[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 233 (Monday, December 7, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64075-64076]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29075]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-R05-OAR-2008-0682; FRL-9087-6]


Adequacy Status of the Washington County, OH and the Ohio Portion 
of the Huntington/Ashland KY/WV/OH Area Submitted Annual Fine 
Particulate Matter Attainment Demonstration 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 made 
insignificance findings through the transportation conformity adequacy 
process for directly emitted fine particulate matter (PM2.5) 
and oxides of nitrogen (NOX) in Washington County, Ohio 
(part of the Parkersburg/Marietta annual PM2.5 nonattainment 
area) and the Ohio portion of the Huntington/Ashland annual 
PM2.5 nonattainment area. Ohio submitted the attainment 
demonstration State Implementation Plan (SIP) for annual 
PM2.5 initially on July 16, 2008, and subsequently submitted 
the public hearing results on December 5, 2008. As a result of our 
finding, Washington County, Ohio and the Ohio portion of the 
Huntington/Ashland area are no longer required to perform a regional 
emissions analysis for either directly emitted PM2.5 or 
NOX as part of future PM2.5 conformity 
determinations for the 1997 annual PM2.5 air quality 
standard.

DATES: This finding is effective December 22, 2009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Morris, Environmental 
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) 353-8656, [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 October 23, 2009, EPA Region 5 sent a letter to the 
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency stating that we have made 
insignificance findings for PM2.5 and NOX as the 
state requested in its PM2.5 attainment demonstration 
submittal, a finding we made through the transportation conformity 
adequacy process. Receipt of

[[Page 64076]]

the submittal was announced on EPA's transportation conformity Web 
site, and no comments were submitted. The finding is available at EPA's 
conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm.
    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 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). The Transportation Conformity Rule 
in 40 CFR 93.109(k) states that a regional emissions analysis is no 
longer necessary if EPA finds through the adequacy or approval process 
that a SIP demonstrates that regional motor vehicle emissions are an 
insignificant contributor to the air quality problem for that 
pollutant/precursor. A finding of insignificance does not change the 
requirement for a regional analysis for other pollutants and precursors 
and does not change the requirement for hot spot analysis. 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: November 17, 2009.
Walter W. Kovalick Jr.,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.
[FR Doc. E9-29075 Filed 12-4-09; 8:45 am]
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