Statement of the Air and Radiation Management Administration

Maryland Department of the Environment

	For the Public Hearing Concerning the

Baltimore Nonattainment Area 8-Hour Ozone State Implementation Plan and
Base Year Inventory

Held on May 22, 2007

Good evening. My name is James Wilkinson.  I am a Planner in the Air
Quality Planning Division, Air Quality Planning Program of the Air &
Radiation Management Administration, Maryland Department of Environment.
 

This public hearing is related to the air quality plan titled the
Baltimore Nonattainment Area 8-Hour Ozone State Implementation Plan and
Base Year Inventory.

This public hearing is being held pursuant to federal law found at 42 U.
S. C. § 7410(a) and 40 CFR Parts 51.102 and 251. It is also being held
in conformance with the State Administrative Procedure Act, under the
State Government Article, beginning at Section 10-101.

Notice of this public hearing appeared in the:

Baltimore Sun on April 23, 2007

The Examiner Newspaper on April 21, 2007

Maryland Department of the Environment website starting on March 15,
2007

Copies of these notices will be submitted with the formal SIP submission
package to the USEPA.

Access to the proposed document was made available via the website of
the Maryland Department of the Environment.  Hard copies were also
available at the Maryland Department of the Environment.

The purpose of this hearing is to provide the public with an opportunity
to formally comment on the proposed document.

Summary of Proposed State Implementation Plan    

High levels of ozone are a health problem. When it is breathed into the
lungs, ozone reacts with lung tissue. It can harm breathing passages,
decrease the lungs’ working ability and cause coughing and chest
pains; eye and throat irritation; breathing difficulties even for
healthy individuals, but especially for those with respiratory problems
such as allergies, asthma, bronchitis and emphysema; and greater
susceptibility to respiratory infection. 

In 1997 EPA issued a revised ozone health standard based on an 8-hour
measurement to protect against longer exposure periods. Since the late
1980’s more than 3,000 published health studies indicated that health
effects occur at levels lower than the previous standard and that
exposure times longer than one hour are of concern. 

EPA designated the Baltimore region as a moderate nonattainment area for
the 8-hour ozone standard in April 2004. The region has a deadline of
June 15, 2010, to meet the 8-hour ozone standard.  The geographic scope
of the region includes the following Maryland counties and
jurisdictions: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Baltimore City, Carroll,
Harford, and Howard. 

This document, the Baltimore Nonattainment Area 8-Hour Ozone State
Implementation Plan and Base Year Inventory, is a plan to improve air
quality in the Baltimore nonattainment area to meet the National Ambient
Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for the 8-hour ozone standard. The Plan
consists of a Reasonable Further Progress Plan; an attainment plan; an
analysis of reasonably available control measures; an attainment
demonstration; contingency plans, and mobile emissions budgets. The plan
also presents a Base-Year Emissions Inventory for 2002 and projected
emissions inventories used to predict attainment. 

Based upon all of the components prepared for this SIP document
including the significant technical analysis and air quality modeling
performed for the region there is a dramatic weight of evidence
available that shows the region will meet the 8-hour ozone standard
during the 2009 ozone season.

CONSIDERATION OF COMMENTS

The Department will consider all pertinent comments, and revise the
proposed plan if necessary, before making a final decision to adopt the
plan and submit it to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for
approval as a Maryland State Implementation Plan (SIP).  Written
comments may be presented at this hearing or mailed to Brian Hug, MDE
ARMA, 1800 Washington Boulevard, Baltimore MD 21230 postmarked no later
than May 22, 2007.

 PAGE   

 PAGE   1 

