[Federal Register: December 19, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 245)]
[Notices]
[Page 77682-77683]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19de08-85]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8755-3]
Pennsylvania; Adequacy Status of the 2008 Reasonable Further
Progress Plan for the Pennsylvania Portion of the Philadelphia-
Wilmington-Atlantic City 8-Hour Ozone Nonattainment Area Motor Vehicle
Emission Budgets
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
that the Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets (MVEBs) in the Reasonable
Further Progress Plan (RFP) submitted as a State Implementation Plan
(SIP) revision on August 29, 2007 by the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection (PADEP), are adequate for transportation
conformity purposes. As a result of EPA's finding, the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania must use the MVEBs from the August 29, 2007 RFP Plan for
future conformity determinations for the 8-hour ozone standard.
DATES: These MVEBs are effective January 5, 2009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Martin Kotsch, U.S. EPA, Region III,
1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
[[Page 77683]]
19103 at (215) 814-3335 or by e-mail at: kotsch.martin@EPA.gov. The
finding is available at EPA's conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/
otaq/stateresources/transconf/currsips.htm.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document ``we,'' ``us'', or
``our'' refer to EPA. The word ``budgets'' refers to the motor vehicle
emission budgets for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen
oxides (NOX ). The word ``SIP'' in this document refers to
the RFP Plans for the Pennsylvania portion of the Philadelphia-
Wilmington-Atlantic City Ozone Nonattainment Area submitted to EPA as
SIP revisions on August 29, 2007.
Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that EPA has
already made. EPA Region III sent a letter to PADEP on November 20,
2008 stating that the MVEBs in the RFP Plan are adequate for
transportation conformity purposes. As a result of EPA's finding, the
State of Pennsylvania must use the MVEBs from the August 29, 2007 RFP
Plan for future conformity determinations for the 8-hour ozone
standard. This finding has also been announced on EPA's conformity Web
site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/pastsips.htm.
The adequate MVEBs are provided in the following table:
Table 1--Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets
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2008 Reasonable Further
Progress
Nonattainment area -------------------------
VOC (tpd) NOX (tpd)
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Philadelphia.................................. 61.09 108.78
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Transportation conformity is required by section 176(c) of the
Clean Air Act, as amended in 1990. EPA's conformity rule requires that
transportation plans, programs and projects conform to state air
quality implementation plans and establishes the criteria and procedure
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). 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. We have described our process for determining the adequacy
of submitted SIP budgets in 40 CFR 93.118(f), and have followed this
rule in making our adequacy determination.
Dated: December 5, 2008.
William T. Wisniewski,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. E8-30206 Filed 12-18-08; 8:45 am]
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