[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 120 (Friday, June 25, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 33541-33542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-13450]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[EPA-R07-OAR-2021-0244; FRL-10025-00-Region 7]


Air Plan Approval; Nebraska; Revisions to Title 129 of the 
Nebraska Administrative Code; Chapter 39 Visible Emissions From Diesel-
Powered Motor Vehicles

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final 
action to approve a revision to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) for 
the State of Nebraska. This final action will amend the SIP to revise 
title 129 of the Nebraska Administrative Code by removing a portion of 
the SIP that addresses visible emissions from diesel-powered motor 
vehicles. Visible emissions from diesel-powered motor vehicles are 
addressed in the state statute. The revisions remove duplicative 
language that is redundant to the state statute. The revisions do not 
substantively change any existing statutory or regulatory requirement 
or impact the stringency of the SIP or air quality nor do they impact 
the State's ability to attain or maintain the National Ambient Air 
Quality Standards.

DATES: This final rule is effective on July 26, 2021.

ADDRESSES: The EPA has established a docket for this action under 
Docket ID No. EPA-R07-OAR-2021-0244. All documents in the docket are 
listed on the https://www.regulations.gov website. Although listed in 
the index, some information is not publicly available, i.e., CBI 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 through https://www.regulations.gov or please contact the person identified in the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section for additional information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allie Donohue, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Region 7 Office, Air Quality Planning Branch, 11201 
Renner Boulevard, Lenexa, Kansas 66219; telephone number: (913) 551-
7986; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document ``we,'' ``us,'' and 
``our'' refer to EPA.

Table of Contents

I. What is being addressed in this document?
II. Have the requirements for approval of a SIP revision been met?
III. What action is the EPA taking?
IV. Incorporation by Reference
V. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

I. What is being addressed in this document?

    The EPA is amending Nebraska's SIP to include revisions to title 
129 of the Nebraska Administrative Code. The EPA is approving revisions 
to the Nebraska SIP received on July 16, 2020. Specifically, the EPA is 
amending the Nebraska SIP by removing a portion of the SIP as follows: 
Title 129. Chapter 39. Visible Emissions from Diesel-powered Motor 
Vehicles. EPA is approving these revisions as they do not substantively 
change any existing statutory or regulatory requirement. These 
revisions do not impact the stringency of the SIP or air quality. The 
EPA solicited comments on the proposed revision to Nebraska's SIP, and 
received no comments.

II. Have the requirements for approval of a SIP revision been met?

    The state submission has met the public notice requirements for SIP 
submissions in accordance with 40 CFR 51.102. The submission also 
satisfied the completeness criteria of 40 CFR part 51, appendix V. The 
State provided public notice of the SIP revision from September 28, 
2019, to November 6, 2019, and held a public hearing on November 7, 
2019. In a letter to the state dated November 7, 2019, the EPA stated 
that the agency ``has no comment on the proposed repeal of this 
regulation.'' EPA further recommended that NDEE include a justification 
that the rule is redundant to state statute. The SIP revision meets the 
substantive requirements of the CAA, including section 110 and 
implementing regulations.

III. What action is the EPA taking?

    The EPA is taking final action to amend the Nebraska SIP by 
approving the State's request to remove Title 129 section 39. Visible 
Emissions from Diesel-powered Vehicles. The removal of this portion of 
the SIP will ensure consistency between state and federally-approved 
rules. The EPA has determined that these changes will not adversely 
impact air quality because the regulation duplicates the State's 
statute, which applies in the same jurisdiction.

IV. Incorporation by Reference

    In this document, the EPA is amending regulatory text that includes 
incorporation by reference. As described in the amendments to 40 CFR 
part 52 set forth below, the EPA is removing provisions of the EPA-
Approved Nebraska Regulations from the Nebraska State Implementation 
Plan, which is incorporated by reference in accordance with the 
requirements of 1 CFR part 51.

V. 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, the 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

[[Page 33542]]

those imposed by state law. 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);
     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 the National Technology 
Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTA) because this rulemaking does not 
involve technical standards; 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, the SIP is not approved to apply on any Indian 
reservation land or in any other area where the 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 and will not 
impose substantial direct costs on tribal governments or preempt tribal 
law as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9, 
2000).
    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 August 24, 2021. 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 52

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Incorporation by 
reference, Intergovernmental relations, Particulate matter.

    Dated: June 14, 2021.
Edward H. Chu,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 7.

    For the reasons stated in the preamble, the EPA amends 40 CFR part 
52 as set forth below:

PART 52--APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS

0
1. The authority citation for part 52 continues to read as follows:

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

Subpart CC--Nebraska


Sec.  52.1420  [Amended]

0
2. In Sec.  52.1420, the table in paragraph (c) is amended by removing 
the entry ``129-39'' under ``Title 129-Nebraska Air Quality 
Regulations''.

[FR Doc. 2021-13450 Filed 6-24-21; 8:45 am]
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