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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Public Comment Period for the proposed “Rhode Island 2015 annual Monitoring Network Plan and Five-Year Network Assessment”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>The proposed “Rhode Island 2015 annual Monitoring Network Plan and Five-Year Network Assessment” has been posted for public comment on the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Office of Resources website at: <a href="http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/benviron/air/pdf/airnet15p.pdf">http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/benviron/air/pdf/airnet15p.pdf</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>States must submit a monitoring network plan to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in July of each year. The plan must provide a description of the state’s current monitoring network, demonstrate that the network conforms to EPA requirements, and discuss any plans to remove or move a monitoring station in the 18 months following the plan submittal. </span><span style='letter-spacing:-.15pt'>In addition, every five years, each states must prepare an assessment of its monitoring network that considers whether the network meets required monitoring objectives, whether new sites are needed, whether any existing sites are no longer needed and whether new technologies are available that should be incorporated into the network. The assessment must also consider the ability of existing and proposed sites to support air quality characterization for areas with relatively high populations of susceptible individuals, (e.g. children with asthma) and must identify shifts in the distribution of the population within the state which may necessitate changing the location of population-oriented monitoring sites. </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The plan must be posted for public comment 30 days prior to submittal to the EPA. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>This</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> document </span><span style='letter-spacing:-.15pt'>serves as both the proposed 2015 annual Monitoring Network Plan and the proposed 5- Year Network Assessment for Rhode Island. </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> Comments will be accepted until August 10, 2015. Comments should be submitted electronically or in hard copy to: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Barbara Morin, Supervising Environmental Scientist</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Office of Air Resources</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>235 Promenade St.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Providence, RI 02908</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="mailto:barbara.morin@dem.ri.gov">barbara.morin@dem.ri.gov</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>401) 222-4700, ext. 7012</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>(401) 222-2017 (fax)</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>