[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 26 (Thursday, February 7, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9044-9045]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-02808]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-9777-4]
Adequacy Status of the Motor Vehicle Emission Budgets for
Metropolitan Washington DC Area (DC-MD-VA) 1997 8-Hour Ozone Non-
Attainment Area's 2009 Attainment Plan and 2010 Contingency Plan
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of adequacy.
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SUMMARY: In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that the Motor
Vehicle Emissions Budgets (MVEBs) for volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
and nitrogen oxides (NOX) in the 2009 Attainment Plan and
2010 Contingency Plan submitted as a State Implementation Plan (SIP)
revision on June 4, 2007 by the Maryland Department of the Environment
(MDE) and June 12, 2007 by both the Virginia Department of
Environmental Quality (VADEQ) and the District of Columbia Department
of Health (DCDOH) are adequate for transportation conformity purposes.
As a result of EPA's finding, the Washington DC-MD-VA Nonattainment
Area for the 1997 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard
(the Metropolitan Washington Area) must use the MVEBs from the June 4,
2007 and June 12, 2007 Attainment Plan and Contingency Plan for future
conformity determinations for the 1997 8-hour ozone standard.
DATES: The adequacy finding for MVEBs for VOCs and NOX is
effective February 22, 2013.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Martin Kotsch, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Region III, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania 19103 at (215) 814-3335 or by email at:
[email protected]. The finding is available at EPA's conformity Web
site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/currsips.htm.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The word ``budgets'' refers to the motor
vehicle emission budgets for VOCs and NOX. The word ``SIP''
in this document refers to the Attainment Plan and Contingency Plan for
the Metropolitan Washington Area, 1997 8-Hour Ozone Nonattainment Area
submitted to EPA as a SIP revision on June 4, 2007 by MDE and June 12,
2007 by VADEQ and DCDOH.
Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that EPA has
already made. In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that we have
found that the MVEBs in the 2009 Attainment Plan and 2010 Contingency
Plan, submitted on June 4, 2007 by MDE and June 12, 2007 by VADEQ and
DCDOH, are adequate for transportation conformity purposes. As a result
of EPA's finding, the Metropolitan Washington Area must use the MVEBs
from the 2009 Attainment Plan and 2010 Contingency Plan for future
conformity determinations for the 1997 8-hour ozone standard. This
finding has also been announced on EPA's conformity Web site: http://
[[Page 9045]]
www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/pastsips.htm. The adequate
MVEBs are shown in the following table:
Metropolitan Washington Area MVEBs 2009 Attainment Plan and 2010
Contingency Plan
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VOCs (tons per NOX (tons per
Milestone year day) day)
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2009.................................... 66.5 146.1
2010.................................... N/A 144.3
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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
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 EPA
determines whether a SIP's MVEBs are adequate for conformity purposes
are outlined in 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). EPA has described the process for
determining the adequacy of submitted SIP budgets in 40 CFR 93.118(f)
and has followed this rule in making its adequacy determination.
Dated: January 25, 2013.
W.C. Early,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. 2013-02808 Filed 2-6-13; 8:45 am]
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