Sec. 1. 38 MRSA §584-A, sub-§1, ķA, as repealed and replaced by PL 1989, c. 155, §1, is amended to read:

A. The level of the 24-hour particulate matter ambient air quality standard is 150 micrograms per cubic meter, as measured in the ambient air as PM10, based on methods contained in 40 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 50, Appendix J M.

The standards are attained when the expected number of days per calendar year with a 24-hour average concentration above average of the 99th percentile of the 24-hour concentrations measured each calendar year for a 3-year period does not exceed 150 micrograms per cubic meter, as determined in accordance with 40 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 50, Appendix K, is equal to or less than one N; and

Sec. 2. 38 MRSA §584-F, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 306, §3, is amended to read:

1. Dissemination of warnings to media. Whenever monitored data demonstrates or the department predicts that ground-level ozone concentrations have exceeded or will exceed 81 84 parts per billion averaged over an 8-hour period, the department shall disseminate a health warning to the mass media, including television, radio and print media, and shall urge the media to issue the warning to the general public. The department shall use best efforts to educate the media as to the need to broadly disseminate health warnings to the public.

SUMMARY

This bill amends the air quality laws in Maine by changing the standards for particulate matter and its threshold for ozone advisories to be consistent with new federal standards.