[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 8, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 849-850]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-219]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[AK-21-1709-b; FRL-7123-3]


Approval and Promulgation of State Implementation Plans; 
Inspection and Maintenance Program and Fuel Requirements: Alaska

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to approve 
two revisions to the carbon monoxide (CO) Alaska State Implementation 
Plan (SIP) in the Alaska Administrative Code (AAC). These two revisions 
to the SIP were submitted on February 24, 2000 and February 2, 2001. 
EPA is also proposing to grant final approval of Alaska's revised 
Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) Program SIP credit claim to 100% of 
credit applied to centralized I/M programs under Section

[[Page 850]]

348 of the National Highway System Designation Act. This was 
resubmitted on November 7, 2001.

Dates: Written comments must be received in writing by February 7, 
2002.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to Wayne Elson, 
Environmental Protection Specialist (OAQ-107), Office of Air Quality, 
at the EPA Regional Office listed below. Copies of the state submittal 
are available at the following addresses for inspection during normal 
business hours. The interested persons wanting to examine these 
documents should make an appointment with the appropriate office at 
least 24 hours before the visiting day.
    Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10, Office of Air Quality, 
1200 6th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101. The Alaska Department of 
Environmental Conservation, 410 Willoughby Avenue, Suite 105, Juneau, 
AK 99801-1795.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Wayne Elson, Office of Air 
Quality, (OAQ-107), EPA, 1200 6th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, (206) 553-
1463.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SIP revisions cover amendments to I/M 
requirements for Motor Vehicles (18 AAC 52), the State Air Quality 
Control Plan (18 AAC 50), and Fuel Requirements for Motor Vehicles (18 
AAC 53). The most salient aspects of these rule changes include: new I/
M equipment specifications and amending the Alaska I/M Program Manual; 
delayed start date for On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) I/M test 
requirements; making vehicle stickers mandatory; removing the ``fast 
fail'' option and begin to require that all inspections be full and 
complete; and streamline and update several portions of the Alaska Air 
Quality Control Plan for more efficient reading and organization. This 
final approval of Alaska's I/M program credit claim to 100% removes the 
interim status of EPA's interim approvals of October 10, 1996 (61 FR 
53163) and May 19, 1997 (62 FR 27199) for 85% of credit applied to 
centralized I/M programs.
    In the Final Rules Section of this Federal Register, the EPA is 
approving the State's SIP submittal as a direct final rule without 
prior proposal because the Agency views this as a noncontroversial 
submittal amendment and anticipates no adverse comments. A detailed 
rationale for the approval is set forth in the direct final rule. If no 
adverse comments are received in response to this action, no further 
activity is contemplated. If the EPA receives adverse comments, the 
direct final rule will be withdrawn and all public comments received 
will be addressed in a subsequent final rule based on this proposed 
rule. The EPA will not institute a second comment period. Any parties 
interested in commenting on this action should do so at this time. 
Please note that if we receive adverse comment on an amendment, 
paragraph, or section of this rule and if that provision may be severed 
from the remainder of the rule, we may adopt as final those provisions 
of the rule that are not the subject of an adverse comment.
    For additional information, see the Direct Final rule which is 
located in the Rules Section of this Federal Register.

    Dated: December 12, 2001.
L. John Iani,
Regional Administrator, Region 10.
[FR Doc. 02-219 Filed 1-7-02; 8:45 am]
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