 
24-hour Design Value

Washington County, MD	240430009	29.8	29.0	29.7	29.5	30

Berkeley County, WV	540030003	31.4	31.4	30.8	31.2	31



Parkersburg-Marietta WV

	Site ID	2006 98th percentile concentration	2007 98th percentile
concentration 	2008 98th percentile concentration 	3-year Average 
24-hour Design Value

Wood County, WV	541071002	35.1	38.8	28.2	34.0	34



Wheeling WV

	Site ID	2006 98th percentile concentration	2007 98th percentile
concentration 	2008 98th percentile concentration 	3-year Average 
24-hour Design Value

Marshall County, WV	540511002	34.7	37.9	29.1	33.9	34

Ohio County, WV	540690010	27.5	37.2	27.2	30.6	31



2.  2009 data 

	At the time of EPA’s proposed determination, EPA did not have State
certified air quality data for the entire 2009 calendar year.  The State
certified air quality data for the entire 2009 calendar year will not be
available until well into calendar year 2010, and, therefore, cannot be
used for purposes of design value calculations during calendar year
2009.  Therefore, EPA did not rely upon any 2009 data to support its
proposed determination that the above areas have clean data.  However,
as part of the proposed determination, EPA made reference to a portion
of the 2009 air quality data that was currently available.  EPA
referenced such partial 2009 data because it indicates a continuing
trend that is consistent with EPA’s proposed determination: the air
quality monitors located in the West Virginia portions of the
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, Parkersburg-Marietta, and Wheeling 1997 PM2.5
nonattainment areas are continuing to monitor clean data.  The portion
of the 2009 data that was available at the time of EPA’s proposed
determination is provided below for informational purposes and as
requested by EarthJustice.	

Hagerstown-Martinsburg MD-WV

Site ID	Site Address	City 	County 	State	First Quarter

2009	Second Quarter 2009

240430009	18530 Roxbury Road	Hagerstown	Washington Co	MD	10.79	9.62

540030003	Martinsburg Ball Field	Martinsburg	Berkely Co	WV	14.02	11.35



Parkersburg-Marietta WV

Site ID	Site Address	City 	County 	State	First Quarter

2009	Second Quarter

2009

541071002	Vienna Neale Elem School	Vienna	Wood Co	WV	11.77	11.50



Wheeling WV

Site ID	Site Address	City 	County 	State	First Quarter

2009	Second Quarter 2009

540690010	Wheeling Warwood Water Plant	Wheeling	Ohio Co	WV	11.74	11.12

540511002	Moundsville Armory 1501 Ninth Street	Morgantown	Marshall Co	WV
12.90	11.62



D.  CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDED AGENCY ACTION

	Based on the above described 2006-2008 quality assured, quality
controlled, and certified ambient air monitoring data, for each of the
following portions of the following nonattainment areas, EPA is making a
determination that such portion has monitored attainment for the 1997
PM2.5 NAAQS during calendar years 2006 – 2008 and, therefore, has
clean data: a) the West Virginia portion of the Hagerstown-Martinsburg
1997 PM2.5 nonattainment area; b) the West Virginia portion of the
Parkersburg-Marietta 1997 PM2.5 nonattainment area; and, c) the West
Virginia portion of the Wheeling 1997 PM2.5 nonattainment area.  Any
references to any 2009 data in the July 31, 2009 NPR were made for
purposes of indicating that EPA believes that, for each of the above
described areas, there is a continuing trend indicating that each such
area will continue to attain the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS.  Although the 2009
data is provided in this TSD at the request of EarthJustice, this data
was not directly relied upon by EPA to support the above clean data
determinations. 

 Design values are the metrics that are compared to the NAAQS levels to
determine attainment, and are calculated as follows:

(1) The 3-year average of annual means for a single monitoring site or a
group of monitoring sites (referred to as the “annual standard design
value”). If spatial averaging has been approved by EPA for a group of
sites which meet the criteria specified in section 2(b) of this appendix
and section 4.7.5 of appendix D of 40 CFR part 58, then 3 years of
spatially averaged annual means will be averaged to derive the annual
standard design value for that group of sites (further referred to as
the “spatially averaged annual standard design value ”). Otherwise,
the annual standard design value will represent the 3-year average of
annual means for a single site (further referred to as the “single
site annual standard design value ”).

(2) The 3-year average of annual 98th percentile 24-hour average values
recorded at each monitoring site (referred to as the “24-hour standard
design value”).  (See 40 CFR part 50 Appendix N).

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