[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 231 (Thursday, November 30, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71313-71314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-30541]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[NV-031-NOA; FRL-6909-9]


Adequacy Status of the Clark County, NV Submitted CO Attainment 
Plan for Transportation Conformity Purposes

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of adequacy determination.

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SUMMARY: In this document, EPA is notifying the public that we have 
found that the submitted Clark County (Las Vegas, NV) serious area 
carbon monoxide (CO) attainment plan is adequate for transportation 
conformity purposes. As a result of our finding, the Regional 
Transportation Commission

[[Page 71314]]

and the Federal Highway Administration can use the CO motor vehicle 
emissions budgets from the submitted plan for future conformity 
determinations.

DATES: This determination is effective December 15, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The finding is 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''). You may also contact Karina O'Connor, 
U.S. EPA, Region IX, Air Division AIR-2, 75 Hawthorne Street, San 
Francisco, CA 94105; (415) 744-1247 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    This notice announces our finding that the Carbon Monoxide Air 
Quality Implementation Plan for the Clark County Non-attainment Area, 
submitted by the State of Nevada on August 24, 2000, is adequate for 
transportation conformity purposes. EPA Region IX made this finding in 
a letter to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection on November 
20, 2000. We are also announcing this finding on our 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'').
    Transportation conformity is required by section 176(c) of the 
Clean Air Act. Our conformity rule requires that transportation plans, 
programs, and projects conform to state air quality implementation 
plans (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.
    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). One of these criterion is that the plan provide 
for attainment of the relevant ambient air quality standard by the 
applicable Clean Air Act attainment date. We have preliminarily 
determined that the Clark County CO plan does provide for attainment of 
the CO standards and therefore, can be found adequate.
    This adequacy finding is separate from and does not affect our 
September 12, 2000 finding that the plan is complete under section 
110(k)(1) of the Clean Air Act.
    We have 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''). We followed this guidance in making our adequacy 
determination on the Clark County CO plan.

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

    Dated: November 20, 2000.
Laura Yoshii,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. 00-30541 Filed 11-29-00; 8:45 am]
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