83 FR 679 - Adequacy Status of Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets in Submitted PM2.5
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 4 (January 5, 2018)
Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 4 (January 5, 2018)
| Page Range | 679-680 | |
| FR Document | 2018-00029 |
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 4 (Friday, January 5, 2018)] [Notices] [Pages 679-680] From the Federal Register Online [www.thefederalregister.org] [FR Doc No: 2018-00029] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA-R09-OAR-2017-0490; FRL-9972-80-Region 9] Adequacy Status of Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets in Submitted PM2.5 Serious Area Plan for South Coast; California AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of adequacy. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or ``Agency'') is notifying the public that the Agency has found that the motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs or ``budgets'') for the years 2017 and 2019 in the 2016 South Coast Serious Area Plan for the 2006 24-hour fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) (``2016 PM2.5 Plan'' or ``Plan'') are adequate for transportation conformity purposes. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) submitted the 2016 PM2.5 Plan to the EPA on April 27, 2017, as a revision to the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). Upon the effective date of this notice of adequacy, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and the U.S. Department of Transportation must use the adequate budgets in future transportation conformity analyses. DATES: This finding is effective January 22, 2018. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wienke Tax, EPA, Region IX, Air Division AIR-2, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-3901; (415) 947-4192 or [email protected]. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, whenever ``we,'' ``us,'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA. Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that we have already made. EPA Region IX sent a letter to CARB on December 19, 2017, stating that the MVEBs in the 2016 PM2.5 Plan for the reasonable further progress (RFP) milestone year of 2017 and attainment year of 2019 are adequate. The finding is available at the EPA's conformity website: https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-transportation/adequacy-review-state-implementation-plan-sip-submissions-conformity. We announced the availability of the Plan and related budgets on the EPA's conformity website on October 18, 2017. We received no comments in response to this announcement. The adequate budgets are provided in the following table: Adequate Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets in South Coast 2006 PM2.5 Serious Area Plan [Annual average tons per day] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volatile Directly Budget Year organic Nitrogen emitted PM2.5 compounds oxides ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2017............................................................ 99 200 21 2019............................................................ 83 169 20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Transportation conformity is required by CAA section 176(c). The EPA's Transportation Conformity Rule at 40 CFR part 93, subpart A requires that transportation plans, transportation improvement programs, and projects conform to 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 NAAQS. The criteria we use to determine whether a SIP's motor vehicle emission budgets are adequate for conformity purposes are outlined in 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4), promulgated on August 15, 1997 (62 FR 43780, 43781-43783). We further described our process for determining the adequacy of submitted SIP budgets in our July 1, 2004 final rule (69 FR 40004, 40038), and we used the information in these resources in making our adequacy determination. Please note that an adequacy review is separate from the EPA's completeness review and should not be used to prejudge the EPA's ultimate action on the SIP. Even if we find a budget adequate, the SIP could later be disapproved. Consistent with the requirements set forth in the Fine Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards: State Implementation Plan Requirements, Final Rule (81 FR 58010, August 24, 2016) (``PM2.5 SIP Requirements Rule''), the 2016 PM2.5 Plan contains RFP budgets for 2020, which is the year following the attainment year. As explained below, we are not taking action on the 2020 budgets at this time. The Transportation Conformity Rule requires that control strategy SIPs, including the RFP plans and attainment plans required for Serious PM2.5 nonattainment areas,\1\ contain MVEBs for direct PM2.5 and PM2.5 precursors subject to transportation conformity analyses for each milestone year addressed in the control strategy.\2\ [[Page 680]] Under the PM2.5 SIP Requirements Rule, Serious area PM2.5 attainment plans must define appropriate quantitative milestones and include projected RFP emission levels for direct PM2.5 and all PM2.5 plan precursors in each milestone year. For an area designated nonattainment for the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS before January 15, 2015, the attainment plan must contain quantitative milestones to be achieved no later than 3 years after December 31, 2014, and every 3 years thereafter until the milestone date that falls within 3 years after the applicable attainment date (40 CFR 51.1013(a)(4)).\3\ As the EPA explained in the preamble to the PM2.5 SIP Requirements Rule, it is important to include a post-attainment year quantitative milestone to ensure that, if the area fails to attain by the attainment date, the EPA can continue to monitor the area's progress toward attainment while the state develops a new attainment plan (see 81 FR 58010, 58063-58064, August 24, 2016). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\ See 40 CFR 93.101 (defining ``control strategy implementation plan revision''). \2\ See 40 CFR 93.101 (defining ``motor vehicle emissions budget''), 93.102(b)(2)(iv) and (v) (establishing applicability of part 93 requirements to PM2.5 precursor pollutants) and 93.118(a) (requiring that each transportation plan, TIP, or project not from a conforming transportation plan and TIP be consistent with the motor vehicle emissions budget(s) in the applicable implementation plan (or implementation plan submission)). \3\ See also 81 FR 58010, 58058 and 58063-58064 (August 24, 2016). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Consistent with the requirements of 40 CFR 51.1013(a)(4), the 2016 PM2.5 Plan identifies December 31, 2017, as the first quantitative milestone date (i.e., the date 3 years after December 31, 2014). The second quantitative milestone date is December 31, 2020, and is also the last milestone date identified in the Plan because it falls within 3 years after the December 31, 2019 attainment date for the area.\4\ Although this post-attainment year quantitative milestone is a required element of the Serious area plan, it is not necessary to demonstrate transportation conformity for 2020 in the submitted SIP or to use the 2020 budgets in transportation conformity determinations until such time as the area fails to attain the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. Therefore, the EPA is not taking action at this time on the submitted MVEBs for 2020 in the 2016 PM2.5 Plan. Additionally, the EPA has not yet started the adequacy process for the 2020 budgets. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \4\ Under CAA section 188(c)(2), a Serious PM2.5 nonattainment area must attain the PM2.5 NAAQS as expeditiously as practicable but no later than the end of the tenth calendar year after the area is designated as nonattainment. Because the South Coast area was designated as nonattainment for the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS effective December 14, 2009 (74 FR 58688, November 13, 2009), the latest permissible attainment date for the area is December 31, 2019. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- If the EPA were to either find adequate or approve the post- attainment milestone year MVEBs now, those budgets would have to be used in transportation conformity determinations that are made after the effective date of the adequacy finding or approval even if the South Coast area ultimately attains the PM2.5 NAAQS by the Serious area attainment date. This would mean that SCAG \5\ would be required to demonstrate conformity for the post-attainment date milestone year and all later years addressed in the conformity determination (e.g., the last year of the metropolitan transportation plan) to the post-attainment date RFP budgets rather than the budgets associated with the attainment year for the area (i.e., the budgets for 2019). The EPA does not believe that it is necessary to demonstrate conformity using these post-attainment year budgets in areas that either the EPA anticipates will attain by the attainment date or in areas that attain by the attainment date. As discussed elsewhere in this notice, the EPA is announcing that it has found adequate the MVEBs for the first milestone year (2017) and the attainment year (2019) for the South Coast PM2.5 nonattainment area. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \5\ SCAG is the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the South Coast 2006 PM2.5 nonattainment area. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- If and when the EPA determines that the South Coast area has failed to attain the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS by the applicable attainment date, the EPA will begin the MVEB adequacy and approval processes for the post-attainment year (2020) budgets. If the EPA finds the 2020 budgets adequate or approves them, those budgets will have to be used in subsequent transportation conformity determinations. The EPA believes that initiating the process to act on the submitted post- attainment year MVEBs following a determination that the area has failed to attain by the Serious area attainment date ensures that transportation activities will not cause or contribute to new violations, increase the frequency or severity of any existing violations, or delay timely attainment or any required interim emission reductions or milestones in the South Coast PM2.5 nonattainment area, consistent with the requirements of CAA section 176(c)(1)(B). Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq. Dated: December 20, 2017. Alexis Strauss, Acting Regional Administrator, Region IX. [FR Doc. 2018-00029 Filed 1-4-18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
![Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2018 / Notices 679
Corporation, 7475 W. Main St., ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION must use the adequate budgets in future
Milwaukee, WI 53214). Product name: AGENCY transportation conformity analyses.
Romeo®. Active ingredient: Systemic DATES: This finding is effective January
resistance inducer (SRI)—Cerevisane [EPA–R09–OAR–2017–0490; FRL–9972–80– 22, 2018.
(cell walls of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Region 9] FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
strain LAS117) at 94.1%. Proposed use: Wienke Tax, EPA, Region IX, Air
End-use product that is a systemic Adequacy Status of Motor Vehicle Division AIR–2, 75 Hawthorne Street,
resistance inducer. Contact: BPPD. Emissions Budgets in Submitted PM2.5 San Francisco, CA 94105–3901; (415)
Serious Area Plan for South Coast; 947–4192 or tax.wienke@epa.gov.
4. File Symbol: 91810–R. Docket ID California
number: EPA–HQ–OPP–2017–0316. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Applicant: Technology Sciences Group AGENCY: Environmental Protection Throughout this document, whenever
Inc., 712 Fifth St., Suite A, Davis, CA Agency (EPA). ‘‘we,’’ ‘‘us,’’ or ‘‘our’’ is used, we mean
95616 (on behalf of Lesaffre Yeast ACTION: Notice of adequacy. EPA.
Corporation, 7475 W. Main St., Today’s notice is simply an
Milwaukee, WI 53214). Product name: SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection announcement of a finding that we have
Cerevisane Technical. Active ingredient: Agency (EPA or ‘‘Agency’’) is notifying already made. EPA Region IX sent a
Systemic resistance inducer (SRI)— the public that the Agency has found letter to CARB on December 19, 2017,
Cerevisane (cell walls of Saccharomyces that the motor vehicle emissions stating that the MVEBs in the 2016
cerevisiae strain LAS117) at 94.1%. budgets (MVEBs or ‘‘budgets’’) for the PM2.5 Plan for the reasonable further
Proposed use: For manufacturing use. years 2017 and 2019 in the 2016 South progress (RFP) milestone year of 2017
Coast Serious Area Plan for the 2006 24- and attainment year of 2019 are
Contact: BPPD.
hour fine particulate matter (PM2.5) adequate. The finding is available at the
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq. National Ambient Air Quality Standards EPA’s conformity website: https://
Dated: December 4, 2017. (NAAQS) (‘‘2016 PM2.5 Plan’’ or ‘‘Plan’’) www.epa.gov/state-and-local-
Delores Barber,
are adequate for transportation transportation/adequacy-review-state-
conformity purposes. The California Air implementation-plan-sip-submissions-
Director, Information Technology and Resources Board (CARB) submitted the conformity. We announced the
Resources Management Division,Office of
2016 PM2.5 Plan to the EPA on April 27, availability of the Plan and related
Pesticide Programs.
2017, as a revision to the California budgets on the EPA’s conformity
[FR Doc. 2018–00021 Filed 1–4–18; 8:45 am]
State Implementation Plan (SIP). Upon website on October 18, 2017. We
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P the effective date of this notice of received no comments in response to
adequacy, the Southern California this announcement. The adequate
Association of Governments (SCAG) and budgets are provided in the following
the U.S. Department of Transportation table:
ADEQUATE MOTOR VEHICLE EMISSIONS BUDGETS IN SOUTH COAST 2006 PM2.5 SERIOUS AREA PLAN
[Annual average tons per day]
Volatile Directly
Nitrogen
Budget Year organic emitted
oxides
compounds PM2.5
2017 ............................................................................................................................................. 99 200 21
2019 ............................................................................................................................................. 83 169 20
Transportation conformity is required SIP budgets in our July 1, 2004 final rule we are not taking action on the 2020
by CAA section 176(c). The EPA’s (69 FR 40004, 40038), and we used the budgets at this time.
Transportation Conformity Rule at 40 information in these resources in The Transportation Conformity Rule
CFR part 93, subpart A requires that making our adequacy determination. requires that control strategy SIPs,
transportation plans, transportation Please note that an adequacy review is including the RFP plans and attainment
improvement programs, and projects separate from the EPA’s completeness plans required for Serious PM2.5
conform to SIPs and establishes the review and should not be used to nonattainment areas,1 contain MVEBs
criteria and procedures for determining prejudge the EPA’s ultimate action on for direct PM2.5 and PM2.5 precursors
whether or not they do. Conformity to the SIP. Even if we find a budget subject to transportation conformity
a SIP means that transportation adequate, the SIP could later be analyses for each milestone year
activities will not produce new air disapproved. addressed in the control strategy.2
quality violations, worsen existing
violations, or delay timely attainment of Consistent with the requirements set 1 See 40 CFR 93.101 (defining ‘‘control strategy
the NAAQS. forth in the Fine Particulate Matter implementation plan revision’’).
The criteria we use to determine National Ambient Air Quality 2 See 40 CFR 93.101 (defining ‘‘motor vehicle
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
whether a SIP’s motor vehicle emission Standards: State Implementation Plan emissions budget’’), 93.102(b)(2)(iv) and (v)
Requirements, Final Rule (81 FR 58010, (establishing applicability of part 93 requirements
budgets are adequate for conformity to PM2.5 precursor pollutants) and 93.118(a)
purposes are outlined in 40 CFR August 24, 2016) (‘‘PM2.5 SIP (requiring that each transportation plan, TIP, or
93.118(e)(4), promulgated on August 15, Requirements Rule’’), the 2016 PM2.5 project not from a conforming transportation plan
Plan contains RFP budgets for 2020, and TIP be consistent with the motor vehicle
1997 (62 FR 43780, 43781–43783). We emissions budget(s) in the applicable
further described our process for which is the year following the implementation plan (or implementation plan
determining the adequacy of submitted attainment year. As explained below, submission)).
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![680 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2018 / Notices
Under the PM2.5 SIP Requirements Rule, effective date of the adequacy finding or GENERAL SERVICES
Serious area PM2.5 attainment plans approval even if the South Coast area ADMINISTRATION
must define appropriate quantitative ultimately attains the PM2.5 NAAQS by
[Notice–MG–2017–04; Docket No. 2017–
milestones and include projected RFP the Serious area attainment date. This 0002; Sequence No. 27]
emission levels for direct PM2.5 and all would mean that SCAG 5 would be
PM2.5 plan precursors in each milestone required to demonstrate conformity for Office of Federal High-Performance
year. For an area designated the post-attainment date milestone year Buildings; Green Building Advisory
nonattainment for the 2006 PM2.5 and all later years addressed in the Committee; Notification of Upcoming
NAAQS before January 15, 2015, the conformity determination (e.g., the last Teleconference
attainment plan must contain
year of the metropolitan transportation AGENCY: Office of Government-wide
quantitative milestones to be achieved
plan) to the post-attainment date RFP Policy (OGP), General Services
no later than 3 years after December 31,
2014, and every 3 years thereafter until budgets rather than the budgets Administration (GSA).
the milestone date that falls within 3 associated with the attainment year for ACTION: Meeting notice.
years after the applicable attainment the area (i.e., the budgets for 2019). The
date (40 CFR 51.1013(a)(4)).3 As the EPA does not believe that it is necessary SUMMARY: Notice of this teleconference
EPA explained in the preamble to the to demonstrate conformity using these is being provided according to the
PM2.5 SIP Requirements Rule, it is post-attainment year budgets in areas requirements of the Federal Advisory
important to include a post-attainment that either the EPA anticipates will Committee Act. This notice provides the
year quantitative milestone to ensure attain by the attainment date or in areas schedule for a teleconference/web
that, if the area fails to attain by the that attain by the attainment date. As meeting of the Advisory Committee,
attainment date, the EPA can continue discussed elsewhere in this notice, the which is open for the public to listen to
to monitor the area’s progress toward EPA is announcing that it has found and observe. Interested individuals
attainment while the state develops a adequate the MVEBs for the first must register to attend as instructed
new attainment plan (see 81 FR 58010, milestone year (2017) and the below under SUPPLEMENTARY
58063–58064, August 24, 2016). attainment year (2019) for the South INFORMATION.
Consistent with the requirements of Coast PM2.5 nonattainment area. DATES: The Committee will hold a
40 CFR 51.1013(a)(4), the 2016 PM2.5 teleconference/web meeting on Monday,
Plan identifies December 31, 2017, as If and when the EPA determines that
the South Coast area has failed to attain February 5, 2018, from 2:00 p.m.,
the first quantitative milestone date (i.e., Eastern Standard Time (EST), to 4:00
the date 3 years after December 31, the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS by the
p.m., EST.
2014). The second quantitative applicable attainment date, the EPA will
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
milestone date is December 31, 2020, begin the MVEB adequacy and approval
processes for the post-attainment year Ken Sandler, Designated Federal
and is also the last milestone date
Officer, Office of Federal High-
identified in the Plan because it falls (2020) budgets. If the EPA finds the
Performance Buildings, OGP, GSA, 1800
within 3 years after the December 31, 2020 budgets adequate or approves
F Street NW, Washington, DC, 20405,
2019 attainment date for the area.4 them, those budgets will have to be used
telephone 202–219–1121 (note: this is
Although this post-attainment year in subsequent transportation conformity not a toll-free number). Additional
quantitative milestone is a required determinations. The EPA believes that
element of the Serious area plan, it is information about the Committee is
initiating the process to act on the available on-line at http://www.gsa.gov/
not necessary to demonstrate submitted post-attainment year MVEBs
transportation conformity for 2020 in gbac.
following a determination that the area SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
the submitted SIP or to use the 2020 has failed to attain by the Serious area
budgets in transportation conformity Procedures for Attendance: Contact Mr.
attainment date ensures that Ken Sandler at ken.sandler@gsa.gov to
determinations until such time as the
transportation activities will not cause register to listen in to the
area fails to attain the 2006 PM2.5
or contribute to new violations, increase teleconference. To attend the
NAAQS. Therefore, the EPA is not
taking action at this time on the the frequency or severity of any existing teleconference, submit your full name,
submitted MVEBs for 2020 in the 2016 violations, or delay timely attainment or organization, email address, and phone
PM2.5 Plan. Additionally, the EPA has any required interim emission number. Requests to listen in to the calls
not yet started the adequacy process for reductions or milestones in the South must be received by Monday, January
the 2020 budgets. Coast PM2.5 nonattainment area, 29, 2018, by 5:00 p.m., EST (GSA will
If the EPA were to either find consistent with the requirements of be unable to provide technical
adequate or approve the post-attainment CAA section 176(c)(1)(B). assistance to any listener experiencing
milestone year MVEBs now, those Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
technical difficulties. Testing access to
budgets would have to be used in the web meeting site in advance of calls
transportation conformity Dated: December 20, 2017. is recommended).
determinations that are made after the Alexis Strauss, Background: The Administrator of
Acting Regional Administrator, Region IX. GSA established the Committee on June
3 See also 81 FR 58010, 58058 and 58063–58064
[FR Doc. 2018–00029 Filed 1–4–18; 8:45 am] 20, 2011 (Federal Register/Vol. 76, No.
(August 24, 2016). 118) pursuant to Section 494 of the
4 Under CAA section 188(c)(2), a Serious PM BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
2.5 Energy Independence and Security Act
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
nonattainment area must attain the PM2.5 NAAQS
as expeditiously as practicable but no later than the
of 2007 (EISA, 42 U.S.C. 17123). Under
end of the tenth calendar year after the area is this authority, the Committee provides
designated as nonattainment. Because the South independent policy advice and
Coast area was designated as nonattainment for the recommendations to GSA to improve
2006 PM2.5 NAAQS effective December 14, 2009 (74
FR 58688, November 13, 2009), the latest 5 SCAG is the Metropolitan Planning federal buildings (assets, operations,
permissible attainment date for the area is Organization for the South Coast 2006 PM2.5 use, and resilience) to enhance human
December 31, 2019. nonattainment area. health and performance, and safeguard
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Document Created: 2018-10-26 09:32:07
Document Modified: 2018-10-26 09:32:07
| Category | Regulatory Information | |
| Collection | Federal Register | |
| sudoc Class | AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106: | |
| Publisher | Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration | |
| Section | Notices | |
| Action | Notice of adequacy. | |
| Dates | This finding is effective January 22, 2018. | |
| Contact | Wienke Tax, EPA, Region IX, Air Division AIR-2, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-3901; (415) 947-4192 or [email protected] | |
| FR Citation | 83 FR 679 |
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