[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 157 (Wednesday, August 14, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40409-40410]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-17348]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-R05-OAR-2019-0239; FRL-9998-02-Region 5]


Adequacy Status of the Columbus, Ohio Area for the Submitted 2015 
Ozone Standard Maintenance Plan 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 have 
found the motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) for volatile organic 
compounds (VOCs) and oxides of nitrogen (NOX) in the 2015 
ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) maintenance plan 
for the Columbus, Ohio area (Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, and Licking 
Counties) adequate for use in transportation conformity determinations 
under the Clean Air Act. On April 23, 2019, the Ohio Environmental 
Protection Agency (OEPA) submitted a 2015 ozone NAAQS maintenance plan 
for the Columbus area, which included VOC and NOX MVEBs for 
2023 and 2030. As a result of our finding of adequacy, the MVEBs from 
the submitted maintenance plan must be used by state and Federal 
agencies in determining whether proposed transportation projects 
conform to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) as required by the Clean 
Air Act.

DATES: This finding is applicable August 29, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anthony Maietta, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, 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) 353-8777, [email protected].

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

Background

    Today's notice is an announcement of a finding that we have already 
made. On April 23, 2019, OEPA submitted to EPA a plan for maintaining 
the 2015 ozone NAAQS in the Columbus area. This plan included MVEBs for 
VOC and NOX for the years 2023 and 2030. On April 23, 2019, 
EPA sent a letter to OEPA transmitting our finding that the 2023 and 
2030 MVEBs contained in the 2015 ozone NAAQS maintenance plan for the 
Columbus area are adequate for transportation conformity purposes. 
Receipt of these MVEBs was announced on EPA's transportation conformity 
website: https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-transportation/adequacy-review-state-implementation-plan-sip-submissions-conformity. The 
finding and other relevant information are also available on EPA's 
transportation conformity website.
    The 2023 MVEBs for the Columbus area are 29.28 tons per day (tpd) 
of NOX

[[Page 40410]]

and 28.67 tpd of VOCs. The 2030 MVEBs for the Columbus area are 20.98 
tpd of NOX and 22.03 tpd of VOCs.
    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 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 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. 7401-7671q.

    Dated: July 30, 2019.
Cheryl L. Newton,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.
[FR Doc. 2019-17348 Filed 8-13-19; 8:45 am]
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