[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 79 (Wednesday, April 23, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 21932]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-8858]



[[Page 21932]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-R05-OAR-2007-0520, EPA-R05-OAR-2007-0585; FRL-8556-8]


Adequacy Status of the Indiana and Ohio Portions of the 
Cincinnati-Hamilton, Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana, Submitted 8-Hour Ozone 
Attainment Demonstration 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 Indiana 
and Ohio portions of the Cincinnati-Hamilton, Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana 
area are adequate for use in transportation conformity determinations. 
Indiana submitted the Cincinnati-Hamilton budgets with an 8-hour ozone 
attainment demonstration on June 13, 2007. As a result of our finding, 
the Indiana and Ohio portions of the Cincinnati-Hamilton, Ohio/
Kentucky/Indiana area must use the MVEBs from the submitted 8-hour 
ozone attainment demonstration for future transportation conformity 
determinations.

DATES: This finding is effective May 8, 2008.

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 6, 2008, EPA Region 5 sent a letter to the 
Indiana Department of Environmental Management stating that the 2008 
MVEBs for the Indiana and Ohio portion of the Cincinnati-Hamilton, 
Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana area, which were submitted with the 8-hour ozone 
attainment demonstration, are adequate. Receipt of these MVEBs was 
announced on EPA's transportation 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 2008 MVEBs, in tons per day (tpd), for VOC and 
NOX for the Indiana and Ohio portions of the Cincinnati-
Hamilton, Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana area are as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              2008 MVEB
                                                                (tpd)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
VOC........................................................        72.16
NOX........................................................        18.99
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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 conform. 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 transportation 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 
transportation conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm.

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

    Dated: April 11, 2008.
Margaret Guerriero,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.
 [FR Doc. E8-8858 Filed 4-22-08; 8:45 am]
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