On February 17, EPA publicly released its anticipated second
round of proposed area designations under the 1-Hour SO2
standard. The proposed designations and technical support
documents underlying the recommendations are available
here.
The proposed designations respond to recommendations from the
states and address 66 areas located in 24 states.
Whereas in total the states together recommended only three areas
to be designated nonattainment, EPA has recommended a nonattainment
designation for 12 areas. Those areas are located in Illinois (2),
Indiana (2), Louisiana (1), Maryland (1), Michigan (1), Missouri
(1), Oklahoma (1), and Texas (3). EPA recommends
"unclassifiable / attainment" or
"unclassifiable" designations for the remaining 54
areas. EPA plans to publish its recommendations in the
Federal Register and allow 30 days for public review and
comment. The area designations are scheduled to be finalized by
July 2016.
