[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 224 (Friday, November 20, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 64437]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-29821]



[[Page 64437]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 81

[AZ-001-BU FRL-6183-8]


Clean Air Act Reclassification; Arizona-Phoenix Nonattainment 
Area; Ozone; Extension of Plan Submittal Deadline

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: On November 6, 1997, EPA published a rule announcing our 
finding that the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area had failed to 
attain the 1-hour national ambient air quality standard for ozone as 
required by the Federal Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act). This finding 
resulted in the area being reclassified by operation of law from a 
``moderate'' to a ``serious'' ozone nonattainment area. In the rule, we 
also set a deadline of December 8, 1998 for Arizona to submit the 
revisions to its implementation plan that are needed to meet the Act's 
requirements for serious ozone nonattainment areas. Here, we are 
proposing a short extension of that deadline to March 22, 1999.

DATES: Comments may be submitted in writing until December 7, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Please address any comments you may have on this document to 
Frances Wicher at the address listed below. We have placed information 
related to this proposed action into a docket. You may look at the 
docket during normal business hours at the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Region 9, Office of Air Planning, 17th floor, 75 
Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California 94105.
    We have also placed a copy of this document in the air programs 
section of our website at www.epa.gov/region09/air.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frances Wicher, Office of Air Planning 
(AIR-2), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9, 75 Hawthorne 
Street, San Francisco, California 94105. (415) 744-1248 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

What is Being Proposed in This Action?

    EPA is proposing to extend by three and one-half months, until 
March 22, 1999, the date by which the State of Arizona must submit the 
revisions to the Phoenix metropolitan area's state implementation plan 
(SIP) that are needed to meet the Clean Air Act's requirements for 
serious ozone nonattainment areas. The current submittal date is 
December 8, 1998.
    We have discussed the reasons for this submittal date extension in 
a direct final rule which you can find in the Rules Section of this 
Federal Register.
    We are extending the submittal deadline for the Phoenix-area 
serious ozone plan in a direct final rule without first proposing the 
rule and providing an opportunity for public comment. We are finalizing 
this rule directly because we believe this is noncontroversial and do 
not expect to receive unfavorable comments on it. If we do not receive 
unfavorable comments, we will take no further action on this proposed 
rule. If we do receive unfavorable comments, then we will withdraw the 
final rule and inform the public that the rule will not take effect. We 
will then address all public comments in a later final rule. Since 
there will not be a second comment period on this action, any member of 
the public who wants to comment on it should do so at this time.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.

    Date Signed: October 24, 1998.
Felicia Marcus,
Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. 98-29821 Filed 11-19-98; 8:45 am]
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