Proposed Revisions to Ambient Monitoring Quality Assurance and Other Requirements FACT SHEET ACTION: • On August 13, 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed revisions to air monitoring regulations to reduce burden on monitoring agencies, update requirements as needed to address new technology, and to improve the overall readability of the quality assurance sections. • Specific changes are being proposed for: o Quality assurance requirements for criteria pollutants o Data reporting and certification requirements o Annual monitoring network plan public notice requirements o Network design criteria o Other minor changes as noted in the preamble • This rule would affect state, local, and tribal air monitoring agencies. BACKGROUND • Over the past five to 10 years, numerous changes have been made to the monitoring regulations to address changes in the national ambient air quality standards, support technological changes such as the increasing reliance on continuous fine particle monitoring, and support the introduction of more sophisticated monitoring stations such as the near-road network and NCore multi-pollutant sites. As a result of these changes, monitoring agency compliance burden has increased, and the technical basis for some of the existing requirements has become outdated. Accordingly, EPA has taken a fresh look at these requirements to identify opportunities for burden reductions, to update requirements as needed to address new technology, and to improve the overall readability of the quality assurance sections. HOW TO COMMENT: • EPA will accept comment on this proposal for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register. • Comments should be identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0619 and submitted by one of the following methods: o Federal eRulemaking Portal (http://www.regulations.gov); o e-mail (a-and-r-docket@epa.gov); o Mail (EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, William J. Clinton Bldg., Mail code 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, ------- DC 20460); or o Hand delivery (EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, William J. Clinton Bldg., Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC). FOR MORE INFORMATON: • Interested parties can download the rule from the EPA's website on the Internet under Recent Actions at the following address: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/amtic/monregs.html . • Other places to read the proposed rule and background information (use Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0619): o The EPA's electronic public docket and comment system at http://www.regulations.gov. o The EPA Docket Center's Public Reading Room (for hard copies). o The Public Reading Room is located at EPA Headquarters, Room Number 3334 in the William J. Clinton Building, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, o DC. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. eastern standard time, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays, o You will have to show photo identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor log. Any materials you bring with you will be processed through an X-ray machine as well. You will be provided a badge that must be visible at all times. • For further information about the rulemaking, contact Mr. Lewis Weinstock at the EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards at (919) 541-3661. ------- |