[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 87 (Monday, May 5, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24594-24595]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-9822]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-R09-OAR-2008-0326; FRL-8561-7]


Adequacy Status of Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets in Submitted 
Early Progress Plan Western Mojave Desert 8-Hour Ozone for 
Transportation Conformity Purposes; California

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of Adequacy.

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SUMMARY: In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that the Agency 
has found that the motor vehicle emissions budgets for 8-hour ozone in 
the Western Mojave Desert 8-hour Ozone Early Progress Plan are adequate 
for transportation conformity purposes. The Western Mojave Desert 8-
hour Ozone Early Progress Plan was submitted to EPA on March 24, 2008 
by the

[[Page 24595]]

California Air Resources Board as a revision to the California State 
Implementation Plan (SIP). As a result of our adequacy findings, the 
Southern California Association of Governments and the U.S. Department 
of Transportation must use these budgets in future conformity analyses 
once the finding becomes effective.

DATES: This finding is effective May 20, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adrienne Priselac, U.S. EPA, Region 
IX, Air Division AIR-2, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-
3901; (415) 972-3285 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, whenever ``we,'' 
``us,'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.
    Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that we have 
already made. EPA Region IX sent a letter to the California Air 
Resources Board on April 16, 2008 stating that the motor vehicle 
emissions budgets in the submitted Western Mojave Desert 8-hour Ozone 
Early Progress Plan for 2009 are adequate. The finding is available at 
EPA's conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm. The adequate motor vehicle emissions budgets 
are provided in the following table:

                     Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     Volatile organic
            Budget year               compounds \1\     Nitrogen oxides
                                      (tons per day)     (tons per day)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2009..............................                22                77
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The plan uses a comparable State term, reactive organic gases (ROG).

    Transportation conformity is required by Clean Air Act section 
176(c). EPA's conformity rule requires that transportation plans, 
transportation improvement programs, and projects conform to state air 
quality implementation plans (SIPs) 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). 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 in making 
our adequacy determination. Please note that an adequacy review is 
separate from EPA's completeness review, and should not be used to 
prejudge EPA's ultimate approval action for the SIP. Even if we find a 
budget adequate, the SIP could later be disapproved.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.

    Dated: April 16, 2008.
Laura Yoshii,
Deputy Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. E8-9822 Filed 5-2-08; 8:45 am]
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