[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 162 (Tuesday, August 21, 2018)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 42223-42224]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-18034]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 81

[EPA-R04-OAR-2018-0173; FRL-9982-71--Region 4]


Air Plan Approval and Air Quality Designation; AL; Redesignation 
of the Etowah County Unclassifiable Area

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: On March 22, 2018, the State of Alabama, through the Alabama 
Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), submitted a request for 
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to redesignate the Etowah 
County, Alabama fine particulate matter (PM2.5) 
unclassifiable area (hereinafter referred to as the ``Etowah County 
Area'' or ``Area'') to attainment for the 2006 primary and secondary 
24-hour PM2.5 national ambient air quality standards 
(NAAQS). EPA is approving the State's request and redesignating the 
Area to unclassifiable/attainment for the 2006 primary and secondary 
24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS based upon valid, quality-assured, and 
certified ambient air monitoring data showing that the PM2.5 
monitor in the Area is in compliance with the 2006 primary and 
secondary 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS.

DATES: This rule will be effective September 20, 2018.

ADDRESSES: EPA has established a docket for this action under Docket 
Identification No. EPA-R04-OAR-2018-0173. All documents in the docket 
are listed on the www.regulations.gov website. Although listed in the 
index, some information may not be publicly available, i.e., 
Confidential Business Information or other information whose disclosure 
is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted 
material, is not placed on the internet and will be publicly available 
only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are 
available either electronically through www.regulations.gov or in hard 
copy at the Air Regulatory Management Section, Air Planning and 
Implementation Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW, 
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. EPA requests that if at all possible, you 
contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
section to schedule your inspection. The Regional Office's official 
hours of business are Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 
excluding Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Madolyn Sanchez, Air Regulatory 
Management Section, Air Planning and Implementation Branch, Air, 
Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, Georgia 
30303-8960. Ms. Sanchez can be reached by telephone at (404) 562-9644 
or via electronic mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    On September 21, 2006, EPA revised the primary and secondary 24-
hour NAAQS for PM2.5 at a level of 35 micrograms per cubic 
meter ([micro]g/m\3\), based on a 3-year average of the annual 98th 
percentile of 24-hour PM2.5 concentrations. See 71 FR 61144 
(October 17, 2006). EPA established the standards based on significant 
evidence and numerous health studies demonstrating that serious health 
effects are associated with exposures to particulate matter.
    The process for designating areas following promulgation of a new 
or revised NAAQS is contained in section 107(d)(1) of the Clean Air Act 
(CAA). EPA and state air quality agencies initiated the monitoring 
process for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS in 1999, and deployed all 
air quality monitors by January 2001. On October 8, 2009, EPA 
designated areas across the country as nonattainment, unclassifiable, 
or unclassifiable/attainment \1\ for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 
NAAQS based upon air quality monitoring data from these monitors for 
calendar years 2006-2008. See 74 FR 58688. The monitor in the Etowah 
County Area had incomplete data for the 2006-2008 timeframe. Therefore, 
EPA designated Etowah County as unclassifiable for the 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS. Id.
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    \1\ For the initial PM area designations in 2009 (for the 2006 
24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS), EPA used a designation category of 
``unclassifiable/attainment'' for areas that had monitors showing 
attainment of the standard and were not contributing to nearby 
violations and for areas that did not have monitors but for which 
EPA had reason to believe were likely attaining the standard and not 
contributing to nearby violations. EPA used the category 
``unclassifiable'' for areas in which EPA could not determine, based 
upon available information, whether or not the NAAQS was being met 
and/or EPA had not determined the area to be contributing to nearby 
violations. EPA reserves the ``attainment'' category for when EPA 
redesignates a nonattainment area that has attained the relevant 
NAAQS and has an approved maintenance plan.
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    On March 22, 2018, Alabama submitted a request for EPA to 
redesignate the Etowah County Area to unclassifiable/attainment for the 
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS now that there is sufficient data 
to determine that the Area is in attainment. In a notice of proposed 
rulemaking (NPRM) published on June 1, 2018 (83 FR 25422), EPA proposed 
to approve the State's redesignation request. The details of Alabama's 
submittal and the rationale for EPA's actions are further explained in 
the NPRM. EPA did not receive any adverse comments on the proposed 
action.

II. Final Action

    EPA is approving Alabama's redesignation request and redesignating 
the Etowah County Area from unclassifiable to unclassifiable/attainment 
for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS.\2\
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    \2\ Although Alabama requested redesignation of the Area to 
``attainment,'' EPA is redesignating the area to ``unclassifiable/
attainment'' because, as noted above, EPA reserves the 
``attainment'' category for when EPA redesignates a nonattainment 
area that has attained the relevant NAAQS and has an approved 
maintenance plan.
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III. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

    Under the CAA, redesignation of an area to unclassifiable/
attainment is an action that affects the status of a geographical area 
and does not impose any additional regulatory requirements on sources 
beyond those imposed by state law. A redesignation to unclassifiable/
attainment does not in and of itself create any new requirements. 
Accordingly, this action merely redesignates an area to unclassifiable/
attainment and does not impose additional requirements. For that 
reason, this 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 redesignations 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

[[Page 42224]]

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
     will not have disproportionate human health or 
environmental effects under Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 
16, 1994).
    This final redesignation action is not approved to apply to any 
Indian reservation land or in any other area where EPA or an Indian 
tribe has demonstrated that a tribe has jurisdiction. In those areas of 
Indian country, the rule does not have tribal implications as specified 
by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9, 2000), nor will it 
impose substantial direct costs on tribal governments or preempt tribal 
law.
    The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the 
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, generally 
provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency promulgating 
the rule must submit a rule report, which includes a copy of the rule, 
to each House of the Congress and to the Comptroller General of the 
United States. EPA will submit a report containing this action and 
other required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of 
Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United States prior 
to publication of the rule in the Federal Register. A major rule cannot 
take effect until 60 days after it is published in the Federal 
Register. This action is not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C. 
804(2).
    Under section 307(b)(1) of the CAA, petitions for judicial review 
of this action must be filed in the United States Court of Appeals for 
the appropriate circuit by October 22, 2018. Filing a petition for 
reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule does not affect 
the finality of this action for the purposes of judicial review nor 
does it extend the time within which a petition for judicial review may 
be filed, and shall not postpone the effectiveness of such rule or 
action. This action may not be challenged later in proceedings to 
enforce its requirements. See section 307(b)(2).

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 81

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, National parks, 
Wilderness areas.

    Dated: August 8, 2018.
Onis ``Trey'' Glenn, III
Regional Administrator, Region 4.
    40 CFR part 81 is amended as follows:

PART 81--DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES

0
1. The authority citation for part 81 continues to read as follows:

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

0
2. In Sec.  81.301, the table entitled ``Alabama-2006 24-Hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS (Primary and secondary)'' is amended by revising 
the entry for ``Etowah County'' to read as follows:


Sec.  81.301  Alabama.

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                                        Alabama-2006 24-Hour PM2.5 NAAQS
                                             [Primary and secondary]
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                                               Designation \a\                         Classification
        Designation area         -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        Date \1\               Type                Date               Type
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                                                  * * * * * * *
Etowah County...................  August 21, 2018....  Unclassifiable/      .................  .................
                                                        Attainment.
 
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\a\ Includes Indian Country located in each county or area, except as otherwise specified.
\1\ This date is 30 days after November 13, 2009, unless otherwise noted.

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[FR Doc. 2018-18034 Filed 8-20-18; 8:45 am]
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