Particle Pollution Designations - Where You Live

On this page:

• Initial Designations for States and Territories
• Initial Designations for Tribes

Initial Designations for States and Territories

EPA strengthened the annual fine particle standard to 12 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) in 2012.  After working closely with the states, and some tribes, EPA is completing the routine Clean Air Act process to identify areas as either “nonattainment”, “unclassifiable/attainment”, or “unclassifiable.” Once designations are effective, they guide actions states, tribes and EPA must take to improve or preserve air quality in each area.  EPA will work with the states and tribes to share the responsibility of reducing fine particle pollution. 

The tables below list the state areas and counties within them that EPA has designated nonattainment and unclassifiable.  The last table lists areas for which EPA is deferring its final decision. 

EPA is designating all other areas of the country “unclassifiable/attainment.”  These areas have monitoring data that shows they meet the standard or EPA has reviewed available data and determined they are likely to be meeting the standard and not contributing to a nearby violation.

See also: Recommendations from States and EPA Responses

Area Designations for the 2012 Annual PM2.5 Standard

Nonattainment areas:  counties with monitors measuring a violation of the standard as well as nearby counties that contribute the problem by emitting fine particle pollution, or pollutants that form it. 

(p) – partial counties

Unclassifiable Areas:  insufficient quality assured monitoring data to assess compliance with the 2012 annual fine particle standard. 

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Initial Designations for Tribes

On December 18, 2014, the EPA issued final area designations for the 2012 annual national air quality standard for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). EPA strengthened the annual fine particle standard to 12 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) in 2012.  After working closely with the states, and some tribes, EPA is completing the routine Clean Air Act process to identify areas as either “nonattainment”, “unclassifiable/attainment”, or “unclassifiable” based on air quality monitoring data from 2011-2013. Once designations are effective, they guide actions states, tribes and EPA must take to improve or preserve air quality in each area.  EPA will work with the states and tribes to share the responsibility of reducing fine particle pollution. 

The table below lists the final designations for tribes participating in the designations for the 2012 annual fine particle pollution standard.  All of the tribal lands except for areas of Indian country of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians are designated as part of the surrounding state areas.

EPA is designating all other areas of the country “unclassifiable/attainment.”  These areas have monitoring data that shows they meet the standard or EPA has reviewed available data and determined they are likely to be meeting the standard and not contributing to a nearby violation.

See also: Recommendations from Tribes and EPA Responses