[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 181 (Monday, September 20, 2004)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 56163-56170]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-21060]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[R04-OAR-2004-NC-0002-200417(a); FRL-7815-9]


Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; North 
Carolina: Raleigh/Durham Area and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point 
Area Maintenance Plan Updates

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Direct final rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The EPA is approving revisions to the State Implementation 
Plan (SIP) submitted by the North Carolina Department of Environment 
and Natural Resources (NCDENR) on June 4, 2004. This SIP revision 
satisfies the requirement of the Clean Air Act (CAA) as amended in 1990 
for the second 10-year updates of both the Raleigh/Durham area (Durham 
and Wake Counties, and a portion of Granville County) and the 
Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point area (Davidson, Forsyth, and 
Guilford Counties, and a portion of Davie County) 1-hour ozone 
maintenance plans.

DATES: This direct final rule is effective November 19, 2004, without 
further notice, unless EPA receives adverse comment by October 20, 
2004. If adverse comment is received, EPA will publish a timely 
withdrawal of the direct final rule in the Federal Register and inform 
the public that the rule will not take effect.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Regional Material in 
EDocket (RME) ID No. R04-OAR-2004-NC-0002, by one of the following 
methods:
    1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
    2. Agency Web site: http://docket.epa.gov/rmepub/ RME, EPA's 
electronic public docket and comment

[[Page 56164]]

system, is EPA's preferred method for receiving comments. Once in the 
system, select ``quick search,'' then key in the appropriate RME Docket 
identification number. Follow the on-line instructions for submitting 
comments.
    3. E-mail: [email protected]
    4. Fax: 404-562-9019
    5. Mail: ``R04-OAR-2004-NC-0002'', Regulatory Development Section, 
Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street, SW., 
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960.
    6. Hand Delivery or Courier. Deliver your comments to: Rosymar De 
La Torre Colon, Regulatory Development Section, Air Planning Branch, 
Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division 12th floor, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street, SW., 
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. Such deliveries are only accepted during 
the Regional Office's normal hours of operation. The Regional Office's 
official hours of business are Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:30, 
excluding federal holidays.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to RME ID No. R04-OAR-2004-NC-
0002. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in 
the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
http://docket.epa.gov/rmepub/, including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you 
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through RME, regulations.gov, 
or e-mail. The EPA RME Web site and the federal regulations.gov Web 
site are ``anonymous access'' systems, which means EPA will not know 
your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body 
of your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without 
going through RME or regulations.gov, your e-mail address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you 
submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name 
and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any 
disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to 
technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA 
may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid 
the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of 
any defects or viruses.
    Docket: All documents in the electronic docket are listed in the 
RME index at http://docket.epa.gov/rmepub/. Although listed in the 
index, some information is not publicly available, i.e., CBI or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other 
material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet 
and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly 
available docket materials are available either electronically in RME 
or in hard copy at the Regulatory Development Section, Air Planning 
Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street, SW., 
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. EPA requests that if at all possible, you 
contact the contact listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
section to schedule your inspection. The Regional Office's official 
hours of business are Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:30, excluding 
federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rosymar De La Torre Colon, Regulatory 
Development Section, Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics 
Management Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 
Forsyth Street, SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960, (404) 562-8965, 
[email protected], or Matt Laurita, Air Quality Modeling and 
Transportation Section, Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics 
Management Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 
Forsyth Street, SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960, (404) 562-9044, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. How Can I Get Copies of This Document and Other Related Information?

    In addition to the publicly available docket materials available 
for inspection electronically in Regional Material in EDocket, and the 
hard copy available at the Regional Office, which are identified in the 
ADDRESSES section above, copies of the State submittal and EPA's 
technical support document are also available for public inspection 
during normal business hours, by appointment at the State Air Agency, 
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 
Division of Air Quality, 2728 Capital Boulevard, Raleigh, North 
Carolina 27604.

II. Background

    The air quality maintenance plan is a requirement of the 1990 CAA 
for nonattainment areas that come into compliance with the national 
ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). The Raleigh/Durham area (Durham 
and Wake Counties and a portion of Granville County) was not in 
compliance with the 1-hour ozone standard until air quality 
measurements from 1990 to 1992 showed that the area had attained the 
standard. The State subsequently requested that EPA redesignate these 
counties as attainment for the 1-hour ozone standard. Included with 
this request was a 10-year air quality maintenance plan covering the 
years 1993 through 2004. EPA found that this plan was developed in 
accordance with the appropriate guidelines and published approval of 
the plan on April 18, 1994, with an effective date of June 17, 1994 (59 
FR 18300).
    The Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point area (Davidson, Forsyth, 
and Guilford Counties and a portion of Davie County) was not in 
compliance with the 1-hour ozone standard until air quality 
measurements from 1990 to 1992 showed that the area had attained the 
standard. The State subsequently requested that EPA redesignate these 
counties as attainment for the 1-hour ozone standard. Included with 
this request was a 10-year air quality maintenance plan covering the 
years 1993 through 2004. EPA found that this plan was developed in 
accordance with the appropriate guidelines and published approval of 
the plan on September 9, 1993, with an effective date of November 8, 
1993 (58 FR 47391).

III. Analysis of State's Submittal

    On June 4, 2004, the NCDENR submitted revisions to North Carolina's 
SIP to provide a 10-year update to the maintenance plans as required by 
section 175A(b) of the CAA as amended in 1990. The underlying strategy 
of the maintenance plan is to maintain compliance with the 1-hour ozone 
standard by assuring that current and future emissions of Volatile 
Organic Compounds (VOC) and Nitrogen Oxides (NOX) remain at 
or below attainment year emission levels. The NCDENR has developed a 
comprehensive emissions inventory for the new base year of 2000 for use 
in projecting future emissions. The choice of a new base year is 
allowed because the areas were still in attainment in 2000. The 
estimated emissions of ozone precursors (i.e., VOC and NOX) 
for the Raleigh/Durham and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point

[[Page 56165]]

areas during the 2000 ozone season are provided in the following table. 
Projected VOC and NOX emissions for 2004, 2007, 2010, 2012, 
and 2015 are also provided.

                                 Volatile Organic Compounds--Raleigh/Durham Area
                                                 [Tons per day]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
             VOC                   Category        2000       2004       2007       2010       2012       2015
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Durham.......................  Point..........       1.80       1.77       1.77       1.90       1.91       1.98
                               Area...........       8.01       6.98       7.26       7.59       7.82       8.15
                               On-road mobile.      10.76       8.74       7.09       5.69       4.95       4.31
                               Non-road mobile       5.07       4.61       4.05       3.81       3.82       3.92
                                               ------------
    Total....................  n/a............      25.64      22.10      20.17      18.99      18.50      18.36
                                               ============
Safety Margin................  2000 base year         n/a       3.54       5.47       6.65       7.14       7.28
                                minus
                                projected year
                                total.
Granville*...................  Point..........       0.79       0.77       0.77       0.80       0.85       0.89
                               Area...........       1.17       1.11       1.14       1.17       1.19       1.22
                               On-road mobile.       0.73       0.61       0.47       0.39       0.34       0.30
                               Non-road mobile       0.30       0.28       0.24       0.23       0.23       0.24
                                               ------------
    Total....................  n/a............       2.99       2.77       2.62       2.59       2.61       2.65
                                               ============
Safety Margin................  2000 base year         n/a       0.22       0.37       0.40       0.38       0.34
                                minus
                                projected year
                                total.
Wake.........................  Point..........       9.04       9.16       9.48       9.90      10.15      10.54
                               Area...........      27.52      25.72      27.46      29.37      30.63      32.59
                               On-road mobile.      24.95      20.36      17.13      14.59      13.03      11.76
                               Non-road mobile      15.66      13.40      10.76       9.61       9.61       9.89
                                               ------------
    Total....................  n/a............      77.17      68.64      64.83      63.47      63.42      64.78
                                               ============
Safety Margin................  2000 base year         n/a       8.53      12.34      13.70      13.75      12.39
                                minus
                                projected year
                                total.
                                               ============
    Overall Total............  n/a............     105.81      93.52      87.63      85.04      84.53      85.79
                                               ------------
        Total Safety Margin..  n/a............        n/a      12.29      18.18      20.76      21.28      20.02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Partial County.


                                      Nitrogen Oxides--Raleigh/Durham Area
                                                 [Tons per day]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
             NOX                   Category        2000       2004       2007       2010       2012       2015
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Durham.......................  Point..........       3.84       4.10       4.29       4.54       4.70       4.93
                               Area...........       0.37       0.39       0.41       0.43       0.44       0.45
                               On-road mobile.      22.38      17.99      13.65       9.96       7.90       5.55
                               Non-road mobile       9.64       9.39       9.04       8.58       8.37       8.27
                                               ------------
    Total....................  n/a............      36.23      31.87      27.39      23.51      21.41      19.20
                                               ============
Safety Margin................  2000 base year         n/a       4.36       8.84      12.72      14.82      17.03
                                minus
                                projected year
                                total.
Granville*...................  Point..........       0.28       0.30       0.31       0.33       0.34       0.35
                               Area...........       0.07       0.07       0.08       0.08       0.08       0.09
                               On-road mobile.       2.65       1.80       1.30       0.99       0.77       0.53
                               Non-road mobile       0.44       0.42       0.40       0.38       0.37       0.37
                                               ------------
    Total....................  n/a............       3.44       2.59       2.09       1.78       1.56       1.34
                                               ============
Safety Margin................  2000 base year         n/a       0.85       1.35       1.66       1.88       2.10
                                minus
                                projected year
                                total.
Wake.........................  Point..........       2.68       2.83       2.98       3.16       3.27       3.42
                               Area...........       1.42       1.64       1.79       1.93       2.03       2.19
                               On-road mobile.      55.28      46.86      36.95      26.23      21.23      15.30
                               Non-road mobile      19.05      18.39      17.54      16.44      15.93      15.58
                                               ------------
    Total....................  n/a............      78.43      69.72      59.26      47.76      42.46      36.49
                                               ============
Safety Margin................  2000 base year         n/a       8.71      19.17      30.67      35.97      41.94
                                minus
                                projected year
                                total.
    Overall Total............  n/a............     118.09     104.18      88.74      73.06      65.43      57.03

[[Page 56166]]

 
        Total Safety Margin..  n/a............        n/a      13.91      29.35      45.04      52.66     61.06
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Partial County.


                      Volatile Organic Compounds--Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Area
                                                 [Tons per day]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
             VOC                   Category        2000       2004       2007       2010       2012       2015
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Davidson.....................  Point..........      17.51      17.26      17.31      17.35      17.41      17.40
                               Area...........       8.77       7.41       7.61       7.82       7.93       8.12
                               On-road mobile.       8.37       6.49       5.44       4.46       3.91       3.43
                               Non-road mobile       2.19       1.99       1.76       1.62       1.61       1.64
                                               ------------
    Total....................  n/a............      36.84      33.15      32.12      31.25      30.86      30.59
    Safety Margin............  2000 base year         n/a       3.69       4.72       5.59       5.98       6.25
                                minus
                                projected year
                                total.
                                               ============
Davie*.......................  Point..........       0.00       0.00       0.00       0.00       0.00       0.00
                               Area...........       0.11       0.11       0.12       0.12       0.13       0.13
                               On-road mobile.       0.02       0.01       0.01       0.01       0.01       0.01
                               Non-road mobile       0.01       0.01       0.01       0.01       0.01       0.01
                                               ------------
    Total....................  n/a............       0.14       0.13       0.14       0.14       0.15       0.15
    Safety Margin............  2000 base year         n/a       0.01       0.00       0.00      -0.01      -0.01
                                minus
                                projected year
                                total.
                                               ============
Forsyth......................  Point..........      13.58      13.34      13.42      13.98      14.34      14.84
                               Area...........      12.48      10.88      11.34      11.82      12.13      12.58
                               On-road mobile.      17.00      13.77      11.38       9.37       8.14       7.08
                               Non-road mobile       5.65       4.96       4.18       3.83       3.85       3.97
                                               ------------
    Total....................  n/a............      48.71      42.95      40.32      39.00      38.46      38.47
    Safety Margin............  2000 base year         n/a       5.76       8.39       9.71      10.25      10.24
                                minus
                                projected year
                                total.
                                               ============
Guilford.....................  Point..........      23.81      24.63      25.94      27.58      28.73      30.26
                               Area...........      20.01      17.19      17.93      18.71      19.19      19.90
                               On-road mobile.      25.00      20.21      16.56      13.51      11.70      10.14
                               Non-road mobile      11.99      10.56       8.85       8.08       8.15       8.40
                                               ------------
    Total....................  n/a............      80.81      72.59      69.28      67.88      67.77      68.70
    Safety Margin............  2000 base year         n/a       8.22      11.53      12.93      13.04      12.11
                                minus
                                projected year
                                total.
                                               ============
    Overall Total............  n/a............     166.50     148.82     141.85     138.27     137.25     137.91
    Total Safety Margin......  n/a............        n/a      17.68      24.65      28.23      29.26     28.59
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Partial County.


                                                Nitrogen Oxides--Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Area
                                                                     [Tons per day]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      NOX                                   Category                 2000        2004        2007        2010        2012        2015
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Davidson......................................  Point...........................      14.60       10.23        7.40        7.89        8.21        8.64
                                                Area............................       0.45        0.48        0.50        0.51        0.52        0.54
                                                On-road mobile..................      16.23       12.78        9.90        7.35        5.94        4.29
                                                Non-road mobile.................       4.27        4.10        3.92        3.76        3.68        3.61
                                                                                 -------------
    Total.....................................  n/a.............................      35.55       27.59       21.72       19.51       18.35       17.08
    Safety Margin.............................  2000 base year minus projected       n/a           7.96       13.83       16.04       17.20       18.47
                                                 year total.
                                                                                 =============
Davie*........................................  Point...........................       0.00        0.00        0.00        0.00        0.00
                                                Area............................       0.002       0.002       0.002       0.002       0.002       0.002
                                                On-road mobile..................       0.05        0.04        0.03        0.02        0.02        0.01
                                                Non-road mobile.................       0.02        0.01        0.01        0.01        0.01        0.01
                                                                                 -------------
    Total.....................................  n/a.............................       0.07        0.05        0.04        0.03        0.03        0.02

[[Page 56167]]

 
    Safety Margin.............................  2000 base year minus projected       n/a           0.02        0.03        0.4         0.04
                                                 year total.
                                                                                 =============
Forsyth.......................................  Point...........................       9.33       12.40        7.86        8.17        8.37        8.64
                                                Area............................       0.48        0.51        0.53        0.55        0.56        0.58
                                                On-road mobile..................      31.50       24.18       18.42       13.67       11.06        7.99
                                                Non-road mobile.................       7.03        6.97        6.81        6.58        6.49        6.52
                                                                                 -------------
    Total.....................................  n/a.............................      48.34       44.06       33.62       28.97       26.48       23.73
    Safety margin.............................  2000 base year minus projected       n/a           4.28       14.72       19.37       21.86       24.61
                                                 year total.
                                                                                 =============
Guilford......................................  Point...........................       2.42        2.57        2.69        2.84        2.94        3.07
                                                Area............................       0.85        0.91        0.96        1.01        1.04        1.08
                                                On-road mobile..................      44.7        34.03       25.74       18.97       15.36       11.07
                                                Non-road mobile.................      14.71       15.22       14.84       14.29       14.07       14.03
                                                                                 -------------
    Total.....................................  n/a.............................      62.68       52.73       44.23       37.11       33.41       29.25
    Safety margin.............................  2000 base year minus projected       n/a           9.95       18.45       25.57       29.27       33.43
                                                 year total.
                                                                                 =============
    Overall total.............................  n/a.............................     146.64      124.42       99.62       85.62       78.27       70.09
    Total Safety Margin.......................  n/a.............................     n/a          22.21       47.01       61.01       68.36       76.55
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Partial County.

    This SIP revision satisfies the requirement of the CAA for the 
second 10-year updates for the Raleigh/Durham area and Greensboro/
Winston-Salem/High Point area 1-hour ozone maintenance plans. Changes 
to the current maintenance plans include revisions to the emissions 
inventory for both on-road and non-road mobile sources, reflecting 
improved methodologies contained in the MOBILE6 and NONROAD emission 
models. New emissions data for the year 2000 and the projected years 
(2004, 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2015) have been calculated.

IV. Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets

    Maintenance plans and other control strategy SIPs create motor 
vehicle emission budgets (MVEBs) for criteria pollutants and/or their 
precursors to address pollution from cars and trucks. The MVEB is the 
portion of the total allowable emissions that is allocated to highway 
and transit vehicle use and emissions. The MVEB serves as a ceiling on 
emissions from an area's planned transportation system. The MVEB 
concept is further explained in the preamble to the November 24, 1993, 
Transportation Conformity Rule (58 FR 62188). The preamble also 
describes how to establish the MVEBs in the SIP and how to revise the 
MVEBs.
    Under section 176(c) of the CAA, new transportation projects, such 
as the construction of new highways, must ``conform'' to (e.g., be 
consistent with) the part of the State's air quality plan that 
addresses pollution from cars and trucks. ``Conformity'' to the SIP 
means that transportation activities will not cause new air quality 
violations, worsen existing violations, or delay timely attainment of 
the national ambient air quality standards. If a transportation plan 
does not ``conform,'' most projects that would expand the capacity of 
roadways cannot go forward. Regulations at 40 CFR part 93 set forth EPA 
policy, criteria, and procedures for demonstrating and assuring 
conformity of such transportation activities to a SIP.
    Specific MVEBs are defined for both VOC and NOX for the 
Raleigh/Durham and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point areas in the 
North Carolina submittal. Pursuant to 40 CFR 93.124(d), North Carolina 
has elected to allocate subarea budgets for each of the counties 
(including partial counties) for the purpose of transportation 
conformity. With this allocation, each county must demonstrate 
conformity to the county-specific subarea budgets. Metropolitan 
Planning Organizations (MPOs) with planning area boundaries that cross 
county borders must coordinate to ensure that all applicable county-
specific subarea budgets are met. The chart below provides a summary of 
the county-specific subarea budgets.

                                            Raleigh/Durham Area MVEB
                                                 [Tons per day]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              County                      Pollutant           2004       2007       2010       2012       2015
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Durham............................  VOC..................       9.53       8.30       6.77       5.94       5.26
                                    NOX..................      19.61      15.29      11.35       9.09       6.49
Granville*........................  VOC..................       0.66       0.55       0.46       0.41       0.37
                                    NOX..................       1.96       1.46       1.13       0.89       0.62
Wake..............................  VOC..................      22.19      20.04      17.36      15.64      14.35
                                    NOX..................      51.08      41.38      29.90      24.41     17.90
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Partial County.


[[Page 56168]]


                                  Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Area MVEB
                                                 [Tons per day]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              County                      Pollutant           2004       2007       2010       2012       2015
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Davidson..........................  VOC..................       6.49       5.77       4.73       4.38       3.94
                                    NOX..................      12.78      10.49       7.79       6.36       4.72
Davie*............................  VOC..................       0.01       0.01       0.01       0.01       0.01
                                    NOX..................       0.04       0.03       0.02       0.02       0.01
Forsyth...........................  VOC..................      13.77      12.06       9.93       9.12       8.14
                                    NOX..................      24.18      19.53      14.49      11.83       8.79
Guilford..........................  VOC..................      20.21      17.55      14.32      13.10      11.66
                                    NOX..................      34.03      27.28      20.11      16.44     12.18
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Partial County.

    The MVEBs have been defined for each county for 2004, 2007, 2010, 
2012 and 2015 in the State's submittal. The values for a given year are 
equal to the on-road mobile source projected level of emissions for 
that year plus an adjustment. The adjustments are allocations from the 
safety margins, which account for uncertainty in the projections. They 
are available because of significant reductions of VOC and 
NOX that have occurred, and are projected to occur, 
primarily due to mobile sources. The MVEBs are constrained in each of 
the budget years to assure that the total emissions (i.e., all source 
categories) do not exceed the 2000 base year emissions. In no case are 
the projected total emissions from mobile sources for any year greater 
than the base year emissions totals for either VOC or NOX.
    Under 40 CFR 93.101, the term safety margin is the difference 
between the attainment level (from all sources) and the projected level 
of emissions (from all sources) in the maintenance plan. The attainment 
level of emissions is the level of emissions during one of the years in 
which the area met the air quality health standard. The safety margin 
credit can be allocated to the transportation sector, although the 
total emission level must stay below the attainment level.

                                       Safety Margins--Raleigh/Durham Area
                                                 [Tons per day]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           VOC                                2004       2007       2010       2012       2015
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Safety Margin............................................      12.29      18.18      20.76      21.28      20.02
Allocated to MVEB........................................       2.67       4.20       3.92       3.67       3.61
Remaining Safety Margin..................................       9.62      13.98      16.84      17.61      16.41
NOX......................................................
Safety Margin............................................      13.91      29.35      45.04      52.66      61.06
Allocated to MVEB........................................       6.00       6.23       5.20       4.49       3.63
Remaining Safety Margin..................................       7.91      23.12      39.84      48.17      57.43
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                            Safety Margins--Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Area
                                                 [Tons per day]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           VOC                                2004       2007       2010       2012       2015
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Safety Margin............................................      17.68      24.65      28.23      29.26      28.59
Allocated to MVEB........................................       0.00       2.00       1.64       2.85       3.09
Remaining Safety Margin..................................      17.68      22.65      26.59      26.41      25.50
NOX......................................................
Safety Margin............................................      22.21      47.01      61.01      68.36      76.55
Allocated to MVEB........................................       0.00       3.24       2.40       2.27       2.34
Remaining Safety Margin..................................      22.21      43.77      58.61      66.09      74.21
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

V. Final Action

    EPA is approving the second 10-year updates for the Raleigh/Durham 
and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point 1-hour ozone maintenance plans. 
In this action EPA is approving the MVEBs for 2004, 2007, 2010, 2012, 
and 2015. The MVEBs for 2007, 2010, 2012, and 2015 for the Raleigh/
Durham and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point areas were previously 
found adequate for transportation conformity purposes. This finding of 
adequacy was announced in a letter to the State of North Carolina dated 
June 23, 2004 and was subsequently announced in the Federal Register 
(69 FR 43979, July 23, 2004). As a result of this prior adequacy 
determination, the MVEBs for 2007, 2010, 2012, and 2015 became 
available for use on August 9, 2004. As a result of today's SIP 
revision approval, the revised 2004 MVEBs and the MVEBs for 2007, 2010, 
2012, and 2015 must be used for future transportation conformity 
determinations effective on November 19, 2004. The MVEBs, based on the 
on-road mobile sources, are to be used by the local metropolitan 
planning organizations and transportation authorities to assure that 
transportation plans, programs, and projects are consistent with, and 
conform to, the long term maintenance of acceptable air quality in the 
Raleigh/Durham and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point areas.
    The EPA is publishing this rule without prior proposal because the

[[Page 56169]]

Agency views this as a noncontroversial submittal and anticipates no 
adverse comments. However, in the proposed rules section of this 
Federal Register publication, EPA is publishing a separate document 
that will serve as the proposal to approve the SIP revision should 
adverse comments be filed. This rule will be effective November 19, 
2004, without further notice unless the Agency receives adverse 
comments by October 20, 2004.
    If the EPA receives such comments, then EPA will publish a document 
withdrawing the final rule and informing the public that the rule will 
not take effect. All public comments received will then be addressed in 
a subsequent final rule based on the proposed rule. The EPA will not 
institute a second comment period. Parties interested in commenting 
should do so at this time. If no such comments are received, the public 
is advised that this rule will be effective on November 19, 2004, and 
no further action will be taken on the proposed rule. 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.

VI. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

    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 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 or significantly or 
uniquely affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded 
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 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 (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 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 economically 
significant.
    In reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve state 
choices, provided that they meet the criteria of the Clean Air Act. In 
this context, in the absence of a prior existing requirement for the 
State to use voluntary consensus standards (VCS), EPA has no authority 
to disapprove a SIP submission for failure to use VCS. It would thus be 
inconsistent with applicable law for EPA, when it reviews a SIP 
submission, to use VCS in place of a SIP submission that otherwise 
satisfies the provisions of the Clean Air Act. Thus, 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. 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 November 19, 2004. 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 52

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Intergovernmental 
relations, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements, Volatile organic compounds.

    Dated: September 8, 2004.
A. Stanley Meiburg,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4.

0
Part 52 of chapter I, title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, is amended 
as follows:

PART 52--[AMENDED]

0
1. The authority citation for part 52 continues to read as follows:

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

Subpart II--North Carolina

0
2. Section 52.1770 (e), is amended by adding two new entries at the end 
of the table for ``10 Year Maintenance Plan Update for the Raleigh/
Durham Area'' and ``10 Year Maintenance Plan Update for the Greensboro/
Winston-Salem/High Point Area'' to read as follows:


Sec.  52.1770  Identification of plan.

* * * * *
    (e) * * *

[[Page 56170]]



                              EPA Approved North Carolina Non-Regulatory Provisions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              State effective
                 Provision                          date        EPA approval date    Federal Register citation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
10 Year Maintenance Plan Update for the                 6/4/04            9/20/04  [Insert citation of
 Raleigh/Durham Area.                                                               publication]
10 Year Maintenance Plan Update for the                 6/4/04            9/20/04  [Insert citation of
 Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Area.                                          publication]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[FR Doc. 04-21060 Filed 9-17-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P