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2006 Proposed Revisions to PM NAAQS
The Clean Air Act calls on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reassess National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) every five years. EPA last revised its particulate matter NAAQS in 1997, creating new 24-hr and annual standards for fine particulate matter 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter (PM2.5). At present, EPA is reviewing PM standards for both fine and coarse particles. Agency staff completed the Final PM Staff Paper and Risk Assessment on June 30, 2005. EPA published its proposed standards on January 17, 2006 (Federal Register) and is now receiving public comments.
During the past three years, NESCAUM staff has worked to define the range of 24-hr and annual primary fine particle standards that the Northeast states might want to advocate for in the national debate. At the November 2004 NESCAUM Board of Directors Meeting, the Board reached a recommendation advocating for a 24-hr average standard of 30 µg/m3 (98th percentile form) and an annual standard of 12 µg/m3. Environmental Commissioners from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Rhode Island support this recommendation.
The documents below summarize current health effects evidence of PM, provide context relating to PM standard setting, and present the rationale guiding the Directors’ recommendation for more stringent PM2.5 NAAQS.