[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 88 (Thursday, May 8, 2025)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 19423-19424]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-08084]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA-R10-OAR-2024-0595; FRL-12391-01-R10]
Adequacy Status of the Motor Vehicle Emissions Budget in the
Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska Submitted 2006 24-Hour PM2.5 NAAQS
Serious Area and 189(d) Plan
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of adequacy.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is notifying the
public that we have found the motor vehicle emissions budgets adequate
for transportation conformity purposes for the Fairbanks North Star
Borough's 2006 24-hour fine particulate matter (PM2.5)
nonattainment area. The budgets were submitted on December 4, 2024, as
part of Alaska's state implementation plan revisions (Fairbanks Revised
189(d) Plan). As a result of our finding, these budgets must be used
when determining
[[Page 19424]]
conformity of the Fairbanks transportation plan and transportation
improvement program.
DATES: This finding is effective May 23, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tess Bloom, 1200 6th Avenue, Suite
155, Seattle, WA 98101; [email protected] or 206-553-6362.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, ``we'' and ``our''
refer to the EPA.
This document is simply an announcement of a finding that we have
already made. The EPA Region 10 issued a letter on April 8, 2025, to
the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation stating that the
PM2.5 motor vehicle emissions budgets, submitted in the
Fairbanks Revised 189(d) Plan, are adequate. The motor vehicle
emissions budgets that we have determined are adequate for
transportation conformity purposes are provided in the following table:
Adequate Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets \1\
for the 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS in the Fairbanks North Star Borough
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PM2.5 \2\ On-road Clean Air Act-
Budget years mobile source emissions related
(tons/day) milestone
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2023......................... 0.062 Reasonable
further
progress (RFP).
2026......................... 0.054 RFP.
2027......................... 0.052 Attainment.
2029......................... 0.049 RFP.
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Transportation conformity is required by Clean Air Act section
176(c), 42 U.S.C. 7506(c). The EPA's Transportation Conformity Rule (40
CFR part 93, subpart A) requires that transportation plans,
transportation improvement programs, and projects conform to state air
quality implementation plans (SIPs) and establishes the criteria and
procedures 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 NAAQS. See, e.g., 42 U.S.C. 7506(c)(1)(B).
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\1\ Note 2020 was included as a base year, not a milestone year,
in the SIP Submission and ``Table 6--PM2.5 Motor Vehicle
Emission Budgets by Milestone Year'' in the January 8, 2025, Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking. See 90 FR 1600. As such, it is not actually
a motor vehicle emissions budget according to the definition in 40
CFR 93.101 and it would not be used in transportation conformity.
\2\ Relevant transportation-related precursor pollutants for
nonattainment areas are included under 40 CFR 93.102(b)(2).
According to 40 CFR 93.102(b)(2)(iv), NOX precursor
emissions apply for PM2.5 areas unless a finding has been
made that NOX is not a significant contributor to the
PM2.5 nonattainment problem. As explained in the
submitted State Air Quality Control Plan, Vol. II, III.D.7.14 (Air
Quality Conformity and Motor Vehicle Emission Budget), Alaska DEC
only developed budgets for directly-emitted PM2.5 as
precursor significance modeling found that both total and motor
vehicle NOX emissions concentrations did not exceed EPA-
established significance thresholds. The EPA approved Alaska's
NOX precursor demonstration on December 5, 2023, (88 FR
84626).
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The criteria by which we determine whether a SIP's motor vehicle
emissions budgets are adequate for conformity purposes are outlined in
40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). The EPA has described its process for determining
the adequacy of submitted SIP budgets in our July 1, 2004 (69 FR 40004)
preamble starting at page 40038, and we used the information in these
resources 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 approval action for
the SIP. Even if we find a budget adequate, the SIP could later be
disapproved.
On January 8, 2025, the EPA proposed to approve the submitted
Fairbanks Revised 189(d) Plan, including the motor vehicle emissions
budgets contained therein. The EPA also initiated the adequacy process
for the budgets included in that submission. We reviewed the criteria
in 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4) to determine whether the motor vehicle emissions
budgets are adequate for conformity purposes. See Enclosure 2 of EPA's
April 8, 2025 letter for how the budgets meet these criteria.\3\ We
also initiated a public comment period for adequacy of the budgets as
required by 40 CFR 93.118(f)(1)(ii). The public comment period on the
adequacy process closed February 7, 2025. We received three comments
during that public comment period related to adequacy of the motor
vehicle emissions budgets. Another comment was received during Alaska
DEC's state rulemaking process. The EPA's response to these comments is
included as Enclosure 1 to the letter notifying the State of our
transportation adequacy finding.\4\ As discussed in the response to
comments, after considering the comments and based on our review, the
EPA concluded that the budgets meet the adequacy criteria in 40 CFR
93.118. Therefore, the EPA found the budgets adequate for
transportation conformity purposes.
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\3\ EPA letter sent from Krishna Viswanathan, Air and Radiation
Division Director, EPA Region 10, to Christina Carpenter, Acting
Commissioner, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, April
8, 2025. The letter is included in the docket for this action.
\4\ EPA letter sent from Krishna Viswanathan, Air and Radiation
Division Director, EPA Region 10, to Christina Carpenter, Acting
Commissioner, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, April
8, 2025. The letter is included in the docket for this action.
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Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: April 29, 2025.
Daniel D. Opalski,
Deputy Regional Administrator, Region 10.
[FR Doc. 2025-08084 Filed 5-7-25; 8:45 am]
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