Air Pollution Control Program

The 8-Hour Ozone Designation Process

Ozone 101 | The Ozone Designation Process | Stakeholder Involvement | Supporting Data
Meetings | Minutes | Guides and Technical Documents |
Revised Timeline for Final Designations | NAAQS Area Boundary Designations

The Clean Air Act requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards for pollutants considered harmful to public health and the environment. EPA recently reviewed the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone and proposed to strengthen them to a more protective level. The new ozone standard that was proposed in March 2008 was an eight-hour average concentration of 75 parts per billion.

However, EPA announced on Sept. 16, 2009 its plans to reconsider this standard. EPA now believes the ozone standards set in 2008 were not as protective of public health and the environment as recommended by EPA’s panel of scientific advisors, the Clean Air Scientific Committee. This reconsideration affects both the primary ozone standard, designed to protect public health, and the secondary standard, designed to protect the environment. EPA will propose any needed revisions to the ozone standards by Dec. 21, 2009, and issue a final decision by August 2010. 

Based on a revised standard, all states were required to evaluate areas for compliance with the ozone standard. In order to reduce the workload for states during the interim period of reconsideration, the agency will propose to stay the 2008 standard area designations as outlined below and submitted by Missouri in March 2009.  These area designations recommended which parts of the state should be designated as attainment or meeting the new standard and nonattainment or not meeting the new standard. Any implementation of control measures to reduce emissions under the 1997 eight-hour ozone standard will continue during this reconsideration.

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Ozone 101
Ozone is a primary pollutant of concern in Missouri. Air quality measured against the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, shows that areas across the state are not yet attaining the standard. If an area monitors or contributes to violations of the ozone standard, actions must be taken to help prevent the emissions that contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone.

Ground-level ozone, commonly known as smog, is an irritant that damages lung tissue, aggravates heart and respiratory disease and can even cause problems for healthy individuals who spend a lot of time outdoors. Typically, ozone pollution is a problem in the hot summer months from late May to early September when higher temperatures cause a chemical reaction to take place between volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides. Ozone levels from the combustion of fossil fuels tend to rise mid-morning, several hours after the rush-hour and peak in the late afternoon.
View Today's Ozone Levels.

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The Ozone Designation Process
The process for designating nonattainment area boundaries allows the department to make a recommendation to EPA, but only EPA has the authority to make the final decision. Because all but one of the monitors in the state is currently violating the revised standard, including monitors in rural areas, the department must take the criteria listed below and apply it to many areas of the state.

The department is evaluating areas of the state that are monitoring violations of the ozone standard and/or are contributing to violations. In previous ozone designations, the department was asked to consider multiple factors as they developed their designation recommendations. For more information see the previous Boundary Guidance on Air Quality Designations provided by EPA.

It is important to note that ozone air quality data obtained from monitoring is only one factor used in determining which counties will be part of a nonattainment area under the new standard. The table below lists the 11 criteria used in the designation process. For more information see the 2008 Ozone Nonattainment Boundary Designation Process - Frequently Asked Questions

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Ozone Designation Criteria

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Stakeholder Involvement
County-specific information pertaining to economic, employment and population growth will be gathered to assist the department in making more-informed decisions about which counties will be recommended for an ozone nonattainment designation. To submit information for your area, please choose a link below.

St. Louis Area Stakeholder Input
Submit comments on the draft recommendations and supporting data.

Kansas City Area Stakeholder Input
Submit comments on the draft recommendations and supporting data.

Springfield Area Stakeholder Input
Submit comments on the draft recommendations and supporting data.

Cape Girardeau-Perry County Area Stakeholder Input
Submit comments on the draft recommendations and supporting data.

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Supporting Data and Revised Recommendation

Meteorological Evaluation

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Kansas City Area Recommendation

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St. Louis Area Recommendation

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Southeast Missouri Area Recommendation

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Springfield/Southwest Missouri Area Recommendation

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Meetings

Call 573-751-4817 for more information.

Date:

Location:

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Minutes

Southeast Missouri

Kansas City

Springfield

St. Louis

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Guides and Technical Documents

The tables below contain the data the department will use to develop boundary recommendations to the EPA. This data in some cases is projected and in others is actual data. Please review the data for your area. If you feel that more specified and local data is available, please use the links above to submit this data.

All State Technical Data

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Southeast Missouri Technical Data

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Kansas City Technical Data

Area Trajectory Plots:

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Springfield Technical Data

Area Trajectory Plots:

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St. Louis Technical Data

Area Trajectory Plots:

 

Guide to the 8-Hour Ozone Designation Process

What You Can Do to Improve Air Quality

2003 Eight-Hour Ozone Boundary Recommendation - Historical information pertaining to previous ozone designations.

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Revised Timeline for Final Ozone Designations

Date & Milestone

March 2008 - EPA issues ozone standard of 75 ppb.

September 2009 - EPA announced its plans to reconsider the standard announced in March 2009.

December 2009 - EPA will propose a reconsidered ozone standard for public review and comment.

December 2010 - EPA anticipates announcing their final ozone standard.

August 2011 - EPA will make final designations of attainment and nonattainment areas. Those designations would become effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.

December 2013 - State Implementation Plans, outlining how states will reduce pollution to meet the standards, will be due to EPA (three years after designations).

2013-2030 - States will be required to meet the standard, with deadlines depending on the severity of the problem.

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