[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 15, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8736-8737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-3385]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-R01-OAR-2008-0117; A-1-FRL-9267-1]


Status of Motor Vehicle Budgets in Submitted State Implementation 
Plan for Transportation Conformity Purposes; Connecticut; Notice of 
Withdrawal of Adequacy of Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of withdrawal of adequacy.

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SUMMARY: EPA is notifying the public that EPA has withdrawn its 
previous adequacy finding on the 2012 motor vehicle emission budgets 
(MVEBs) for Connecticut's two 8-hour ozone nonattainment areas. EPA has 
withdrawn the adequacy finding because Connecticut Department of 
Environmental Protection (CT DEP) withdrew its 2012 motor vehicle 
emission budgets from its eight-hour ozone attainment demonstration SIP 
for both ozone nonattainment areas. As a result of our finding, 
Connecticut can not use these 2012 motor vehicle emission budgets for 
future conformity determinations.

DATES: This finding is effective March 2, 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donald O. Cooke, Environmental 
Scientist, Air Quality Planning Unit, U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, EPA New England Regional Office, Five Post Office Square, Suite 
100 (CAQ), Boston, MA 02109-3912, (617) 918-1668, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, whenever ``we,'' 
``us'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.
    Today's action is simply an announcement of a finding that we have 
already made.
    On February 1, 2008, Connecticut submitted 2008, 2009, and 2012 
summer day volatile organic compound (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) 
MVEBs for the Connecticut portion of the New York-Northern New Jersey-
Long Island, NY-NJ-CT (Southwest Connecticut) 8-hour ozone 
nonattainment area and for the Greater Connecticut 8-hour ozone 
nonattainment area. These MVEBs were submitted to EPA as part of the 8-
hour ozone attainment demonstrations and reasonable further progress 
plans for these areas. Although not required by the Clean Air Act or 
EPA regulation, Connecticut included the 2012 budgets in its ozone 
attainment demonstrations based on uncertainty as to whether attainment 
would be met by the applicable June 15, 2010 attainment date for the 
two nonattainment areas. EPA found Connecticut's 2008, 2009, and 2012 
MVEBs adequate for transportation conformity purposes. See 73 FR 33428; 
June 12, 2008.
    On August 23, 2010, CT DEP withdrew the 2012 MVEBs from its 8-hour 
ozone attainment demonstration SIP for both ozone nonattainment areas. 
At that time, CT DEP also requested that EPA withdraw the adequacy 
findings for the 2012 MVEBs, since both ozone nonattainment areas have 
monitored air quality data demonstrating attainment of the 1997 8-hour 
ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard, and the 2012 MVEBs are no 
longer necessary to ensure attainment.\1\
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    \1\ EPA has determined that the Greater Connecticut area has 
attained the 1997 8-hour ozone standard. See 75 FR 53219; August 31, 
2010. EPA has not yet taken action regarding the Southwest 
Connecticut area.
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    Connecticut's request to withdraw the 2012 MVEBs was announced on 
EPA's conformity Web site, and received no comments. (See http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm. Once there, 
click on ``What SIP submissions are currently under EPA adequacy 
review?'')
    On December 30, 2010, EPA sent a letter to the CT DEP withdrawing 
our previous adequacy finding on the 2012 MVEBs for the Southwest 
Connecticut and the Greater Connecticut 8-hour ozone nonattainment 
areas.
    The 2012 MVEBs are withdrawn for transportation conformity 
purposes. However, the 2008 (reasonable further progress) MVEBs and the 
2009 (attainment) MVEBs that were previously deemed adequate, remain 
adequate for transportation conformity purposes.

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


[[Page 8737]]


    Dated: February 1, 2011.
Ira W. Leighton,
Acting Regional Administrator, EPA New England.
[FR Doc. 2011-3385 Filed 2-14-11; 8:45 am]
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