[Federal Register: September 17, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 180)]
[Notices]
[Page 56052]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17se04-58]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[Docket : ID-04-004; FRL-7815-1]
Adequacy Status of the Portneuf Valley, Pocatello, ID Submitted
Particulate Matter (PM10) Maintenance Plan for
Transportation Conformity Purposes
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of adequacy.
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SUMMARY: In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that we have found
the submitted motor vehicle emissions budgets for PM10 in
the Moderate Portneuf Valley, Pocatello, Idaho PM10
Maintenance Plan (Maintenance Plan) are adequate for transportation
conformity purposes. On March 2, 1999, the D.C. Circuit Court ruled
that submitted SIPs cannot be used for conformity determinations until
EPA has affirmatively found them adequate. As a result of this adequacy
finding, the Bannock Planning Organization, Idaho Transportation
Department, and the Federal Highway Administration are required to use
the motor vehicle emissions budgets from this submitted Maintenance
Plan for future conformity determinations.
DATES: This finding is effective October 4, 2004.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The finding is available at EPA's
conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/transp.htm, (once there,
click on the ``Transportation Conformity'' button, then look for
``Adequacy Review of SIP Submissions''). You may also contact Wayne
Elson, U.S. EPA, Region 10, Office of Air, Waste, and Toxics (AWT-107),
1200 Sixth Ave, Seattle WA 98101; (206) 553-1463 or
elson.wayne@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that we have
already made. EPA Region 10 sent a letter to Idaho Department of
Environmental Quality on August 31, 2004, stating that the motor
vehicle emissions budgets in the Maintenance Plan are adequate.
Transportation conformity is required by section 176(c) of the
Clean Air Act. EPA's conformity rule requires that transportation
plans, programs, and projects conform to state air quality
implementation plans (SIPs) and establishes the criteria and procedures
for determining whether or not they do. Conformity to a SIP means that
transportation activities will not produce new air quality violations,
worsen existing violations, or delay timely attainment of the national
ambient air quality standards.
The criteria by which we determine whether a SIP's motor vehicle
emission budget is adequate for conformity purposes are outlined in 40
CFR 93.118(e)(4). Please note that an adequacy review is separate from
EPA's completeness review and it also should not be used to prejudge
our ultimate approval of the SIP. Even if we find a budgets adequate,
the SIP could later be disapproved.
We have described our process for determining the adequacy of
submitted SIP budgets in guidance (May 14, 1999 memo titled
``Conformity Guidance on Implementation of March 2, 1999 Conformity
Court Decision''). We followed this guidance in making our adequacy
determination. For the reader's ease, we have excerpted the motor
vehicle emission budgets from the Maintenance Plan. The budgets in tons
per year are as follows:
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Particulate Volatile organic
Year matter PM10 Nitrogen oxides compounds
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2005................................................... 897 1,575 983
2010................................................... 1,120 1,085 716
2020................................................... 1,364 514 585
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Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q.
Dated: September 8, 2004.
Julie Hagensen,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 10.
[FR Doc. 04-20975 Filed 9-16-04; 8:45 am]
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