AQ_GEN_PIO_20250210_MISC_PressRls

Feb. 10, 2025

State Recommends EPA Designate North Carolina in Compliance with
Tougher Air Quality Standard
RALEIGH – The State of North Carolina has made a recommendation to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the organization designate all 100 counties
in the state as meeting a stricter federal air pollution standard set last year.
Ambient air quality monitoring data and an analysis of smoke impacts from the 2023
Canadian wildfires supports the state’s recommendation to the EPA that North Carolina
be designated fully in attainment with the nation’s revised annual standard for fine
particulate matter, also known as PM2.5.
“Our state continues to take critical steps to ensure North Carolinians have access to
clean air,” said Governor Josh Stein. “I am encouraging the EPA to designate the
entire state of North Carolina as meeting these standards to affirm the decades of
progress the state has made in reducing emissions of air pollution.”
“We’re working to safeguard our air to protect the health and prosperity of all North
Carolinians in communities large and small,” said Department of Environmental
Quality Secretary Reid Wilson. “North Carolina is already meeting the EPA’s updated
fine particulate standard because we’ve steadily reduced emissions from cars, industry
and other sources, all while growing our economy.”
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has submitted the
state’s designation recommendation to EPA along with the analysis of wildfire smoke,
called an Exceptional Events Demonstration. The demonstration clearly shows that high
levels of PM2.5 at two air quality monitors in June and July 2023 were caused by the
Canadian wildfires and were outside the control of the state. PM2.5 is any extremely
small particle that can be emitted by either manmade sources like cars and industry or
natural sources like wildfire and dust. Breathing air with high levels of PM2.5 for
extended periods is linked to health effects including shortness of breath and heart
conditions. North Carolina has seen a 49% decline in PM2.5 emissions between 1990
and 2020 and maintained statewide compliance with the previous PM2.5 standard.
After reviewing the latest scientific evidence, EPA in May 2024 tightened the annual
standard for PM2.5 from 12.0 micrograms per cubic meter of air to 9.0 micrograms per
cubic meter. EPA says that the revised standard will save lives, reduce cases of
asthma, prevent lost workdays and save billions in public health spending, especially in
communities of vulnerable populations.
Based on air quality monitoring data from 2021-2023, 19 out of 21 monitoring sites in
North Carolina were meeting the revised standard. However, a monitor in each
Mecklenburg and Davidson counties were slightly above the revised standard due to
influences of Canadian wildfire smoke in 2023.
DEQ is recommending EPA designate all of North Carolina as in attainment with the
revised PM2.5 standard because the Canadian wildfires were exceptional events outside
of the state’s control. Provisions in the Clean Air Act allow EPA to remove air quality
data from days influenced by exceptional events when determining compliance with air
quality standards. This would allow DEQ to focus on pollution reduction strategies that
are within its control to ensure ongoing attainment with the revised standard.
EPA will review the state’s recommendation and Exceptional Events Demonstration,
along with certified monitoring data from 2022-2024, and make a final decision as to
whether or not North Carolina is meeting the revised PM2.5 standard in February 2026.
DEQ’s Division of Air Quality and its partners provide daily air quality forecasts for all
100 counties through the Air Quality Portal using EPA’s color-coded Air Quality Index.
On the handful of days when PM2.5 or ground-level ozone reaches short-term levels that
can impact public health, the state issues alerts and communicates how residents can
keep themselves safe. However, fewer air quality alerts have had to be issued in recent
years, and North Carolina continues to be in attainment with every federal health-based
air quality standard.
More information about the revised PM2.5 standard is on DEQ’s website.

For More Information
Contact: Shawn Taylor
Phone: [phone]