California State Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Standards; 2001
Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Amendments; Within the Scope Request;
Opportunity for Public Hearing; Correction Notice
Related Material
[Federal Register: June 5, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 108)]
[Notices]
[Page 38652-38653]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05jn02-40]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[AMS-FRL-7224-5]
California State Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Standards; 2001
Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Amendments; Within the Scope Request;
Opportunity for Public Hearing; Correction Notice
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of opportunity for public hearing and comment.
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SUMMARY: The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has notified EPA
that it has adopted amendments to the California ZEV regulations (2001
ZEV amendments) after its January 25, 2001 hearing. By letter dated May
21, 2002, California requested that EPA confirm CARB's determination
that the 2001 ZEV amendments are within-the-scope of a previously
issued waiver granted by EPA. On May 21, 2002, EPA published in the
Federal Register (67 FR 35809) (May 21, 2002 notice) a Notice of
Opportunity for public hearing and comment on CARB's request for a
waiver of federal preemption for its Low-Emission Vehicle (LEV)
regulatory amendments (LEVII) and for CARB's request that EPA confirm
CARB's determination that its 1999 ZEV amendments are within-the-scope
of previously issued waivers granted by EPA. This notice announces that
EPA has tentatively scheduled a public hearing concerning CARB's May
21, 2002 request (this hearing is tentatively scheduled to take place
in conjunction with the June 20, 2002 tentative hearing for the 1999
ZEV amendments announced in the May 21, 2002 notice) and that EPA is
accepting comment on this request. EPA invites comments on all relevant
aspects of California's requests, in particular, (1) Whether EPA should
now consider both the 1999 and 2001 ZEV amendments, and (2) whether the
1999 and 2001 ZEV amendments are within the scope of previous waivers
and, if not, whether EPA should waive preemption for the 1999 and 2001
ZEV amendments. Through today's notice EPA also provides a correction
to the May 21, 2002 notice which incorrectly listed the applicable Air
Docket number as ``A-99-26'' whereas the correct Air Docket number for
the 1999 and 2001 ZEV Amendment requests as well as the LEVII
amendments is ``A-2002-11.'' By today's notice EPA also provides a
correction to the location of the hearing(s) tentatively scheduled to
take place on June 20, 2002; the new location is the EPA Auditorium,
401 M St., SW, Washington, DC.
DATES: EPA has tentatively scheduled a public hearing concerning the
1999 and 2001 ZEV amendments on June 20, 2002, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
EPA has also tentatively scheduled a public hearing concerning the
LEVII amendments to commence immediately following the hearing for the
1999 and 2001 ZEV amendments and may carry over until the following
day. EPA will hold hearings only if a party notifies EPA by June 10,
2002 expressing its interest in presenting oral testimony regarding the
1999 ZEV amendments and/or the LEVII amendments. In addition, EPA will
hold a hearing regarding the 2001 ZEV amendments only if a party
notifies EPA by June 14, 2002 expressing its interest in presenting
oral testimony. By June 17, 2002, any person who plans to attend the
hearing(s) should call David Dickinson at (202)564-9256 to learn any of
the hearings will be held. If EPA does not receive a request for any
public hearing, then EPA will not hold hearings, and instead consider
CARB's requests based on written submissions to the docket. Any party
may submit written comments by July 22, 2002.
ADDRESSES: EPA will make available for public inspection at the Air and
Radiation Docket and Information Center written comments received from
interested parties, in addition to any testimony given at the public
hearing. The Air Docket is open during working hours from 8 a.m. to 4
p.m. at EPA, Air Docket (6102), Room M-1500, Waterside Mall, 401 M St.,
SW, Washington, DC 20460. The reference number for this docket is A-
2002-11. Parties wishing to present oral testimony at the public
hearing(s) should provide written notice to David Dickinson at the
address noted below; parties should submit any written comments to
David Dickinson. If EPA receives a request for a public hearing, EPA
will hold the public hearing in the main EPA Auditorium, 401 M Street,
SW, Washington, DC.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Obtaining Electronic Copies of
Documents: David Dickinson, Certification and Compliance Division
(6405J), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave,
NW, Washington, DC 20460. Telephone: (202) 564-9256, Fax: (202) 565-
2057, e-mail address: Dickinson.David@EPA.GOV. EPA makes available an
electronic copy of this Notice on the Office of Transportation and Air
Quality's (OTAQ's) home page (http://www.epa.gov/otaq/). Users can find
this document by accessing the OTAQ home page and looking at the path
entitled ``Regulations.'' This service is free of charge, except any
cost you already incur for Internet connectivity. Users can also get
the official Federal Register version of the Notice on the day of
publication on the primary Web site: (http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/
EPA-AIR/).
Please note that due to differences between the software used to
develop the documents and the software into which the documents may be
downloaded, changes in format, page length, etc., may occur.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
(A) Procedural History
Please see the May 21, 2002 notice noted above for a discussion of
the procedural history of CARB's LEV program including its ZEV
[[Page 38653]]
requirements. As noted above, CARB has submitted a letter to EPA on May
21, 2002 which requests that EPA confirm that its 2001 ZEV amendments
are within the scope of waivers previously granted by EPA.
(B) Background and Discussion
Section 209(a) of the Clean Air Act, as amended (``Act''), 42
U.S.C. 7543(a), provides:
No State or any political subdivision thereof shall adopt or
attempt to enforce any standard relating to the control of emissions
from new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines subject to this
part. No state shall require certification, inspection or any other
approval relating to the control of emission from any new motor
vehicle or new motor vehicle engine as condition precedent to the
initial retail sale, titling (if any), or registration of such motor
vehicle, motor vehicle engine, or equipment.
Section 209(b)(1) of the Act requires the Administrator, after
notice and opportunity for public hearing, to waive application of the
prohibitions of section 209(a) for any state that has adopted standards
(other than crankcase emission standards) for the control of emissions
from new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines prior to March 30,
1966, if the state determines that the state standards will be, in the
aggregate, at least as protective of public health and welfare as
applicable federal standards. California is the only state that is
qualified to seek and receive a waiver under section 209(b). The
Administrator must grant a waiver unless she finds that (A) the
determination of the state is arbitrary and capricious, (B) the state
does not need the state standards to meet compelling and extraordinary
conditions, or (C) the state standards and accompanying enforcement
procedures are not consistent with section 202(a) of the Act.
CARB's May 21, 2002 letter to the Administrator notified EPA that
it had adopted amendments to its ZEV program. The regulatory amendments
covered by CARB's request are amendments to title 13, California Code
of Regulations (CCR), section 1962 and the incorporated ``California
Exhaust Emission Standards and Test Procedures for 2003 and Subsequent
Model Zero-Emission Vehicles, and 2001 and Subsequent Model Hybrid-
Electric vehicles, in the Passenger Car, Light-Duty Truck, and Medium-
Duty Vehicle Classes,'' and amendments to section 1900(b)(19)-(21),
section 1960.1(k) and section 1961(a)(8)(A) and (d), title 13 CCR.
When EPA receives new waiver requests from CARB, EPA traditionally
publishes a notice of opportunity for public hearing and comment and
then publishes a decision in the Federal Register following the public
comment period. In contrast, when EPA receives within the scope waiver
requests from CARB, EPA traditionally publishes a decision in the
Federal Register and concurrently invites public comment if an
interested part is opposed to EPA's decision.
Because EPA has already received written comment on CARB's within
the scope request for its 1999 ZEV amendments and because EPA
anticipates a similar level of interest in CARB's 2001 ZEV amendments,
EPA invites comment on the following issues: (1) Whether California's
1999 and 2001 ZEV amendments should be considered together or
separately; (2) whether California's 2001 ZEV amendments (a) undermine
California's previous determination that its standards, in the
aggregate, are at least as protective of public health and welfare as
comparable Federal standards, (b) affect the consistency of
California's requirements with section 202(a) of the Act, and (c) raise
new issues affecting EPA's previous waiver determinations; and (3)
whether (a) California's determination that its 2001 ZEV amendments, to
the extent they are not within the scope of previous waivers, are at
least as protective of public health and welfare as applicable federal
standards is arbitrary and capricious, (b) California needs separate
standards to meet compelling and extraordinary conditions, and (c)
California's standards and accompanying enforcement procedures are
consistent with section 202(a) of the Act?
Procedures for Public Participation
In recognition that public hearings are designed to give interested
parties an opportunity to participate in this proceeding, there are no
adverse parties as such. Statements by participants will not be subject
to cross-examination by other participants without special approval by
the presiding officer. The presiding officer is authorized to strike
from the record statements that he or she deems irrelevant or
repetitious and to impose reasonable time limits on the duration of the
statement of any participant.
If hearing(s) are held, the Agency will make a verbatim record of
the proceedings. Interested parties may arrange with the reporter at
the hearing(s) to obtain a copy of the transcript at their own expense.
Regardless of whether public hearing(s) are held, EPA will keep the
record open until July 22, 2002. Upon expiration of the comment period,
the Administrator will render a decision on CARB's request based on the
record of the public hearing(s), if any, relevant written submissions,
and other information that she deems pertinent. All information will be
available for inspection at EPA Air Docket. (Docket No. A-2002-11).
EPA requests that parties wishing to submit comments specify which
issue, noted above, they are addressing. Commenters may submit one
document which addresses several issues but they should separate, to
the extent possible, those comments that relate to the 1999 ZEV
amendments, those that relate to the 2001 ZEV amendments, and those
that relate to the LEVII amendments.
Persons with comments containing proprietary information must
distinguish such information from other comments to the greatest
possible extent and label it as ``Confidential Business Information''
(CBI). If a person making comments wants EPA to base its decision in
part on a submission labeled CBI, then a nonconfidential version of the
document that summarizes the key data or information should be
submitted for the public docket. To ensure that proprietary information
is not inadvertently placed in the docket, submissions containing such
information should be sent directly to the contact person listed above
and not to the public docket. Information covered by a claim of
confidentiality will be disclosed by EPA only to the extent allowed and
by the procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2. If no claim of
confidentiality accompanies the submission when EPA receives it, EPA
will make it available to the public without further notice to the
person making comments.
Dated: May 30, 2002.
Jeffrey R. Holmstead,
Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 02-14041 Filed 6-4-02; 8:45 am]
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