[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 8 (Friday, January 11, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 1461]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-704]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[NV068-NOA; FRL-7128-1]


Adequacy Status of the Clark County, Nevada Submitted PM10 
Attainment Plan for Transportation Conformity Purposes

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of Adequacy Determination.

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SUMMARY: In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that we have found 
that the motor vehicle emissions budgets contained in the submitted 
Clark County (Las Vegas, NV) serious area fine particulate matter 
(PM10) attainment plan are adequate for transportation conformity 
purposes. As a result of our finding, the Clark County Regional 
Transportation Commission and the Federal Highway Administration must 
use the PM10 motor vehicle emissions budgets from the submitted plan 
for future conformity determinations.

DATES: This determination is effective January 28, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The finding is available at EPA's 
conformity web site: 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; (775) 687-4670 ext. 3112 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    This notice announces our finding that the emissions budgets 
contained in the PM10 State Implementation Plan for Clark County, 
submitted by the State of Nevada on July 23, 2001, are adequate for 
transportation conformity purposes. EPA Region IX made this finding in 
a letter to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection on November 
9, 2001. We are also announcing this finding on our conformity web 
site: 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 criteria 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 PM10 plan does provide for attainment 
of the PM10 standards and, therefore, can be found adequate.
    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 emissions budgets contained in the Clark County 
PM10 plan.

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

    Dated: December 16, 2001.
Wayne Nastri,
Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. 02-704 Filed 1-10-02; 8:45 am]
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