[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 114 (Thursday, June 12, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33428-33429]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-13224]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-R01-OAR-2008-0117; A-1-FRL-8578-4]


Adequacy Status of the Connecticut 8-Hour Ozone Motor Vehicle 
Emissions Budgets and Out-Year Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets for 
Transportation Conformity Purposes; Connecticut

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of adequacy.

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SUMMARY: EPA is notifying the public that EPA has found that the 2008, 
2009 and 2012 motor vehicle emissions budgets in the February 1, 2008 
Connecticut 8-hour ozone State Implementation Plan revision are 
adequate for transportation conformity purposes. The submittal includes 
2008, 2009 and 2012 motor vehicle emission budgets for the Connecticut 
portion of the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT 
(Southwest Connecticut) and the Greater Connecticut 8-hour ozone 
nonattainment areas. As a result of our finding, Connecticut must use 
these motor vehicle emission budgets for future conformity 
determinations.

DATES: This finding is effective June 27, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donald O. Cooke, Environmental 
Scientist, Air Quality Planning Unit, U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, EPA New England Regional Office, One Congress Street, Suite 
1100 (CAQ),

[[Page 33429]]

Boston, MA 02114-2023, (617) 918-1668, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, whenever ``we,'' 
``us'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.
    Today's action is simply an announcement of a finding that we have 
already made. EPA New England sent a letter to the Connecticut 
Department of Environmental Protection on June 2, 2008, stating that 
the 2008, 2009 and 2012 motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) in the 
Connecticut portion of the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, 
NY-NJ-CT (Southwest Connecticut) and the Greater Connecticut 8-hour 
ozone nonattainment areas are adequate. Connecticut submitted the 
budgets on February 1, 2008, as part of the 8-hour ozone attainment 
demonstration and reasonable further progress plan for Southwest and 
Greater Connecticut. This submittal was announced on EPA's conformity 
Web site, and received no comments. (See http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm. Once there, click on ``What SIP 
submissions are currently under EPA adequacy review?'')
    The 2008, 2009, and 2012 MVEBs, in tons per summer day (tpsd), for 
volatile organic compounds (VOC) and oxides of nitrogen 
(NOX) for Southwest and Greater Connecticut, are as follows:

                                              2008, 2009 and 2012 Adequate Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets
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                                                                     Connecticut portion of the New York-              Greater Connecticut area
                                                                   Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT -------------------------------------------
                              Year                                            (Southwest CT) Area
                                                                 --------------------------------------------      VOC (tpsd)            NOX (tpsd)
                                                                       VOC (tpsd)            NOX (tpsd)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Year 2008.......................................................                  29.7                  60.5                  28.5                  54.3
Year 2009.......................................................                  27.4                  54.6                  26.3                  49.2
Year 2012.......................................................                  20.6                  38.2                  19.8                  34.8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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 
emissions 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.

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

    Dated: June 4, 2008.
Robert W. Varney,
Regional Administrator, EPA New England.
[FR Doc. E8-13224 Filed 6-11-08; 8:45 am]
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