[Federal Register: May 20, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 96)]
[Notices]
[Page 23690]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20my09-43]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-R05-OAR-2009-0221, EPA-R05-OAR-2009-0220; FRL-8907-2]
Adequacy Status of the Cleveland/Akron, Ohio and the Columbus,
Ohio Submitted 8-Hour Ozone Redesignation and Maintenance Plans 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
that the motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) for volatile organic
compounds (VOC) and oxides of nitrogen (NOX) in the
Cleveland/Akron, Ohio area and the Columbus, Ohio area are adequate for
use in transportation conformity determinations. Ohio submitted the
Cleveland/Akron area budgets with an 8-hour ozone redesignation and
maintenance plan on March 17, 2009. Ohio submitted the Columbus area
budgets with an 8-hour ozone redesignation and maintenance plan on
March 17, 2009. As a result of our finding, the Cleveland/Akron, Ohio
area and the Columbus, Ohio area must use the MVEBs from the submitted
8-hour ozone maintenance plan for future transportation conformity
determinations.
DATES: This finding is effective June 4, 2009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anthony Maietta, Life Scientist,
Criteria Pollutant Section (AR-18J), Air Programs Branch, Air and
Radiation Division, United States Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 5, 77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604, (312)
353-8777, Maietta.anthony@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, whenever ``we,''
``us'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.
Background
Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that we have
already made. On March 30, 2009, EPA Region 5 sent a letter to the Ohio
Environmental Protection Agency stating that the 2010 and 2020 MVEBs
for the Cleveland/Akron area, and also for the Columbus area, which
were submitted with the state's 8-hour ozone redesignation and
maintenance plan, are adequate. Receipt of these MVEBs was announced on
EPA's transportation conformity website, and no comments were
submitted. The finding is available at EPA's conformity Web site:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm.
The adequate 2010 and 2020 MVEBs, in tons per day (tpd), for VOC
and NOX for the Cleveland/Akron area are as follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012 MVEB 2020 MVEB
(tpd) (tpd)
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VOC........................................... 46.64 31.48
NOX........................................... 95.89 42.75
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The adequate 2010 and 2020 MVEBs, in tons per day (tpd), for VOC
and NOX for the Columbus area are as follows:
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2012 MVEB 2020 MVEB
(tpd) (tpd)
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VOC........................................... 54.86 36.60
NOX........................................... 91.64 46.61
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Please note that the March 30, 2009, letter to the state had the
budgets in the wrong columns and this has been corrected in this
notice.
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 conform. Conformity to a State
Implementation Plan (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 transportation 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.
The finding and the response to comments are available at EPA's
transportation conformity web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/
stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q.
Dated: May 7, 2009.
Walter W. Kovalick Jr,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.
[FR Doc. E9-11639 Filed 5-19-09; 8:45 am]
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