Air Plan Approval; Georgia; Cross-State Air Pollution Rule

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve portions of a revision to the Georgia State Implementation Plan (SIP) concerning the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) and the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) that was submitted by Georgia on July 26, 2017. Under CSAPR, large electricity generating units (EGUs) in Georgia are subject to Federal Implementation Plans (FIPs) requiring the units to participate in CSAPR's federal trading program for annual emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX), one of CSAPR's two federal trading programs for annual emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), and one of CSAPR's two federal trading programs for ozone season emissions of NOX. This action would approve the State's regulations requiring large Georgia EGUs to participate in new CSAPR state trading programs for annual NOX, annual SO2, and ozone season NOX emissions integrated with the CSAPR federal trading programs, replacing the corresponding FIP requirements. EPA is proposing to approve the portions of the SIP revision concerning these CSAPR state trading programs because these portions of the SIP revision meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) and EPA's regulations for approval of a CSAPR full SIP revision replacing the requirements of a CSAPR FIP. Under the CSAPR regulations, approval of these portions of the SIP revision would automatically eliminate Georgia's units' obligations under the corresponding CSAPR FIPs addressing interstate transport requirements for the 1997 Annual Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, and the 1997 8-hour Ozone NAAQS. Approval of these portions of the SIP revision would satisfy Georgia's good neighbor obligation for the 1997 Annual PM2.5 NAAQS, the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, and the 1997 8-hour Ozone NAAQS. In addition, approval of this revision would remove from Georgia's SIP those state trading program rules adopted to comply with CAIR.