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Conformity Regulations Adjusted to Meet New Air Quality Standards

Release Date: 06/16/2004
Contact Information:


John Millett, 202-564-7842 / [email protected]


(06/16/04) To ensure that federally supported highway and transit project activities do not hamper local, state and regional efforts to improve air quality, EPA is revising regulations in order to reflect new, more protective standards for ground-level ozone and fine particles. EPA recently designated a number of new areas as nonattainment for the 8-hour ozone standard and plans to designate nonattainment areas for the PM2.5 standard by the end of the year. The new standards and other factors necessitated the changes to EPA’s transportation conformity regulations. Transportation conformity is required by the Clean Air Act to ensure that federally supported highway and transit project activities do not cause new air quality violations, worsen existing violations, or delay timely attainment of an air quality standard. EPA and the Department of Transportation will provide several training workshops around the country this summer to implement the final rule. For additional information, visit EPA’s Web site at: https://www.epa.gov/otaq/transp/traqconf.htm .