Notice of SIP Revision-Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) Revision

Take notice that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is proposing a revision to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) to protect and enhance visibility levels in the Brigantine Wilderness Area of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, a federally designated Class I area.

The purpose of this proposed SIP revision is to establish the reasonable progress goal for the second planning period (2018 – 2028) for the Brigantine Wilderness area to help achieve the goal of reaching natural background visibility levels by the year 2064. This proposed plan also addresses other mandatory SIP elements for regional haze and related issues:

1) Establish the baseline and natural visibility conditions at Brigantine Wilderness Area using the new method of calculating the most impaired days;
2) Identify States that contribute to visibility impairment at Brigantine Wilderness Area;
3) Establish the 2028 Reasonable Progress Goal for Brigantine Wilderness Area. This goal meets the Uniform Rate of Progress requirement;
4) Address New Jersey’s actions to reduce its contribution to visibility impairment at impacted Class I areas; and
5) Demonstrate that New Jersey will meet the 2028 Uniform Rate of Progress goal set by the USEPA regulations. This demonstration relies upon implementation of control measures by New Jersey, other states contributing to visibility impairment at the Brigantine Wilderness Area, EPA and Federal Land Managers. These control measures were identified by New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Visibility Union (MANE-VU) and determined to be reasonable.

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 by September 18, 2019. A request for a public hearing may be submitted to the Department by email (NJDEP@njdepwptest.net) or by mail at the address shown below. If no request for a public hearing is received by close of business on September 18, 2019, 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 on September 25, 2019  at 10:00 a.m. at:

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection 6th Floor Large Conference Room
401 East State Street
Trenton, New Jersey

Directions to the hearing room may be found at the Department of Environmental Protection’s (Department’s) website address at www.nj.gov/dep/where.htm.

Written comments may be submitted by close of business, October 2, 2019.  Please email comment(s) as a document attachment to:  NJDEP-BAQP@njdepwptest.net  and include a subject line as follows:  “REGIONAL HAZE SIP 2018-2028” in the subject line of the e-mail.