Adequacy Status of Greene County, IN, 8-Hour Ozone Redesignation
and Maintenance Plan for Transportation Conformity Purposes
[Federal Register: October 20, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 202)]
[Notices]
[Page 61128-61129]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20oc05-45]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[IN-163-1; FRL-7986-3]
Adequacy Status of Greene County, IN, 8-Hour Ozone Redesignation
and 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 EPA has found
that the motor vehicle emissions budgets in the Greene County, Indiana
8-hour ozone redesignation request and maintenance plan are adequate
for conformity purposes. On March 2, 1999, the DC Circuit Court ruled
that submitted State Implementation Plans (SIPs) cannot be used for
conformity determinations until EPA has affirmatively found them
adequate. As a result of our finding, Greene County can use the motor
vehicle emissions budgets from the submitted 8-hour ozone
[[Page 61129]]
redesignation request and maintenance plan for future conformity
determinations. These budgets are effective November 4, 2005. The
finding and the response to comments will be available at EPA's
conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/transp.htm, (once there,
click on the ``Conformity'' button, then look for ``Adequacy Review of
SIP Submissions for Conformity'').
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathleen D'Agostino, Environmental
Engineer, Criteria Pollutant 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)
886-1767, dagostino.kathleen@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, whenever ``we,''
``us'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.
Background: Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding
that we have already made. EPA Region 5 sent a letter to the Indiana
Department of Environmental Management on September 29, 2005, stating
that the motor vehicle emissions budgets for the year 2015, submitted
in the Greene County, Indiana 8-hour ozone redesignation request and
maintenance plan, are adequate. This finding has been announced on
EPA's conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/transp.htm, (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 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 Conformity
Court Decision''). We followed this guidance in making our adequacy
determination.
Dated: October 11, 2005.
Richard C. Karl,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.
[FR Doc. 05-20979 Filed 10-19-05; 8:45 am]
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