Adequacy Status of the Spokane, WA Carbon Monoxide Maintenance
Plan and Redesignation Request for Transportation Conformity Purposes
[Federal Register: January 28, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 18)]
[Notices]
[Page 4118-4119]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28ja05-72]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[Docket No. R10-OAR-2005-WA-001; FRL-7864-9]
Adequacy Status of the Spokane, WA Carbon Monoxide Maintenance
Plan and Redesignation Request 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 found
that the motor vehicle emissions budget contained in the submitted
Spokane Carbon Monoxide Maintenance Plan and Redesignation Request is
adequate for transportation conformity purposes. On March 2, 1999, the
D.C. Circuit Court ruled that submitted State Implementation Plans
(SIPs) cannot be used for conformity determinations
[[Page 4119]]
until EPA has found them adequate. This affects future transportation
conformity determinations prepared, reviewed and approved by the
Spokane Regional Transportation Council, Washington State Department of
Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit
Administration.
DATES: This finding is effective February 14, 2005.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The finding is available at EPA's
conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/transp.htm, (once there,
click on the ``Transportation Conformity'' button, then look for
``Adequacy Review of SIP Submissions''). You may also contact Wayne
Elson, U.S. EPA, Region 10, Office of Air, Waste, and Toxics (AWT-107),
1200 Sixth Ave, Seattle WA 98101; (206) 553-1463 or elson.wayne@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that we have
already made. EPA Region 10 sent a letter to the Washington Department
of Ecology January 13, 2005, stating that the SIP is adequate for
transportation conformity purposes.
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 SIPs. 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 is 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 our ultimate approval of the
SIP. Even if we find a SIP adequate for conformity, the SIP could later
be disapproved. For the reader's ease, the 2002 motor vehicle emission
budget excerpted from the Maintenance Plan is 279 tons per winter time
day of carbon monoxide.
We have described our process for determining adequacy in SIPs in
guidance dated May 14, 1999. This guidance is now reflected in the
amended transportation conformity rule, July 1, 2004 (69 FR 40004). We
followed this process in making our adequacy determination.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q.
Dated: January 20, 2005.
Julie M. Hagensen,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 10.
[FR Doc. 05-1632 Filed 1-27-05; 8:45 am]
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