[Airresources] Notice of Public Comment Period - Rhode Island Regional Haze Five Year Progress Report

[Paige St.Amand]

Notice of Public Comment Period

 

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM), Office
of Air Resources is now accepting public comments on the proposed "Rhode
Island Regional Haze Five Year Progress Report." This document addresses
the requirement in 40 CFR 51.308(g) for periodic reports evaluating a
state's progress towards implementing emission reduction commitments
identified in the state's regional haze State Implementation Plan (SIP)
and towards meeting Reasonable Progress Goals (RPGs) that have been
established for Federal Class I areas. Concurrent with the submittal of
the 5-year progress report, each state must make a determination of the
adequacy of its existing regional haze SIP and, based on that
determination, must either provide a negative declaration stating that
further revision of the existing implementation plan is not needed at
this time or provide a plan for addressing deficiencies.

 

Rhode Island has implemented all of the commitments in the Rhode Island
Regional Haze SIP (RI RH SIP), which was submitted to the US
Environmental Protection Agency on August 7, 2009. Rhode Island's
emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), the pollutant most strongly linked to
regional haze, have decreased substantially since the RI RH SIP was
submitted and are on track to decrease further by 2018. In addition, all
Federal Class I areas currently are measuring reduced levels of haze and
are on track to meet established 2018 RPGs for both best and worst
visibility days. Therefore, RI DEM has determined that the elements and
strategies in the current implementation plan are adequate to ensure
that Rhode Island will not interfere with Federal Class I areas meeting
all established RPGs. Therefore, in this document, RI DEM is providing a
negative declaration affirming that further revision of the existing
implementation plan is not needed at this time.

 

The proposed Rhode Island Regional Haze Five Year Progress Report is
available on the Office of Air Resources' web page at
www.dem.ri.gov/programs/benviron/air/pdf/prophaze.pdf
<http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/benviron/air/pdf/prophaze.pdf> .

 

Comments on this document will be accepted until 4:00 PM on December 22,
2014 and can be submitted electronically or in hard copy to:

 

Barbara Morin, Supervising Environmental Scientist 

Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Office of Air
Resources

235 Promenade Street

Providence, RI 02908

(401) 222-4700, ext. 7012

(401) 222-2017 (fax)

barbara.morin at dem.ri.gov <mailto:barbara.morin at dem.ri.gov> 

 

 

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