[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 236 (Monday, December 11, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 58195]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26533]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-R05-OAR-2017-0277; FRL-9971-62-Region 5]
Adequacy Status of the Metro-East St. Louis, Illinois 2008 Ozone
Standard Nonattainment Area for the Submitted Maintenance Plan for
Transportation Conformity Purposes
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of finding of adequacy.
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SUMMARY: In this notice, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is
notifying the public that we find the motor vehicle emissions budgets
(MVEBs) for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and oxides of
nitrogen (NOX) in the Illinois portion of the St. Louis area
(Madison, Monroe and St. Clair Counties or ``Metro-East area''), 2008
Ozone Standard nonattainment area adequate for use in transportation
conformity determinations. Illinois submitted a 2008 Ozone Standard
maintenance plan for the Metro-East area on May 8, 2017. As a result of
this finding of adequacy, the MVEBs from the submitted maintenance plan
must be used by state and Federal agencies in determining whether
proposed transportation projects conform to the SIP as required by the
Clean Air Act.
DATES: This finding is applicable December 26, 2017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Leslie, Environmental
Engineer, Control Strategies 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)
353-6680, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, whenever ``we'',
``us'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.
Background
Today's notice is an announcement of a finding that we have already
made. On September 26, 2017, EPA sent a letter to the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency, stating that the 2030 MVEBs contained
in the maintenance plan for the 2008 Ozone Standard for Metro-East area
are adequate for transportation conformity purposes. EPA announced
receipt of these MVEBs on its transportation conformity Web site, and
did not receive any comments during the public comment period. The
finding of adequacy is available at EPA's conformity Web site: https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-transportation/adequacy-review-state-implementation-plan-sip-submissions-conformity.
The 2030 MVEBs, in tons per day (tpd), for VOCs and NOX
for the Metro-East St. Louis, Illinois area are as follows:
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NOX (tpd) VOCs
Year (tpd)
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2030.............................................. 16.68 9.05
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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 they 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). Please note that an adequacy review is separate from
EPA's completeness review, and is also a separate action from EPA's
evaluation of and decision whether to approve a proposed SIP revision.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q.
Dated: November 17, 2017.
Robert A. Kaplan,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.
[FR Doc. 2017-26533 Filed 12-8-17; 8:45 am]
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