Air Plan Approval and Air Quality Designation; TN; Attainment Plan and Redesignation of the Sullivan County Nonattainment Area for the 2010 1-Hour Primary SO2 NAAQS
Key claim: EPA proposes to find that Sullivan County, Tennessee now meets the 2010 one-hour sulfur dioxide air standard, approve the state’s control plan and facility emission limits, and redesignate the county from nonattainment to attainment.
Abstract
(Proposed Rule · Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) is proposing to approve the State of Tennessee’s attainment plan for the Sullivan County Nonattainment Area (Sullivan County Area or Area) for the 2010 Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Additionally, the EPA is proposing to determine that the Area has attained the 2010 SO2 NAAQS and to approve Tennessee’s maintenance plan for continued attainment. With these approvals, the EPA is proposing to approve Tennessee’s comprehensive source-specific SO2 permitted limits for two facilities in the Area, other control measures, and provisions for Reasonably Available Control Measures (RACM) and Reasonably Available Control Technology (RACT), reasonable further progress (RFP), a modeling demonstration of SO2 attainment and maintenance, and to approve Tennessee’s request to redesignate the Area from nonattainment to attainment of the 2010 SO2 NAAQS. The EPA is taking these actions in accordance with the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act).
Why this matters
Redesignating a nonattainment area to attainment locks in facility-specific SO2 emission limits through the SIP while relieving the area of nonattainment-driven permitting burdens, so the practical effect is a trade between tighter enforceable source caps and reduced New Source Review friction for local industry. Sullivan County hosts major industrial SO2 sources (notably Eastman Chemical), making the shape of the maintenance plan and emission limits consequential for both public health exposure and local permitting costs.