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ADE asks committee to adopt 2015 federal ozone standard; department says state is in attainment
Summary
Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality asked the committee to adopt the federal 2015 ozone standard into state regulation; ADE said monitoring shows statewide attainment (highest design value about 66 ppb vs. 70 ppb standard) and discussed voluntary measures and potential nonattainment consequences.
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality presented a rulemaking to incorporate the 2015 federal ozone standard into state regulation, telling the Senate committee that Arkansas is meeting the standard statewide.
Stewart Spencer and other ADE officials explained the department’s monitoring network and said "we are currently in full attainment with that standard throughout the state," noting that the highest monitored value was about 66 parts per billion while the federal standard is 70 ppb. ADE described voluntary federal programs such as Ozone Advance and said voluntary controls (for example vapor-control equipment at service stations) remain in some locations.
Committee members probed whether major metros could slip into nonattainment and asked what measures and financial consequences would follow. ADE said nonattainment typically triggers more stringent permitting, modeling and mitigation and could impose financial costs in affected counties; ADE also described a regional planning process and "good neighbor" provisions that coordinate with neighboring states on transported emissions.
The committee reviewed the rule without objection and asked ADE follow-up questions about monitoring and planning.
