[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 39 (Monday, February 28, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10490-10491]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-4654]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[GA47-200003; FRL-6543-4 ]


Adequacy Status of the Atlanta, Georgia Submitted Ozone 
Attainment State Implementation Plan for Transportation Conformity 
Purposes

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of adequacy.

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SUMMARY: In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that we have found 
that the motor vehicle emissions budgets in the Atlanta, Georgia ozone 
attainment State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted on October 28, 
1999, are adequate for conformity purposes. On March 2, 1999, the D.C. 
Circuit Court ruled that submitted SIPs cannot be used for conformity 
determinations until EPA has affirmatively found them adequate. As a 
result of our finding, the Atlanta ozone nonattainment area can use the 
motor vehicle emissions budgets from the submitted ozone attainment SIP 
for future conformity determinations.

DATES: These budgets are effective March 14, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The finding and the response to 
comments will be available at EPA's conformity website: http://www.epa.gov/oms/traq, (once there, click on the ``Conformity'' button, 
then look for ``Adequacy Review of SIP Submissions for Conformity'').
    The SIP is available for public viewing at the United States 
Environmental Protection Agency, 61 Forsyth Street, S.W., Atlanta, 
Georgia, 30303. You can request a copy of the SIP submission by 
contacting Kelly Sheckler, Regulatory Planning Section, United States 
Environmental Protection Agency, 61 Forsyth Street, S.W., Atlanta, 
Georgia 30303, Phone: (404) 562-9042, Fax: (404) 562-9019, E-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that we have 
already made. EPA Region 4 sent a letter to Georgia Environmental 
Protection Division on [DATE] stating that the motor vehicle emissions 
budgets in the October 28, 1999, Atlanta ozone attainment SIP for 2003 
are adequate. This finding has been announced on EPA's conformity 
website referenced above.
    Transportation conformity is required by section 176(c) of the 
Clean Air Act. EPA's conformity rule requires that

[[Page 10491]]

transportation plans, programs, and projects conform to SIPs and 
establishes the criteria and procedures for determining whether or not 
they do. Conformity to a SIP means that transportation activities will 
not produce new air quality violations, worsen existing violations, or 
delay timely attainment of the national ambient air quality standards.
    We've described our process for determining the adequacy of 
submitted SIP budgets in guidance (May 14, 1999 memo titled 
``Conformity Guidance on Implementation of March 2, 1999 Conformity 
Court Decision''). This guidance was used in making our adequacy 
determination. The criteria by which we determine whether a SIP's motor 
vehicle emission budgets are adequate for conformity purposes are 
outlined in 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). Please note that an adequacy review is 
separate from EPA's completeness review, and it also should not be used 
to prejudge EPA's ultimate action to approve or disapprove the SIP. The 
SIP could later be disapproved for reasons unrelated to the 
transportation conformity even though the budgets had been deemed 
adequate.

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

    Dated: February 17, 2000.
Stanley Meiburg,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4.
[FR Doc. 00-4654 Filed 2-25-00; 8:45 am]
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