[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 86 (Thursday, May 3, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 19476-19478]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09201]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[EPA-R03-OAR-2017-0423; FRL-9977-34-Region 3]


Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; 
Pennsylvania; Base Year Emissions Inventories for the Lebanon and 
Delaware County Nonattainment Areas for the 2012 Annual Fine 
Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standard

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to 
approve two state implementation plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. These revisions pertain to base year 
emission inventories for the Lebanon County and Delaware County 
nonattainment areas for the 2012 annual fine particulate national 
ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). The Clean Air Act (CAA) requires 
states to submit a comprehensive, accurate and current inventory of 
actual emissions from all sources of direct and secondary ambient fine 
particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5) 
for all PM2.5 nonattainment areas. This action is being 
taken under Title I of the CAA.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before June 4, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R03-
OAR-2017-0423 at http://www.regulations.gov, or via email to 
[email protected]. For comments submitted at Regulations.gov, 
follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Once submitted, 
comments cannot be edited or removed from Regulations.gov. For either 
manner of submission, EPA may publish any comment received to its 
public docket. Do not submit electronically any information you 
consider to be confidential business information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia 
submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written 
comment. The written comment is considered the official comment and 
should include discussion of all points you wish to make. EPA will 
generally not consider comments or comment contents located outside of 
the primary submission (i.e. on the web, cloud, or other file sharing 
system). For additional submission methods, please contact the person 
identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. For the full 
EPA public comment policy, information about CBI or multimedia 
submissions, and general guidance on making effective comments, please 
visit http://www2.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Rehn, (215) 814-2176, or by 
email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Ambient or outdoor air can contain a variety of pollutants, 
including particulate matter (PM). Airborne PM can be comprised of 
either solid or liquid particles, or a complex mixture of particles in 
both solid and liquid form. The most common airborne PM constituents 
include sulfate (SO4); nitrate (NO3); ammonium; elemental carbon; 
organic mass; and inorganic material, referred to as ``crustal'' 
material, which can include metals, dust, soil and other trace 
elements. PM2.5 includes ``primary'' particles, which are 
directly emitted into the air by a variety of sources, and 
``secondary'' particles, that are formed in the atmosphere as a result 
of reactions between precursor pollutants (e.g., SO4 and NO3 from 
emissions of mobile and stationary sources of oxides of nitrogen and 
sulfur dioxide combining with ammonia).
    The human health effects associated with long- or short-term 
exposure to PM2.5 are significant and include premature 
mortality, aggravation of respiratory and cardiovascular disease (as 
indicated by increased hospital admissions and emergency room visits) 
and development of chronic respiratory disease. Welfare effects 
associated with elevated PM2.5 levels include visibility 
impairment, effects on sensitive ecosystems, materials damage and 
soiling, and climatic and radiative processes.
    On December 14, 2012, EPA promulgated a revised primary annual 
PM2.5 NAAQS to provide increased protection of public health 
from fine particle pollution (the 2012 annual PM2.5 NAAQS). 
78 FR 3086 (January 15, 2013). In that action, EPA strengthened the 
primary annual PM2.5 standard, lowering the level from 15.0 
micrograms per cubic meter ([micro]g/m\3\) to 12.0 mg/m3. The 2012 
annual PM2.5 NAAQS is attained when the 3-year average of 
the annual arithmetic mean monitored values does not exceed 12.0 mg/m3. 
See 40 CFR 50.18.
    On January 15, 2015 (80 FR 2206), EPA published area designations, 
as required by CAA section 107(d)(1), for the 2012 annual 
PM2.5 NAAQS. Through that designations action, EPA 
identified as ``nonattainment'' those areas that were then violating 
the 2012 annual PM2.5 NAAQS based on quality-assured, 
certified air quality monitoring data from 2011 to 2013 and those areas 
that contributed to a violation of the NAAQS in a nearby area. In that 
action, EPA designated the Delaware County and Lebanon County 
nonattainment areas as moderate nonattainment for the 2012 annual 
PM2.5 NAAQS, effective April 15, 2015. See 40 CFR 81.339. 
Pennsylvania's Delaware County and the Lebanon County nonattainment 
areas are each comprised of a single county. Under section 172(c)(3) of 
the CAA, Pennsylvania is required to submit a comprehensive, accurate, 
and current inventory of actual emissions from all sources (point, 
nonpoint, nonroad, and onroad) of the relevant pollutants, in each 
nonattainment area. EPA's ``Provisions for Implementation of the 
PM2.5 NAAQS'' (or PM implementation rule), at 40 CFR part 
51, subpart Z, sets criteria for which pollutants are to be included by 
states in the required base year emission inventory. This inventory 
must include direct PM2.5 emissions, separately reported 
PM2.5 filterable and condensable emissions, and emissions of 
the PM2.5 precursors. 40 CFR 51.1008.

II. Summary of SIP Revision and EPA Analysis

    On May 5, 2017, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental 
Protection (PADEP) submitted a formal SIP revision consisting of the 
2011 base year emissions inventory for the Delaware County 
nonattainment area for the 2012 annual PM2.5 NAAQS. On 
September 25, 2017, PADEP submitted a formal revision consisting of the 
2011 base year emission inventory for the Lebanon County nonattainment 
area for the 2012 annual PM2.5 NAAQS.
    PADEP selected 2011 as its base year for SIP planning purposes, per 
EPA's PM implementation rule, at 40 CFR 51.1008(a)(1)(i), which 
requires that the base year inventory year shall be one of the 3 years 
for which monitored data were used for designations or another 
technically appropriate inventory year if justified by the state in the 
plan submission. EPA's nonattainment designations for the 2012 annual 
PM2.5 NAAQS were made for both the Delaware County and 
Lebanon County nonattainment areas based on monitoring data from 2011-
2013 and thus included 2011. Furthermore, 2011 was the most recent and 
complete inventory for which emissions could be

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derived from the 2011 National Emission Inventory Version 2 (NEI v2). 
PADEP's 2011 base year inventories for both areas include emissions 
estimates covering the stationary point, area (nonpoint), nonroad 
mobile, onroad mobile, and source categories.
    EPA's PM2.5 implementation rule requires the base year 
emissions inventory to include direct PM2.5 emissions, as 
well as separately reported PM2.5 filterable and condensable 
emissions, and emissions of the scientific PM2.5 precursors. 
40 CFR 51.1008(a)(1)(iv). In its 2011 base year inventory SIP 
submittals for the Delaware and Lebanon County nonattainment areas, 
PADEP reported actual annual emissions of directly-emitted 
PM2.5 emissions (PM2.5 PRI), as well as 
separately reported PM2.5 filterable and condensable 
particulate matter (PM CON) emissions. PM CON is matter that exists as 
a vapor at stack conditions, but becomes a solid or liquid once it 
exits the stack and is cooled by ambient air. PADEP's base year 
inventories for these areas also include directly-emitted, primary 
particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter (PM10 
PRI), emissions precursors that contribute to secondary formation of 
PM2.5, including sulfur dioxides (SO2), nitrogen 
oxides (NOX), volatile organic compounds (VOC), and ammonia 
(NH3) emissions.
    Table 1 summarizes the 2011 emission inventory by source sector for 
each pollutant or pollutant precursor for the Delaware County 2012 
annual PM2.5 nonattainment area, expressed as annual 
emissions in tons per year (tpy).

       Table 1--Summary of 2011 Emissions of PM2.5, PM10, and PM2.5 Precursors for the Delaware County 2012 Annual PM2.5 NAAQS Nonattainment Area
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                                                                                              Annual emissions (tpy)
                                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Source sector                        PM10 Primary    PM2.5 Primary
                                                                \1\             \2\             SO2             NOX             VOC             NH3
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Stationary Point Sources \3\............................        1,671.81        1,496.70        4,975.94        7,641.98        1,393.18          217.50
Area Sources \4\........................................        2,502.73          998.82        2,055.13        2,875.85        6,779.07          206.47
Onroad Mobile Sources \5\...............................          328.61          179.01           31.05        5,643.30        2,999.73          130.41
Nonroad Mobile Sources..................................          128.87          121.78           3.498        1,123.96        1,787.97           1.759
                                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Emissions.....................................        4,632.02        2,796.30        7,065.62       17,285.08       12,959.95          556.14
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\1\ Primary PM particles are emitted directly to the air from a source and include both filterable particulate and condensable components. Condensable
  PM (PM CON) exists as a vapor at stack conditions but exists as a solid or liquid once it exits the stack and is cooled by ambient air. All PM CON is
  smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter and, therefore, represents condensable matter for both PM10 and PM2.5. PM10 Primary is the sum of filterable PM10
  (PM10 FIL) and PM CON.
\2\ PM2.5 Primary is the sum of filterable PM2.5 and PM CON.
\3\ The PM10 Primary value for stationary point sources includes a condensable component of 656.39 tpy. Because PM10 includes PM2.5 by definition, the
  PM2.5 Primary value for stationary point sources includes the same condensable component of 656.39 tpy.
\4\ PMio Primary includes PM10 FIL and PM CON. PM2.5 Primary includes PM2.5 FIL and PM CON. Condensable emissions for the area source sector are a
  subset of PM Primary emissions, or 164.93 tpy.
\5\ Condensable emissions for the onroad and nonroad sectors are not separately calculated by the MOVES model, and are therefore included within the
  PM10 Primary and PM2.5 Primary values of this table.

    Table 2 summarizes the 2011 emission inventory by source sector for 
each pollutant or pollutant precursor for the Lebanon County 2012 
annual PM2.5 nonattainment area, expressed as annual 
emissions in tons per year.

        Table 2--Summary of 2011 Emissions of PM2.5, PM10, and PM2.5 Precursors for the Lebanon County 2012 Annual PM2.5 NAAQS Nonattainment Area
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                                                                                              Annual emissions (tpy)
                                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Source sector                        PM10 Primary    PM2.5 Primary
                                                                \1\             \2\             SO2             NOX             VOC             NH3
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Stationary Point Sources \3\............................          136.64           80.68          278.53          690.30          182.37           17.44
Area Sources \4\........................................        4,462.63        1,287.21          373.62          869.09        5,924.16        3,843.03
Onroad Mobile Sources \5\...............................          140.23           92.50           11.21        2,937.04        1,331.72           49.15
Nonroad Mobile Sources..................................           64.48           61.55           1.684          615.91          668.43           0.751
                                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Emissions.....................................        4,803.98        1,521.94          665.05        5,112.33        8,106.69        3,910.37
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\1\ Primary PM particles are emitted directly to the air from a source and include both filterable particulate and condensable components. PM10 Primary
  is the sum of filterable PM10 FIL and PM CON.
\2\ PM2.5 Primary is the sum of filterable PM2.5 and PM CON.
\3\ The PM10 Primary value for stationary point sources includes a condensable component of 48.04 tpy. Because PM10 includes PM2.5 by definition, the
  PM2.5 Primary value for stationary point sources includes the same condensable component of 48.04 tpy.
\4\ PM10 Primary includes PM10 FIL and PM CON. PM2.5 Primary includes PM2.5 FIL and PM CON. Condensable emissions for the area source sector are a
  subset of PM Primary emissions, or 38.88 tpy.
\5\ Condensable emissions for the onroad and nonroad sectors are not separately calculated by the MOVES model, and are therefore included within the
  PM10 Primary and PM2.5 Primary values of this table.

    Stationary point sources are large, stationary, and identifiable 
sources of emissions that release pollutants into the atmosphere. PADEP 
extracted data for PM2.5 source emissions from the 2011 NEI 
v2, which receives input from each state's annual inventory estimates. 
For the Delaware County nonattainment area, major sources of 
PM2.5 emissions and precursors have historically been 
refineries, electric power plants, and pulp and paper mills. For the 
Lebanon

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County nonattainment area, the major sources include an electric power 
plant and a mineral processing facility.
    Area sources are stationary, nonpoint sources that are too small 
and numerous to be inventoried individually. Area sources are 
inventoried at the county level and aggregated with like categories. 
Area sources are typically estimated by multiplying an emission factor 
by some collective activity for each source category, such as 
population or employment data. PADEP accounted for control efficiency, 
rule effectiveness, and rule penetration in its area source 
calculations, where possible. PADEP's SIP submittals for the Delaware 
County and Lebanon County nonattainment areas each lists these area 
source emissions by source category in an appendix to the SIP.
    Onroad sources of emissions include motor vehicles, such as cars, 
trucks, and buses, which are operated on public roadways. PADEP 
modelled onroad emissions using EPA's Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator 
(MOVES) model, version MOVES2014, coupled with vehicle miles of travel 
activity levels. PADEP reports these onroad emissions estimates in an 
appendix of each area's SIP submittal by pollutant and by highway 
source category.
    Nonroad sources are mobile, internal combustion sources other than 
highway motor vehicles, including, but not limited to, lawn and garden 
equipment, recreational vehicles, construction and agricultural 
equipment, and industrial equipment. However, emissions from 
locomotives, commercial marine vessels, and aircraft are included with 
the point and area source sectors. Nonroad mobile source emissions from 
different source categories are calculated using various methodologies, 
primarily by use of EPA's MOVES NONROAD emissions model or from EPA's 
National Mobile Inventory Model (NMIM). PADEP reports its nonroad 
emissions in an appendix to each area's base year SIP submittal.
    EPA reviewed Pennsylvania's 2011 base year emission inventory 
submissions including results, procedures, and methodologies for the 
Delaware County and Lebanon County nonattainment areas and found them 
to be acceptable and approvable under sections 110 and 172(c)(3) of the 
CAA. EPA prepared a Technical Support Document (TSD) for each of the 
Delaware County and Lebanon County nonattainment areas in support of 
this rulemaking. These TSDs are available online at http://www.regulations.gov, Docket ID No. EPA-R03-OAR-2017-0423.

III. Proposed Action

    EPA is proposing to approve Pennsylvania's SIP revision dated May 
5, 2017 for the base year emission inventory for the Delaware County 
2012 annual PM2.5 NAAQS nonattainment area and 
Pennsylvania's SIP revision dated September 25, 2017 for the base year 
emission inventory for the Lebanon County 2012 annual PM2.5 
NAAQS nonattainment area. EPA is proposing to approve the base year 
emission inventories for these areas because the inventories for 
PM2.5 and its precursors were prepared in accordance with 
the applicable requirements of sections 110 and 172(c)(3) of the CAA 
and its implementing regulations including 40 CFR 51.1008. EPA is 
soliciting public comments on the issues discussed in this document. 
These comments will be considered before taking final action. EPA is 
taking a single rulemaking action proposing to approve both of these 
SIP submittals, which were submitted separately, as they address the 
same emission inventory requirement for two different moderate 2012 
annual PM2.5 nonattainment areas in the same state. However, 
if EPA receives adverse comment on the proposed approval affecting only 
one of these SIP revisions, EPA reserves the right to take separate 
final action on the remaining SIP revision if relevant comments are not 
received on that SIP revision.

IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

    Under the CAA, the Administrator is required to approve a SIP 
submission that complies with the provisions of the CAA and applicable 
federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a). Thus, in 
reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve state choices, 
provided that they meet the criteria of the CAA. Accordingly, this 
action merely approves state law as meeting federal requirements and 
does not impose additional requirements beyond those imposed by state 
law. For that reason, this proposed action:
     Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' subject to 
review by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Orders 
12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993) and 13563 (76 FR 3821, January 21, 
2011);
     Is not an Executive Order 13771 (82 FR 9339, February 2, 
2017) regulatory action because SIP approvals are exempted under 
Executive Order 12866.
     Does not impose an information collection burden under the 
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
     Is certified as not having a significant economic impact 
on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
     Does not contain any unfunded mandate or significantly or 
uniquely affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded 
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4);
     Does not have federalism implications as specified in 
Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999);
     Is not an economically significant regulatory action based 
on health or safety risks subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR 
19885, April 23, 1997);
     Is not a significant regulatory action subject to 
Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001);
     Is not subject to requirements of Section 12(d) of the 
National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 
note) because application of those requirements would be inconsistent 
with the CAA; and
     Does not provide EPA with the discretionary authority to 
address, as appropriate, disproportionate human health or environmental 
effects, using practicable and legally permissible methods, under 
Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).
    In addition, this proposed rule to approve the base year emission 
inventory SIP revisions for the Delaware County and Lebanon County 
nonattainment areas under the 2012 annual PM2.5 NAAQS does 
not have tribal implications as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 
FR 67249, November 9, 2000), because the SIP is not approved to apply 
in Indian country located in the state, and EPA notes that it will not 
impose substantial direct costs on tribal governments or preempt tribal 
law.

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Incorporation by 
reference, Particulate matter, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements, Sulfur oxides, Volatile organic compounds.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.

    Dated: April 19, 2018.
Cosmo Servidio,
Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. 2018-09201 Filed 5-2-18; 8:45 am]
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