[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 241 (Thursday, December 17, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 66963]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-30048]



[[Page 66963]]

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-R09-OAR-2009-0853; FRL-9093-2]


Adequacy Status of Motor Vehicle Budget in Submitted Subsequent 
NO2 Maintenance Plan for the South Coast Area for Transportation 
Conformity Purposes; California

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of Adequacy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that the Agency 
has found that the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) motor vehicle 
emissions budgets in the subsequent NO2 maintenance plan 
portion of the 2007 South Coast State Implementation Plan (SIP) are 
adequate for transportation conformity purposes. The 2007 South Coast 
SIP was submitted to EPA on November 28, 2007 by the California Air 
Resources Board as a revision to the California state implementation 
plan. CARB corrected the NO2 motor vehicle emissions budgets 
from the 2007 South Coast SIP by letter dated May 1, 2009. As a result 
of our finding, the Southern California Association of Governments and 
the U.S. Department of Transportation must use the NO2 motor 
vehicle emissions budgets from the submitted subsequent NO2 
maintenance plan for future transportation conformity determinations.

DATES: This finding is effective January 4, 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wienke Tax, U.S. EPA, Region IX, Air 
Division AIR-2, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-3901; 
(415) 947-4192 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 20, 2009 stating that the 2002 and 2020 
motor vehicle emissions budgets for NO2 in the submitted 
2007 AQMP are adequate. The budgets correspond to the South Coast 
NO2 maintenance area, which generally includes Orange 
County, the southwestern two-thirds of Los Angeles County, southwestern 
San Bernardino County, and western Riverside County. Receipt of these 
motor vehicle emissions budgets 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.
    The adequate 2002 and 2020 motor vehicle emissions budgets 
(calculated for a winter season day) are provided in the following 
table:

                 Adequate Motor Vehicle Emissions Budget
                            (In tons per day)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           NO2 motor vehicle emissions
              Budget Year                            budgets
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2002 and 2020..........................  680 tons per day (winter
                                          season)
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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 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 
emissions 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 
while 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: December 2, 2009.
Laura Yoshii,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. E9-30048 Filed 12-16-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P