[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 24, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8331-8332]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-3678]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-R05-OAR-2009-0928, EPA-R05-OAR-2010-0046; FRL-9116-6]
Adequacy Status of the Cincinnati, Ohio/Indiana 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 (VOCs) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) as precursors
to ozone in the Ohio and Indiana portions of the Cincinnati-Hamilton,
OH/KY/IN ozone nonattainment area are adequate for use in
transportation conformity determinations. Ohio submitted a
redesignation request and maintenance plan for Cincinnati, Ohio on
December 14, 2009. The MVEBs in the submittal include emissions for the
Ohio portion and also the Indiana portion of the Cincinnati area.
Indiana submitted a redesignation request and maintenance plan for
Lawrenceburg Township in Dearborn County, Indiana, which is part of the
Cincinnati 8-hour ozone nonattainment area, on January 21, 2010.
Indiana and Ohio submitted identical MVEBs for the combined Ohio and
Indiana portions of the Cincinnati area.
As a result of our finding, the Cincinnati, Ohio area must use the
MVEBs from the submitted ozone maintenance plan for future
transportation conformity determinations.
DATES: This finding is effective March 11, 2010.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Morris, Environmental
Scientist, Criteria Pollutant Section
[[Page 8332]]
(AR-18J), Air Programs Branch, Air and Radiation Division, United
States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5, 77 West Jackson
Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604, (312) 353-8656,
[email protected].
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 January 14, 2010, EPA Region 5 sent a letter to the
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and also to the Indiana Department
of Environmental Management stating that the 2015 and 2020 MVEBs for
the both the Ohio portion and the Indiana portion of the Cincinnati,
Ohio 8-hour ozone area are adequate. The letters note that Kentucky
will submit separate budgets for the Kentucky portion of the Cincinnati
area. 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 2015 and 2020 MVEBs, in tons per day (tpd), for VOCs
and NOx for the Ohio and Indiana portions of the Cincinnati, Ohio area
are as follows:
Ohio and Indiana portions of Cincinnati, Ohio
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VOCs (tpd) NOx (tpd)
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2015.................................... 31.73 49.00
2020.................................... 28.82 34.39
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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 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 MVEBs 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. 7401-7671 q.
Dated: February 3, 2010.
Walter W. Kovalick, Jr.,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.
[FR Doc. 2010-3678 Filed 2-23-10; 8:45 am]
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