[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 4 (Monday, January 7, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 925-927]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00053]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 81

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0476; FRL- 9767-9]


Air Quality Designations for the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air 
Quality Standards: Notice of Actions Denying Petitions for 
Reconsideration and Stay Requests

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of actions denying petitions for reconsideration and 
stay requests.

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SUMMARY: The EPA is providing notice that it has responded to petitions 
for reconsideration of rules published in the Federal Register on May 
21, 2012, and June 11, 2012, that together promulgated the initial air 
quality designations for the 2008 ozone national ambient air quality 
standards for all areas in the United States. The rules are titled, 
``Air Quality Designations for the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air 
Quality Standards,'' and ``Air Quality Designations for the 2008 Ozone 
National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Several Counties in 
Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin; Corrections to Inadvertent Errors in 
Prior Designations.'' Subsequent to publishing the rules, during the 
time period from June through October 2012, the EPA received numerous 
petitions requesting that the EPA reconsider its designation decisions 
for certain areas. The EPA carefully considered the petitions and 
supporting information, along with information contained in the 
rulemaking docket, in reaching decisions on the petitions. The EPA 
denied all the petitions for reconsideration in separate letters to the 
petitioners dated December 14, 2012. The letters explain the EPA's 
reasons for the denials. Four petitioners also requested that the EPA 
stay the effectiveness of the designation rule as it applies for a 
particular area, pending reconsideration. Because the EPA denied the 
reconsideration requests, the EPA also denied the stay requests.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carla Oldham, Office of Air Quality 
Planning and Standards, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 
C539-04, Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27711, phone number (919) 541-
3347 or by email at: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Where can I get copies of this document and other related 
information?

    This Federal Register notice, the petitions for reconsideration, 
and the response letters to the petitioners are available in the docket 
that the EPA established for the rulemakings to promulgate the air 
quality designations for the 2008 ozone standards under Docket ID NO. 
EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0476. The table below identifies the Petitioners, the 
dates the EPA received the Petitions, the document identification 
number of the Petitions, the date of the EPA's responses, and the 
document identification number for the EPA's responses.

 
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                                                                                                      The EPA
                                    Dates of petitions to     Petition:       Date of the EPA        response:
            Petitioners                    the EPA          Document No.          response         Document No.
                                                              in docket                              in docket
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                                         Atlanta, GA Nonattainment Area
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Georgia Environmental Protection    July 20, 2012........            0695  December 14, 2012....            0726
 Division.
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                                       Charlotte, NC-SC Nonattainment Area
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South Carolina Department of        July 20, 2012........            0698  December 14, 2012....            0727
 Health and Environmental Control.
US Senators Graham and DeMint and   July 19, 2012........            0699  December 14, 2012....            0722
 US Congressman Mulvaney from SC.
York County, SC...................  July 24, 2012........            0700  December 14, 2012....            0721
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                                        Knoxville, TN Nonattainment Area
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Anderson, Blount, and Knox          July 20, 2012 and                0696  December 14, 2012....            0717
 Counties, TN.                       October 16, 2012.
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[[Page 926]]

 
                                      Memphis, TN-MS-AR Nonattainment Area
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DeSoto County, MS.................  July 17, 2012........            0697  December 14, 2012....            0723
Shelby County, TN.................  July 20, 2012 and                0702  December 14, 2012....            0718
                                     September 18, 2012.
State of Mississippi..............  July 17, 2012........            0701  December 14, 2012....            0756
State of Tennessee................  July 19, 2012........            0703  December 14, 2012....            0719
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                                 Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI Nonattainment Area
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Indiana Department of               August 10, 2012......            0724  December 14, 2012....            0728
 Environmental Management.
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                                    Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Nonattainment Area
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Bridgeport Area Chamber of          July 17, 2012........            0730  December 14, 2012....            0742
 Commerce, TX.
Chico City Council, TX............  July 18, 2012........            0706  December 14, 2012....            0732
City of Bridgeport, TX............  July 20, 2012........            0735  December 14, 2012....            0745
City of Boyd, TX..................  August 7, 2012.......            0707  December 14, 2012....            0731
City of Runaway Bay, TX...........  July 17, 2012........            0708  December 14, 2012....            0746
Corporation for Economic            July 17, 2012........            0754  December 14, 2012....            0743
 Development for the City of
 Bridgeport.
Devon Energy Corporation..........  July 20, 2012 and                0714  December 14, 2012....            0736
                                     October 30, 2012.
Gas Processors Association and      July 20, 2012 and                0709  December 14, 2012....            0738
 Texas Pipeline Association.         October 30, 2012.
Look Local Wise County Task Force,  July 18, 2012........            0720  December 14, 2012....            0747
 TX.
Martin Marietta Materials.........  July 20, 2012........            0752  December 14, 2012....            0739
Mauldin Pharmacy, Inc. dba Valu-    July 17, 2012........            0704  December 14, 2012....            0737
 Rite Pharmacy.
Newark City Council, TX...........  July 19, 2012........            0744  December 14, 2012....            0750
Runaway Bay Economic Development    July 12, 2012........            0729  December 14, 2012....            0733
 Corporation.
Targa Resources Corporation.......  July 20, 2012........            0715  December 14, 2012....            0748
Texas Commission on Environmental   July 18, 2012........            0713  December 14, 2012....            0753
 Quality.
TXI Operations, LP................  July 19, 2012........            0710  December 14, 2012....            0740
U.S. Ply..........................  July 17, 2012........            0749  December 14, 2012....            0734
Wayne Smith, Texas House of         July 12, 2012........            0705  December 14, 2012....            0755
 Representatives.
Wise County, TX...................  June 15, 2012........            0725  December 14, 2012....            0741
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                                       Uinta Basin, UT Unclassifiable Area
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WildEarth Guardians, Southern Utah  July 19, 2012........            0711  December 14, 2012....            0751
 Wilderness Alliance and Utah
 Physicians for a Healthy
 Environment.
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                                    Multiple Unclassifiable/Attainment Areas
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Sierra Club.......................  July 20, 2012........            0712  December 14, 2012....            0716
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Note: All document numbers listed in the table are in the form of ``EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0476-xxxx.''

    All documents in the docket are listed in the index at http://www.regulations.gov. Although listed in the index, some information is 
not publicly available, i.e., Confidential Business Information or 
other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain 
other material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on the 
Internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. 
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically 
in the docket or in hard copy at the Docket, EPA/DC, EPA West, Room 
3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC The Public Reading 
Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading 
Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Office of Air 
and Radiation Docket and Information Center is (202) 566-1742.
    In addition, the EPA has established a Web site for the ozone 
designations rulemakings at: http://www.epa.gov/ozonedesignations. This 
Federal Register notice, the petitions for reconsideration, and the 
response letters to the petitions are also available on this Web site 
along with other information relevant to the designation process.

[[Page 927]]

II. Judicial Review

    Section 307(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act indicates which Federal 
Courts of Appeal have venue for petitions of review of final actions by 
the EPA. This section provides, in part, that petitions for review must 
be filed in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit: 
(i) When the agency action consists of ``nationally applicable 
regulations promulgated, or final actions taken, by the 
Administrator,'' or (ii) when such action is locally or regionally 
applicable, if ``such action is based on a determination of nationwide 
scope or effect and if in taking such action the Administrator finds 
and publishes that such action is based on such a determination.'' In 
the rules establishing air quality designations for the 2008 ozone 
national ambient air quality standards, the EPA determined that the 
actions are of nationwide scope and effect for the purposes of section 
307(b)(1). (See 77 FR 30088; May 21, 2012 and 77 FR 34221; June 11, 
2012.)
    The EPA has determined that its actions denying the petitions for 
reconsideration also are of nationwide scope and effect because these 
actions directly relate to the ozone designations rulemakings that the 
EPA previously determined are of nationwide scope and effect. Thus, any 
petitions for review of the final letters denying the petitions for 
reconsideration must be filed in the Court of Appeals for the District 
of Columbia Circuit on or before March 8, 2013.

    Dated: December 27, 2012.
Gina McCarthy,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 2013-00053 Filed 1-4-13; 8:45 am]
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