Summary of Fairbanks Particulate Matter (PM-2.5) Attainment Plans
Background
On November 13, 2009, the EPA designated a portion of the Fairbanks North Star Borough as nonattainment for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 standard (74 FR 58688 (pdf) (95 pp, 491 KB)).
On December 31, 2014, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation submitted a plan for the Moderate nonattainment area that demonstrated it was impracticable to attain the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 standard by the December 31, 2015 attainment date. Alaska made additional submissions and provided clarifying information to supplement the moderate area plan in January 2015, March 2015, July 2015, November 2015, March 2016, November 2016, and January 2017. The EPA found that the Moderate area plan met the substantive statutory and regulatory requirements and proposed approval on February 2, 2017 (82 FR 9035 (pdf) (20 pp, 336 KB)).
The EPA finalized its approval of the Moderate area plan on September 8, 2017 (82 FR 42457 (pdf) (14 pp, 255 KB)) (effective October 10, 2017). Note: the EPA approved a separate plan submission as meeting nonattainment new source review requirements for the moderate area on December 31, 2014 (published January 7, 2015) (80 FR 832 (pdf) (2 pp, 216 KB)).
On May 10, 2017, the EPA reclassified the Fairbanks North Star Borough area to Serious, effective June 9, 2017 (82 FR 21711) (pdf) (7 pp, 299 KB)). This reclassification triggered additional planning requirements for the Fairbanks North Star Borough serious area.
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation subsequently submitted a Serious area plan on December 13, 2019, including new and revised control measures for the area. The EPA determined the Serious area plan to be complete and published a notice announcing the determination on February 11, 2020 (85 FR 7760) (pdf) (1 pp, 256 KB)).
On September 24, 2021, the EPA approved a portion of the Serious area plan as meeting certain emissions inventory and precursor demonstration requirements, in addition to approving submitted new and revised control measures as strengthening the plan (86 FR 52997) (pdf) (7 pp, 331KB)). Note: the EPA approved a separate plan submission as meeting nonattainment new source review requirements for the Serious area on August 29, 2019 (84 FR 45419) (pdf) (4 pp, 330 KB)).
Prior to the EPA’s 2021 approval of parts of the Serious area plan, on December 15, 2020, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation submitted a Serious area plan revision to the EPA pursuant to Clean Air Act section 189(d). On December 5, 2023, the EPA issued a partial approval and a partial disapproval of the Serious area and Clean Air Act section 189(d) requirements (88 FR 84626) (pdf) (51 pp, 863 KB)). The EPA’s disapproval triggered both federal sanctions and Federal Implementation Plan clocks and imposed a transportation planning freeze on the nonattainment area.
To address the deficiencies in the nonattainment plan, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation submitted revisions to the nonattainment plan on December 4, 2024. The EPA proposed approval of the nonattainment plan revisions on January 8, 2025 (90 FR 1600) (pdf) (35 pp, 653 KB)). As part of the proposed rule, the EPA initiated the process to begin lifting the transportation planning freeze. After the initial 30-day comment period, the EPA issued a Federal Register notice on May 8, 2025, finding the updated motor vehicle emission budgets submitted by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation adequate for conformity purposes (90 FR 19423) (pdf) (2 pp, 262 KB)). This enabled the final steps to be completed to lift the transportation planning freeze. Additionally, along with the proposed approval, the EPA also issued an Interim Final Determination to pause the federal sanctions clocks (90 FR 1378) (pdf) (3 pp, 234 KB)).
On November 18, 2025, the EPA finalized full approval of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s revisions to the nonattainment plan (90 FR 51529) (pdf) (18 pp, 344 KB)). This final action formally removed the federal sanctions clocks on the nonattainment area that were imposed by the EPA’s 2023 plan disapproval. The Fairbanks PM2.5 nonattainment area has an updated attainment date of December 31, 2027.
Summary
The control strategy in the Fairbanks North Star Borough area plan focuses on reducing emissions from home heating devices, in addition to other source categories. Control measures include an opacity limit and mandatory curtailment program for solid-fuel heaters, emissions standards for new wood heater installations, a requirement to burn only dry wood in wood heaters, a woodstove changeout program, and a prohibition on open burning, among other requirements.
Rules
State Rules, 18 AAC 50
- 50.007, Local Government Powers or Obligations Under a Local Air Quality Control Program
- 50.010, Ambient Air Quality Standards
- 50.025, Visibility and Other Special Protection Areas
- 50.065, Open Burning
- 50.075, Solid Fuel-fired Heating Device Visible Emission Standards
- 50.076, Solid Fuel-fired Heating Device Fuel Requirements; Registration of Commercial Wood Sellers
- 50.077, Standards for Wood-fired Heating Devices
- 50.078, Additional Control Measures for a Serious PM-2.5 Nonattainment Area
- 50.079, Provisions for Coal-Fired Heating Devices
- 50.245, Air Quality Episodes and Advisories for Air Pollutants Other Than PM-2.5
- 50.246, Air Quality Episodes and Advisories for PM-2.5
- 50.990, Definitions
Local Rules, Fairbanks North Star Borough Code Chapter 21.28
- 010, Definitions
- 020, Borough listed appliances
- 030, Prohibited acts
- 040, Enhanced voluntary removal, replacement and repair program
- 050, Forecasting exceedances and restrictions in the air quality control zone during an alert
- 060, No other adequate source of heat determination
- 070, Voluntary burn cessation program
Contingency Measures
State Air Quality Control Plan, Vol. II, section III.D.7.12, Fairbanks Emergency Episode Plan.
EPA Effective Date
October 10, 2017 (Approval of the Moderate area plan)
October 25, 2021 (partial approval of the Serious area plan).
January 4, 2024 (partial approval of the Clean Air Act section 189(d) Serious area plan requirements).
December 18, 2025 (full approval of the Fairbanks Serious area plan and Clean Air Act section 189(d) requirements).