EPA Formally Finalizes Ozone Nonattainment Designations

The Environmental Protection Agency has published its final rule designating which areas of the country are not in attainment with the 2015 national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone. Fifty-one areas, spread across 22 states and Washington, D.C., are not in attainment, EPA said. Now that nonattainment areas have been designated, state and local governments have up to three years to produce plans outlining how they will reduce emission levels and attain the standards. It is through these plans that states often must impose stricter standards for motor fuel, such as stricter product specifications and Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) requirements.
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The Environmental Protection Agency has published its final rule designating which areas of the country are not in attainment with the 2015 national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone. Fifty-one areas, spread across 22 states and Washington, D.C., are not in attainment, EPA said.

The NAAQS standards essentially define what EPA considers to be "clean air" for ozone.  Once the standards are set, EPA uses monitoring data and other information to identify areas that exceed the standards and thus must reduce pollutant concentrations.  EPA set the current ozone standards in 2015.
 
Under the Clean Air Act, now that nonattainment areas have been designated, state and local governments have up to three years to produce plans outlining how they will reduce emission levels and attain the standards.  It is through these plans that states often must impose stricter standards for motor fuel, such as stricter product specifications and Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) requirements. 

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