[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 74 (Wednesday, April 18, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 19491]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-7367]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OH-166-1; FRL-8301-6]


Adequacy Status of the Youngstown, OH, Submitted 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 we have found 
that the motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) for volatile organic 
compounds (VOC) and oxides of nitrogen (NOX) in the 
Youngstown, Ohio area (Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull Counties) are 
adequate for use in transportation conformity determinations. Ohio 
submitted these budgets with an 8-hour ozone redesignation request and 
maintenance plan on December 4, 2006, and February 20, 2007. As a 
result of our finding, Youngstown, Ohio must use the MVEBs from the 
submitted 8-hour ozone redesignation and maintenance plan for future 
conformity determinations.

DATES: This finding is effective May 3, 2007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anthony Maietta, Life Scientist, 
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) 
353-8777, [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. On March 21, 2007, EPA Region 5 sent a letter to the Ohio 
Environmental Protection Agency stating that the 2009 and 2018 MVEBs 
for the Youngstown area, which were submitted with the 8-hour ozone 
redesignation request and maintenance plan, are adequate. Receipt of 
these MVEBs was announced on EPA's conformity Web site, and no comments 
were submitted. The finding is available at EPA's conformity Web site: 
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm.
    The adequate 2009 and 2018 MVEBs, in tons per day (tpd), for VOC 
and NOX for Youngstown are as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 2005 MVEB    2018 MVEB
                                                   (tpd)        (tpd)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
VOC...........................................        19.58        10.36
NOX...........................................        33.71        13.29
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    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 State 
Implementation Plan (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). We have described our process for determining the 
adequacy of submitted SIP budgets in our July 1, 2004, preamble 
starting at 69 FR 40038, and we used the information in these resources 
while making our adequacy determination. 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.
    The finding and the response to comments are available at EPA's 
conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm.

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

    Dated: April 5, 2007.
Walter W. Kovalick,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.
[FR Doc. E7-7367 Filed 4-17-07; 8:45 am]
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