[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 175 (Monday, September 11, 1995)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 47084-47085]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-22332]



-----------------------------------------------------------------------


ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52

[FRL-5291-5]


Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Disapproval of the Enhanced Motor Vehicle 
Inspection and Maintenance Program

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Final rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: EPA hereby gives notice that pursuant to its authority under 
Clean Air Act (the Act) section 110(k)(4), 42 U.S.C. 7410(k)(3), in an 
April 13, 1995 letter EPA notified Pennsylvania that the conditional 
approval of the Pennsylvania enhanced Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) 
State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision had been converted to a 
disapproval. The letter triggered the 18-month timeclock for the 
mandatory application of sanctions under section 179(a) of the Act and 
the 24-month timeclock for the Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) under 
section 110(c)(1). This also serves to amend the C.F.R. to note the 
conversion of the conditional approval to a disapproval.

EFFECTIVE DATE: September 11, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mrs. Kelly L. Bunker, (215) 597- 4554.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 31, 1994 a final rule was 
published in the Federal Register (59 FR 44936) which conditionally 
approved the November 3, 1993 Pennsylvania SIP submittal for a 
centralized, test-only enhanced I/M program. The first two conditions 
of the conditional approval were required to be fulfilled by December 
31, 1994. The first two conditions for approvability were as follows:
    (1) by December 31, 1994, the Commonwealth was required to submit 
to EPA as a SIP revision, the Pennsylvania Bulletin notice which 
certified that the enhanced I/M program was required in order to comply 
with federal law, certified the geographic areas which were subject to 
the enhanced I/M program, and certified the 

[[Page 47085]]
commencement date of the enhanced I/M program and
    (2) by December 31, 1994, the Commonwealth was required to submit 
to EPA as a SIP amendment, the amendments to the Pennsylvania I/M 
regulation, 67 Pa Code Sec. 178.202-205, which require EPA approval 
prior to implementation of any alternate purge test procedure and 
incorporate the transient emission standards for Tier 1 vehicles, the 
Phase 2 standards for all vehicle types and model years, and the 
transient and evaporative purge test procedures found in the final 
version of the EPA document entitled ``High-Tech I/M Test Procedures, 
Emission Standards, Quality Control Requirements, and Equipment 
Specifications'', EPA-AA-EPSD-IM-93-1, April 1994.
    The proposed rulemaking stated that if the Commonwealth did not 
submit, by December 31, 1994, a SIP revision in response to the first 
two conditions of the approval action, the conditional approval would 
convert to a disapproval. EPA has not received a SIP revision which 
fulfills the first two conditions of the August 31, 1994 conditional 
approval. EPA notified the Commonwealth by an April 13, 1995 letter 
that the conditional approval of the Pennsylvania enhanced I/M SIP had 
been converted to a full disapproval pursuant to section 110(k)(4) of 
the Clean Air Act (the Act). This action taken on April 13, 1995 
started both the 18 and subsequent 6 month sanctions clocks and the 24-
month FIP clock. The Commonwealth must submit and EPA must take 
rulemaking action to approve an enhanced I/M SIP by October 13, 1996 
and April 13, 1997, respectively, in order to halt these sanctions and 
FIP clocks.
    EPA believes that the good cause exception to the notice and 
comment rulemaking requirement applies to this rulemaking action. 
[Administrative Procedure Act (APA) section 553(a)(B)]. Section 
553(a)(B) of the APA provides that the Agency need not provide notice 
and an opportunity for comment if the Agency, for good cause, 
determines that notice and comment are ``impracticable, unnecessary, or 
contrary to the public interest.'' In the present circumstance, notice 
and comment are unnecessary. The conversion of the conditional approval 
to a disapproval does not require any judgment on the part of the 
Agency. The issue is clear that the Agency must state whether or not it 
has received any SIP revision by the required date from the 
Commonwealth in response to the conditions set forth in the conditional 
approval of the Commonwealth's enhanced I/M SIP. No substantive review 
is required for such a determination. The Agency is the only judge of 
whether or not it has received the SIP revision to meet the conditions 
of the conditional approval. Because there is nothing on which to 
comment, notice and comment rulemaking are unnecessary.

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Ozone.

    Dated: August 2, 1995.
W. Michael McCabe,
Regional Administrator, Region III.

    40 CFR part 52 is amended as follows:

PART 52--[AMENDED]

    1. The authority citation for part 52 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q.

Subpart NN--Pennsylvania

    2. Section 52.2023 is amended by adding paragraph (j) to read as 
follows:


Sec. 52.2023  Approval status.

* * * * *
    (j) The conditionally approved Pennsylvania enhanced I/M SIP 
revision (59 FR 44936) submitted on November 3, 1993 by the 
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources was converted to a 
disapproval by an April 13, 1995 letter from EPA to Pennsylvania.


Sec. 52.2026  [Removed and Reserved]

    3. Section 52.2026 is removed and reserved.

[FR Doc. 95-22332 Filed 9-8-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P