§7505a Maintenance Plans

Summary

When a State asks to change an area from nonattainment to attainment under section 7407(d), the State must also send an updated State implementation plan that shows how it will keep meeting the air quality standard for at least 10 years. The update must add any steps needed to make sure the standard is maintained. Eight years after the area is redesignated, the State must send another update showing how the area will stay within the standard for the next 10 years. Until an update is approved and the area is officially redesignated, the nonattainment rules keep applying. Each update must include contingency steps the Administrator finds necessary to fix any future violations quickly, including using all control measures that were in the plan before the redesignation. If the area later fails to maintain the standard, the State is not automatically required to revise its plan unless the Administrator requires it.