[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 94 (Monday, May 16, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 28223]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-11944]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

 [EPA-R06-OAR-2010-0774; FRL-9306-4]


Adequacy Status of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana Maintenance Plan 8-
Hour Ozone Motor Vehicle Emission Budgets for Transportation Conformity 
Purposes

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of adequacy determination.

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SUMMARY: EPA is notifying the public that it has found that the motor 
vehicle emissions budgets (MVEB) in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana 
Redesignation Request/Maintenance Plan State Implementation Plan (SIP) 
revision, submitted on August 31, 2010 and February 14, 2011, by the 
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) are adequate for 
transportation conformity purposes. As a result of EPA's finding, the 
Baton Rouge area must use these budgets for future conformity 
determinations for the 1997 8-hour ozone standard.

DATES: These budgets are effective May 31, 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The essential information in this 
notice will be available at EPA's conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm. You may also 
contact Mr. Jeffrey Riley, Air Planning Section (6PD-L), U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6, 1445 Ross Avenue, Dallas, 
Texas 75202-2733, telephone (214) 665-8542, E-mail address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document ``we,'' ``us,'' and 
``our'' refers to EPA. The word ``budget(s)'' refers to the mobile 
source emissions budget for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and the 
mobile source emissions budget for nitrogen oxides (NOX).
    On August 31, 2010, we received a State Implementation Plan (SIP) 
revision from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ). 
This revision consisted of a Redesignation Request/Maintenance Plan SIP 
for the Baton Rouge ozone nonattainment area. In response to further 
EPA communication with LDEQ, we received a technical amendment to the 
Baton Rouge Redesignation Request/Maintenance Plan SIP from LDEQ on 
February 14, 2011. This submittal established the motor vehicle 
emissions budgets (MVEB) for the Baton Rouge area for the year 2022. 
The MVEB is the amount of emissions allowed in the state implementation 
plan for on-road motor vehicles; it establishes an emissions ceiling 
for the regional transportation network. The MVEB is provided in Table 
1:

                  Table 1--Baton Rouge NOX and VOC MVEB
                      [Summer season tons per day]
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                                                                   2022
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NOX............................................................     6.96
VOC............................................................     7.55
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    On March 3, 2011, EPA posted the availability of the Baton Rouge 
area budget on EPA's Web site, as part of the adequacy process, for the 
purpose of soliciting public comments. The comment period closed on 
April 4, 2011, and we received no comments.
    Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that EPA has 
already made. EPA Region 6 sent a letter to LDEQ on April 27, 2011, 
finding that the MVEB in the Baton Rouge Redesignation Request/
Maintenance Plan SIP, submitted on August 31, 2010 and February 14, 
2011, is adequate and must be used for transportation conformity 
determinations in the Baton Rouge area. This finding has also been 
announced on 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, 40 Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR) part 93, 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 so. 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 EPA determines whether a SIP's MVEB is 
adequate for transportation conformity purposes are outlined in 40 CFR 
93.118(e)(4). We have also described the process for determining the 
adequacy of submitted SIP budgets in our July 1, 2004, final rulemaking 
entitled, ``Transportation Conformity Rule Amendments for the New 8-
hour Ozone and PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards and 
Miscellaneous Revisions for Existing Areas; Transportation Conformity 
Rule Amendments: Response to Court Decision and Additional Rule 
Changes'' (69 FR 40004). Please note that an adequacy review is 
separate from EPA's completeness review, and it should not be used to 
prejudge EPA's ultimate approval of the Baton Rouge Redesignation 
Request/Maintenance Plan SIP revision submittal. Even if EPA finds a 
budget adequate, the Redesignation Request/Maintenance Plan SIP 
revision submittal could later be disapproved.
    Within 24 months from the effective date of this notice, the 
transportation partners will need to demonstrate conformity to the new 
MVEB if the demonstration has not already been made, pursuant to 40 CFR 
93.104(e). See, 73 FR 4419 (January 24, 2008).

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.

    Dated: May 6, 2011.
Al Armendariz,
Regional Administrator, Region 6.
[FR Doc. 2011-11944 Filed 5-13-11; 8:45 am]
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