[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 66 (Thursday, April 5, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 14637]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-06793]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-R05-OAR-2017-0579; FRL-9976-12-Region 5]


Adequacy Status of the Sheboygan County, Wisconsin Area for the 
Submitted 2008 Ozone Standard Attainment Demonstration for 
Transportation Conformity Purposes

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of finding of adequacy.

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SUMMARY: In this notice, the EPA is notifying the public that we find 
the motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) for volatile organic 
compounds (VOCs) and oxides of nitrogen (NOX) in 
the Sheboygan County, Wisconsin 2008 Ozone Standard nonattainment area 
adequate for use in transportation conformity determinations. On 
September 25, 2017, Wisconsin submitted a 2008 Ozone Standard 
Attainment Demonstration for Sheboygan County, which included the MVEBs 
for 2017 and 2018. As a result of our finding, this area must use these 
MVEBs from the submitted Attainment Demonstration for future 
transportation conformity determinations.

DATES: This finding is applicable April 20, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Leslie, Environmental 
Engineer, Control Strategies Section (AR-18J), Air Programs Branch, Air 
and Radiation Division, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 
Region 5, 77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604, (312) 
353-6680, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, whenever ``we'', 
``us'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.

Background

    This notice is an announcement of a finding that we have already 
made. On January 17, 2018, EPA sent a letter to the Wisconsin 
Department of Natural Resources stating that the 2017 and 2018 MVEBs 
contained in the Attainment Demonstration for the 2008 Ozone Standard 
for Sheboygan County are adequate for transportation conformity 
purposes. Receipt of these MVEBs was announced on EPA's transportation 
conformity website, and no comments were submitted. The finding is 
available at EPA's conformity website: https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-transportation/adequacy-review-state-implementation-plan-sip-submissions-conformity.
    The 2017 and 2018 MVEBs, in tons per day (tpd), for VOCs and 
NOX for the Sheboygan County, Wisconsin area are as follows:

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                                                         NOX      VOCs
                  Sheboygan County                      (tpd)     (tpd)
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2017................................................      1.62      3.29
2018................................................      1.49      2.96
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    Transportation conformity is required by section 176(c) of the 
Clean Air Act. 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 conform. Conformity to a State 
Implementation Plan (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 MVEBs are 
adequate for transportation conformity purposes are outlined in 40 CFR 
93.118(e)(4). Please note that an adequacy review is separate from 
EPA's completeness review, and is also a separate action from EPA's 
evaluation of and decision whether to approve a proposed SIP revision.

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

    Dated: March 20, 2018.
Edward H. Chu,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.
[FR Doc. 2018-06793 Filed 4-4-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P