EPA Proposes to Find that Two Areas in Puerto Rico Do Not Meet Air Quality Standards for Sulfur Dioxide and Proposes to Approve Elements of Puerto Rico’s Plan to Improve Air Quality
PUERTO RICO - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is requesting public comment until December 2, 2024, on EPA’s proposed actions regarding air quality and sulfur dioxide, or SO2 in Puerto Rico. The EPA sets standards for certain air pollutants, including sulfur dioxide, known as the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The EPA proposes to find that two areas, one in San Juan and one in Guayama-Salinas, Puerto Rico did not attain the standard for SO2. This is formally known as a Finding of Failure to Attain and is being proposed because the San Juan and Guayama-Salinas Nonattainment Areas did not meet the air quality standard under the Clean Air Act by the mandatory date of April 9, 2023. The EPA proposes to approve parts of the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources’ plan to reduce SO2 emissions from within the San Juan and Guayama-Salinas Nonattainment Areas. This plan includes SO2 emissions reductions from three Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) facilities: PREPA San Juan, PREPA Palo Seco, and PREPA Aguirre.
“Reducing sulfur dioxide pollution in the air is critical to protecting health,” said Lisa F. Garcia, EPA Regional Administrator. “Achieving clean air requires that EPA work with Puerto Rico to reduce or eliminate air pollutants that can cause health hazards or illnesses. We invite the public to review this proposal and provide comments by December 2.”
The EPA is holding two in-person community information sessions to provide an opportunity for community members to learn more about these proposed actions.
- The San Juan area information session will be on October 22, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. at the Inter American University School of Law at 170 Federico Costas Street, San Juan, 00918.
- The Guayama-Salinas Community information session will be on October 24, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. at the Inter American University - Guayama Campus at Machete Ward, Road 744, Km 1.2 Guayama, Puerto Rico 00784.
The public can learn more about these proposed EPA actions and how to submit public comment at www.regulations.gov and at the link with the public notice.
When the air quality standard set by EPA is not met for a certain air pollutant in an area, the EPA designates the area as “Nonattainment.” When the EPA designates an area as Nonattainment for a certain pollutant, the state or territory is required to lower emissions in that area to meet the standards within five years. The state or territory must also create a plan to submit to the EPA that shows how it will meet the standards within five years, known as a revision to a State Implementation Plan, or SIP.
Short-term exposures to sulfur dioxide can harm the human respiratory system and make breathing difficult. People with asthma, particularly children, are sensitive to these effects of SO2. At high concentrations, sulfur oxides can harm trees and plants by damaging foliage and decreasing growth. The largest sources of SO2 emissions are from fossil fuel combustion at power plants and other industrial facilities.
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