[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 186 (Tuesday, September 25, 2018)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 48384-48385]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-20738]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[Docket No. EPA-R02-OAR-2018-0622; FRL-9984-35--Region 2]


Adequacy Status of Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets for the New 
Jersey Portion of the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-
CT 2008 8-hour Ozone Nonattainment Area

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notification of adequacy.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Environmental Protection Agency (``EPA'' 
or ``Agency'') is notifying the public that the Agency has found that 
the 2017 motor vehicle emissions budgets (``budgets'') for volatile 
organic compounds (``VOCs'') and nitrogen oxides (``NOX'') 
submitted by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for 
the 2008 national ambient air quality standard (``NAAQS'') for ozone 
are adequate for transportation conformity purposes for the New Jersey 
portions of the New York-Northern New

[[Page 48385]]

Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT 8-hour ozone nonattainment area. The 
transportation conformity rule) requires that the EPA conduct a public 
process and make an affirmative decision on the adequacy of these 
budgets before they can be used by metropolitan planning organizations 
in conformity determinations. As a result of this finding, upon the 
effective date of this notification of adequacy, the North Jersey 
Transportation Planning Authority must use these budgets in future 
transportation conformity determinations. The budgets are contained in 
New Jersey's December 22, 2017, state implementation plan submittal for 
the 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS and are associated with the reasonable 
further progress milestone demonstration.

DATES: This finding is effective October 10, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Reema Loutan, Environmental Protection 
Agency Region 2, Air Programs Branch, 290 Broadway, 25th Floor, New 
York, New York 10007-1866; (212) 637-3760, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, whenever ``we,'' 
``us,'' or ``our'' is used, we mean the EPA.
    This document is simply an announcement of a finding that we have 
already made. EPA Region 2 sent a letter to the New Jersey Department 
of Environmental Protection on August 16, 2018, stating that the 2017 
motor vehicle emissions budgets (``budgets'') in the submitted state 
implementation plan (``SIP'') for the 2008 national ambient air quality 
standard for ozone for the New Jersey portions of the New York-Northern 
New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT 8-hour ozone nonattainment area are 
adequate for transportation conformity purposes. These budgets are 
associated with the SIP's reasonable further progress milestone 
demonstration and must apply to future transportation conformity 
determinations conducted by the North Jersey Transportation Planning 
Authority (``NJTPA'').
    On December 22, 2017, the New Jersey Department of Environmental 
Protection submitted a SIP revision for the New Jersey portion of the 
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT 2008 8-hour ozone 
nonattainment area. This revision to the SIP included 2017 summer day 
volatile organic compound (``VOC'') and nitrogen oxides 
(``NOX'') motor vehicle emissions budgets associated with 
the SIP's reasonable further progress demonstration. We announced 
availability of the plan and related budgets on the EPA's 
transportation conformity website on February 8, 2018, requesting 
comments by March 12, 2018. We received no comments in response to the 
adequacy review posting.
    This finding will also be available at the EPA's conformity 
website: https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-transportation/conformity-adequacy-review-region-2.
    The motor vehicle emissions budgets are provided in Table 1 below.

         Table 1--2017 Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets for NJTPA
                             [Tons per day]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     Year                           NOX          VOC
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2017..........................................      103.22        48.69
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    Transportation conformity is required by Clean Air Act section 
176(c). The EPA's conformity rule requires that long-range 
transportation plans, transportation improvement programs, and 
transportation projects conform to a state's air quality SIP and 
establishes the criteria and procedures for determining whether or not 
they conform. Conformity to a SIP means that transportation activities 
will not produce new air quality violations, worsen existing 
violations, or delay timely attainment of the NAAQS.
    The criteria the EPA uses to determine whether a SIP's motor 
vehicle emission budgets are adequate for conformity purposes are 
outlined in 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). We have further described our process 
for determining the adequacy of submitted SIP budgets in 40 CFR 
93.118(f), and we followed this rule in making our adequacy 
determination. Please note that an adequacy review is separate from the 
EPA's completeness review and should not be used to prejudge the EPA's 
ultimate action on the SIP. Even if we find a budget adequate, the SIP 
could later be disapproved.
    Pursuant to 40 CFR 93.104(e), within 2 years of the effective date 
of this document, NJTPA and the U.S. Department of Transportation will 
need to demonstrate conformity to the new budgets. For demonstrating 
conformity to the budgets in this plan, the on-road motor vehicle 
emissions from implementation of the long-range transportation plan 
should be projected consistently with the budgets in this plan.

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

    Dated: September 5, 2018.
Peter D. Lopez,
Regional Administrator, Region 2.
[FR Doc. 2018-20738 Filed 9-24-18; 8:45 am]
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