[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 4, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 72880]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-28981]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-9903-81-Region-3]
Adequacy Status of the West Virginia Portion of the Steubenville-
Weirton, WV-OH Nonattainment Area Submitted for the 1997 Fine
Particulate Matter Standard Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan
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 made
insignificance findings through the transportation conformity adequacy
process, under the Clean Air Act (CAA), for directly emitted fine
particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides
(NOX) in the West Virginia portion of the Steubenville-
Weirton, WV-OH 1997 PM2.5 national ambient air quality
standard (NAAQS) nonattainment area. West Virginia submitted the
insignificance findings with the redesignation request and maintenance
plan submittal on April 13, 2012. As a result of EPA's findings, the
West Virginia portion of the Steubenville-Weirton, WV-OH nonattainment
area is no longer required to perform a regional emissions analysis for
directly emitted PM2.5, or NOx, as part of future
PM2.5 conformity determinations for the 1997 annual
PM2.5 air quality standard.
DATES: Effective on December 19, 2013.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory Becoat, Environmental
Scientist, Office of Air Quality Planning, United States Environmental
Protection Agency, Region III, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
19103, (215) 814-2036; [email protected]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Today's notice is simply an announcement of
a finding that EPA has already made. EPA Region III sent a letter to
the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection on September
25, 2013 stating that EPA has made insignificance findings, through the
adequacy process, for PM2.5 and NOX for the West
Virginia Portion of the Steubenville-Weirton, WV-OH 1997
PM2.5 NAAQS nonattainment area, as the State had requested
in its redesignation and maintenance plan submittal. Receipt of the
submittal was announced on EPA's transportation conformity Web site. No
comments were received. The findings letter is available at EPA's
conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm.
Transportation conformity is required by section 176(c) of the CAA.
EPA's conformity rule requires that transportation plans,
transportation improvement programs, and projects conform to state air
quality implementation plans (SIPs) 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 we determine whether a SIP's motor vehicle
emission budgets are adequate for conformity purposes are outlined in
40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). EPA described the process for determining the
adequacy of submitted SIP budgets in a July 1, 2004 preamble starting
at 69 FR 40038 and used the information in these resources in making
this adequacy determination. Please note that an adequacy review is
separate from EPA's completeness review, and should not be used to
prejudge EPA's ultimate approval action for the SIP. Even if EPA finds
a budget adequate, the SIP could later be disapproved.
The finding and the response to comments are available at EPA's
conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q.
Dated: November 15, 2013.
W.C. Early,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. 2013-28981 Filed 12-3-13; 8:45 am]
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