[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 8, 2006)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 6437-6438]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-1173]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 52 and 81

[EPA-R09-OAR-2005-AZ-0006; FRL-8029-3]


Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Designation of 
Areas for Air Quality Planning Purposes; State of Arizona; Finding of 
Attainment for Ajo Particulate Matter of 10 Microns or Less (PM10) 
Nonattainment Area; Determination Regarding Applicability of Certain 
Clean Air Act Requirements

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: EPA is proposing to determine that the Ajo moderate PM-10 
nonattainment area in Arizona has attained the National Ambient Air 
Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter with an aerodynamic 
diameter less than or equal to a nominal 10 micrometers 
(PM10). This determination is based upon monitored air 
quality data for the PM10 NAAQS during the years 2002-2004. 
EPA also finds that the Ajo area has continued to attain the 
PM10 NAAQS since 2004. Based on this determination, EPA is 
also proposing to determine that certain Clean Air Act requirements are 
not applicable for so long as the Ajo area continues to attain the 
PM10 NAAQS.

DATES: Any comments on this proposal must arrive by March 10, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R09-
OAR-2005-AZ-0006 by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: (415) 947-3579 (please alert the individual listed in 
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT if you are faxing comments).
     Mail: Wienke Tax, Office of Air Planning, Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA), Region 9, Mailcode AIR-2, 75 Hawthorne Street, 
San Francisco, California 94105-3901.
     Hand Delivery: Wienke Tax, Office of Air Planning, 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 9, Mailcode AIR-2, 75 
Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California 94105-3901. Such deliveries 
are only accepted Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:55 p.m., excluding 
Federal holidays. Special arrangements should be made for deliveries of 
boxed information.

[[Page 6438]]

    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-R09-OAR-
2005-AZ-0006. 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://www.regulations.gov, 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 http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The http://www.regulations.gov Web site 
is an ``anonymous access'' system, 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 http://www.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. For additional information about EPA's public 
docket visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm. For additional instructions on submitting 
comments, go to Section I. General Information of the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this document.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some 
information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such 
as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy 
form. Publicly available docket materials are available either 
electronically in http://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the 
Office of Air Planning, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 
9, Mailcode AIR-2, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California 
94105-3901. EPA requests that if at all possible, you contact the 
individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to 
view the hard copy of the docket. You may view the hard copy of the 
docket Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding Federal 
holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wienke Tax, Office of Air Planning, 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9, (520) 622-1622, e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This proposal addresses the determination 
that the Ajo moderate PM10 nonattainment area in Arizona has 
attained the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for 
particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to a 
nominal 10 micrometers (PM10). This determination is based 
upon monitored air quality data for the PM10 NAAQS during 
the years 2002-2004. This proposal also addresses the determination 
that, because the Ajo area continues to attain the PM10 
NAAQS, certain attainment demonstration requirements, along with other 
related requirements of the CAA, are not applicable to the Ajo area. In 
the Rules and Regulations section of this Federal Register, we are 
taking direct final action to make these determinations because we 
believe this action is not controversial. If we receive adverse 
comments, however, we will publish a timely withdrawal of the direct 
final rule and address the comments in subsequent action based on this 
proposed rule. We do not plan to open a second comment period, so 
anyone interested in commenting should do so at this time. If we do not 
receive comments, no further activity is planned.
    For all the reasons explained in the parallel direct final notice, 
we propose to determine that the Ajo moderate PM10 
nonattainment area in Arizona has attained the National Ambient Air 
Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter with an aerodynamic 
diameter less than or equal to a nominal 10 micrometers 
(PM10). A determination of attainment is not a redesignation 
to attainment under CAA section 107(d)(3) because we have not yet 
approved a maintenance plan as required under section 175(A) of the CAA 
or determined that the area has met the other CAA requirements for 
redesignation.\1\
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    \1\ On December 20, 2005, EPA proposed revisions to the NAAQS 
for particulate matter. See 71 FR 2620, January 17, 2006. The 
proposed revisions address two categories of particulate matter: 
Fine particles which are particles 2.5 micrometers in diameter and 
smaller; and ``inhalable coarse'' particles, which are particles 
between 2.5 and 10 micrometers (PM10-2.5). Upon 
finalization of a primary 24-hour standard for PM10-2.5, 
EPA proposes to revoke the current 24-hour PM10 standard 
in all areas of the country except in areas where there is at least 
one monitor located in an urbanized area (as defined by the U.S. 
Bureau of the Census) with a minimum population of 100,000 that 
violates the current 24-hour PM10 standard based on the 
most recent three years of data. In addition, EPA proposes to revoke 
the current annual PM10 standard upon finalization of a 
primary 24-hour standard for PM10-2.5.
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    We further propose to determine that, because the Ajo area has 
continued to attain the PM10 NAAQS, certain attainment 
demonstration requirements, along with other related requirements of 
the CAA, are not applicable to the Ajo area. For further information on 
this proposal and the rationale underlying our proposed action, please 
see the direct final action.

    Dated: January 24, 2006.
Wayne Nastri,
Regional Administrator, Region 9.
[FR Doc. 06-1173 Filed 2-7-06; 8:45 am]
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