[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 58 (Friday, March 27, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 13433]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-6883]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8787-3]


Maryland; Adequacy Status of the 2008 Reasonable Further Progress 
Plan for the Baltimore 8-Hour Ozone Nonattainment Area Motor Vehicle 
Emission Budgets

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) in the Reasonable 
Further Progress Plan (RFP) submitted as a State Implementation Plan 
(SIP) revision on June 4, 2007 by the Maryland Department of the 
Environment, (MDE) are adequate for transportation conformity purposes. 
As a result of EPA's finding, the State of Maryland must use the MVEBs 
from the June 4, 2007 RFP Plan for future conformity determinations for 
the 8-hour ozone standard.

DATES: These MVEBs are effective April 13, 2009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Martin Kotsch, U.S. EPA, Region III, 
1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 at (215) 814-3335 or by e-mail 
at: [email protected]. The finding is available at EPA's conformity 
Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/currsips.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document ``we,'' ``us,'' or 
``our'' refer to EPA. The word ``budgets'' refers to the motor vehicle 
emission budgets for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen 
oxides (NOx). The word ``SIP'' in this document refers to the RFP Plans 
for the Baltimore 8-Hour Ozone Nonattainment Area submitted to EPA as 
SIP revisions on June 4, 2007.
    Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that EPA has 
already made. EPA Region III sent a letter to MDE on January 15, 2009 
stating that the MVEBs in the RFP Plan are adequate for transportation 
conformity purposes. As a result of EPA's finding, the State of 
Maryland must use the MVEBs from the June 4, 2007 RFP Plan for future 
conformity determinations for the 8-hour ozone standard. This finding 
has also been announced on EPA's conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/pastsips.htm. The adequate 
MVEBs are provided in the following table:

            Table 1--Maryland Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              2008 Reasonable further
                                                     progress
           Nonattainment area            -------------------------------
                                             VOC (tpd)       NOX (tpd)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baltimore...............................            41.2           106.8
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    Transportation conformity is required by section 176(c) of the 
Clean Air Act, as amended in 1990. EPA's conformity rule requires that 
transportation plans, programs and projects conform to state air 
quality implementation plans and establishes the criteria andprocedure 
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). 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. We have described our 
process for determining the adequacy of submitted SIP budgets in 40 CFR 
93.118(f), and have followed this rule in making our adequacy 
determination.

    Dated: March 10, 2009.
William T. Wisniewski,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region III.
 [FR Doc. E9-6883 Filed 3-26-09; 8:45 am]
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