[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 96 (Wednesday, May 20, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 23690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-11639]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-R05-OAR-2009-0221, EPA-R05-OAR-2009-0220; FRL-8907-2]


Adequacy Status of the Cleveland/Akron, Ohio and the Columbus, 
Ohio Submitted 8-Hour Ozone Redesignation and Maintenance Plans for 
Transportation Conformity Purposes

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) for volatile organic 
compounds (VOC) and oxides of nitrogen (NOX) in the 
Cleveland/Akron, Ohio area and the Columbus, Ohio area are adequate for 
use in transportation conformity determinations. Ohio submitted the 
Cleveland/Akron area budgets with an 8-hour ozone redesignation and 
maintenance plan on March 17, 2009. Ohio submitted the Columbus area 
budgets with an 8-hour ozone redesignation and maintenance plan on 
March 17, 2009. As a result of our finding, the Cleveland/Akron, Ohio 
area and the Columbus, Ohio area must use the MVEBs from the submitted 
8-hour ozone maintenance plan for future transportation conformity 
determinations.

DATES: This finding is effective June 4, 2009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anthony Maietta, Life Scientist, 
Criteria Pollutant Section (AR-18J), Air Programs Branch, Air and 
Radiation Division, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 
Region 5, 77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604, (312) 
353-8777, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, whenever ``we,'' 
``us'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.

Background

    Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that we have 
already made. On March 30, 2009, EPA Region 5 sent a letter to the Ohio 
Environmental Protection Agency stating that the 2010 and 2020 MVEBs 
for the Cleveland/Akron area, and also for the Columbus area, which 
were submitted with the state's 8-hour ozone redesignation and 
maintenance plan, are adequate. Receipt of these MVEBs was announced on 
EPA's transportation conformity website, and no comments were 
submitted. The finding is available at EPA's conformity Web site: 
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm.
    The adequate 2010 and 2020 MVEBs, in tons per day (tpd), for VOC 
and NOX for the Cleveland/Akron area are as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 2012 MVEB    2020 MVEB
                                                   (tpd)        (tpd)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
VOC...........................................        46.64        31.48
NOX...........................................        95.89        42.75
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The adequate 2010 and 2020 MVEBs, in tons per day (tpd), for VOC 
and NOX for the Columbus area are as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 2012 MVEB    2020 MVEB
                                                   (tpd)        (tpd)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
VOC...........................................        54.86        36.60
NOX...........................................        91.64        46.61
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Please note that the March 30, 2009, letter to the state had the 
budgets in the wrong columns and this has been corrected in this 
notice.
    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 conform. Conformity to a State 
Implementation Plan (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 transportation 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.
    The finding and the response to comments are available at EPA's 
transportation conformity web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm.

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

    Dated: May 7, 2009.
Walter W. Kovalick Jr,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.
[FR Doc. E9-11639 Filed 5-19-09; 8:45 am]
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