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California Air Resources Board (CARB) staff invite you to participate in a public workshop on December 5, 2024 related to nonattainment designation recommendations and planning efforts for the 9 microgram per cubic meter (µg/m3) annual fine particulate matter (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standard (standard). This second workshop will discuss each nonattainment area recommendation along with proposed emission inventory improvements for the future state implementation plans (SIP). CARB staff encourage public engagement at this workshop and throughout the planning process. The SIPs will be submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) for designated nonattainment areas in late 2027.
The workshop is on Zoom. The meeting will be conducted in English with Spanish interpretation available. Workshop materials, including the staff presentation and meeting recording, will be posted on the 9 µg/m3 SIP webpage.
Date: Wednesday, December 5, 2024
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Virtual location: Zoom Webinar
Background
The Clean Air Act requires U.S. EPA to set health-based standards for numerous pollutants, including PM2.5. On February 7, 2024, U.S. EPA strengthened the annual PM2.5 standard from 12.0 µg/m3 to 9.0 μg/m3, based on an integrated assessment of an extensive body of new scientific evidence, which improved the body of knowledge regarding PM2.5-related health effects.
The first step in addressing the lower standard is designating regions of the State as either attaining or not attaining the new standard. CARB staff analyzed calendar year 2021-2023 air quality data from California’s statewide air monitoring network and identified areas that are anticipated to be nonattainment, attainment after exclusion of exceptional events (e.g., wildfires), or attainment/unclassifiable for the 9 μg/m3 annual PM2.5 standard. As shown in the map below, areas expected to be designated nonattainment are the South Coast, San Joaquin Valley, Bay Area, San Diego, Sacramento, Imperial, Yuba City-Marysville Area, Portola, and Mendocino areas. This workshop provides an opportunity for public feedback and input on regions’ potential designations for the new PM2.5 standard.
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CARB staff will be releasing the proposed PM2.5 nonattainment area designation recommendations Staff Report on December 13, 2024. The Board will hear the CARB staff recommendations on January 23, 2025. CARB staff will then transmit the PM2.5 nonattainment area designation recommendations for the 9 μg/m3 annual PM2.5 standard to U.S. EPA by February 7, 2025.
CARB staff will also go over emissions inventory improvements needed to begin the SIP development process. The categories that will be discussed include on and off-road mobile, farming operations, residential wood combustion, commercial cooking, fugitive dust, soils diesel internal combustion engines, prescribed fires, and other area sources. This workshop provides an opportunity for public feedback and input on the planned emission inventory updates.
Contact
Please contact SIP planning staff at sipplanning@arb.ca.gov with any questions regarding this workshop.
If you require special accommodation at the public workshop or need materials in an alternate format (i.e., Braille, large print), please contact Ms. Candace Clawson at candace.clawson@arb.ca.gov no later than 10 days before the scheduled workshop. TTY/TDD/Speech to Speech users may dial 711 for California Relay Service.
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