[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 163 (Tuesday, August 24, 2010)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 51949-51950]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-20989]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA-R04-OAR-2009-0043-201024; FRL-9192-6]
Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans;
North Carolina and South Carolina; Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, North
Carolina-South Carolina; Notice of Completeness Determination for the
Purpose of Stopping Sanctions Clock
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of Letter to Governor Regarding Completeness and
Stopping of Sanctions Clock.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: EPA is now giving notice of an action that EPA has already
taken to find two State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions complete
and stop sanctions clocks associated with the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock
Hill North Carolina, South Carolina 1997 8-hour ozone nonattainment
area (hereafter referred to as the ``bi-state Charlotte Area'').
Pursuant to the Clean Air Act (CAA) and its implementing regulations,
EPA has made an affirmative determination of completeness for the
attainment demonstrations submitted by the States of North Carolina and
South Carolina the bi-state Charlotte Area. On May 27, 2010, letters
announcing this determination were sent to the Governors of North
Carolina and South Carolina, effectively stopping the sanctions clock
started on May 8, 2009, by a finding of failure to submit the
attainment demonstrations. This notice is simply an announcement of a
determination that EPA has already made.
ADDRESSES: EPA has established a docket for this action under Docket
Identification No. EPA-R04-OAR-2009-0043. All documents in the docket
are listed on the http://www.regulations.gov Web site. Although listed
in the index, some information is not publicly available, i.e.,
Confidential Business Information or other information whose disclosure
is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted
material, is not placed on the Internet and will be publicly available
only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are
available either electronically through http://www.regulations.gov or
in hard copy at the Regulatory Development Section, Air Planning
Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street, SW.,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. EPA requests that if at all possible, you
contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section to schedule your inspection. The Regional Office's official
hours of business are Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:30, excluding
Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nacosta C. Ward, Regulatory
Development Section, Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics
Management Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61
Forsyth Street, SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. The telephone number
is (404) 562-9140. Ms. Ward can also be reached via electronic mail at
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Effective June 15, 2004, the bi-state
Charlotte Area was designated nonattainment for the 8-hour ozone
national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) with a moderate
classification. The bi-state Charlotte Area is comprised of Cabarrus,
Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Union and a portion of Iredell
(Davidson and Coddle Creek Townships) Counties in North Carolina; and a
portion of York County, South Carolina. For the 1997 8-hour ozone
NAAQS, States were required to submit an attainment demonstration,
reasonable further progress plan, and reasonable available control
technology submittals (for areas classified as moderate or above) by
June 15, 2007. EPA received the required submittals from North Carolina
on June 15, 2007, and South Carolina on August 31, 2007.
On December 19, 2008, and December 22, 2008, the States of North
Carolina and South Carolina, respectively, submitted letters to EPA
withdrawing their attainment demonstrations for the bi-state Charlotte
Area. On May 8, 2009, EPA published a finding of failure to submit
final rulemaking for North Carolina and South Carolina for these
required SIPs. 74 FR 21550.
On November 12, 2009, and April 5, 2010, North Carolina submitted
all components of the North Carolina attainment demonstration SIP for
North Carolina's portion of the bi-state Charlotte Area. On November
13, 2009, and April 29, 2010, South Carolina submitted all components
of the attainment demonstration SIP for South Carolina's portion of the
bi-state Charlotte Area. EPA has done a completeness review, in
accordance with Section 2.0 ``Criteria'' of Appendix V of 40 CFR Part
51--Criteria for Determining the Completeness of Plan Submissions, to
ensure that the States have submitted all of the required information
for the SIP submissions.
As explained in the letters sent by EPA to the Governors of North
and South Carolina, on May 27, 2010,\1\ EPA has determined that the
States have corrected the deficiency identified in EPA's promulgated
finding of failure to submit the required attainment demonstration SIPs
for the bi-state Charlotte Area. Specifically, EPA has determined that
both North Carolina and South Carolina have submitted complete SIP
submittals for the bi-state Charlotte Area to meet the CAA requirement
for attainment demonstrations for moderate nonattainment areas under
the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. EPA will make a determination on the
approvability of these attainment demonstration SIPs for the bi-state
Charlotte Area in a separate action. This announcement only relates to
a completeness determination for the attainment demonstration SIPs for
the bi-state Charlotte Area, and is separate from EPA's determination
of approvability of these attainment demonstrations. This action is
simply a notice of a determination that EPA already made through
correspondence
[[Page 51950]]
with the Governors of North and South Carolina.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ In the May 27, 2010, letters, EPA inadvertently identified
incorrect submittal dates for North Carolina and South Carolina's
SIP submissions. On June 18, 2010, EPA sent letters to North
Carolina and South Carolina to correct the dates of the SIP
submissions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: August 11, 2010.
A. Stanley Meiburg,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4.
[FR Doc. 2010-20989 Filed 8-23-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P