Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District
Notice of Public Comment Period and Hearing
What action is the District taking?
The Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District (the District) is opening a public comment period June 22, 2022, on a Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan for the Louisville KY-IN Nonattainment Area for the 2015 8-hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). If approved, the Kentucky Division for Air Quality (the Division) will submit the request to EPA for inclusion in the Kentucky State Implementation Plan.
How can I comment on this action?
You can comment in writing online through this form, or by mail to Regulatory Coordinator, Byron Gary, Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District, 701 W. Ormsby Ave., Suite 303, Louisville, Ky 40203, until 5:00 p.m., July 29, 2022. If one is requested, oral statements will be accepted at a public hearing via Video Teleconference on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, at 2:00 PM, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The District invites the public to attend. Instructions for attending the meeting via video teleconference are posted on the District's website. Members of the public may also attend the video teleconference in the Edison Room of the Edison Center at 701 West Ormsby Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky 40203. Request for a public hearing must be received no later than July 22, 2022. If no request for a public hearing is received, the hearing will be cancelled and notice of the cancellation will be posted on on the District's website, or you may call (502) 574-6000.
Where can I get a copy of the proposed action?
A paper copy of the proposal may be obtained from the District by contacting us at (502) 574-6000. Please specify that you are calling about the Proposed Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan, provide your name and mailing address, and allow time for processing and delivery via USPS. An electronic copy of the proposal may be downloaded from on the District's website. Further appendices are available upon request by contacting the District through this form.
Three counties in Kentucky (Jefferson, Bullitt, and Oldham) and two counties in Indiana (Clark and Floyd) were designated by US EPA as the Louisville KY-IN Marginal Nonattainment Area for the 2015 8-hour ozone NAAQS in 2018. Since that time air quality in the area has improved, and currently meets the NAAQS. The District and the Division are proposing to request that US EPA redesignate the area to attainment and are also proposing a maintenance plan to ensure continued attainment of the NAAQS.
Who is affected by this proposal?
What types of facilities does the proposal cover?
The proposal requests that the area be redesignated to attainment based on already achieved emissions reductions and associated improvements in air quality. It does not include any additional requirements for facilities in the area. If the area is not redesignated to attainment it will be instead reclassified to a higher level of nonattainment, moderate nonattainment, which would bring additional requirements including implementation of Reasonably Available Control Technologies and Reasonably Available Control Measures (RACT/RACM), and eventually a requirement for the area to re-implement a vehicle inspection and maintenance program (better know as the “VET,” short for vehicle emissions testing).
What are the demographics of those living in the area or impacted by the proposal?
The nonattainment area covers all of Jefferson, Bullitt, and Oldham Counties in Kentucky, and Clark and Floyd Counties in Indiana. The demographics of those living in or impacted by the proposal are the same as those of the community at large.
Will this action lead to an increase or decrease in emissions?
No additional control measures are included in this proposal, nor are there any reductions in current control measures. Therefore, no increase or decrease is expected to directly arise out of this proposal. If the area were to not be redesignated it would instead be reclassified, or “bumped up,” to moderate nonattainment, which would require additional emissions reductions.
Will this proposal create patterns of advantage or disadvantage based on identity?
The District does not believe that this proposal will create any patterns of advantage or disadvantage, as it applies to the entire five-county area and is not associated with an increase or decrease in emissions.
What is the timeline for this action?
The public comment period is open for 37 days, with a public hearing scheduled for August 3, 2022, if one is requested. After the close of the comment period, and depending on consideration of any submitted comments, the District and the Division intend to submit the request to US EPA as expeditiously as possible.
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