[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 111 (Friday, June 8, 2018)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 26598-26599]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12388]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[EPA-R07-OAR-2018-0319; FRL-9979-11--Region 7]


Adequacy Determination for the St. Louis Area 2008 8-Hour Ozone 
Redesignation Request and Maintenance State Implementation Plan, Motor 
Vehicle Emissions Budgets for Transportation Conformity Purposes; State 
of Missouri

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notification of adequacy determination.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the EPA is notifying the public that the St. 
Louis area 2008 8-hour ozone redesignation request and maintenance plan 
motor vehicle emission budgets (MVEBs) for volatile organic compounds 
(VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are adequate for 
transportation conformity purposes. As a result, these budgets must be 
used by the State of Missouri for future transportation conformity 
determinations for the St. Louis area.

DATES: This finding is effective June 22, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heather Hamilton, at (913) 551-7039, 
by email at [email protected], or by mail at U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Air Planning and Development Branch, 11201 Renner 
Boulevard, Lenexa, Kansas 66219.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document ``we,'' ``us,'' or 
``our'' refer to EPA. The word ``budget(s)'' refers to the motor 
vehicle emission budgets (MVEBs) for volatile organic compounds and 
nitrogen oxides. For the purposes of this document, ``SIP'' refers to 
the St. Louis Area 2008 8-Hour Ozone Redesignation Request and 
Maintenance State Implementation Plan, submitted by Missouri Department 
of Natural Resources to EPA as a SIP revision on September 12, 2016. 
The Plan was revised on February 16, 2018.
    This document is an announcement of a finding that EPA has already 
made. EPA Region 7 sent a letter to Missouri Department of Natural 
Resources on May 15, 2018, stating that the MVEBs contained in the 
Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan are adequate for 
transportation conformity purposes. As a result of EPA's finding, the 
State of Missouri must use the MVEBs from the February 16, 2018, 
Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan for

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future transportation conformity determinations for the St. Louis area. 
The finding is available at EPA's conformity website: https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-transportation.
    Transportation conformity is required by section 176(c) of the 
Clean Air Act, as amended in 1990. EPA's conformity rule requires that 
transportation plans, programs and projects conform to state air 
quality implementation plans and establishes the criteria and procedure 
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). 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 SIP. EPA plans to take action on the SIP 
at a later date. We have described our process for determining the 
adequacy of submitted SIP budgets in 40 CFR 93.118(f), and have 
followed this rule in making our adequacy determination.

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

    Dated: May 25, 2018.
James B. Gulliford,
Regional Administrator, Region 7.
[FR Doc. 2018-12388 Filed 6-7-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P