[Federal Register: November 23, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 225)]
[Notices]               
[Page 65696-65697]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23no99-47]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[AZ-016-COLMP; FRL-6480-2]

 
Adequacy Status of the Pima County Submitted CO Limited 
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 found 
that Pima County submitted CO Limited Maintenance Plan is adequate for 
conformity purposes. On March 2, 1999, the D.C. Circuit Court ruled 
that submitted SIPs cannot be used for conformity determinations until 
EPA has affirmatively found them adequate. As a result of our finding, 
Pima County is not required to use a motor vehicle emissions budget 
from the submitted CO Limited Maintenance Plan for future conformity 
determinations. This determination is effective December 8, 1999.

DATES: These budgets are effective December 8, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The finding and, if any comments are 
received, the response to comments are available at EPA's conformity 
website: http://www.epa.gov/oms/traq, (once there, click on the 
``Conformity'' button, then look for ``Adequacy Review of SIP 
Submissions for Conformity'').
    Karina O'Connor, U.S. EPA, Region IX, Air Division AIR-2, 75 
Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105; (415) 744-1247 or 
oconnor.karina@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that we have 
already made. EPA Region IX sent a letter to the Arizona Department of 
Environmental Quality on September 30, 1999 stating that the Pima 
County submitted CO Limited Maintenance Plan is adequate for conformity 
purposes. This finding has also been announced on EPA's conformity 
website: http://www.epa.gov/oms/traq, (once there, click on the 
``Conformity'' button, then look for ``Adequacy Review of SIP 
Submissions for Conformity'').
    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 (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). 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.
    We've described our process for determining the adequacy of 
submitted SIP budgets in guidance (May 14, 1999 memo titled 
``Conformity Guidance on Implementation of March 2, 1999

[[Page 65697]]

Conformity Court Decision''). We followed this guidance in making our 
adequacy determination.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q.

    Dated: November 15, 1999.
Felicia Marcus,
Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. 99-30514 Filed 11-22-99; 8:45 am]
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