Determinations of Attainment by the Attainment Date, Extensions of the Attainment Date, and Reclassification of Several Areas Classified as Moderate for the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing three actions related to the attainment date for 11 areas classified as ``Moderate'' for the 2008 ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). First, the agency is proposing to determine that two areas-- the Baltimore, Maryland, and Mariposa County, California, nonattainment areas--attained the standard by the July 20, 2018, attainment date. Second, the agency is proposing to grant requests for a 1-year attainment date extension to two other areas: Denver-Boulder-Greeley- Ft. Collins-Loveland, Colorado, and Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. Third, the agency is proposing to determine that seven areas failed to attain the standards by the attainment date: Chicago-Naperville, Illinois- Indiana-Wisconsin; Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Greater Connecticut, Connecticut; Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, Texas; Nevada County (Western part), California; New York-North New Jersey-Long Island, Connecticut- New York-New Jersey; and San Diego County, California. The effect of failing to attain by the attainment date is that such areas will be reclassified by operation of law to ``Serious'' upon the effective date of the final reclassification notice. Consequently, the responsible state air agencies must submit State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions required to satisfy the statutory and regulatory requirements for Serious areas for the 2008 ozone NAAQS. The EPA is proposing deadlines for submittal of those SIP revisions and implementation of the related control requirements. This proposed action is necessary to fulfill the EPA's statutory obligation to determine whether ozone nonattainment areas attained the NAAQS by the attainment date, and, within 6 months of the attainment date, publish a notice in the Federal Register identifying each area that is determined as having failed to attain and identifying the reclassification.