[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 126 (Monday, June 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36862-36863]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-14798]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-R01-OAR-2008-0445; A-1-FRL-8686-5]


Adequacy Status of the Rhode Island 8-Hour Ozone Motor Vehicle 
Emissions Budgets for Transportation Conformity Purposes; Rhode Island

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 
and 2009 motor vehicle emissions budgets in the April 30, 2008 Rhode 
Island 8-hour ozone State Implementation Plan revision are adequate for 
transportation conformity purposes. The submittal includes 2008 and 
2009 motor vehicle emission budgets for the Providence (All of RI), RI 
8-hour ozone nonattainment area. As a result of our finding, Rhode 
Island must use these motor vehicle emission budgets for future 
conformity determinations.

DATES: This finding is effective July 15, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ariel Garcia, Environmental Engineer, 
Air Quality Planning Unit, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 
New England Regional Office, One Congress Street, Suite 1100 (CAQ), 
Boston, MA 02114-2023, (617) 918-1660, [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 Rhode Island 
Department of Environmental Management on June 16, 2008, stating that 
the 2008 and 2009 motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) in the 
Providence (All of RI), RI 8-hour ozone nonattainment area are 
adequate. Rhode Island submitted the budgets on April 30, 2008, as part 
of the 8-hour ozone attainment demonstration and reasonable further 
progress plan for Rhode Island. 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 and 2009 MVEBs, in tons per summer day (tpsd), for 
volatile organic compounds (VOC) and oxides of nitrogen 
(NOX) for Providence (All of RI), RI, are as follows:

[[Page 36863]]



                Adequate Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Providence (All of RI),
                                                         RI area
                                               -------------------------
                                                 VOC (tpsd)   NOX (tpsd)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Year 2008.....................................        24.64        28.26
Year 2009.....................................        22.75        25.29
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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. 7401-7671 q.

    Dated: June 21, 2008.
 Robert W. Varney,
Regional Administrator, EPA New England.
[FR Doc. E8-14798 Filed 6-27-08; 8:45 am]
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