[Federal Register: June 30, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 126)]
[Notices]
[Page 36862-36863]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30jn08-65]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-R01-OAR-2008-0445; A-1-FRL-8686-5]
Adequacy Status of the Rhode Island 8-Hour Ozone Motor Vehicle
Emissions Budgets for Transportation Conformity Purposes; Rhode Island
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of adequacy.
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SUMMARY: EPA is notifying the public that EPA has found that the 2008
and 2009 motor vehicle emissions budgets in the April 30, 2008 Rhode
Island 8-hour ozone State Implementation Plan revision are adequate for
transportation conformity purposes. The submittal includes 2008 and
2009 motor vehicle emission budgets for the Providence (All of RI), RI
8-hour ozone nonattainment area. As a result of our finding, Rhode
Island must use these motor vehicle emission budgets for future
conformity determinations.
DATES: This finding is effective July 15, 2008.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ariel Garcia, Environmental Engineer,
Air Quality Planning Unit, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA
New England Regional Office, One Congress Street, Suite 1100 (CAQ),
Boston, MA 02114-2023, (617) 918-1660, garcia.ariel@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, whenever ``we,''
``us'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.
Today's action is simply an announcement of a finding that we have
already made. EPA New England sent a letter to the Rhode Island
Department of Environmental Management on June 16, 2008, stating that
the 2008 and 2009 motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) in the
Providence (All of RI), RI 8-hour ozone nonattainment area are
adequate. Rhode Island submitted the budgets on April 30, 2008, as part
of the 8-hour ozone attainment demonstration and reasonable further
progress plan for Rhode Island. This submittal was announced on EPA's
conformity Web site, and received no comments. (See http://www.epa.gov/
otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm. Once there, click on ''What
SIP submissions are currently under EPA adequacy review?'')
The 2008 and 2009 MVEBs, in tons per summer day (tpsd), for
volatile organic compounds (VOC) and oxides of nitrogen
(NOX) for Providence (All of RI), RI, are as follows:
[[Page 36863]]
Adequate Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets
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Providence (All of RI),
RI area
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VOC (tpsd) NOX (tpsd)
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Year 2008..................................... 24.64 28.26
Year 2009..................................... 22.75 25.29
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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 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
emissions budgets are adequate for conformity purposes are outlined in
40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). We have described our process for determining the
adequacy of submitted SIP budgets in our July 1, 2004, preamble
starting at 69 FR 40038, and we used the information in these resources
while making our adequacy determination. Please note that an adequacy
review is separate from EPA's completeness review, and it also should
not be used to prejudge EPA's ultimate approval of the SIP. Even if we
find a budget adequate, the SIP could later be disapproved.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401-7671 q.
Dated: June 21, 2008.
Robert W. Varney,
Regional Administrator, EPA New England.
[FR Doc. E8-14798 Filed 6-27-08; 8:45 am]
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