Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans;
Maryland; The 2005 ROP Plan for the Baltimore Severe 1-Hour Ozone
Nonattainment Area: Revisions to the Plan's Emissions Inventories and
Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets to Reflect MOBILE6
[Federal Register: February 13, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 30)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 7133-7135]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13fe04-12]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[MD151-3107; FRL-7623-4]
Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans;
Maryland; The 2005 ROP Plan for the Baltimore Severe 1-Hour Ozone
Nonattainment Area: Revisions to the Plan's Emissions Inventories and
Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets to Reflect MOBILE6
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: EPA is approving State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions
submitted by the State of Maryland. These revisions amend the Baltimore
severe 1-hour ozone nonattainment area's (the Baltimore area's) rate-
of-progress (ROP) plan for 2005. These revisions update the plan's
emission inventories and motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) to
reflect the use of MOBILE6 while continuing to demonstrate that the ROP
requirement for 2005 will be met. The revisions also amend the
contingency measures associated with the 2005 ROP plan. These revisions
are being approved in accordance with the Clean Air Act (the Act).
EFFECTIVE DATE: February 13, 2004.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the documents relevant to this action are
available for public inspection during normal business hours at the Air
Protection Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III,
1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103; and at the Maryland
Department of the Environment, 1800 Washington Boulevard, Suite 705,
Baltimore, Maryland 21230.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Martin Kotsch, (215) 814-3335, or by
e-mail at Kotsch.Martin@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On December 30, 2003 (68 FR 75191), EPA published a notice of
proposed rulemaking (NPR) for the State of Maryland. The NPR proposed
approval of revisions to the Baltimore area's ROP plan for 2005. The
revisions update the plan's mobile emissions inventories and 2005 MVEBs
to reflect the use of MOBILE6, an updated model for calculating mobile
emissions of ozone precursors. The NPR also proposed approval of
revisions which amend the contingency measures associated with the
Baltimore area's 2005 ROP plan. These SIP revisions were proposed under
a procedure called parallel processing, whereby EPA proposes a
rulemaking action concurrently with a state's procedures for amending
its SIP. The State's proposed SIP revisions were submitted to EPA on
November 3, 2003, by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE).
On December 30, 2003 (68 FR 75191), EPA proposed approval of Maryland's
November 3, 2003, submittal. No comments were received during the
public comment period on EPA's December 30, 2003, proposal. The MDE
formally submitted the final SIP revisions on December 23, 2003. That
final submittal had no substantive changes from the proposed version
submitted on November 3, 2003. A detailed description of Maryland's
submittal and EPA's rationale for its proposed approval were presented
in the December 30, 2003, NPR and will not be restated in their
entirety here.
II. Summary of SIP Revisions
Maryland's December 23, 2003, SIP revisions consist of revised 1990
and 2005 motor vehicle emissions inventories and 2005 MVEBs calculated
using the MOBILE6 motor vehicle emissions model. Consistent with EPA's
``Policy Guidance on the Use of MOBILE6 for SIP Development and
Transportation Conformity,'' MDE has demonstrated that the new levels
of motor vehicle emissions calculated using MOBILE6 continue to
demonstrate the required ROP for the Baltimore area by 2005. In
addition to the revised motor vehicle emissions, MDE reallocated some
of the contingency measures established in prior SIP revisions to the
control measures portion of the 2005 ROP plan. EPA guidance allows
States an additional year to adopt new contingency measures to replace
those reallocated to the control measures portion of the plan. The
State of Maryland's December 23, 2003, SIP revision submittal includes
an enforceable commitment to replace those contingency measures
reallocated to the control measures portion of the plan and to submit
an updated plan reflecting these additional contingency measures by
October 31, 2004.
The revised mobile inventories and MVEBs being approved for the
Baltimore area's 2005 ROP Plan are shown in tons per day (tpd) in
Tables 1 and 2, respectively.
Table 1.--Motor Vehicle Emissions Inventories in the Baltimore Area's
2005 ROP Plan
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1990 2005
Nonattainment area ----------------------------------------------------
VOC (tpd) NOX (tpd) VOC (tpd) NOX (tpd)
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Baltimore.......... 165.14 228.21 55.3 146.9
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[[Page 7134]]
Table 2.--Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets in the Baltimore Area's 2005
ROP Plan
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2005 ROP Plan
Nonattainment area -------------------------------
VOC (tpd) NOX (tpd)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baltimore............................... 55.3 144.5
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EPA approved new 2005 MOBILE6-based MVEBs for the Baltimore area's
1-hour ozone attainment demonstration on October 27, 2003 (68 FR
61106). Those MVEBs became effective on November 26, 2003. The approved
2005 attainment plan MVEBs budgets are 55.3 tons per day of VOC and
146.9 tons per day of NOX. The 2005 MVEBs of the 2005 ROP
plan, as shown above in Table 2, are less than the MVEBs in the
approved attainment demonstration. These more restrictive MVEBs,
contained in the ROP plan, will become the applicable MVEBs to be used
in transportation conformity demonstrations for the year 2005 for the
Baltimore area.
III. Final Action
EPA is taking final action to approve the SIP revisions submitted
by the State of Maryland on December 23, 2003. These revisions amend
the 1990 and 2005 motor vehicle emissions inventories and 2005 MVEBs of
the 2005 ROP plan for the Baltimore severe 1-hour ozone nonattainment
area to reflect the use of MOBILE6. The revisions submitted on December
23, 2003, also amend the contingency measures associated with the 2005
ROP plan. These revisions include an enforceable commitment to replace
those contingency measures reallocated to the control measures portion
of the plan and to submit these additional contingency measures by
October 31, 2004.
These SIP revisions were proposed under a procedure called parallel
processing, whereby EPA proposes a rulemaking action concurrently with
a state's procedures for amending its SIP. The State's proposed SIP
revisions were submitted to EPA on November 3, 2003, by the Maryland
Department of the Environment (MDE). On December 30, 2003 (68 FR
75191), EPA proposed approval of Maryland's November 3, 2003,
submittal. No comments were received during the public comment period
on EPA's December 30, 2003, proposal. The MDE formally submitted the
final SIP revisions on December 23, 2003. EPA has evaluated Maryland's
final SIP revisions submitted on December 23, 2003, and finds that no
substantive changes were made from the proposed SIP revisions submitted
on November 3, 2003.
IV. Good Cause for the Final Rule To Be Effective Upon Publication
This action shall be effective on publication pursuant to 5 U.S.C.
553(d)(1). On February 4, 2004, the current Transportation Improvement
Program (TIP) for the Baltimore ozone nonattainment area lapsed. This
lapse means that the Baltimore ozone nonattainment area is subject to
restrictions for the Federal funding of certain transportation projects
until and unless a new TIP is approved. A new TIP has been developed
which includes the required analyses to demonstrate conformity with the
new MOBILE6-based motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) that are the
subject of this final action. However, these MOBILE6-based MVEBs must
be effective before that new TIP can be formally reviewed by EPA and
approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). EPA, therefore,
finds good cause to make this final rule approving the new MOBILE6-
based MVEBs effective upon publication to minimize the period of time
the Baltimore ozone nonattainment area is under a transportation
conformity lapse.
V. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
A. General Requirements
Under Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993), this
action is not a ``significant regulatory action'' and therefore is not
subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget. For this
reason, this action is also not subject to Executive Order 13211,
``Actions Concerning Regulations That Significantly Affect Energy
Supply, Distribution, or Use'' (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001). This action
merely approves State law as meeting Federal requirements and imposes
no additional requirements beyond those imposed by State law.
Accordingly, the Administrator certifies that this rule will not have a
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities
under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). Because
this rule approves pre-existing requirements under State law and does
not impose any additional enforceable duty beyond that required by
State law, it does not contain any unfunded mandate or significantly or
uniquely affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4). This rule also does not
have tribal implications because it will not have a substantial direct
effect on one or more Indian tribes, on the relationship between the
Federal Government and Indian tribes, or on the distribution of power
and responsibilities between the Federal Government and Indian tribes,
as specified by Executive Order 13175 (59 FR 22951, November 9, 2000).
This action also does not have Federalism implications because it does
not have substantial direct effects on the States, on the relationship
between the National Government and the States, or on the distribution
of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government,
as specified in Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999).
This action merely approves a State rule implementing a Federal
standard, and does not alter the relationship or the distribution of
power and responsibilities established in the Clean Air Act. This rule
also is not subject to Executive Order 13045 ``Protection of Children
from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks'' (62 FR 19885, April
23, 1997), because it is not economically significant. In reviewing SIP
submissions, EPA's role is to approve state choices, provided that they
meet the criteria of the Clean Air Act. In this context, in the absence
of a prior existing requirement for the State to use voluntary
consensus standards (VCS), EPA has no authority to disapprove a SIP
submission for failure to use VCS. It would thus be inconsistent with
applicable law for EPA, when it reviews a SIP submission, to use VCS in
place of a SIP submission that otherwise satisfies the provisions of
the Clean Air Act. Thus, the requirements of section 12(d) of the
National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272
note) do not apply. This rule does not impose an information collection
burden under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
[[Page 7135]]
B. Submission to Congress and the Comptroller General
The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, generally
provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency promulgating
the rule must submit a rule report, which includes a copy of the rule,
to each House of the Congress and to the Comptroller General of the
United States. EPA will submit a report containing this rule and other
required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of
Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United States prior
to publication of the rule in the Federal Register. This rule is not a
``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2).
C. Petitions for Judicial Review
Under section 307(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act, petitions for
judicial review of this action must be filed in the United States Court
of Appeals for the appropriate circuit by April 13, 2004. Filing a
petition for reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule
does not affect the finality of this rule for the purposes of judicial
review nor does it extend the time within which a petition for judicial
review may be filed, and shall not postpone the effectiveness of such
rule or action. This action to approve SIP revisions to the 1-hour
ozone ROP plan for the Baltimore area which revise the 1990 and 2005
motor vehicle emissions inventories and 2005 motor vehicle emissions
budgets to reflect the use of MOBILE6 may not be challenged later in
proceedings to enforce their requirements. (See section 307(b)(2).)
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Nitrogen dioxide,
Ozone, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Volatile organic
compounds.
Dated: February 6, 2004.
Richard J. Kampf,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region III.
40 CFR part 52 is amended as follows:
PART 52--[AMENDED]
? 1. The citation for part 52 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Subpart V--Maryland
? 2. Section 52.1076 is amended by adding paragraph (n) to read as
follows:
Sec. 52.1076 Control strategy plans for attainment and rate-of-
progress plan: ozone.
* * * * *
(n) EPA approves revisions to the Maryland State Implementation
Plan for Post-1996 Rate of Progress (ROP) Plans for the Baltimore
severe 1-hour ozone nonattainment area. These revisions were submitted
by the Secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment on
December 23, 2003 and consist of the following:
(1) Revisions to the base year 1990 emissions inventory which
reflect the use of the MOBILE6 motor vehicle emissions model. These
revisions establish motor vehicle emissions inventories for 1990 of
165.14 tons per day of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and 228.21 tons
per day of oxides of nitrogen (NOX).
(2) Revisions to the year 2005 motor vehicle emissions budgets
(MVEBs) for transportation conformity purposes, reflecting the use of
the MOBILE6 motor vehicle emissions model. These revisions establish a
motor vehicle emissions budget of 55 tons per day of volatile organic
compounds (VOC) and 144.5 tons per day of oxides of nitrogen
(NOX). EPA approved new 2005 MOBILE6-based MVEBs for the
Baltimore area's 1-hour ozone attainment demonstration on October 27,
2003 (68 FR 61106). Those MVEBs became effective on November 26, 2003.
The approved 2005 attainment plan MVEBs budgets are 55.3 tons per day
of VOC and 146.9 tons per day of NOX. The MVEBs of the 2005
ROP plan are less than the MVEBs in the approved attainment
demonstration. These more restrictive MVEBs, contained in the ROP plan,
are the applicable MVEBs to be used in transportation conformity
demonstrations for the year 2005 for the Baltimore area.
(3) Revisions to the 2005 ROP plan to reallocate some of the
contingency measures established in prior SIP revisions to the control
measures portion of the plan. EPA guidance allows states an additional
year to adopt new contingency measures to replace those reallocated to
the control measures portion of the plan. The State of Maryland's
December 23, 2003 SIP revision submittal includes an enforceable
commitment to replace those contingency measures reallocated to the
control measures portion of the 2005 ROP plan and to submit these
additional contingency measures by October 31, 2004.
[FR Doc. 04-3224 Filed 2-12-04; 8:45 am]
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