[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 224 (Tuesday, November 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 70612]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-23091]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[IN 165-1; FRL-7999-6]


Adequacy Status of Vigo County, IN, 8-Hour Ozone Redesignation 
and Maintenance Plan for Transportation Conformity Purposes

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of adequacy.

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SUMMARY: In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that EPA has found 
that the motor vehicle emissions budgets in the Vigo County, Indiana 8-
hour ozone redesignation request and maintenance plan are adequate for 
conformity purposes. On March 2, 1999, the DC Circuit Court ruled that 
submitted State Implementation Plans (SIPs) cannot be used for 
conformity determinations until EPA has affirmatively found them 
adequate. As a result of our finding, Vigo County can use the motor 
vehicle emissions budgets from the submitted 8-hour ozone redesignation 
request and maintenance plan for future conformity determinations. 
These budgets are effective December 7, 2005. The finding and the 
response to comments will be available at EPA's conformity Web site: 
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/transp.htm, (once there, click on the 
``Conformity'' button, then look for ``Adequacy Review of SIP 
Submissions for Conformity'').

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Rosenthal, Environmental 
Engineer, Criteria Pollutant 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) 
886-6052, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, whenever ``we,'' 
``us'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.

Background

    Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that we have 
already made. EPA Region 5 sent a letter to the Indiana Department of 
Environmental Management on October 25, 2005, stating that the motor 
vehicle emissions budgets for the year 2015, submitted in the Vigo 
County, Indiana 8-hour ozone redesignation request and maintenance 
plan, are adequate. This finding has been announced on EPA's conformity 
Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/transp.htm, (once there, click on the 
``Conformity'' button, then look for ``Adequacy Review of SIP 
Submissions for Conformity'').
    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 air quality 
implementation plans 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 EPA's completeness review, and it also should not be used to 
prejudge EPA's ultimate approval of the SIP. Even if we find a budget 
adequate, the SIP could later be disapproved.
    We've described our process for determining the adequacy of 
submitted SIP budgets in guidance (May 14, 1999 memo titled 
``Conformity Guidance on Implementation of March 2, 1999 Conformity 
Court Decision''). We followed this guidance in making our adequacy 
determination.

    Dated: November 10, 2005.
Bharat Mathur,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.
[FR Doc. 05-23091 Filed 11-21-05; 8:45 am]
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