[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 208 (Monday, October 28, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65789-65790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-27345]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[CO-001-0071; FRL-7400-8]


Adequacy Status of the Lamar and Steamboat Springs, CO PM10 
Maintenance Plans for Transportation Conformity Purposes

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of adequacy.

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[[Page 65790]]

SUMMARY: In this document, EPA is notifying the public that we have 
found that the motor vehicle emissions budgets in the Lamar and 
Steamboat Springs, Colorado particulate matter of 10 micrograms in size 
or smaller (PM10) maintenance plans submitted on July 31, 
2002, are adequate for conformity purposes. On March 2, 1999, the DC 
Circuit Court ruled that budgets in submitted State Implementation 
Plans (SIPs) cannot be used for conformity determinations until EPA has 
affirmatively found them adequate. As a result of our finding, the City 
of Lamar, the City of Steamboat Springs, the Colorado Department of 
Transportation and the U.S. Department of Transportation are required 
to use the motor vehicle emissions budgets from these submitted 
maintenance plans for future conformity determinations.

DATES: This finding is effective November 12, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kerri Fiedler, Air & Radiation Program 
(8P-AR), United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8, 999 
18th Street, Suite 300, Denver, Colorado 80202-2466, (303) 312-6493. 
The letter documenting our finding is available at EPA's conformity Web 
site: http://www.epa.gov/oms/transp/conform/adequacy.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document wherever ``we'', 
``us'', or ``our'' are used we mean EPA.
    This action is simply an announcement of a finding that we have 
already made. We sent a letter to the Colorado Air Pollution Control 
Division on September 25, 2002 stating that the motor vehicle emissions 
budgets in the submitted Lamar and Steamboat Springs PM10 
maintenance plans are adequate. This finding has also been announced on 
our conformity Web site at http://www.epa.gov/oms/transp/conform/adequacy.htm.
    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 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). Please note that an adequacy review is separate 
from our completeness review, and it also should not be used to 
prejudge our ultimate approval of the SIP. Even if we find a budget 
adequate, the SIP could later be disapproved, and vice versa.
    We've described our process for determining the adequacy of 
submitted SIP budgets in a memo entitled, ``Conformity Guidance on 
Implementation of March 2, 1999 Conformity Court Decision,'' dated May 
14, 1999. We followed this guidance in making our adequacy 
determination.

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

    Dated: October 21, 2002.
Robert E. Roberts,
Regional Administrator, Region VIII.
[FR Doc. 02-27345 Filed 10-25-02; 8:45 am]
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