News Releases from Region 04

EPA Approves Redesignation of the Hillsborough Area for the 2008 Lead (Pb) Standard

ATLANTA (Sept. 11, 2018) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its approval of Florida’s request to redesignate the Hillsborough area in Hillsborough County, Fla. from nonattainment to attainment for the 2008 Lead (Pb) standard. Additionally, EPA is proposing to approve a maintenance plan for the Hillsborough area, which describes how the state will maintain compliance with the 2008 Lead standard.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection worked collaboratively with EPA and other stakeholders to develop strategies for achieving and maintaining compliance with lead standards across the state.

The area had previously been in violation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for lead due to contamination from the Envirofocus Technologies, LLC facility in Hillsborough County, Florida. Since that time, the Envirofocus Facility has installed controls to reduce the amount of lead emitted by its operations and dust suppression controls for soils and vehicle traffic around the facility. The Envirofocus facility was also completely enclosed to prevent any additional fugitive emissions in the area. 

Lead is a metal found naturally in the environment as well as in manufactured products. The major sources of lead emissions have historically been from fuels used in on-road motor vehicles (such as cars and trucks) and industrial sources. Because of EPA’s regulatory efforts to remove lead from on-road motor vehicle gasoline, emissions of lead from the transportation sector dramatically declined by 99 percent between 1980 and 2014, and levels of lead in the air decreased by 99 percent between 1990 and 2016.

For more information on the Hillsborough area final 2008 Lead redesignation, visit docket number EPA-R04-OAR-2018-0182 at www.regulations.gov.