[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 171 (Friday, September 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 45853]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-21396]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8952-7]


Adequacy Status of the Metropolitan Washington DC Area (DC-MD-VA) 
Area 8-Hour Ozone Non-Attainment Area's Reasonable Further Progress 
Plan Vehicle Emission Budgets 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 
the Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets (MVEBs) in the 2008 Reasonable 
Further Progress (RFP) Plan, submitted on June 4, 2007, by the Maryland 
Department of the Environment (MDE) and on June 12, 2007 by the 
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VADEQ) and the District 
of Columbia Department of the Environment (DCDOE) are adequate for 
transportation conformity purposes. As a result of EPA's finding, the 
Metropolitan Washington, DC area must use the MVEBs from the 2008 RFP 
Plan for future conformity determinations for the 8-hour ozone 
standard.

DATES: These MVEBs are effective September 21, 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 Plan for the Metropolitan Washington DC 8-hour Ozone Nonattainment 
Area submitted to EPA as SIP revisions on June 4 and June 12, 2007.
    Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that EPA has 
already made. EPA sent a letter to MDE, VADEQ and DCDOE on July 29, 
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, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of 
Columbia must use the MVEBs from the 2008 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:

             Washington D.C. Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets
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                                              2008 Reasonable Further
                                                     Progress
           Nonattainment area            -------------------------------
                                             VOC (tpd)       NOX (tpd)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Washington D.C..........................            70.8           159.8
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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 and procedure 
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: August 21, 2009.
William C. Early,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. E9-21396 Filed 9-3-09; 8:45 am]
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