[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 204 (Tuesday, October 22, 2002)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 64815-64817]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-26847]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 81

[Docket WA-02-001; FRL-7397-1]


Finding of Attainment for PM10; Wallula PM10 Nonattainment Area, 
Washington

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: EPA has determined that the Wallula nonattainment area in 
Washington has attained the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for 
particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than or equal 
to a nominal ten micrometers as of December 31, 2001, as required by 
the Clean Air Act.

DATES: This rule will become effective on November 21, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Copies of all information supporting this action are 
available for public inspection and copying between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 
p.m., Pacific Standard Time at EPA Region 10, Office of Air Quality, 
10th Floor, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98101. A reasonable 
fee may be charged for copies.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Deneen, Office of Air Quality, 
EPA Region 10, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Seattle Washington, 98101, (206) 553-
6706.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    On September 3, 2002, EPA solicited public comment on a proposal to 
find that the Wallula nonattainment area had attained the National 
Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter with an 
aerodynamic diameter of less than or equal to 10 microns 
(PM10) by the attainment date of December 31, 2001, as 
required by the Clean Air Act. See 67 FR 56249.
    The Wallula area was designated nonattainment for PM10 
and classified as moderate under sections 107(d)(4)(B) and 188(a) of 
the Clean Air Act upon enactment of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 
1990 (Act or CAA) with an attainment date of December 31, 2001. See 40 
CFR 81.348 (PM10 Initial

[[Page 64816]]

Nonattainment Areas); see also 56 FR 56694 (November 6, 1991). EPA 
later granted the area a temporary waiver of the moderate area 
attainment date, which extended the attainment date to December 31, 
1997. See 62 FR 3800 (January 27, 1997).
    On February 9, 2001, EPA made a final determination that the 
Wallula area had not attained the PM10 standard by the 
moderate area attainment date of December 31, 1997. See 66 FR 9663 
(February 9, 2001) (final action); (65 FR 69275 (November 16, 2000) 
(proposed action). EPA made this determination based on air quality 
data for calendar years 1995, 1996, and 1997. As a result of that 
finding, the Wallula PM10 nonattainment area was 
reclassified by operation of law as a serious PM10 
nonattainment area effective March 12, 2001, with an attainment date of 
December 31, 2001. See sections 188(b)(2)(A) and 188(c)(2).
    Pursuant to sections 179(c) of the CAA, we have the responsibility 
of determining within six months of the applicable attainment date 
whether, based on air quality data, PM10 nonattainment areas 
attained the PM10 NAAQS by the attainment date. 
Determinations under section 179(c)(1) of the Act are to be based upon 
the area's ``air quality as of the attainment date.'' Three consecutive 
years of air quality data are generally required to show attainment of 
the annual and 24-hour standards for PM10. See 40 CFR part 
50 and appendix K.
    As discussed in the proposal, the Wallula monitor recorded no 
violations of the annual PM10 standard for the three-year 
period from 1999 though 2001. EPA therefore proposed to determine that 
the Wallula area attained the annual PM10 standard as of the 
serious area attainment date of December 31, 2001. See 67 FR 56250.
    With respect to the 24-hour PM10 standard, there were 
two exceedences of the 24-hour PM10 standard recorded at the 
Wallula monitor during the period of 1999 through 2001: A concentration 
of 297 [mu]g/m3 on June 23, 1999, and a concentration of 215 
[mu]g/m3 on August 10, 2000.\1\ Washington flagged both of 
these exceedances as attributable to high wind ``natural events.'' 
Under section 107(d)(4)(B)(ii) of the CAA and 40 CFR part 50, appendix 
K, section 2.4, specific exceedances due to uncontrollable natural 
events, such as unusually high winds, may be discounted or excluded 
entirely from decisions regarding an area's air quality status in 
appropriate circumstances. See Memorandum from EPA's Assistant 
Administrator for Air and Radiation to EPA Regional Air Directors 
entitled ``Areas Affected by Natural Events,'' dated May 30, 1996 
(EPA's Natural Events Policy). EPA has stated that it will treat 
ambient PM10 exceedances caused by dust raised by unusually 
high winds as due to uncontrollable natural events (and thus excludable 
from attainment determinations) if either (1) the dust originated from 
nonanthropogenic sources or (2) the dust originated from anthropogenic 
sources controlled with best available control measures (BACM). See 
Natural Events Policy, pp. 4-5.
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    \1\ Because the Wallula monitor is scheduled to sample only once 
every six days, each measured exceedance is generally counted as six 
expected exceedances and would generally represent a violation of 
the 24-hour PM10 standard.
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    As discussed in detail in the proposal, based on information 
submitted by Washington and other information available to EPA, EPA 
proposed to find that the exceedances that occurred on June 23, 1999 
and August 10, 2000, as well as two previous exceedances on June 21, 
1997 and July 10, 1998 (which had also been flagged by Washington as 
high wind events), qualify as high wind natural events under EPA's 
Natural Events Policy. Therefore, EPA proposed to exclude the 1999 and 
2000 exceedences from consideration in determining whether the Wallula 
PM10 nonattainment area attained the 24-hour as of December 
31, 2001 and to find that the area had attained the 24-hour 
PM10 standard as of that date. See 67 FR 56250-56252. EPA 
noted, however, that identification and application of BACM for 
agricultural lands is evolving and that EPA expects Washington to 
continue efforts in identifying and implementing BACM on sources of 
agricultural windblown dust in the Wallula area in order for future 
exceedances caused by high winds to be characterized as ``natural 
events'' and excluded in attainment determinations. See 67 FR 56252. 
EPA received no comments in response to its September 3, 2002 proposal.

II. Final Action

    EPA has determined that the Wallula PM10 nonattainment 
area attained the PM10 NAAQS as of the serious area 
attainment date of December 31, 2001 and that the exceedances that 
occurred on June 21, 1997, July 10, 1998, June 23, 1999, and August 10, 
2000 qualify as high wind natural events under EPA's Natural Events 
Policy.
    Consistent with CAA section 188, the Wallula nonattainment area 
will remain a serious PM10 nonattainment area, but will 
avoid the additional planning requirements that apply to serious 
PM10 nonattainment areas that fail to meet the attainment 
date under section 189(d) of the CAA. This finding of attainment should 
not be confused with a redesignation to attainment under CAA section 
107(d). Washington has not submitted a serious area plan for the 
Wallula area that meets the requirements of section 189(b) of the CAA. 
In addition, Washington has not submitted a maintenance plan as 
required under section 175(A) of the CAA or met the other CAA 
requirements for redesignations to attainment. The designation status 
in 40 CFR part 81 will remain serious nonattainment for the Wallula 
PM10 nonattainment area until such time as Washington meets 
the CAA requirements for redesignations to attainment.

III. Administrative Requirements

    Under Executive Order 12866 (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 makes a determination based on air quality data and does not 
impose any requirements. Accordingly, the Administrator certifies that 
this finding 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 finding does not impose any 
enforceable duty, it does not contain any unfunded mandate or 
significantly or uniquely affect small governments, as described in the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-4).
    This finding 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 (65 
FR 67249, November 9, 2000). This action also does not have Federalism 
implications because it does 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 (64 
FR 43255, August 10, 1999). This action merely makes a determination 
based on air quality data and does not alter the relationship or the 
distribution of power

[[Page 64817]]

and responsibilities established in the Clean Air Act. This finding 
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 economically significant.
    The requirements of section 12(d) of the National Technology 
Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) do not apply 
because this action does not involve technical standards. This finding 
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 December 23, 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 CAA section 307(b)(2).

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 81

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

    Dated: October 10, 2002.
Ronald A. Kreizenbech,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 10.
[FR Doc. 02-26847 Filed 10-21-02; 8:45 am]
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