Notice of Exceptional Event Demonstration Regarding the PM2.5 Exceedances at New Jersey Monitors due to the 2023 Wildfires

Take notice that the State of New Jersey is currently accepting public comments on its draft Exceptional Event Demonstration for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). This demonstration aims to exclude certain PM2.5 monitoring data from June 6 – 8, 2023, and June 29 – 30, 2023, due to the impact of Canadian wildfires on New Jersey’s PM2.5 air quality. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) conducted an exceptional event demonstration that analyzes the influence of fine particulate matter from the wildfires on air quality in New Jersey. The analysis considers the meteorological conditions associated with the exceptional events, as well as historical trends in PM2.5 air quality at two New Jersey air monitors, Camden Spruce St. and Elizabeth Lab. Due to the transported wildfire smoke and uncommonly high levels of fine particulates, New Jersey recorded multiple 24-hr ambient air quality exceedances of the PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). New Jersey is seeking approval of this exceptional event demonstration to have 2023 wildfire data excluded for the purpose of the Initial Area Designations for the 2024 Annual PM2.5 NAAQS. Excluding the exceptional event days would reduce the 2023 PM2.5 annual average at the Camden and Elizabeth Lab monitors in New Jersey. Thus, the exceptional event days would be excluded in the calculations and designation decisions for the 2024 Annual PM2.5 NAAQS Area Designations. As a result, the demonstration finds that air quality monitors in New Jersey will be much closer to meeting the 2024 PM2.5 NAAQS if not for the influence of the wildfires. The demonstration provides a description and discourse of the wildfires, comparison between event concentrations and non-event concentrations, establishment of clear causal relationship, satellite observations, wind trajectory analysis, visual photographic evidence, and demonstration that the exceptional event was beyond reasonable control or prevention and was a natural occurrence.

A copy of the Department’s proposed Exceptional Event Demonstration is available on the Department’s website at NJDEP | Air Quality Evaluation and Planning | EE Dashboard.

No public hearing will be held.

Written comments may be submitted by close of business, December 9, 2024.  Please email comment(s) as a document attachment to: NJDEP-BAQP@njdepwptest.net and include “2023 PM2.5 Exceptional Event Demonstration” in the subject line of the e-mail.

If you have any questions about this notice, you can email your questions to NJDEP-BAQP@njdepwptest.net or call the Bureau of Evaluation and Planning at (609) 292-6722.