To ensure that federally supported highway and transit project activities do not hamper efforts to improve air quality, the EPA is revising regulations to reflect new, more protective standards for ground-level ozone and fine particles.

To ensure that federally supported highway and transit project activities do not hamper local, state and regional efforts to improve air quality, the EPA is revising regulations to reflect new, more protective standards for ground-level ozone and fine particles.

The agency recently designated a number of new areas as nonattainment for the eight-hour ozone standard and plans to designate nonattainment areas for the PM 2.5 standard by the end of the year. The new standards and other factors necessitated the changes to the EPA's transportation conformity regulations, which are designed to ensure 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.

The EPA and Department of Transportation plan to host several training workshops around the country this summer to implement the final rule. Visit www.epa.gov/otaq/transp/traqconf.htm