[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 109 (Thursday, June 6, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 34095]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-13449]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-R10-OAR-2013-0386; FRL-9820-6]


Adequacy Status of the Idaho, Northern Ada County PM10 
State Implementation Plan for Transportation Conformity Purposes

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of adequacy determination.

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SUMMARY: In this notice, the EPA is notifying the public of its finding 
that the motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) for particulate matter 
with an aerodynamic diameter of a nominal 10 microns or less 
(PM10), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and volatile organic 
compounds (VOC) for the years 2008, 2015 and 2023 in the Northern Ada 
County PM10 State Implementation Plan, Maintenance Plan: 
Ten-Year Update (Maintenance Plan Update) are adequate for 
transportation conformity purposes. The Maintenance Plan Update was 
submitted to the EPA by the State of Idaho Department of Environmental 
Quality (IDEQ or the State) on March 11, 2013, with a clarification to 
the MVEB submitted on April 16, 2013. As a result of this finding, the 
Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho, the Idaho 
Transportation Department and the U.S. Department of Transportation 
will be required to use these MVEBs for future transportation 
conformity determinations.

DATES: This finding is effective June 21, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The finding will be available at the 
EPA's conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm. You may also contact Claudia Vergnani Vaupel, 
U.S. EPA, Region 10 (OAWT-107), 1200 Sixth Ave., Suite 900, Seattle WA 
98101; (206) 553-6121 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This action provides notice of the EPA's 
adequacy finding regarding the MVEBs in the Maintenance Plan Update in 
Northern Ada County. The EPA's finding was made pursuant to the 
adequacy review process for implementation plan submissions delineated 
at 40 CFR 93.118(f)(1) under which the EPA reviews the adequacy of an 
implementation plan submission prior to the EPA's final action on the 
implementation plan.
    The IDEQ submitted the Maintenance Plan Update to the EPA on March 
11, 2013, with a clarification to the MVEBs submitted on April 16, 
2013. Pursuant to 40 CFR 93.118 (f)(1), the EPA notified the public of 
its receipt of this plan that would be reviewed for an adequacy 
determination on the EPA's Web site and requested public comment by no 
later than May 15, 2013. The EPA received no comments on the plan 
during that comment period. As part of our review, we also reviewed 
comments submitted to the IDEQ during the State's public hearing 
process and the State's response to those comments. One comment related 
to the MVEBs was submitted during the State's public hearing process. 
The commenter requested an explanation of the differences in the 
State's current and previous PM10 emission budgets, and a 
justification for the State's reliance on an emission factor that 
differed from the factor previously relied-upon in the State's emission 
budget. The EPA finds that the State addressed the discrepancy 
identified by the commenter and adequately explained the derivation of 
the State's current PM10 emission budget.
    The EPA Region 10 sent a letter to the IDEQ on May 17, 2013 
(adequacy letter), subsequent to the close of the EPA comment period, 
stating that the EPA found the new MVEBs in the submitted Maintenance 
Plan Update to be adequate for use in transportation conformity. A copy 
of the adequacy letter and its enclosure is available at the EPA's 
conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm. The new MVEBs that the EPA determined to be adequate for 
purposes of transportation conformity are listed in the following 
table.

           MVEBs for Northern Ada County PM10 Maintenance Area
                             [tons per day]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Budget year                   PM10       NOX        VOC
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2008...................................       31.0       29.5       12.6
2015...................................       42.9       29.5       12.6
2023...................................       60.1       34.2       17.2
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    Transportation conformity is required by section 176(c) of the 
Clean Air Act. The EPA's conformity rule requires transportation plans, 
programs, and projects to conform to state implementation plans (SIPs) 
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 minimum criteria by which we determine whether a SIP's MVEBs 
are adequate for conformity purposes are specified at 40 CFR 
93.118(e)(4). The EPA's analysis of how the State's submission 
satisfies these criteria is found in the adequacy letter. The EPA's 
MVEB adequacy review is separate from the EPA's SIP completeness review 
and it also should not be used to prejudge the EPA's ultimate approval 
of the SIP. Even if we find the budget adequate, the SIP could later be 
disapproved.

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

    Dated: May 23, 2013.
Dennis J. McLerran,
Regional Administrator, Region 10.
[FR Doc. 2013-13449 Filed 6-5-13; 8:45 am]
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