Federal Register: February 2, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 21)
DOCID: FR Doc 05-1996
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Environmental Protection Agency
IL ID: [IL-224-1; FRL-7867-6]
NOTICE: NOTICES
ACTION: Air programs:
DOCUMENT ACTION: Notice of adequacy.
SUBJECT CATEGORY:
Adequacy Status of Metro-East St. Louis, IL Submitted 1-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan for Transportation Conformity Purposes
DOCUMENT SUMMARY:
In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that EPA has found that the motor vehicle emissions budgets in the MetroEast St. Louis, Illinois 1hour ozone 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, MetroEast St. Louis can use the motor vehicle emissions budgets from the submitted 1hour ozone maintenance plan for future conformity determinations. These budgets are effective February 17, 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'').
SUMMARY:
State implementation plans; adequacy status for transportation conformity purposes—; Illinois,
SUPPLEMENTAL 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 Illinois Environmental Protection Agency on January 10, 2005, stating that the motor vehicle emissions budgets in the MetroEast St. Louis, Illinois submitted 1 hour ozone maintenance plan for 2007 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.
[[Page 5440]]
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.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: January 18, 2005.
Norman Niedergang,
Acting Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 051996 Filed 2105; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 656050P
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Anthony Maietta, Life Scientist, Criteria Pollutant Section (AR18J), Air Programs Branch, Air and Radiation Division, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5, 77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604, (312) 3538777, Maietta.anthony@epa.gov.