The EPA is revising the network design
requirements for the oxides of nitrogen (NOX), specifically
nitrogen dioxide (NO2), to support the proposed changes to the
primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for NO2.
Presently, States (including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico,
and the Virgin Islands) and local agencies when delegated by the
State are required to operate minimum numbers of EPA-approved NO2
monitors based on the population of each of their Core Based
Statistical Areas (CBSA) and the traffic related metrics including
Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) of all the road segments in
their CBSAs. EPA is proposing a two-tiered monitoring network
design. The two tiers are designed to: 1) monitor in areas of
expected maximum 1-hour concentrations; and 2) monitor to
characterize areas with the highest expected NO2 concentrations at
the neighborhood and larger spatial scales, or "area-wide" scales.
The proposed network design corresponds to the revised NAAQS based
on peak 1-hour daily maximum concentrations, or 1-hour NAAQS, with
a level of 100 parts per billion (ppb), and the retention of the
current annual averaged NAAQS which has a level of 53 ppb. The
introduction of the 1-hour NAAQS is intended to protect against
peak, shorter term exposure risks. These exposure risks have been
found to be of particular interest in the on-road and near-road
environments due to on-road mobile source emissions, which led to
the proposed minimum monitoring requirements to include near-road
monitors to be included in the first tier of the network
design.
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the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
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(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
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