Adequacy Status of Submitted State Implementation Plans (SIP) for
Transportation Conformity Purposes: 5 Percent Increment of Progress
Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets for the Portland Maine 8-Hour Ozone
Nonattainment Area
[Federal Register: August 30, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 167)]
[Notices]
[Page 51352-51353]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30au05-43]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[R01-OAR-2005-ME-0006; FRL-7962-5]
Adequacy Status of Submitted State Implementation Plans (SIP) for
Transportation Conformity Purposes: 5 Percent Increment of Progress
Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets for the Portland Maine 8-Hour Ozone
Nonattainment Area
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of adequacy determination.
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SUMMARY: In this action, EPA is notifying the public that we have found
the on-road motor vehicle emissions budgets contained in the Portland
Maine marginal 8-hour ozone nonattainment area 5 Percent Increment of
Progress SIP adequate for transportation conformity purposes. As a
result of our finding, the motor vehicle emissions budgets from the
submitted SIP revision must be used for future conformity
determinations in the Portland Maine area.
DATES: These motor vehicle emissions budgets are effective September
14, 2005.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The essential information in this
notice will be available at EPA's conformity Web site: http://
www.epa.gov/oms/transp/conform/adequacy.htm. You may also contact Mr.
Donald O. Cooke, Air Quality Unit, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, EPA New England Regional Office, One Congress Street, Suite
1100 (CAQ), Boston, MA 02114-2023, telephone number (617) 918-1668, fax
number (617) 918-0668, e-mail cooke.donald@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By letters dated June 9, 13 and 14, 2005,
the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (ME DEP) submitted to
EPA its State Implementation Plan Revision for Portland Maine's 15
Percent Rate of Progress Plan; 5 Percent Increment of Progress Plan;
Motor Vehicle Emissions Budget; and 2002 Base Year Emission Inventory.
As the 1-hour ozone standard was revoked on June 15, 2005, and the
Portland Maine 1-hour ozone nonattainment area covers a different
geographic area than the Portland Maine 8-hour ozone nonattainment
area, EPA has not taking action to determine the adequacy of the 1-hour
motor vehicle emission budgets, nor is EPA approving the 1-hour budgets
for conformity purposes. The 2007 volatile organic compounds (VOC) and
nitrogen oxides (NOX) motor vehicle emissions budgets
[[Page 51353]]
associated with the Portland Maine 8-hour ozone 5 Percent Increment of
Progress SIP are 20.115 tons per summer weekday of VOC and 39.893 tons
per summer weekday of NOX. These 2007 budgets cover
Sagadahoc County and portions of York, Cumberland, and Androscoggin
Counties. On July 12, 2005, the availability of these budgets was
posted on EPA's website for the purpose of soliciting public comments.
The comment period closed on August 11, 2005, and EPA received no comments.
Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that we have
already made. EPA New England sent a letter to Maine Department of
Environmental Protection on August 12, 2005, finding that the 2007
MOBILE6.2 motor vehicle emissions budgets for the Portland Maine 8-hour
ozone nonattainment area are adequate and must be used for
transportation conformity determinations.
Transportation conformity is required by section 176(c) of the
Clean Air Act. EPA's conformity rule, 40 CFR part 93, 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 we
determine whether a SIP's motor vehicle emission budgets are adequate
for 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 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.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Intergovernmental
relations, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Volatile organic compounds.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: August 20, 2005.
Robert W. Varney,
Regional Administrator, EPA New England.
[FR Doc. 05-17202 Filed 8-29-05; 8:45 am]
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