[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 68 (Thursday, April 9, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 17349-17350]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-9391]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[FRL-5993-8]


Notice of Intent To Reopen Comment Period for Certain Issues 
Raised in the Proposed Rulemaking for the Nitrogen Oxides 
(NOX) State Implementation Plan (SIP) Call

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Intent to reopen comment period for certain issues raised in 
the proposed rulemaking for a finding of significant contribution and 
rulemaking for certain states in the ozone transport assessment group 
region for purposes of reducing regional transport of ozone.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that EPA intends to reopen during a 
specified period of time the comment period for certain issues raised 
in the Proposed Rulemaking for a Finding of Significant Contribution 
and Rulemaking for Certain States in the Ozone Transport Assessment 
Group Region for Purposes of Reducing Regional Transport of Ozone.

ADDRESSES: Documents relevant to this matter are available for 
inspection at the Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center 
(6101), Attention: Docket No. A-96-56, U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, 401 M Street SW, room M-1500, Washington, DC 20460, telephone 
(202) 260-7548, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. A reasonable fee may be charged for copying.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning today's action 
should be addressed to Kimber Smith Scavo, Office of Air Quality 
Planning and Standards, Air Quality Strategies and Standards Division, 
MD-15, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, telephone (919) 541-3354.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By notice dated November 7, 1997, EPA 
published, ``Proposed Rulemaking: Finding of Significant Contribution 
and Rulemaking for Certain States in the Ozone Transport Assessment 
Group Region for Purposes of Reducing Regional Transport of Ozone'' (62 
FR 60318). This notice may be referred to as the Proposed 
NOX SIP call because it consists, in part, of a requirement 
that certain States submit SIP revisions to require reductions of 
NOX. This notice provided a 120-day comment period, which 
expired on March 9, 1998. The EPA has received numerous requests to

[[Page 17350]]

extend or reopen the comment period for this rulemaking for at least 
certain issues.
    The EPA is today reopening the comment period--during the comment 
period for the supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking for the 
Proposed NOX SIP call, as described below--for additional 
air quality modeling runs relevant to the issues raised in the proposed 
NOX SIP call, as well as comments concerning the 
implications that any such additional runs may have for the State 
NOX budgets under consideration in that rulemaking.
    The EPA is not reopening or extending the comment period of the 
proposed NOX SIP call for other issues not identified above. 
In particular, EPA reiterates its statements in its ``Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) for NOX SIP Call--Clarification of 
Comment Process'' (63 FR 4206, January 28, 1998), in which EPA stated 
that in light of the need to assure that air quality modeling analyses 
would be completed in time for the final NOX SIP call 
rulemaking, it would be necessary to assure that comments on one of the 
critical inputs into the air quality modeling analyses--the emissions 
inventories--were, in a timely manner. Accordingly, EPA stated in that 
notice, ``any comments concerning emission inventory data that are to 
be considered in the modeling analyses must be received by EPA within 
the official 120-day comment period (i.e., by March 9, 1998).'' Id.
    The EPA intends to publish by mid-April 1998 a supplemental notice 
of proposed rulemaking for the proposed NOX SIP call 
(supplemental proposed NOX SIP call or supplemental 
proposal). The EPA intends to provide a 45-day comment period for all 
issues in the supplemental proposal, which would expire at 
approximately the end of May 1998. The reopened comment period for the 
issues identified above will coincide with the comment period for the 
supplemental proposal.

    Dated: April 3, 1998.
Richard D. Wilson,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 98-9391 Filed 4-8-98; 8:45 am]
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