County Affected:

Parts of Cochise County | View on a Map >

Nonattainment Area Designation Date:

Oct. 31, 1990

Learn more about the designation of the area in the Federal Register (FR) (55 FR 45799) | View >

Classification Level: 

Moderate

Pollutant of Concern:

PM₁₀ (particulate matter 10 microns or less in diameter; 1987 standards)

Summary: 

In 2013, EPA determined that the Douglas Nonattainment Area had met the 1987 PM₁₀ federal limit established by the federal National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and issued a clean data determination (CDD). This suspended the need for Clean Air Act requirements related to developing a nonattainment State Implementation Plan (SIP) for as long as the Douglas area continued to meet the PM₁₀ standard. The CDD did not, however, remove the nonattainment status for the Douglas PM₁₀ Nonattainment Area. 

ADEQ is developing a nonattainment SIP to improve the air quality in this area. Additionally, ADEQ will request that the EPA redesignate the Douglas-Paul Spur Nonattainment Area to attainment for the 1987 PM₁₀ NAAQS. The plan will include an updated emissions inventory, modeled attainment demonstration, a strategy for possible exceptional events demonstrations, and rules for PM₁₀ controls. ADEQ will be working with permitted facilities, local government, and community stakeholders in a collaborative effort to develop the SIP. On March 14, 2023, ADEQ held an in-person meeting with local stakeholders to discuss the plan and solicit questions. The Douglas Commercial International Port of Entry Connector Road Project is underway in the nonattainment area, and ADEQ will work with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to account for this project in future SIP development.

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