[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 116 (Friday, June 15, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32614-32615]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-15149]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[IL200-1; FRL-6998-1]


Adequacy Status of Chicago, Illinois Submitted Ozone Attainment 
Demonstration and Post-1999 Rate of Progress 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 EPA has found 
that the motor vehicle emissions budgets in the Chicago, Illinois 1-
hour ozone attainment demonstration and post-1999 Rate of Progress 
(ROP) plan are adequate for conformity purposes. On March 2, 1999, the 
D.C. Circuit Court ruled that submitted State Implementation Plans 
(SIPs) cannot be used for conformity determinations until EPA has 
affirmatively found them adequate. As a result of our finding, Chicago 
can use the motor vehicle emissions budgets from the submitted 1-hour 
ozone attainment demonstration and the submitted post-1999 ROP plan for 
future conformity determinations. These budgets are effective July 2, 
2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The finding and the response to 
comments

[[Page 32615]]

will be available at EPA's conformity website: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/transp.htm, (once there, click on the ``Conformity'' button, then look 
for ``Adequacy Review of SIP Submissions for Conformity'').
    Patricia Morris, Environmental Scientist, Regulation Development 
Section (AR-18J), Air Programs Branch, Air and Radiation Division, 
United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5, 77 West 
Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604, (312) 353-8656, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Throughout this document, whenever ``we,'' ``us'' or ``our'' is 
used, we mean EPA. Today's notice is simply an announcement of a 
finding that we have already made. EPA Region 5 sent a letter to the 
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency on May 31, 2001, stating that 
the motor vehicle emissions budgets in the Chicago, Illinois submitted 
1-hour ozone attainment demonstration for 2007 are adequate. This 
finding will also be announced on EPA's conformity website: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/transp.htm, (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. EPA's conformity rule requires that transportation 
plans, programs, and projects conform to state air quality 
implementation plans 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). 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 approval of the SIP. Even if we find a budget 
adequate, the SIP could later be disapproved.
    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''). We followed this guidance in making our adequacy 
determination.

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

    Dated: June 3, 2001.
David A. Ullrich,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.
[FR Doc. 01-15149 Filed 6-14-01; 8:45 am]
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