Cleveland's Air Gets Thumbs Up for Ozone
Published Date: 2/27/2026
Proposed Rule
Summary
The EPA says Cleveland, Ohio has cleaned up its air enough to meet the 2015 ozone pollution rules, based on recent air quality data. This means Ohio won’t have to submit extra pollution control plans for now, saving time and effort. People living and working in Cleveland can breathe a little easier, and the EPA is open for comments until March 30, 2026.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
EPA Proposes Cleveland Attainment
The EPA is proposing to find that the Cleveland, Ohio nonattainment area attained the 2015 ozone standard based on quality-assured monitoring data for the 2023-2025 design period. The area's 3-year ozone design value for 2023-2025 is 0.070 parts per million (ppm), which meets the 2015 ozone NAAQS of 0.070 ppm.
Wildfire Data Excluded from Attainment Calculation
Ohio requested, on December 8, 2025, that ozone readings influenced by wildfires be excluded for certain monitors and dates, and the EPA concurred on January 12, 2026. The excluded readings were at Cuyahoga County monitors (Site IDs 39-035-0034 and 39-035-0060) on June 1, 2, and 29, 2023, and at Lake County monitors (Site IDs 39-085-0003 and 39-085-0007) on June 1 and 2, 2023; those event-influenced data will be removed from the dataset used for regulatory determinations.
Suspend Local SIP Planning Requirements
If finalized, the EPA would suspend Ohio's obligation to submit an attainment demonstration and associated Reasonably Available Control Measures (RACM), Reasonable Further Progress (RFP) plans, contingency measures, and other planning State Implementation Plans (SIPs) related to attainment of the 2015 ozone NAAQS for the Cleveland area for as long as the area continues to attain the standard.
Public Comment Opportunity Through March 30, 2026
The EPA is accepting public comments on this proposed action and the exceptional events concurrence; comments must be received on or before March 30, 2026, submitted to Docket ID No. EPA-R05-OAR-2026-0562 at https://www.regulations.gov or by email to [email protected].
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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