[Federal Register: December 30, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 250)]
[Notices]               
[Page 73549-73550]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30de99-94]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[CA021-NOA; FRL-6517-6]

 
Adequacy Status of the Santa Barbara County, California Submitted 
Ozone Attainment 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 the 1999 on-road mobile source emissions budgets specified in the 
submitted Santa Barbara County, California Ozone Attainment Plan (1998 
Clean Air Plan) are adequate for conformity purposes. As a result of 
our finding, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments and 
the Federal Highway Administration are required to use the 1999 motor 
vehicle emissions budgets specified in the submitted 1998 Ozone 
Attainment Plan for future conformity determinations.

DATES: This budget finding is effective January 14, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The finding and 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''). You may 
also contact Sam Agpawa, U.S. EPA, Region IX, Air Division AIR-2, 75 
Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105; (415) 744-1228 or 
Agpawa.sam@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Today's notice is simply an announcement of 
a finding that we have already made. EPA Region IX sent a letter to the 
California Air Quality Board on December 3, 1999 stating that the 1999 
on-road mobile source emissions budgets specified in the submitted 1998 
Santa Barbara County Ozone Attainment Plan are adequate for conformity 
purposes. This finding has also been announced on our 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. Our 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

[[Page 73550]]

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 
emissions budgets are adequate for conformity purposes are outlined in 
40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). Please note that an adequacy review is separate 
from our completeness review which is required by section 110(k)(1) of 
the Clean Air Act, 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.

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

    Dated: December 17, 1999.
Felicia Marcus,
Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. 99-33956 Filed 12-29-99; 8:45 am]
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