[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 4, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 72880]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-28981]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9903-81-Region-3]


Adequacy Status of the West Virginia Portion of the Steubenville-
Weirton, WV-OH Nonattainment Area Submitted for the 1997 Fine 
Particulate Matter Standard Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan 
for Transportation Conformity Purposes

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of adequacy.

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SUMMARY: In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that we have made 
insignificance findings through the transportation conformity adequacy 
process, under the Clean Air Act (CAA), for directly emitted fine 
particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides 
(NOX) in the West Virginia portion of the Steubenville-
Weirton, WV-OH 1997 PM2.5 national ambient air quality 
standard (NAAQS) nonattainment area. West Virginia submitted the 
insignificance findings with the redesignation request and maintenance 
plan submittal on April 13, 2012. As a result of EPA's findings, the 
West Virginia portion of the Steubenville-Weirton, WV-OH nonattainment 
area is no longer required to perform a regional emissions analysis for 
directly emitted PM2.5, or NOx, as part of future 
PM2.5 conformity determinations for the 1997 annual 
PM2.5 air quality standard.

DATES: Effective on December 19, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory Becoat, Environmental 
Scientist, Office of Air Quality Planning, United States Environmental 
Protection Agency, Region III, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 
19103, (215) 814-2036; [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Today's notice is simply an announcement of 
a finding that EPA has already made. EPA Region III sent a letter to 
the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection on September 
25, 2013 stating that EPA has made insignificance findings, through the 
adequacy process, for PM2.5 and NOX for the West 
Virginia Portion of the Steubenville-Weirton, WV-OH 1997 
PM2.5 NAAQS nonattainment area, as the State had requested 
in its redesignation and maintenance plan submittal. Receipt of the 
submittal was announced on EPA's transportation conformity Web site. No 
comments were received. The findings letter is available at EPA's 
conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm.
    Transportation conformity is required by section 176(c) of the CAA. 
EPA's conformity rule requires that transportation plans, 
transportation improvement programs, and projects conform to state air 
quality 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 criteria by which we determine whether a SIP's motor vehicle 
emission budgets are adequate for conformity purposes are outlined in 
40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). EPA described the process for determining the 
adequacy of submitted SIP budgets in a July 1, 2004 preamble starting 
at 69 FR 40038 and used the information in these resources in making 
this adequacy determination. Please note that an adequacy review is 
separate from EPA's completeness review, and should not be used to 
prejudge EPA's ultimate approval action for the SIP. Even if EPA finds 
a budget adequate, the SIP could later be disapproved.
    The finding and the response to comments are available at EPA's 
conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm.

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

    Dated: November 15, 2013.
 W.C. Early,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. 2013-28981 Filed 12-3-13; 8:45 am]
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