[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 125 (Wednesday, June 29, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42350-42351]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-15408]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9948-52-Region 6]


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.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is notifying the 
public that it has found that the motor vehicle emissions budgets 
(MVEBs) in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana 2008 8-hour Ozone National 
Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) Maintenance Plan State 
Implementation Plan (SIP) revision, submitted on May 2, 2016 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.

DATES: These budgets are effective July 14, 2016.

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 (6MM-AA), U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6, 1445 Ross Avenue, Dallas, 
Texas 75202-2733, telephone (214) 665-8542, Email 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 May 2, 2016, we received a SIP revision from the LDEQ. This 
revision consisted of a 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS redesignation request 
and maintenance plan SIP for the Baton Rouge area. This submission 
established MVEBs for the Baton Rouge area for the years 2022 and 2027. 
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 MVEBs are provided in 
Table 1:

         Table 1--Baton Rouge Maintenance Plan NOX and VOC MVEBS
                      [Summer season tons per day]
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                                                    2022         2027
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NOX...........................................        14.37        10.95
VOC...........................................        13.19        11.55
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    On May 6, 2016, EPA posted the availability of the Baton Rouge area 
MVEBs on EPA's Web site for the purpose of soliciting public comments, 
as part of the adequacy process pursuant to 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). The 
comment period closed on June 6, 2016, 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 June 13, 2016, 
finding that the MVEBs in the Baton Rouge Maintenance Plan SIP, 
submitted on May 2, 2016 are 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

[[Page 42351]]

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 Maintenance Plan 
SIP revision submittal. Even if EPA finds the budgets adequate, the 
Baton Rouge Maintenance Plan SIP revision submittal could later be 
disapproved.
    These new MVEBs are effective July 14, 2016. Within 24 months from 
the effective date of this notice, the Baton Rouge area transportation 
partners, such as the Capital Region Planning Commission, will need to 
demonstrate conformity to the new MVEBs 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: June 17, 2016.
Ron Curry,
Regional Administrator, Region 6.
[FR Doc. 2016-15408 Filed 6-28-16; 8:45 am]
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