[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 26, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3701-3702]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-1372]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[R07-OAR-2005-MO-0001; FRL-7863-4]


Adequacy Determination for the St. Louis Area Ozone Maintenance 
State Implementation Plan for Transportation Conformity Purposes; State 
of Missouri

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of adequacy determination.

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SUMMARY: In this notice, EPA is informing the public that we have found 
the motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEB) for volatile organic 
compounds and nitrogen oxides in the Missouri portion of the St. Louis 
area adequate for conformity purposes. The State of Missouri 
established MVEBs for 2007. The emission estimates for 2007 were 
included in the 1-hour ozone maintenance plan based on projected 
emission inventories for that year. This Notice formalizes the 2007 
emissions estimates as budgets for future conformity determinations, 
including the conformity determination that is required by June 15, 
2005, under the 8-hour ozone standard.

DATES: This rule is effective February 10, 2005.

ADDRESSES: The finding and the response to comments will be available 
at EPA's conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/transp/traqconf.htm (click on ``Adequacy Web Pages'').

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You may also contact Heather Hamilton, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 901 N. 5th Street, Kansas City, Kansas 
66101, or by e-mail at [email protected], telephone (913) 551-
7039.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document whenever ``we,'' 
``us,'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.
    Transportation conformity is required by section 176(c) of the 
Clean Air Act. EPA's conformity rule requires that transportation 
plans, programs, and projects conform to State Implementation Plans 
(SIPs) and established 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 SIPs must establish MVEBs to ensure that 
conformity is achieved.
    The criteria by which we determine whether SIP motor vehicle 
emission budgets are adequate for conformity purposes are outlined in 
40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). We applied these criteria in finding that the 
submitted budgets are adequate.
    We sent a letter to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources on 
December 17, 2004, stating that the motor vehicle emissions budgets in 
the St. Louis area for 2007 were found to be adequate. These budgets 
were projected emissions in the 1-hour ozone maintenance plan for St. 
Louis, although EPA approved a MVEB for

[[Page 3702]]

2014 as part of its approval of the maintenance plan. Because St. Louis 
must achieve the 8-hour ozone standard by 2010, budgets for an earlier 
year were determined to be necessary. The State's budgets for 2007 were 
approved through the adequacy process to be used for future conformity 
determinations. A conformity determination is required by June 15, 
2005, for the 8-hour ozone standard. The 2007 budget will be used in 
that determination.
    On March 2, 1999, the DC Circuit Court ruled that submitted SIPs 
cannot be used for conformity determinations until EPA has 
affirmatively found them adequate. As a result of our adequacy finding, 
the St. Louis area may use the 2007 budget for future conformity 
determinations.
    We described our process for determining the adequacy of submitted 
SIP budgets in a guidance memorandum dated May 14, 1999, entitled, 
``Conformity Guidance on Implementation of March 2, 1999, Conformity 
Court Decision.'' We followed this guidance in making our adequacy 
determination. The proposed budget was posted on the Adequacy Web site 
on November 3, 2004. The comment period closed on December 2, 2004, and 
no comments were received. This action provides notice that the 2007 
MVEB for the Missouri portion of the St. Louis area is adequate for 
conformity purposes.

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

    Dated: January 11, 2005.
William Rice,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 7.
[FR Doc. 05-1372 Filed 1-25-05; 8:45 am]
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