[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 25, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71642-71643]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-27968]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-R09-OAR-2008-0819; FRL-8744-6]


Adequacy Status of Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets in Submitted 
Eight-Hour Ozone Early Progress Plan for Eastern Kern County 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

[[Page 71643]]

found that the motor vehicle emissions budgets for 8-hour ozone in the 
Eastern Kern County 8-hour Ozone Early Progress Plan are adequate for 
transportation conformity purposes. On March 24, 2008, the California 
Air Resources Board submitted a revision to the California State 
Implementation Plan (SIP) containing Early Progress Plans for the 8-
hour ozone standard for five California areas, including the Eastern 
Kern County nonattainment area. As a result of our adequacy finding, 
the Kern Council 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 December 10, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karina O'Connor, U.S. EPA, Region IX, 
Air Division (AIR-2), 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-
3901; (775) 833-1276 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 November 10, 2008 stating that the motor vehicle 
emissions budgets for year 2008 in the submitted SIP containing an 
early progress plan for the Eastern Kern 8-hour ozone nonattainment 
area are adequate. The finding is available at EPA's conformity 
website: 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, Summer Planning Inventory
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Volatile
                                                  organic      Nitrogen
                 Budget year                   compounds\1\     oxides
                                                 (tons per    (tons per
                                                   day)          day)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2008.........................................             5           18
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\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: November 14, 2008.
Keith Takata,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. E8-27968 Filed 11-24-08; 8:45 am]
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