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Ground-level ozone and fine particulate air pollution is a serious and persistent national
public health threat. These pollutants and their pre-cursors drift into Pennsylvania from areas
to the west and south of the Commonwealth. Therefore, air crossing
Pennsylvania’s borders is often already unhealthy - above federal
health-based standards. The following information describes
how Pennsylvania has been addressing this issue.
Animated Maps
See how ozone pollution was transported from areas outside of Pennsylvania
by viewing EPA's
AIRNOW animated maps.
Interstate Trading Programs
Recent Proposals (CAIR)
Clean Air Interstate Rule; Proposed 2016 New Unit Annual and Ozone Season CAIR Nitrogen Oxides Allowance Allocations
On Saturday February 25, 2012, notice was given in the Pennsylvania Bulletin of a comment period on the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR); Proposed 2016 New Unit Annual and Ozone Season CAIR Nitrogen Oxides Allowance Allocations. The comment period closes on Monday, March 12, 2012.
Previous Proposals (CAIR)
Final 2015 Annual and Ozone Season CAIR Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) Allowance Allocations and Redistribution of 2010-2014 Allowances for Certain Facilities
Final 2014 Annual and Ozone Season CAIR Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) Allowance Allocations
Final 2010-2013 Annual and Ozone Season CAIR Nitrogen Oxides (Nox) Allowance Allocations
Section 110 Information
EPA issued final regulations under Section 110 of the Clean Air Act
to require 22 eastern states with ozone problems to substantially
reduce NOx emissions that are the primary cause of transported ozone.
This is known as the Section 110 NOx SIP Call (State Implementation
Plan). In other words, affected states are to develop a plan to
reduce total summertime emissions of nitrogen oxides by 28 percent
beginning in the year 2003.
NOx Budget Program, Chapter
145
Subchapter A
Pennsylvania's NOx reduction program was adopted in 1994, and the
second phase of the program, including emissions trading, was implemented
in 1999. Resulting emissions of NOx from affected sources in 1999
were reduced 60 percent from 1990 levels. Pennsylvania's Chapter
145 regulations, the answer to EPA's Section 110 NOx SIP Call, will
improve on the market-based trading program starting in 2003.
Subchapter B, C
Phase II of the NOx SIP Call requires states to control emissions from cement kilns and large internal combustion engines by May 1, 2005. Pennsylvania adopted regulations to meet these requirements contained under Subchapter B and C to Chapter 145 on December 11, 2004.
Ozone
Transport Commission
The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments established the Ozone Transport
Commission (OTC) to coordinate the development of control plans
for ground-level ozone in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Region.
The OTC developed a NOx Memorandum of Understanding that Pennsylvania
signed, leading to regulations that reduced NOx emissions by 55
to 65 percent from 1990 levels. This program was replaced in
2003 by the NOx Budget Program contained in Chapter 145.
Other Transport Information
Section 126 Information
The OTAG process demonstrated that states to Pennsylvania’s
west and south contribute significantly to violations of the ozone
standard in the Commonwealth and throughout the northeast. Under
Section 126 of the Clean Air Act, Pennsylvania petitioned the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA)
to establish emission limitations on groups of sources necessary
to achieve and maintain the ozone standard in Pennsylvania.
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