Notice of Proposed SIP Revision: SO2 Redesignation Request

Take notice that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is proposing a SIP revision to redesignate to attainment the Warren County SO2 nonattainment area. In this SIP revision, New Jersey is demonstrating it has attained the 1971 primary and secondary SO2 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to protect its citizens’ health through implementation of regulations to control SO2 emissions within its borders, as well as past actions to reduce SO2 emissions from large, upwind sources in Pennsylvania that were causing nonattainment in New Jersey. This SIP revision provides a limited maintenance plan for the Warren County nonattainment area to be redesignated to attainment. This redesignation plan request is being submitted as a limited maintenance plan because the SO2 air quality levels at ambient monitoring sites in Warren County are 85 percent or more below the NAAQS pursuant to Section 175A of the CAA. This document acknowledges the improvement in outdoor sulfur dioxide air quality by requesting that the USEPA redesignate the New Jersey Warren County SO2 nonattainment area to attainment in accordance with the Clean Air Act as amended in 1990.

 

A copy of the Department’s proposed SIP revision is available on the Department’s website at www.nj.gov/dep/baqp/sip/siprevs.htm.

 

A public hearing concerning the Department’s proposed SIP revision will be conducted only if requested in writing by June 3, 2021. If no request for a public hearing is received, the hearing will be cancelled by a notice posted on the Department’s website at www.nj.gov/dep/baqp/. If a public hearing is requested, it will be held virtually on June 29, 2021 at 10:00am. If you are interested in joining the virtual public hearing, please email the Department at NJDEP-BAQP@njdepwptest.net with your contact information (name, telephone number, and email address) and whether you intend to provide oral testimony or not. The Department can then send you a link to a Microsoft Teams meeting, with a separate option for a telephone call-in line for those without access to a computer that can connect to Microsoft Teams and hearing guidelines. The hearing link, telephone call-in number and hearing guidelines will also be posted on the Department’s website at: https://www.nj.gov/dep/baqp/sip/siprevs.htm. Note that this virtual public hearing will be recorded.

 

Written comments may be submitted by close of business July 18, 2021. Please email comment(s) as a document attachment to: NJDEP-BAQP@njdepwptest.net and include a subject line as follows: “SO2 LMP Comments 2021-1” 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.