Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Update to Air Quality Standard for Fine Soot

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized its update to the federal air quality standard for fine soot.

EPA announced the new standards this morning, and as expected will reduce the current average annual amount of fine particle pollution of 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air to 9 micrograms. It is one of several regulations coming from EPA this year focused on cutting down on planet-warming pollution coming from power plants, other major industrial facilities, and vehicles.

See formal announcement below and a number of links to documents on the final rule.

We will work with AFS to ensure you get any updated information.  Implementation of the rule has not been established yet.

Final Reconsideration of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter (PM)

On February 7, 2024, EPA strengthened the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter (PM NAAQS) to protect millions of Americans from harmful and costly health impacts, such as heart attacks and premature death. Particle or soot pollution is one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution, and an extensive body of science links it to a range of serious and sometimes deadly illnesses.  EPA is setting the level of the primary (health-based) annual PM_2.5 standard at 9.0 micrograms per cubic meter to provide increased public health protection, consistent with the available health science.

EPA is not changing the current:

• primary and secondary (welfare-based) 24-hour PM₅standards,
• secondary annual PM₅standard, and
• primary and secondary PM₁₀

EPA is also revising the Air Quality Index to improve public communications about the risks from PM_2.5 exposures and making changes to the monitoring network to enhance protection of air quality in communities overburdened by air pollution.

Fact Sheets:

• Overview (pdf)(311.4 KB, Feb. 7, 2024)
• Implementation (pdf)(177.9 KB, Feb. 7, 2024)
• Air Quality Index (pdf)(147.5 KB, Feb. 7, 2024)
• Monitoring (pdf)(128 KB, Feb. 7, 2024)
• Wildland Fire (pdf)(184.8 KB, Feb. 7, 2024)

News Release:

• EPA finalizes stronger standards for harmful soot pollution, significantly increasing health and clean air protections for families, workers, and communities

Presentations:

• Overview Presentation (pdf)(9.6 MB, Feb. 7, 2024)

Preamble:

• Final Rule: Reconsideration of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter (pdf)(3.4 MB, Prepublication Version)

Regulatory Impact Analysis:

• Final Regulatory Impact Analysis for the Reconsideration of the PM NAAQS (pdf)(20.3 MB)

Maps:

• Most Counties with Monitors Already Meet the Strengthened Particle Pollution Standard (Based on 2020-2022 Air Monitoring Data) (pdf)(7.1 MB, Feb. 7, 2024)
• EPA Projects More than 99% of Counties would Meet the Revised Fine Particle Pollution Standard (Based on EPA Modeling of Projected 2032 Emissions) (pdf)(1.6 MB, Feb. 7, 2024)

Data Tables:

• Fine Particle Concentrations for Counties with Monitors Based on Air Quality Data from 2020-2022 (pdf)(262.5 KB, Feb. 7, 2024)
• EPA Projects 52 Counties would not Meet the Strengthened Standard in 2032 (pdf)(129.8 KB, Feb. 7, 2024)