[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 26 (Thursday, February 7, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9044-9045]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-02808]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9777-4]


Adequacy Status of the Motor Vehicle Emission Budgets for 
Metropolitan Washington DC Area (DC-MD-VA) 1997 8-Hour Ozone Non-
Attainment Area's 2009 Attainment Plan and 2010 Contingency Plan

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of adequacy.

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SUMMARY: In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that the Motor 
Vehicle Emissions Budgets (MVEBs) for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) 
and nitrogen oxides (NOX) in the 2009 Attainment Plan and 
2010 Contingency Plan submitted as a State Implementation Plan (SIP) 
revision on June 4, 2007 by the Maryland Department of the Environment 
(MDE) and June 12, 2007 by both the Virginia Department of 
Environmental Quality (VADEQ) and the District of Columbia Department 
of Health (DCDOH) are adequate for transportation conformity purposes. 
As a result of EPA's finding, the Washington DC-MD-VA Nonattainment 
Area for the 1997 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard 
(the Metropolitan Washington Area) must use the MVEBs from the June 4, 
2007 and June 12, 2007 Attainment Plan and Contingency Plan for future 
conformity determinations for the 1997 8-hour ozone standard.

DATES: The adequacy finding for MVEBs for VOCs and NOX is 
effective February 22, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Martin Kotsch, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Region III, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania 19103 at (215) 814-3335 or by email at: 
[email protected]. The finding is available at EPA's conformity Web 
site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/currsips.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The word ``budgets'' refers to the motor 
vehicle emission budgets for VOCs and NOX. The word ``SIP'' 
in this document refers to the Attainment Plan and Contingency Plan for 
the Metropolitan Washington Area, 1997 8-Hour Ozone Nonattainment Area 
submitted to EPA as a SIP revision on June 4, 2007 by MDE and June 12, 
2007 by VADEQ and DCDOH.
    Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that EPA has 
already made. In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that we have 
found that the MVEBs in the 2009 Attainment Plan and 2010 Contingency 
Plan, submitted on June 4, 2007 by MDE and June 12, 2007 by VADEQ and 
DCDOH, are adequate for transportation conformity purposes. As a result 
of EPA's finding, the Metropolitan Washington Area must use the MVEBs 
from the 2009 Attainment Plan and 2010 Contingency Plan for future 
conformity determinations for the 1997 8-hour ozone standard. This 
finding has also been announced on EPA's conformity Web site: http://

[[Page 9045]]

www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/pastsips.htm. The adequate 
MVEBs are shown in the following table:

    Metropolitan Washington Area MVEBs 2009 Attainment Plan and 2010
                            Contingency Plan
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          VOCs (tons per   NOX (tons per
             Milestone year                    day)            day)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2009....................................            66.5           146.1
2010....................................             N/A           144.3
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Transportation conformity is required by section 176(c) of the 
Clean Air Act, as amended in 1990. 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. 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 MVEBs are adequate for conformity purposes 
are outlined in 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). EPA has described the process for 
determining the adequacy of submitted SIP budgets in 40 CFR 93.118(f) 
and has followed this rule in making its adequacy determination.

    Dated: January 25, 2013.
W.C. Early,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. 2013-02808 Filed 2-6-13; 8:45 am]
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