[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 10, 2002)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 45637-45639]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-17241]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 81

[MN71-7296a; FRL-7242-6]


Designation of Areas for Air Quality Planning Purposes; Deletion 
of Total Suspended Particulate Designations in Minnesota

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Direct final rule.

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SUMMARY: In this action EPA is deleting Minnesota attainment status 
designations (attainment, unclassifiable and nonattainment) affected by 
the original national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for 
particulate matter measured as total suspended particulate (TSP). On 
June 3, 1993 EPA published a final rulemaking action revising the 
prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) particulate matter 
increments, so that the increments are measured in terms of particulate 
matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 microns (PM). Section 
107(d)(4)(B) of the Clean Air Act (Act) authorizes EPA to eliminate all 
area TSP designations once the increments for PM become effective. The 
June 3, 1993 document, which became effective on June 3, 1994, also 
established the method by which EPA deletes such TSP designations.

DATES: This ``direct final'' rule is effective September 9, 2002, 
unless EPA receives written adverse or critical comments by August 9, 
2002. If adverse comments are received, EPA will publish a timely 
withdrawl of the direct final rule in the Federal Register and inform 
the public that the rule will not take effect.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Carlton T. Nash, Chief, Regulation 
Development Section, Air Programs Branch (AR-18J), United Environmental 
Protection Agency, 77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604. 
(We recommend that you telephone Christos Panos, at (312) 353-8328, 
before visiting the Region 5 Office.)
    A copy of this redesignation is available for inspection at the 
Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) Docket and Information Center (Air 
Docket 6102), United States Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios 
Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20460, (202) 
260-7548.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christos Panos, Environmental 
Engineer, 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) 353-8328.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    This Supplementary Information section is organized as follows:

A. What Action Is EPA Taking?
B. What Is the Background for This Action?
C. Why Is This Action Approvable?

A. What Action Is EPA Taking?

    We are deleting from the list of area designations in 40 CFR part 
81, all of the designations for TSP in the state of Minnesota 
(Sec. 81.324). Area designations which indicate the attainment status 
of each affected area with respect to the PM NAAQS already exist, and 
the TSP area designations are no longer needed.

B. What Is the Background for This Action?

    In 1971, EPA promulgated primary and secondary NAAQS for 
particulate matter to be measured as TSP. Section 107(d) of the 1977 
Amendments to the Act authorized each State to submit to the 
Administrator a list identifying the attainment status designations 
(attainment, unclassifiable and nonattainment) for TSP areas in the 
state. In 1978, EPA published the original list of all area 
designations pursuant to section 107(d)(2) (commonly referred to as 
``section 107 areas''), including those designations for TSP, in 40 CFR 
part 81.
    One of the purposes stated in the Act for the section 107 areas is 
for implementation of the statutory requirements of air quality PSD. 
The PSD provisions of part C of the Act generally apply in all section 
107 areas that are designated attainment or unclassifiable (40 CFR 
52.21(i)(3)). Under the PSD program, States must ensure that emissions 
from major stationary sources are controlled sufficiently by applying 
the best available control technology. Also, it must be shown that such 
controlled emissions from the new or modified source will not cause or 
contribute to air pollution that violates the NAAQS. Moreover, the air 
quality in an attainment or unclassifiable area is not allowed to 
deteriorate beyond prescribed maximum allowable

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increases in pollutant concentrations, referred to as ``increments.''
    On July 1, 1987 (52 FR 242634), EPA revised the particulate matter 
NAAQS, replacing the TSP indicator with the PM indicator. On the same 
date, EPA promulgated final regulations under 40 CFR part 51 for State 
implementation of the revised NAAQS (52 FR 24672). In the preamble to 
that action, EPA announced that, because of the importance of the 
section 107 area designations to the applicability of the TSP 
increments, it would retain the TSP designations beyond the date on 
which EPA approves a State's revised PM State Implementation Plan 
(SIP). This would protect the applicability of the TSP increments until 
a PM increment system could be established.
    The 1990 Amendments to the Act contained several pertinent 
provisions relating to or affecting the TSP area designations. Under 
section 107(d)(4)(B) of the amended Act, Congress established by 
operation of law the first nonattainment area designations for PM, and 
mandated that areas not initially defined as nonattainment are 
considered to be unclassifiable. Moreover, section 107(d)(4)(B) 
provided that any designation for particulate matter (measured in terms 
of TSP) that the Administrator promulgated prior to the date of 
enactment of the 1990 Amendments shall remain in effect for purposes of 
implementing the maximum allowable concentrations of particulate matter 
(measured in terms of TSP) increments until the Administrator 
determines that such designation is no longer necessary for that 
purpose.

C. Why Is This Action Approvable?

    On June 3, 1993 (58 FR 31622), under the authority of section 
166(f) of the Act, EPA published the final rulemaking replacing the TSP 
increments with equivalent PM increments. As a result, the PSD 
increments and NAAQS will be measured by the same indicator. As stated 
at 58 FR 31635, for States already having delegated authority to 
implement the Federal PSD regulations ``EPA will eliminate the TSP 
designations when the PM increments become effective under Sec. 52.21 
on June 3, 1994.'' The EPA has delegated to the state of Minnesota the 
authority to implement the PSD program. The delegation agreement 
provides for automatic adoption of the revised PM increments once the 
increments become effective.

Final Action

    Because TSP designations are no longer necessary, as described 
above, and the PSD regulations contained in 40 CFR 52.21 (the Federal 
PSD program) govern the review and approval of permits to construct and 
operate major stationary sources in Minnesota, EPA is taking action to 
delete all TSP area designations in the state of Minnesota.
    The EPA is publishing this action without prior proposal because we 
view this as a noncontroversial amendment and anticipate no adverse 
comments. However, in the proposed rules section of this Federal 
Register publication, we are publishing a separate document that will 
serve as the proposal to approve the state plan if relevant adverse 
comments are filed. This rule will be effective September 9, 2002 
without further notice unless we receive relevant adverse written 
comments by August 9, 2002. If we receive such comments, we will 
withdraw this action before the effective date by publishing a 
subsequent document that will withdraw the final action. We will then 
address all public comments received in a subsequent final rule based 
on the proposed action. The EPA will not institute a second comment 
period. Any parties interested in commenting on this action should do 
so at this time. If we do not receive any comments, this action will be 
effective September 9, 2002.

Administrative Requirements

    Under Executive Order 12866, ``Regulatory Planning and Review'' (58 
FR 51735, October 4, 1993), this action is not a ``significant 
regulatory action'' and therefore is not subject to review by the 
Office of Management and Budget. For this reason, this action is also 
not subject to Executive Order 13211, ``Actions Concerning Regulations 
That Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use'' (66 FR 
28355, May 22, 2001). This action merely approves state law as meeting 
federal requirements and imposes no additional requirements beyond 
those imposed by state law. Accordingly, the Administrator certifies 
that this rule will not have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory Flexibility 
Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). Because this rule approves pre-existing 
requirements under state law and does not impose any additional 
enforceable duty beyond that required by state law, it does not contain 
any unfunded mandate nor does it significantly or uniquely affect small 
governments, as described in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 
(Public Law 104-4).
    This rule also does not have tribal implications because it will 
not have a substantial direct effect on one or more Indian tribes, on 
the relationship between the federal government and Indian tribes, or 
on the distribution of power and responsibilities between the federal 
government and Indian tribes, as specified by Executive Order 13175, 
``Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments'' (65 FR 
67249, November 9, 2000). This action also does not have federalism 
implications because it will not have substantial direct effects on the 
states, on the relationship between the national government and the 
states, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the 
various levels of government, as specified in Executive Order 13132, 
``Federalism'' (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999). This action merely 
approves a state rule implementing a federal standard, and does not 
alter the relationship or the distribution of power and 
responsibilities established in the Clean Air Act. This rule also is 
not subject to Executive Order 13045 ``Protection of Children from 
Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks'' (62 FR 19885, April 23, 
1997), because it is not a significant regulatory action under 
Executive Order 12866.
    Section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement 
Act of 1995 (NTTA), 15 U.S.C. 272, requires federal agencies to use 
technical standards that are developed or adopted by voluntary 
consensus to carry out policy objectives, so long as such standards are 
not inconsistent with applicable law or otherwise impracticable. In 
reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve state choices, 
provided that they meet the criteria of the Act. Absent a prior 
existing requirement for the state to use voluntary consensus 
standards, EPA has no authority to disapprove a SIP submission for 
failure to use such standards, and it would thus be inconsistent with 
applicable law for EPA to use voluntary consensus standards in place of 
a SIP submission that otherwise satisfies the provisions of the Act. 
Therefore, the requirements of section 12(d) of the NTTA do not apply.
    As required by section 3 of Executive Order 12988 (61 FR 4729, 
February 7, 1996), in issuing this rule, EPA has taken the necessary 
steps to eliminate drafting errors and ambiguity, minimize potential 
litigation, and provide a clear legal standard for affected conduct. 
EPA has complied with Executive Order 12630 (53 FR 8859, March 15, 
1988) by examining the takings implications of the rule in accordance 
with the ``Attorney General's Supplemental Guidelines for the 
Evaluation of Risk and Avoidance of Unanticipated Takings'' issued 
under the executive

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order, and has determined that the rule's requirements do not 
constitute a taking. This rule does not impose an information 
collection burden under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
    The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the 
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, generally 
provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency promulgating 
the rule must submit a rule report, which includes a copy of the rule, 
to each House of the Congress and to the Comptroller General of the 
United States. EPA will submit a report containing this rule and other 
required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of 
Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United States prior 
to publication of the rule in the Federal Register. A major rule cannot 
take effect until 60 days after it is published in the Federal 
Register. This action is not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C. 
804(2).
    Under section 307(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act, petitions for 
judicial review of this action must be filed in the United States Court 
of Appeals for the appropriate circuit by September 9, 2002. Filing a 
petition for reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule 
does not affect the finality of this rule for the purposes of judicial 
review nor does it extend the time within which a petition for judicial 
review may be filed, and shall not postpone the effectiveness of such 
rule or action. This action may not be challenged later in proceedings 
to enforce its requirements. (See section 307(b)(2).)

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 81

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, National parks, 
Wilderness areas.

    Dated: June 26, 2002.
Norman Niedergang,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.

    Accordingly, 40 CFR part 81 is amended as follows:

PART 81--DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES

    1. The authority citation for part 81 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  42 U.S.C. 7401, et seq.


Sec. 81.324  [Amended]

    2. In Sec. 81.324 Minnesota, delete the table (including the title 
line) entitled ``Minnesota--TSP''.

[FR Doc. 02-17241 Filed 7-9-02; 8:45 am]
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