EPA Redesignates as Attainment/Unclassifiable an area in Nebraska and an Area in Texas

EPA issued a final rule designating areas in Nebraska and Texas as meeting the 2010 health-based federal air quality standard for sulfur dioxide (SO₂).  This action impacts:

• all of Lancaster County in Nebraska; and
• all of Milam County in Texas.

EPA designated each of these areas as “unclassifiable” in 2016 because at that time, the agency did not have enough information to determine if these areas attained the 2010 SO₂ standard.  Since then, each state added additional monitoring to better understand air quality in those areas. Now, with three years of data available, EPA has determined that these areas are meeting the standard and approves requests for redesignation from each state.  

Final Rule: Redesignation of Certain Unclassifiable Areas for the 2010 1-Hour Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard

Fact Sheet: Redesignation of Certain Unclassifiable Areas for the 2010 1-Hour Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard (pdf) (174.56 KB)