[Federal Register: November 25, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 228)]
[Notices]
[Page 71642-71643]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25no08-65]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-R09-OAR-2008-0819; FRL-8744-6]
Adequacy Status of Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets in Submitted
Eight-Hour Ozone Early Progress Plan for Eastern Kern County for
Transportation Conformity Purposes; California
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of Adequacy.
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SUMMARY: In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that the Agency
has
[[Page 71643]]
found that the motor vehicle emissions budgets for 8-hour ozone in the
Eastern Kern County 8-hour Ozone Early Progress Plan are adequate for
transportation conformity purposes. On March 24, 2008, the California
Air Resources Board submitted a revision to the California State
Implementation Plan (SIP) containing Early Progress Plans for the 8-
hour ozone standard for five California areas, including the Eastern
Kern County nonattainment area. As a result of our adequacy finding,
the Kern Council of Governments and the U.S. Department of
Transportation must use these budgets in future conformity analyses
once the finding becomes effective.
DATES: This finding is effective December 10, 2008.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karina O'Connor, U.S. EPA, Region IX,
Air Division (AIR-2), 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-
3901; (775) 833-1276 or oconnor.karina@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, whenever ``we,''
``us,'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.
Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that we have
already made. EPA Region IX sent a letter to the California Air
Resources Board on November 10, 2008 stating that the motor vehicle
emissions budgets for year 2008 in the submitted SIP containing an
early progress plan for the Eastern Kern 8-hour ozone nonattainment
area are adequate. The finding is available at EPA's conformity
website: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm.
The adequate motor vehicle emissions budgets are provided in the
following table:
Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets, Summer Planning Inventory
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volatile
organic Nitrogen
Budget year compounds\1\ oxides
(tons per (tons per
day) day)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2008......................................... 5 18
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\1\ The plan uses a comparable State term, reactive organic gases (ROG).
Transportation conformity is required by Clean Air Act section
176(c). EPA's conformity rule requires that transportation plans,
transportation improvement 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 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 in making
our adequacy determination. Please note that an adequacy review is
separate from EPA's completeness review, and should not be used to
prejudge EPA's ultimate approval action for the SIP. Even if we find a
budget adequate, the SIP could later be disapproved.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: November 14, 2008.
Keith Takata,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. E8-27968 Filed 11-24-08; 8:45 am]
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