Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; State of Arkansas; Regional Haze and Interstate Visibility Transport Federal Implementation Plan

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is promulgating a final Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) addressing the requirements of the Regional Haze Rule and interstate visibility transport for the portions of Arkansas' Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) that EPA disapproved in a final rule published in the Federal Register on March 12, 2012. In that action, we partially approved and partially disapproved the State's plan to implement the regional haze program for the first planning period. This final rule addresses the Regional Haze Rule's requirements for Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART), reasonable progress, and a long-term strategy (LTS), as well as the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) regarding interference with other states' programs for visibility protection (interstate visibility transport) triggered by the issuance of the 1997 ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and the 1997 fine particulate matter (PM2.5) NAAQS. The FIP includes sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOX), and particulate matter (PM) emission limits for nine units located at six facilities to address BART requirements (these limits also satisfy reasonable progress requirements for these sources); and SO2 and NOX emission limits for two units located at one power plant to address the reasonable progress requirements. We also provide reasonable progress goals (RPGs) for Arkansas' Class I areas. We are prepared to work with the State on a SIP revision that would replace some or all elements of the FIP.