Michigan's Non-Attainment Update

UPDATE:  Michigan's Non-attainment Status

The final ozone designations were announced on June 4, 2018 with the effective date being August 3, 2018. AQD will hold a webinar on this topic on August 6 at 1:00PM. Click here to register for the webinar.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently designated portions of Michigan as nonattainment with the ozone ambient air quality standard (see map). This designation is in response to the ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard, or NAAQS. The NAAQS are health-based standards set by EPA for pollutants known to pose adverse risks to public health or the environment. The EPA periodically reviews the NAAQS to ensure that they continue to be protective and sometimes this review results in changes to these standards. In 2015, EPA determined that the previous standard of 75 parts per billion (ppb) for ozone was not as protective of public health as it should be and lowered it to 70 ppb. 

The lowering of the ozone standard created the need for the Air Quality Division (AQD) to begin to implement a process to meet it. This process generally falls into two phases: Phase 1 - designations of new non-attainment areas and Phase 2 - plan development.  

Phase 1 is complete. Areas to be designated as nonattainment are those that had ambient air concentrations exceeding the standard, or those that contribute to an exceedance of the standard in other areas. On the other hand, attainment and unclassifiable areas are those that are meeting the NAAQS or we lack enough information to make a determination.

AQD is beginning Phase 2, which is the process of developing a State Implementation Plan (SIP). This plan will include permanent and enforceable actions that these areas will use to reduce pollutants that form ground level ozone. The AQD will be reaching out to stakeholders in the nonattainment areas and working with EPA throughout the development of the SIP. The SIP must be submitted and areas must reach attainment of the ozone standard by summer of 2021.

For further information on the EPA’s re-designations , go to https://www.epa.gov/ozone-designations/ozone-designations-regulatory-actions. If you have any additional questions on the ozone designations or future planning efforts contact Kaitlyn Leffert, at leffertk@michigan.gov, or 517-284-6751.

For questions regarding non-attainment New Source Review permitting, please contact Annette Switzer, at switzera2@michigan.gov, or 517-284-6803.