Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Pennsylvania; Redesignation of the Altoona 8-Hour Ozone Nonattainment Area to Attainment and Approval of the Associated Maintenance Plan and 2002 Base-Year Inventory, 31495-31507 [E7-11019]
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 109 / Thursday, June 7, 2007 / Proposed Rules
afforded from administrative, civil, or
criminal penalties because granting
such immunity would not be consistent
with Federal law, which is one of the
criteria for immunity.’’
Therefore, EPA has determined that
Virginia’s Privilege and Immunity
statutes will not preclude the
Commonwealth from enforcing its
program consistent with the Federal
requirements. In any event, because
EPA has also determined that a state
audit privilege and immunity law can
affect only state enforcement and cannot
have any impact on Federal
enforcement authorities, EPA may at
any time invoke its authority under the
Clean Air Act, including, for example,
sections 113, 167, 205, 211 or 213, to
enforce the requirements or prohibitions
of the state plan, independently of any
state enforcement effort. In addition,
citizen enforcement under section 304
of the Clean Air Act is likewise
unaffected by this, or any, state audit
privilege or immunity law.
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with PROPOSALS
IV. Proposed Action
In implementing the open burning
restrictions, this amended regulation (9
VAC 5 Chapter 40) will reduce and
maintain VOC emissions in the volatile
organic emission control areas
identified in 9 VAC 5–20–206 of the
Virginia regulations. EPA is proposing
to approve the Virginia SIP revision for
the Open Burning Regulation submitted
on February 5, 2007. EPA is soliciting
public comments on the issues
discussed in this document. These
comments will be considered before
taking final action.
V. Statutory and Executive Order
Reviews
Under Executive Order 12866 (58 FR
51735, October 4, 1993), this proposed
action is not a ‘‘significant regulatory
action’’ and therefore is not subject to
review by the Office of Management and
Budget. For this reason, this action is
also not subject to Executive Order
13211, ‘‘Actions Concerning Regulations
That Significantly Affect Energy Supply,
Distribution, or Use’’ (66 FR 28355 (May
22, 2001)). This action merely proposes
to approve State law as meeting Federal
requirements and imposes no additional
requirements beyond those imposed by
state law. Accordingly, the
Administrator certifies that this
proposed rule will not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities under the
Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601
et seq.). Because this rule proposes to
approve pre-existing requirements
under state law and does not impose
any additional enforceable duty beyond
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that required by state law, it 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). This proposed rule also
does not have a substantial direct effect
on one or more Indian tribes, on the
relationship between the Federal
Government and Indian tribes, or on the
distribution of power and
responsibilities between the Federal
Government and Indian tribes, as
specified by Executive Order 13175 (65
FR 67249, November 9, 2000), nor will
it have substantial direct effects on the
States, on the relationship between the
national government and the States, or
on the distribution of power and
responsibilities among the various
levels of government, as specified in
Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255,
August 10, 1999), because it merely
proposes to approve a state rule
implementing a Federal requirement,
and does not alter the relationship or
the distribution of power and
responsibilities established in the Clean
Air Act. This proposed rule also is not
subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR
19885, April 23, 1997), because it
approves a state rule implementing a
Federal standard.
In reviewing SIP submissions, EPA’s
role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of
the Clean Air Act. In this context, in the
absence of a prior existing requirement
for the State to use voluntary consensus
standards (VCS), EPA has no authority
to disapprove a SIP submission for
failure to use VCS. It would thus be
inconsistent with applicable law for
EPA, when it reviews a SIP submission,
to use VCS in place of a SIP submission
that otherwise satisfies the provisions of
the Clean Air Act. Thus, the
requirements of section 12(d) of the
National Technology Transfer and
Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C.
272 note) do not apply. As required by
section 3 of Executive Order 12988 (61
FR 4729, February 7, 1996), in issuing
this proposed rule, EPA has taken the
necessary steps to eliminate drafting
errors and ambiguity, minimize
potential litigation, and provide a clear
legal standard for affected conduct. EPA
has complied with Executive Order
12630 (53 FR 8859, March 15, 1988) by
examining the takings implications of
the rule in accordance with the
‘‘Attorney General’s Supplemental
Guidelines for the Evaluation of Risk
and Avoidance of Unanticipated
Takings’’ issued under the executive
order. This proposed rule pertaining to
the amendments of Virginia’s Open
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31495
Burning Regulation, does not impose an
information collection burden under the
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air
pollution control, Nitrogen dioxide,
Ozone, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Volatile organic
compounds.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: May 31, 2007.
William T. Wisniewski,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. E7–11038 Filed 6–6–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Parts 52 and 81
[EPA–R03–OAR–2007–0245; FRL–8322–8]
Approval and Promulgation of Air
Quality Implementation Plans;
Pennsylvania; Redesignation of the
Altoona 8-Hour Ozone Nonattainment
Area to Attainment and Approval of the
Associated Maintenance Plan and 2002
Base-Year Inventory
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: EPA is proposing to approve
a redesignation request and State
Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions
submitted by the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection
(PADEP) is requesting that the Altoona
ozone nonattainment area (‘‘Altoona
Area’’ or ‘‘Area’’) be redesignated as
attainment for the 8-hour ozone national
ambient air quality standard (NAAQS).
The Area is comprised of Blair County,
Pennsylvania. EPA is proposing to
approve the ozone redesignation request
for the Altoona Area. In conjunction
with its redesignation request, the
Commonwealth submitted a SIP
revision consisting of a maintenance
plan for the Altoona Area that provides
for continued attainment of the 8-hour
ozone NAAQS for at least 10 years after
redesignation. EPA is proposing to make
a determination that the Altoona Area
has attained the 8-hour ozone NAAQS,
based upon three years of complete,
quality-assured ambient air quality
monitoring data for 2003–2005. EPA’s
proposed approval of the 8-hour ozone
redesignation request is based on its
determination that the Altoona Area has
met the criteria for redesignation to
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 109 / Thursday, June 7, 2007 / Proposed Rules
attainment specified in the Clean Air
Act (CAA). In addition, the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has
also submitted a 2002 base-year
inventory for the Altoona Area, and EPA
is proposing to approve that inventory
for the Altoona Area as a SIP revision.
EPA is also providing information on
the status of its adequacy determination
for the motor vehicle emission budgets
(MVEBs) that are identified in the
maintenance plan for the Altoona Area
for purposes of transportation
conformity, and is also proposing to
approve those MVEBs. EPA is proposing
approval of the redesignation request
and of the maintenance plan and 2002
base-year inventory SIP revisions in
accordance with the requirements of the
CAA.
DATES: Written comments must be
received on or before July 9, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket ID Number EPA–
R03–OAR–2007–0245 by one of the
following methods:
A. www.regulations.gov. Follow the
on-line instructions for submitting
comments.
B. E-mail: miller.linda@epa.gov
C. Mail: EPA–R03–OAR–2007–0245,
Linda Miller, Acting Chief, Air Quality
Planning Branch, Mailcode 3AP21, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Region III, 1650 Arch Street,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103.
D. Hand Delivery: At the previouslylisted EPA Region III address. Such
deliveries are only accepted during the
Docket’s normal hours of operation, and
special arrangements should be made
for deliveries of boxed information.
Instructions: Direct your comments to
Docket ID No. EPA–R03–OAR–2007–
0245. EPA’s policy is that all comments
received will be included in the public
docket without change, and may be
made available online at
www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided, unless
the comment includes information
claimed to be Confidential Business
Information (CBI) or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
Do not submit information that you
consider to be CBI or otherwise
protected through www.regulations.gov
or e-mail. The www.regulations.gov Web
site is an ‘‘anonymous access’’ system,
which means EPA will not know your
identity or contact information unless
you provide it in the body of your
comment. If you send an e-mail
comment directly to EPA without going
through www.regulations.gov, your email address will be automatically
captured and included as part of the
comment that is placed in the public
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docket and made available on the
Internet. If you submit an electronic
comment, EPA recommends that you
include your name and other contact
information in the body of your
comment and with any disk or CD–ROM
you submit. If EPA cannot read your
comment due to technical difficulties
and cannot contact you for clarification,
EPA may not be able to consider your
comment. Electronic files should avoid
the use of special characters, any form
of encryption, and be free of any defects
or viruses.
Docket: All documents in the
electronic docket are listed in the
www.regulations.gov index. 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 either
electronically in www.regulations.gov or
in hard copy during normal business
hours at the Air Protection Division,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Region III, 1650 Arch Street,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103.
Copies of the State submittal are
available at the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection
Bureau of Air Quality Control, P.O. Box
8468, 400 Market Street, Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania 17105.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Amy Caprio, (215) 814–2156, or by email at caprio.amy@epa.gov
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Throughout this document whenever
‘‘we,’’ ‘‘us,’’ or ‘‘our’’ is used, we mean
EPA.
Table of Contents
I. What Are the Actions EPA Is Proposing To
Take?
II. What Is the Background for These
Proposed Actions?
III. What Are the Criteria for Redesignation
to Attainment?
IV. Why Is EPA Taking These Actions?
V. What Would Be the Effect of These
Actions?
VI. What Is EPA’s Analysis of the
Commonwealth’s Request?
VII. Are the Motor Vehicle Emissions
Budgets Established and Identified in the
Maintenance Plan for the Altoona Area
Adequate and Approvable?
VIII. Proposed Actions
IX. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. What Are the Actions EPA Is
Proposing To Take?
On February 8, 2007, the PADEP
formally submitted a request to
redesignate the Altoona Area from
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nonattainment to attainment of the 8hour NAAQS for ozone. Concurrently,
Pennsylvania submitted a maintenance
plan for the Altoona Area as a SIP
revision to ensure continued attainment
in the Area over the next 11 years.
PADEP also submitted a 2002 base-year
inventory for the Altoona Area as a SIP
revision. The Altoona Area is comprised
of Blair County. It is currently
designated a basic 8-hour ozone
nonattainment area. EPA is proposing to
determine that the Altoona Area has
attained the 8-hour ozone NAAQS and
that it has met the requirements for
redesignation pursuant to section
107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA. EPA is,
therefore, proposing to approve the
redesignation request to change the
designation of the Altoona Area from
nonattainment to attainment for the 8hour ozone NAAQS. EPA is also
proposing to approve the Altoona
maintenance plan as a SIP revision for
the Area (such approval being one of the
CAA criteria for redesignation to
attainment status). The maintenance
plan is designed to ensure continued
attainment in the Altoona Area for the
next 11 years. EPA is also proposing to
approve the 2002 base-year inventory
for the Altoona Area as a SIP revision.
Additionally, EPA is announcing its
action on the adequacy process for the
MVEBs identified in the Altoona
maintenance plan, and proposing to
approve the MVEBs identified for
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and
nitrogen oxides (NOX) for the Altoona
Area for transportation conformity
purposes.
II. What Is the Background for These
Proposed Actions?
A. General
Ground-level ozone is not emitted
directly by sources. Rather, emissions of
NOX and VOC react in the presence of
sunlight to form ground-level ozone.
The air pollutants NOX and VOC are
referred to as precursors of ozone. The
CAA establishes a process for air quality
management through the attainment and
maintenance of the NAAQS.
On July 18, 1997, EPA promulgated a
revised 8-hour ozone standard of 0.08
parts per million (ppm). This new
standard is more stringent than the
previous 1-hour standard. EPA
designated, as nonattainment, any area
violating the 8-hour ozone NAAQS
based on the air quality data for the
three years of 2001–2003. These were
the most recent three years of data at the
time EPA designated 8-hour areas. The
Altoona Area was designated a basic 8hour ozone nonattainment area in a
Federal Register notice signed on April
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15, 2004 and published on April 30,
2004 (69 FR 23857), based on its
exceedance of the 8-hour health-based
standard for ozone during the years
2001–2003.
On April 30, 2004, EPA issued a final
rule (69 FR 23951, 23996) to revoke the
1-hour ozone NAAQS in the Altoona
Area (as well as most other areas of the
country), effective June 15, 2005. See, 40
CFR 50.9(b); 69 FR at 23996 (April 30,
2004); 70 FR 44470 (August 3, 2005).
However, on December 22, 2006, the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit vacated EPA’s Phase 1
Implementation Rule for the 8-hour
Ozone Standard. (69 FR 23951, April 30,
2004). See, South Coast Air Quality
Management Dist. v. EPA, 472 F.3d 882
(D.C. Cir. 2006) (hereafter ‘‘South
Coast.’’). The Court held that certain
provisions of EPA’s Phase 1 Rule were
inconsistent with the requirements of
the Clean Air Act. The Court rejected
EPA’s reasons for implementing the 8hour standard in nonattainment areas
under subpart 1 in lieu of subpart 2 of
Title I, part D of the Act. The Court also
held that EPA improperly failed to
retain four measures required for 1-hour
nonattainment areas under the antibacksliding provisions of the
regulations: (1) Nonattainment area New
Source Review (NSR) requirements
based on an area’s 1-hour nonattainment
classification; (2) Section 185 penalty
fees for 1-hour severe or extreme
nonattainment areas; (3) measures to be
implemented pursuant to section
172(c)(9) or 182(c)(9) of the Act, on the
contingency of an area not making
reasonable further progress toward
attainment of the 1-hour NAAQS, or for
failure to attain that NAAQS; and (4) the
certain conformity requirements for
certain types of federal actions. The
Court upheld EPA’s authority to revoke
the 1-hour standard provided there were
adequate anti-backsliding provisions.
Elsewhere in this document, mainly in
section VI. B. ‘‘The Altoona Area Has
Met All Applicable Requirements Under
Section 110 and Part D of the CAA and
Has a Fully Approved SIP Under
Section 110(k) of the CAA,’’ EPA
discusses its rationale why the decision
in South Coast is not an impediment to
redesignating the Altoona Area to
attainment of the 8-hour ozone NAAQS.
The CAA, title I, part D, contains two
sets of provisions—subpart 1 and
subpart 2—that address planning and
control requirements for nonattainment
areas. Subpart 1 (which EPA refers to as
‘‘basic’’ nonattainment) contains
general, less prescriptive requirements
for nonattainment areas for any
pollutant—including ozone—governed
by a NAAQS. Subpart 2 (which EPA
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refers to as ‘‘classified’’ nonattainment)
provides more specific requirements for
ozone nonattainment areas. In 2004, the
Altoona Area was classified a basic 8hour ozone nonattainment area based on
air quality monitoring data from 2001–
2003. Therefore, the Altoona Area is
subject to the requirements of subpart 1
of part D.
Under 40 CFR part 50, the 8-hour
ozone standard is attained when the 3year average of the annual fourthhighest daily maximum 8-hour average
ambient air quality ozone
concentrations is less than or equal to
0.08 ppm (i.e., 0.084 ppm when
rounding is considered). See 69 FR
23857 (April 30, 2004) for further
information. Ambient air quality
monitoring data for the 3-year period
must meet data completeness
requirements. The data completeness
requirements are met when the average
percent of days with valid ambient
monitoring data is greater than 90
percent, and no single year has less than
75 percent data completeness as
determined in Appendix I of 40 CFR
part 50. The ozone monitoring data
indicates that the Altoona Area has a
design value of 0.077 ppm for the 3-year
period of 2003–2005, using complete,
quality-assured data. Additionally,
certified 2006 ozone monitoring data
indicates that the Altoona Area
continues to attain the ozone NAAQS.
Therefore, the ambient ozone data for
the Altoona Area indicates no violations
of the 8-hour ozone standard.
B. The Altoona Area
The Altoona Area consists of Blair
County, Pennsylvania. Prior to its
designation as an 8-hour ozone
nonattainment area, the Altoona Area
was a marginal 1-hour ozone
nonattainment Area, and therefore, was
subject to requirements for marginal
nonattainment areas pursuant to section
182(a) of the CAA. See 56 FR 56694
(November 6, 1991). EPA determined
that the Altoona Area has attained the
1-hour ozone NAAQS by the November
15, 1993 attainment date (60 FR 3349,
January 17, 1995).
On February 8, 2007, the PADEP
requested that the Altoona Area be
redesignated to attainment for the 8hour ozone standard. The redesignation
request included three years of
complete, quality-assured data for the
period of 2003–2005, indicating that the
8-hour NAAQS for ozone had been
achieved in the Altoona Area. The data
satisfies the CAA requirements that the
3-year average of the annual fourthhighest daily maximum 8-hour average
ozone concentration (commonly
referred to as the area’s design value),
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31497
must be less than or equal to 0.08 ppm
(i.e., 0.084 ppm when rounding is
considered). Under the CAA, a
nonattainment area may be redesignated
if sufficient complete, quality-assured
data is available to determine that the
area attained the standard and the area
meets the other CAA redesignation
requirements set forth in section
107(d)(3)(E).
III. What Are the Criteria for
Redesignation to Attainment?
The CAA provides the requirements
for redesignating a nonattainment area
to attainment. Specifically, section
107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA, allows for
redesignation, providing that:
(1) EPA determines that the area has
attained the applicable NAAQS;
(2) EPA has fully approved the
applicable implementation plan for the
area under section 110(k);
(3) EPA determines that the
improvement in air quality is due to
permanent and enforceable reductions
in emissions resulting from
implementation of the applicable SIP
and applicable Federal air pollutant
control regulations and other permanent
and enforceable reductions;
(4) EPA has fully approved a
maintenance plan for the area as
meeting the requirements of section
175A; and
(5) The State containing such area has
met all requirements applicable to the
area under section 110 and part D.
EPA provided guidance on
redesignations in the General Preamble
for the Implementation of Title I of the
CAA Amendments of 1990, on April 16,
1992 (57 FR 13498), and supplemented
this guidance on April 28, 1992 (57 FR
18070). EPA has provided further
guidance on processing redesignation
requests in the following documents:
• ‘‘Ozone and Carbon Monoxide
Design Value Calculations,’’
Memorandum from Bill Laxton, June,
18, 1990;
• ‘‘Maintenance Plans for
Redesignation of Ozone and Carbon
Monoxide Nonattainment Areas,’’
Memorandum from G.T. Helms, Chief,
Ozone/Carbon Monoxide Programs
Branch, April 30, 1992;
• ‘‘Contingency Measures for Ozone
and Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Redesignations,’’ Memorandum from
G.T. Helms, Chief, Ozone/Carbon
Monoxide Programs Branch, June 1,
1992;
• ‘‘Procedures for Processing
Requests to Redesignate Areas to
Attainment,’’ Memorandum from John
Calcagni, Director, Air Quality
Management Division, September 4,
1992;
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• ‘‘State Implementation Plan (SIP)
Actions Submitted in Response to Clean
Air Act (Act) Deadlines,’’ Memorandum
from John Calcagni Director, Air Quality
Management Division, October 28, 1992;
• ‘‘Technical Support Documents
(TSDs) for Redesignation Ozone and
Carbon Monoxide (CO) Nonattainment
Areas,’’ Memorandum from G.T. Helms,
Chief, Ozone/Carbon Monoxide
Programs Branch, August 17, 1993;
• ‘‘State Implementation Plan (SIP)
Requirements for Areas Submitting
Requests for Redesignation to
Attainment of the Ozone and Carbon
Monoxide (CO) National Ambient Air
Quality Standards (NAAQS) on or after
November 15, 1992,’’ Memorandum
from Michael H. Shapiro, Acting
Assistant Administrator for Air and
Radiation, September 17, 1993;
• Memorandum from D. Kent Berry,
Acting Director, Air Quality
Management Division, to Air Division
Directors, Regions 1–10, ‘‘Use of Actual
Emissions in Maintenance
Demonstrations for Ozone and CO
Nonattainment Areas,’’ dated November
30, 1993;
• ‘‘Part D New Source Review (part D
NSR) Requirements for Areas
Requesting Redesignation to
Attainment,’’ Memorandum from Mary
D. Nichols, Assistant Administrator for
Air and Radiation, October 14, 1994;
and
• ‘‘Reasonable Further Progress,
Attainment Demonstration, and Related
Requirements for Ozone Nonattainment
Areas Meeting the Ozone National
Ambient Air Quality Standard,’’
Memorandum from John S. Seitz,
Director, Office of Air Quality Planning
and Standards, May 10, 1995.
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IV. Why Is EPA Taking These Actions?
On February 8, 2007, the PADEP
requested redesignation of the Altoona
Area to attainment for the 8-hour ozone
standard. On February 8, 2007, PADEP
submitted a maintenance plan for the
Altoona Area as a SIP revision, to
ensure continued attainment of the 8hour ozone NAAQS over the next 11
years, until 2018. PADEP also submitted
a 2002 base-year inventory concurrently
with its maintenance plan as a SIP
revision. EPA has determined that the
Altoona Area has attained the 8-hour
ozone standard and has met the
requirements for redesignation set forth
in section 107(d)(3)(E).
V. What Would Be the Effect of These
Actions?
Approval of the redesignation request
would change the official designation of
the Altoona Area from nonattainment to
attainment for the 8-hour ozone NAAQS
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found at 40 CFR part 81. It would also
incorporate into the Pennsylvania SIP a
2002 base-year inventory and a
maintenance plan ensuring continued
attainment of the 8-hour ozone NAAQS
in the Altoona Area for the next 11
years, until 2018. The maintenance plan
includes contingency measures to
remedy any future violations of the 8hour NAAQS (should they occur), and
identifies the NOX and VOC MVEBs for
transportation conformity purposes for
the years 2009 and 2018. These MVEBs
are displayed in the following table:
TABLE 1.—MOTOR VEHICLE EMISSIONS
BUDGETS IN TONS PER SUMMER
DAY (TPSD)
Year
VOC
2009 ..........................
2018 ..........................
4.2
2.8
6.5
3.3
EPA is proposing to determine that
the Altoona Area has attained the 8hour ozone standard, and that all other
redesignation criteria have been met.
The following is a description of how
the PADEP’s February 8, 2007 submittal
satisfies the requirements of section
107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA.
A. The Altoona Area Has Attained the
8-Hour NAAQS
EPA is proposing to determine that
the Altoona Area has attained the 8hour ozone NAAQS. For ozone, an area
may be considered to be attaining the 8hour ozone NAAQS if there are no
violations, as determined in accordance
with 40 CFR 50.10 and Appendix I of
Part 50, based on three complete,
consecutive calendar years of qualityassured air quality monitoring data. To
attain this standard, the design value,
which is the 3-year average of the
fourth-highest daily maximum 8-hour
average ozone concentrations measured
at each monitor, within the area, over
each year must not exceed the ozone
standard of 0.08 ppm. Based on the
rounding convention described in 40
CFR part 50, Appendix I, the standard
is attained if the design value is 0.084
ppm or below. The data must be
collected and quality-assured in
accordance with 40 CFR part 58, and
recorded in the Air Quality System
(AQS). The monitors generally should
have remained at the same location for
the duration of the monitoring period
required for demonstrating attainment.
In the Altoona Area, there is one
ozone monitor, located in Blair County
that measures air quality with respect to
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TABLE 2.—ALTOONA AREA FOURTH
HIGHEST 8-HOUR AVERAGE VALUES,
ALTOONA COUNTY MONITOR/AIRS
ID 42–013–0801
NOX
VI. What Is EPA’s Analysis of the
Commonwealth’s Request?
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ozone. As part of its redesignation
request, Pennsylvania referenced ozone
monitoring data for the years 2003–2005
for the Altoona Area. This data has been
quality assured and is recorded in the
AQS. The PADEP uses the AQS as the
permanent database to maintain its data
and quality assures the data transfers
and content for accuracy. The fourthhigh 8-hour daily maximum
concentrations, along with the threeyear average are summarized in Table 2.
Year
2003
2004
2005
2006
..........................................
..........................................
..........................................
..........................................
Annual 4th
highest
reading
(ppm)
0.083
0.073
0.077
0.071
The average for the 3-year period 2003–
2005 is 0.077 ppm.
The average for the 3-year period 2004–
2006 is 0.074 ppm.
The air quality data for 2003–2005
show that the Altoona Area has attained
the standard with a design value of
0.077 ppm. The data collected at the
Altoona Area monitor satisfies the CAA
requirement that the 3-year average of
the annual fourth-highest daily
maximum 8-hour average ozone
concentration is less than or equal to
0.08 ppm. EPA believes this conclusion
remains valid after review of the
certified 2006 data because the design
value for 2004–2006 would be 0.074
ppm. The PADEP’s request for
redesignation for the Altoona Area
indicates that the data is complete and
was quality assured in accordance with
40 CFR part 58. In addition, as
discussed below with respect to the
maintenance plan, PADEP has
committed to continue monitoring in
accordance with 40 CFR part 58. In
summary, EPA has determined that the
data submitted by Pennsylvania and
data taken from AQS indicate that the
Area has attained the 8-hour ozone
NAAQS.
B. The Altoona Area Has Met All
Applicable Requirements Under Section
110 and Part D of the CAA and Has a
Fully Approved SIP Under Section
110(k) of the CAA
EPA has determined that the Altoona
Area has met all SIP requirements
applicable for purposes of this
redesignation under section 110 of the
CAA (General SIP Requirements) and
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that it meets all applicable SIP
requirements under part D of Title I of
the CAA, in accordance with section
107(d)(3)(E)(v). In addition, EPA has
determined that the SIP is fully
approved with respect to all
requirements applicable for purposes of
redesignation in accordance with
section 107(d)(3)(E)(ii). In making these
proposed determinations, EPA
ascertained which requirements are
applicable to the Altoona Area and
determined that the applicable portions
of the SIP meeting these requirements
are fully approved under section 110(k)
of the CAA. We note that SIPs must be
fully approved only with respect to
applicable requirements.
The September 4, 1992 Calcagni
memorandum (‘‘Procedures for
Processing Requests To Redesignate
Areas to Attainment,’’ Memorandum
from John Calcagni, Director, Air
Quality Management Division,
September 4, 1992) describes EPA’s
interpretation of section 107(d)(3)(E)
with respect to the timing of applicable
requirements. Under this interpretation,
to qualify for redesignation, States
requesting redesignation to attainment
must meet only the relevant CAA
requirements that came due prior to the
submittal of a complete redesignation
request. See also, Michael Shapiro
memorandum, September 17, 1993, and
60 FR 12459, 12465–66 (March 7, 1995)
(redesignation of Detroit-Ann Arbor).
Applicable requirements of the CAA
that come due subsequent to the area’s
submittal of a complete redesignation
request remain applicable until a
redesignation is approved, but are not
required as a prerequisite to
redesignation. Section 175A(c) of the
CAA. Sierra Club v. EPA, 375 F.3d 537
(7th Cir. 2004). See also, 68 FR at 25424,
25427 (May 12, 2003) (redesignation of
St. Louis).
This section also sets forth EPA’s
views on the potential effect of the
Court’s ruling in South Coast on this
redesignation action. For the reasons set
forth below, EPA does not believe that
the Court’s ruling alters any
requirements relevant to this
redesignation action so as to preclude
redesignation, and does not prevent
EPA from finalizing this redesignation.
EPA believes that the Court’s decision,
as it currently stands or as it may be
modified based upon any petition for
rehearing that has been filed, imposes
no impediment to moving forward with
redesignation of this area to attainment,
because in either circumstance
redesignation is appropriate under the
relevant redesignation provisions of the
Act and longstanding policies regarding
redesignation requests.
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1. Section 110 General SIP
Requirements
Section 110(a)(2) of Title I of the CAA
delineates the general requirements for
a SIP, which includes enforceable
emissions limitations and other control
measures, means, or techniques,
provisions for the establishment and
operation of appropriate devices
necessary to collect data on ambient air
quality, and programs to enforce the
limitations. The general SIP elements
and requirements set forth in section
110(a)(2) include, but are not limited to
the following:
• Submittal of a SIP that has been
adopted by the State after reasonable
public notice and hearing;
• Provisions for establishment and
operation of appropriate procedures
needed to monitor ambient air quality;
• Implementation of a source permit
program; provisions for the
implementation of part C requirements
(Prevention of Significant Deterioration
(PSD));
• Provisions for the implementation
of part D requirements for New Source
Review (NSR) permit programs;
• Provisions for air pollution
modeling; and
• Provisions for public and local
agency participation in planning and
emission control rule development.
Section 110(a)(2)(D) requires that SIPs
contain certain measures to prevent
sources in a state from significantly
contributing to air quality problems in
another State. To implement this
provision, EPA has required certain
states to establish programs to address
transport of air pollutants in accordance
with the NOX SIP Call, October 27, 1998
(63 FR 57356), amendments to the NOX
SIP Call, May 14, 1999 (64 FR 26298)
and March 2, 2000 (65 FR 11222), and
the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR),
May 12, 2005 (70 FR 25162). However,
the section 110(a)(2)(D) requirements for
a State are not linked with a particular
nonattainment area’s designation and
classification in that State. EPA believes
that the requirements linked with a
particular nonattainment area’s
designation and classifications are the
relevant measures to evaluate in
reviewing a redesignation request. The
transport SIP submittal requirements,
where applicable, continue to apply to
a state regardless of the designation of
any one particular area in the State.
Thus, we do not believe that these
requirements are applicable
requirements for purposes of
redesignation.
In addition, EPA believes that the
other section 110 elements not
connected with nonattainment plan
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31499
submissions and not linked with an
area’s attainment status are not
applicable requirements for purposes of
redesignation. The Altoona Area will
still be subject to these requirements
after it is redesignated. The section 110
and Part D requirements which are
linked with a particular area’s
designation and classification, are the
relevant measures to evaluate in
reviewing a redesignation request. This
policy is consistent with EPA’s existing
policy on applicability of conformity
(i.e., for redesignations) and oxygenated
fuels requirement. See Reading,
Pennsylvania, proposed and final
rulemakings (61 FR 53174, October 10,
1996), (62 FR 24826, May 7, 1997);
Cleveland-Akron-Lorain, Ohio final
rulemaking (61 FR 20458, May 7, 1996);
and Tampa, Florida, final rulemaking
(60 FR 62748, December 7, 1995). See
also, the discussion on this issue in the
Cincinnati redesignation (65 FR at
37890, June 19, 2000), and in the
Pittsburgh redesignation (66 FR at
53099, October 19, 2001). Similarly,
with respect to the NOX SIP Call rules,
EPA noted in its Phase 1 Final Rule to
Implement the 8-hour Ozone NAAQS,
that the NOX SIP Call rules are not ‘‘an’’
‘applicable requirement’ for purposes of
section 110(1) because the NOX rules
apply regardless of an area’s attainment
or nonattainment status for the 8-hour
(or the 1-hour) NAAQS.’’ 69 FR 23951,
23983 (April 30, 2004). EPA believes
that section 110 elements not linked to
the area’s nonattainment status are not
applicable for purposes of
redesignation. As we explain later in
this notice, no Part D requirements
applicable for purposes of redesignation
under the 8-hour standard became due
for the Altoona Area prior to submission
of the redesignation request
2. Part D Nonattainment Requirements
Under the 8-Hour Standard
Pursuant to an April 30, 2004, final
rule (69 FR 23951), the Altoona Area
was designated a basic nonattainment
area under subpart 1 for the 8-hour
ozone standard. Sections 172–176 of the
CAA, found in subpart 1 of part D, set
forth the basic nonattainment
requirements applicable to all
nonattainment areas. Section 182 of the
CAA, found in subpart 2 of part D,
establishes additional specific
requirements depending on the area’s
nonattainment classification. With
respect to the 8-hour standard, the
court’s ruling rejected EPA’s reasons for
classifying areas under subpart 1 for the
8-hour standard, and remanded that
matter to the Agency. Consequently, it
is possible that this area could, during
a remand to EPA, be reclassified under
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subpart 2. Although any future decision
by EPA to classify this area under
subpart 2 might trigger additional future
requirements for the area, EPA believes
that this does not mean that
redesignation of the area cannot now go
forward. This belief is based upon (1)
EPA’s longstanding policy of evaluating
redesignation requests in accordance
with the requirements due at the time
the request is submitted; and, (2)
consideration of the inequity of
applying retroactively any requirements
that might in the future be applied.
First, at the time the redesignation
request was submitted, the Altoona Area
was classified under subpart 1 and was
obligated to meet subpart 1
requirements. Under EPA’s
longstanding interpretation of section
107(d)(3)(E) of the Clean Air Act, to
qualify for redesignation, states
requesting redesignation to attainment
must meet only the relevant SIP
requirements that came due prior to the
submittal of a complete redesignation
request. See September 4, 1992 Calcagni
memorandum (‘‘Procedures for
Processing Requests to Redesignate
Areas to Attainment,’’ Memorandum
from John Calcagni, Director, Air
Quality Management Division). See
also, Michael Shapiro Memorandum,
September 17, 1993, and 60 FR 12459,
12465–66 (March 7, 1995)
(Redesignation of Detroit-Ann Arbor);
Sierra Club v. EPA, 375 F.3d 537 (7th
Cir. 2004), which upheld this
interpretation. See 68 FR 25418, 25424,
25427 (May 12, 2003) (Redesignation of
St. Louis).
Moreover, it would be inequitable to
retroactively apply any new SIP
requirements that were not applicable at
the time the request was submitted. The
D.C. Circuit has recognized the inequity
in such retroactive rulemaking, See,
Sierra Club v. Whitman, 285 F. 3d 63
(D.C. Cir. 2002), in which the D.C.
Circuit upheld a District Court’s ruling
refusing to make retroactive an EPA
determination of nonattainment that
was past the statutory due date. Such a
determination would have resulted in
the imposition of additional
requirements on the area. The Court
stated: ‘‘Although EPA failed to make
the nonattainment determination within
the statutory time frame, Sierra Club’s
proposed solution only makes the
situation worse. Retroactive relief would
likely impose large costs on the States,
which would face fines and suits for not
implementing air pollution prevention
plans in 1997, even though they were
not on notice at the time.’’ Id. at 68.
Similarly here it would be unfair to
penalize the area by applying to it for
purposes of redesignation additional SIP
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requirements under subpart 2 that were
not in effect at the time it submitted its
redesignation request.
With respect to 8-hour subpart 2
requirements, if the Altoona Area
initially had been classified under
subpart 2, the first two part D subpart
2 requirements applicable to the
Altoona Area under section 182(a) of the
CAA would be: A base-year inventory
requirement pursuant to section
182(a)(1) of the CAA, and, the emissions
statement requirement pursuant to
section 182(a)(3)(B).
As stated previously, these
requirements are not yet due for
purposes of redesignation of the Altoona
Area, but nevertheless, Pennsylvania
already has in its approved SIP, an
emissions statement rule for the 1-hour
standard that covers all portions of the
designated 8-hour nonattainment area
and, that satisfies the emissions
statement requirement for the 8-hour
standard. See, 25 Pa. Code 135.21(a)(1),
codified at 40 CFR 52.2020; 60 FR 2881,
January 12, 1995. With respect to the
base year inventory requirement, in this
notice of proposed rulemaking, EPA is
proposing to approve the 2002 base-year
inventory for the Altoona Area, which
was submitted on February 8, 2007,
concurrently with its maintenance plan,
into the Pennsylvania SIP. EPA is
proposing to approve the 2002 base year
inventory as fulfilling the requirements,
if necessary, of both section 182(a)(1)
and section 172(c)(3) of the CAA. A
detailed evaluation of Pennsylvania’s
2002 base-year inventory for the
Altoona Area can be found in a
Technical Support Document (TSD)
prepared by EPA for this rulemaking.
EPA has determined that the emission
inventory and emissions statement
requirements for the Altoona Area have
been satisfied.
In addition to the fact that Part D
requirements applicable for purposes of
redesignation did not become due prior
to submission of the redesignation
request, EPA believes that the general
conformity and NSR requirements do
not require approval prior to
redesignation.
With respect to section 176,
Conformity Requirements, section
176(c) of the CAA requires states to
establish criteria and procedures to
ensure that Federally supported or
funded projects conform to the air
quality planning goals in the applicable
SIP. The requirement to determine
conformity applies to transportation
plans, programs, and projects
developed, funded or approved under
Title 23 U.S.C. and the Federal Transit
Act (‘‘transportation conformity’’) as
well as to all other Federally supported
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or funded projects (‘‘general
conformity’’). State conformity revisions
must be consistent with Federal
conformity regulations relating to
consultation, enforcement and
enforceability that the CAA required the
EPA to promulgate. EPA believes it is
reasonable to interpret the conformity
SIP requirements as not applying for
purposes of evaluating the redesignation
request under section 107(d) since State
conformity rules are still required after
redesignation and Federal conformity
rules apply where State rules have not
been approved. See, Wall v. EPA, 265 F.
3d 426, 438–440 (6th Cir. 2001),
upholding this interpretation. See also,
60 FR 62748 (December 7, 1995).
In the case of the Altoona Area, EPA
has also determined that before being
redesignated, the Altoona Area need not
comply with the requirement that a NSR
program be approved prior to
redesignation. EPA has determined that
areas being redesignated need not
comply with the requirement that a NSR
program be approved prior to
redesignation, provided that the area
demonstrates maintenance of the
standard without Part D NSR in effect.
The rationale for this position is
described in a memorandum from Mary
Nichols, Assistant Administrator for Air
and Radiation, dated October 14, 1994,
entitled, ‘‘Part D NSR Requirements or
Areas Requesting Redesignation to
Attainment.’’ Normally, State’s
Prevention of Significant Deterioration
(PSD) program will become effective in
the area immediately upon
redesignation to attainment. See the
more detailed explanations in the
following redesignation rulemakings:
Detroit, MI (60 FR 12467–12468 (March
7, 1995); Cleveland-Akron-Lorrain, OH
(61 FR 20458, 20469–70, May 7, 1996);
Louisville, KY (66 FR 53665, 53669,
October 23, 2001); Grand Rapids, MI (61
FR 31831, 31836–31837, June 21, 1996).
In the case of the Altoona Area the
Chapter 127 Part D NSR regulations in
the Pennsylvania SIP (codified at 40
CFR 52.2020(c)(1)) explicitly apply the
requirements for NSR in section 184 of
the CAA to ozone attainment areas
within the OTR. The OTR NSR
requirements are more stringent than
that required for a marginal or basic
ozone nonattainment area. On October
19, 2001 (66 FR 53094), EPA fully
approved Pennsylvania’s NSR SIP
revision consisting of Pennsylvania’s
Chapter 127 Part D NSR regulations that
cover the Altoona Area.
EPA has also interpreted the section
184 OTR requirements, including the
NSR program, as not being applicable
for purposes of redesignation. The
rationale for this is based on two
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considerations. First, the requirement to
submit SIP revisions for the section 184
requirements continues to apply to areas
in the OTR after redesignation to
attainment. Therefore, the State remains
obligated to have NSR, as well as RACT,
and Vehicle Inspection and
Maintenance programs even after
redesignation. Second, the section 184
control measures are region-wide
requirements and do not apply to the
Altoona Area by virtue of the Area’s
designation and classification. See 61
FR 53174, 53175–53176 (October 10,
1996) and 62 FR 24826, 24830–32 (May
7, 1997).
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3. Part D Nonattainment Area
Requirements Under the 1-Hour
Standard
In its December 22, 2006 decision in
South Coast, the Court also addressed
EPA’s revocation of the 1-hour ozone
standard. The current status of the
revocation and associated antibacksliding rules is dependent on
whether the Court’s decision stands as
originally issued or is modified in
response to any petition for rehearing or
request for clarification that has been
filed. As described more fully below,
EPA determined that the Altoona Area
attained the 1-hour standard by its
attainment date (60 FR 3349, January 17,
1995), continues to attain that standard,
and has fulfilled any requirements of
the 1-hour standard that would apply
even if the 1-hour standard is reinstated
and those requirements are viewed as
applying under the statute itself. Thus,
the Court’s decision, as it currently
stands, imposes no impediment to
moving forward with redesignation of
the Area to attainment.
The conformity portion of the Court’s
ruling does not impact the redesignation
request for the Altoona Area because
there are no conformity requirements
that are relevant to redesignation
request for any standard, including the
requirement to submit a transportation
conformity SIP.1 As we have previously
noted, under longstanding EPA policy,
EPA believes it is reasonable to interpret
the conformity SIP requirements as not
applying for purposes of evaluating a
redesignation request under section
107(d) because state conformity rules
are still required after redesignation and
federal conformity rules apply where
state rules have not been approved. 40
1 Clean Air Act section 176(c)(4)(E) currently
requires States to submit revisions to their SIPs to
reflect certain federal criteria and procedures for
determining transportation conformity.
Transportation conformity SIPs are different from
the motor vehicle emissions budgets that are
established in control strategy SIPs and
maintenance plans.
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CFR 51.390. See, Wall v. EPA, 265 F.3d
426 (6th Cir. 2001), upholding this
interpretation. See also, 60 FR 62748
(Dec. 7, 1995) (Tampa, Florida
redesignation).
With respect to the requirement for
submission of contingency measures for
the 1-hour standard, section 182(a) does
not require contingency measures for
marginal areas, and, therefore, that
portion of the Court’s ruling does not
impact the redesignation request for the
Altoona Area.
Prior to its designation as an 8-hour
ozone nonattainment area, the Altoona
Area was designated a marginal
nonattainment area for the 1-hour
standard. With respect to the 1-hour
standard, the applicable requirements of
subpart 1 and of subpart 2 of Part D
(section 182) for the Altoona Area are
discussed in the following paragraphs:
Section 182(a)(2)(A) required SIP
revisions to correct or amend RACT for
sources in marginal areas, such as the
Altoona Area, that were subject to
control technique guidelines (CTGs)
issued before November 15, 1990
pursuant to CAA section 108. On
December 22, 1994, EPA fully approved
into the Pennsylvania SIP all corrections
required under section 182(a)(2)(A) of
the CAA (59 FR 65971, December 22,
1994). EPA believes that this
requirement applies only to marginal
and higher classified areas under the 1hour NAAQS pursuant to the 1990
amendments to the CAA; therefore, this
is a one-time requirement. After an area
has fulfilled the section 182(a)(2)(A)
requirement for the 1-hour NAAQS,
there is no requirement under the 8hour NAAQS.
Section 182(a)(2)(B) relates to the
savings clause for vehicle inspection
and maintenance (I/M). It requires
marginal areas to adopt vehicle I/M
programs. This provision was not
applicable to the Altoona Area because
this area did not have and was not
required to have an I/M program before
November 15, 1990.
Section 182(a)(3)(A) requires a
triennial Periodic Emissions Inventory
for the nonattainment area. The most
recent inventory for the Altoona Area
was compiled for 2002 and submitted to
EPA as a SIP revision with the
maintenance plan for the Altoona Area.
With respect to NSR, EPA has
determined that areas being
redesignated need not have an approved
New Source Review program for the
same reasons discussed previously with
respect to the applicable part D
requirements for the 8-hour standard.
Section 182(a)(3)(B)—This provision
of the Act requires sources of VOCs and
NOX in the nonattainment area to
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submit annual Emissions Statements
regarding the quantity of emissions from
the previous year. As discussed
previously, Pennsylvania already has in
its approved SIP, a previously approved
emissions statement rule for the 1-hour
standard, which applies to the Altoona
Area.
Section 182(a)(1)—This provision of
the Act provides for the submission of
a comprehensive, accurate, current
inventory of actual emissions from all
sources, as described in section
172(c)(3), in accordance with guidance
provided by the Administrator. In this
proposed rule, EPA is proposing to
approve a 2002 base year emissions
inventory for the Altoona Area as
meeting the requirement of section
182(a)(1). While EPA generally required
that the base year inventory for the 1hour standard be for calendar year 1990,
EPA believes that Pennsylvania’s 2002
inventory fulfills this requirement
because it meets EPA’s guidance and
because it is more current than 1990.
EPA also proposes to determine that, if
the 1-hour standard is deemed to be
reinstated, the 2002 base year inventory
for the 8-hour standard will provide an
acceptable substitute for the base year
inventory for the 1-hour standard.
EPA has previously determined that
the Altoona Area has attained the 1hour ozone NAAQS by the November
15, 1993 attainment date (60 FR 3349,
January 17, 1995), and we believe that
the Altoona Area is still in attainment
for the 1-hour ozone NAAQS based
upon the ozone monitoring data for the
years 2003–2005. To demonstrate
attainment, i.e., compliance with this
standard, the annual average of the
number of expected exceedances of the
1-hour standard over a three-year period
must be less than or equal to 1. Table
3 provides a summary of the number of
expected exceedances for each of the
years 2003 through 2005 and three-year
annual average.
TABLE 3.—ALTOONA AREA NUMBER
OF EXPECTED EXCEEDANCES OF THE
1-HOUR OZONE STANDARD; ALTOONA COUNTY MONITOR/AIRS ID
42–013–0801
Year
2003
2004
2005
2006
.........................................
.........................................
.........................................
.........................................
Number of
expected
exceedances
1.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
The
average
number
of
expected
exceedances for the 3-year period 2003
through 2005 is 0.3.
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The
average
number
of
expected
exceedances for the 3-year period 2004–2006
is 0.0.
In summary, EPA has determined that
the data submitted by Pennsylvania and
taken from AQS indicates that Altoona
Area is maintaining air quality that
conforms to the 1-hour ozone NAAQS.
EPA believes this conclusion remains
valid after review of the certified 2006
data because no exceedances were
recorded in the Altoona Area in 2006.
4. Transport Region Requirements
All areas in the Ozone Transport
Region (OTR), both attainment and
nonattainment, are subject to additional
control requirements under section 184
for the purpose of reducing interstate
transport of emissions that may
contribute to downwind ozone
nonattainment. The section 184
requirements include reasonably
available control technology (RACT),
NSR, enhanced vehicle inspection and
maintenance, and Stage II vapor
recovery or a comparable measure.
In the case of the Altoona Area, which
is located in the OTR, nonattainment
NSR will be applicable after
redesignation. As discussed previously,
EPA has fully approved Pennsylvania’s
NSR SIP revision which applies the
requirements for NSR of section 184 of
the CAA to attainment areas within the
OTR.
As discussed previously in this
notice, EPA has also interpreted the
section 184 OTR requirements,
including NSR, as not being applicable
for purposes of redesignation. See, 61
FR 53174, October 10, 1996 and 62 FR
24826, May 7, 1997 (Reading,
Pennsylvania Redesignation).
5. Altoona Has a Fully Approved SIP for
Purposes of Redesignation
EPA has fully approved the
Pennsylvania SIP for the purposes of
this redesignation. EPA may rely on
prior SIP approvals in approving a
redesignation request. Calcagni Memo,
p. 3; Southwestern Pennsylvania Growth
Alliance v. Browner, 144 F.3d 984, 989–
90 (6th Cir. 1998), Wall v. EPA, 265 F.3d
426 (6th Cir. 2001), plus any additional
measures it may approve in conjunction
with a redesignation action. See, 68 FR
at 25425 (May 12, 2003) and citations
therein.
C. The Air Quality Improvement in the
Altoona Area Is Due to Permanent and
Enforceable Reductions in Emissions
Resulting From Implementation of the
SIP and Applicable Federal Air
Pollution Control Regulations and Other
Permanent and Enforceable Reductions
EPA believes that the Commonwealth
has demonstrated that the observed air
quality improvement in the Altoona
Area is due to permanent and
enforceable reductions in emissions
resulting from implementation of the
SIP, Federal measures, and other Stateadopted measures. Emissions reductions
attributable to these rules are shown in
Table 4.
TABLE 4.—TOTAL VOC AND NOX EMISSIONS FOR 2002 AND 2004 IN TONS PER SUMMER DAY (TPSD)
Point *
Year
Area
Nonroad
Mobile
Total
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
2002 .........................................................................................................
2004 .........................................................................................................
Diff (02–04) ..............................................................................................
1.2
1.2
¥0.0
5.8
5.6
¥0.2
2.0
1.8
¥0.2
6.3
5.4
¥0.9
15.3
14.0
¥1.3
0.9
0.9
0.0
5.5
5.1
¥0.4
10.0
8.8
¥1.2
18.0
17.1
¥0.9
Nitrogen Oxides (NOX)
2002 .........................................................................................................
2004 .........................................................................................................
Diff (02–04) ..............................................................................................
1.6
2.3
0.7
* The stationary point source emissions shown here do not include banked emission credits of 68.9 tpd of VOC and 4.4 tpd of NO as indiX
cated in Technical Appendix A–4 to Pennsylvania’s SIP submission.
Between 2002 and 2004, VOC
emissions decreased by 1.3 tpsd from
15.3 tpsd to 14.0 tpsd; NOX emissions
decreased by 0.9 tpsd from 18.0 tpsd to
17.1 tpsd. These reductions, and
anticipated future reductions, are due to
the following permanent and
enforceable measures.
Federal NOX SIP Call (66 FR 43795,
August 21, 2001)
2000)
Heavy-duty Engine and Vehicle
Standards (62 FR 54694, October 21,
1997, and 65 FR 59896, October 6,
2000)
National Low Emission Vehicle (NLEV)
Program (PA) (64 FR 72564, December
28, 1999)
Vehicle Emission Inspection/
Maintenance Program (70 FR 58313,
October 6, 2005)
2. Stationary Area Sources
4. Non-Road Sources
Solvent Cleaning (68 FR 2206, January
16, 2003)
Portable Fuel Containers (69 FR 70893,
December 8, 2004)
Non-road Diesel (69 FR 38958, June 29,
2004)
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1. Stationary Point Sources
3. Highway Vehicle Sources
Federal Motor Vehicle Control Programs
(FMVCP)
—Tier 1 (56 FR 25724, June 5, 1991)
—Tier 2 (65 FR 6698, February 10,
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EPA believes that permanent and
enforceable emissions reductions are the
cause of the long-term improvement in
ozone levels and are the cause of the
Area achieving attainment of the 8-hour
ozone standard.
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D. The Altoona Area Has a Fully
Approvable Maintenance Plan Pursuant
to Section 175A of the CAA
In conjunction with its request to
redesignate the Altoona Area to
attainment status, Pennsylvania
submitted a SIP revision to provide for
maintenance of the 8-hour ozone
NAAQS in the Area for at least 11 years
after redesignation. The Commonwealth
is requesting that EPA approve this SIP
revision as meeting the requirement of
CAA 175A. Once approved, the
maintenance plan for the 8-hour ozone
NAAQS will ensure that the SIP for
Altoona meets the requirements of the
CAA regarding maintenance of the
applicable 8-hour ozone standard.
What Is Required in a Maintenance
Plan?
Section 175 of the CAA sets forth the
elements of a maintenance plan for
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areas seeking redesignation from
nonattainment to attainment. Under
section 175A, the plan must
demonstrate continued attainment of
the applicable NAAQS for at least 10
years after approval of a redesignation of
an area to attainment. Eight years after
the redesignation, the Commonwealth
must submit a revised maintenance plan
demonstrating that attainment will
continue to be maintained for the 10
years following the initial 10-year
period. To address the possibility of
future NAAQS violations, the
maintenance plan must contain such
contingency measures, with a schedule
for implementation, as EPA deems
necessary to assure prompt correction of
any future 8-hour ozone violations.
Section 175A of the CAA sets forth the
elements of a maintenance plan for
areas seeking redesignation from
nonattainment to attainment. The
Calcagni memorandum dated September
4, 1992, provides additional guidance
on the content of a maintenance plan.
An ozone maintenance plan should
address the following provisions:
(a) An attainment emissions
inventory;
(b) A maintenance demonstration;
(c) A monitoring network;
(d) Verification of continued
attainment; and
(e) A contingency plan.
Analysis of the Altoona Area
Maintenance Plan
(a) Attainment inventory—An
attainment inventory includes the
emissions during the time period
associated with the monitoring data
showing attainment. PADEP determined
that the appropriate attainment
inventory year is 2004. That year
establishes a reasonable year within the
three-year block of 2003–2005 as a
baseline and accounts for reductions
attributable to implementation of the
CAA requirements to date. The 2004
inventory is consistent with EPA
guidance and is based on actual ‘‘typical
summer day’’ emissions of VOC and
NOX during 2004 and consists of a list
of sources and their associated
emissions.
The 2002 and 2004 point source data
was compiled from actual sources.
Pennsylvania requires owners and
operators of larger facilities to submit
annual production figures and emission
calculations each year. Throughput data
are multiplied by emission factors from
Factor Information Retrieval (FIRE) Data
Systems and EPA’s publication series
AP–42, and are based on Source
Classification Codes (SCC). The 2002
area source data was compiled using
county-level activity data, from census
numbers, from county numbers, etc. The
2004 area source data was projected
from the 2002 inventory using temporal
allocations provided by the MidAtlantic Regional Air Management
Association (MARAMA).
The on-road mobile source
inventories for 2002 and 2004 were
compiled using MOBILE6.2 and
Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation (PENNDOT) estimates
for VMT. The PADEP has provided
detailed data summaries to document
the calculations of mobile on-road VOC
and NOX emissions for 2002, as well as
for the projection years of 2004, 2009,
and 2018 (shown in Tables 5 and 6
below). The 2002 and 2004 emissions
for the majority of non-road emission
source categories were estimated using
the EPA NONROAD 2005 model. The
NONROAD model calculates emissions
for diesel, gasoline, liquefied petroleum
gasoline, and compressed natural gasfueled non-road equipment types and
includes growth factors. The NONROAD
model does not estimate emissions from
locomotives or aircraft. For 2002 and
2004 locomotive emissions, the PADEP
projected emissions from a 1999 survey
using national fuel consumption
information and EPA emission and
conversion factors. There are no
significant commercial aircraft
operations (aircraft that can seat over 60
passengers) in Blair County. The
Altoona Airport in Blair County
supports some air taxi operations that
account for a very small amount of
emissions. For 2002 and 2004 aircraft
emissions, PADEP estimated emissions
using small airport operations statistics
from https://www.airnav.com, and
emission factors and operational
characteristics in the EPA-approved
model, Emissions and Dispersion
Modeling System (EDMS).
More detailed information on the
compilation of the 2002, 2004, 2009,
and 2018 inventories can be found in
the Technical Appendices, which are
part of this submittal.
(b) Maintenance Demonstration—On
February 8, 2007, the PADEP submitted
a maintenance plan as required by
section 175A of the CAA. The Altoona
maintenance plan shows maintenance
of the 8-hour ozone NAAQS by
demonstrating that current and future
emissions of VOC and NOX remain at or
below the attainment year 2004
emissions levels throughout the Altoona
Area through the year 2018. A
maintenance demonstration need not be
based on modeling. See Wall v. EPA,
supra; Sierra Club v. EPA, supra. See
also 66 FR at 53099–53100; 68 FR at
25430–32.
Tables 5 and 6 specify the VOC and
NOX emissions for the Altoona Area for
2004, 2009, and 2018. The PADEP chose
2009 as an interim year in the
maintenance demonstration period to
demonstrate that the VOC and NOX
emissions are not projected to increase
above the 2004 attainment level during
the time of the maintenance period.
TABLE 5.—TOTAL VOC EMISSIONS FOR 2004–2018 (TPSD)
2004 VOC
emissions
Source category
2009 VOC
emissions
2018 VOC
emissions
Point* ........................................................................................................................................................
Area .........................................................................................................................................................
Mobile ......................................................................................................................................................
Nonroad ...................................................................................................................................................
1.2
5.6
5.4
1.8
1.2
5.8
4.2
1.4
1.5
5.3
2.8
1.3
Total ..................................................................................................................................................
14.0
12.6
10.9
* Totals
may vary due to rounding.
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TABLE 6.—TOTAL NOX EMISSIONS FOR 2004–2018 (TPSD)
2004 NOX
emissions
Source category
Point* ........................................................................................................................................................
Area .........................................................................................................................................................
Mobile ......................................................................................................................................................
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2.3
0.9
8.8
07JNP1
2009 NOX
emissions
1.7
0.9
6.5
2018 NOX
emissions
1.8
0.9
3.3
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TABLE 6.—TOTAL NOX EMISSIONS FOR 2004–2018 (TPSD)—Continued
2004 NOX
emissions
Source category
2009 NOX
emissions
2018 NOX
emissions
Non-road ..................................................................................................................................................
5.1
4.2
3.1
Total ..................................................................................................................................................
17.1
13.3
9.1
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with PROPOSALS
* Totals
may vary due to rounding.
Additionally, the following programs
are either effective or due to become
effective and will further contribute to
the maintenance demonstration of the 8hour ozone NAAQS:
• The Clean Air Interstate Rule
(CAIR) (71 FR 25328, April 28, 2006).
• The Federal NOX SIP Call (66 FR
43795, August 21, 2001).
• Area VOC regulations concerning
portable fuel containers (69 FR 70893,
December 8, 2004), consumer products
(69 FR 70895, December 8, 2004), and
architectural and industrial
maintenance coatings (AIM) (69 FR
68080, November 23, 2004).
• Federal Motor Vehicle Control
Programs (light-duty ) (Tier 1, Tier 2; 56
FR 25724, June 5, 1991; 65 FR 6698,
February 10, 2000).
• Vehicle emission/inspection/
maintenance program (70 FR 58313,
October 6, 2005).
• Heavy duty diesel on-road (2004/
2007) and low sulfur on-road (2006); 66
FR 5002, (January 18, 2001).
• Non-road emission standards (2008)
and off-road diesel fuel 2007/2010); 69
FR 38958 (June 29, 2004).
• NLEV/PA Clean Vehicle Program
(54 FR 72564, December 28, 1999)—
Pennsylvania will implement this
program in car model year 2008 and
beyond.
• Pennsylvania Heavy-Duty Diesel
Emissions Control Program. (May 10,
2002).
Based on the comparison of the
projected emissions and the attainment
year emissions along with the additional
measures, EPA concludes that PADEP
has successfully demonstrated that the
8-hour ozone standard should be
maintained in the Altoona Area.
(c) Monitoring Network—There is
currently one monitor measuring ozone
in the Altoona Area. PADEP will
continue to operate its current air
quality monitor (located in Blair
County), in accordance with 40 CFR
part 58.
(d) Verification of Continued
Attainment—In addition to maintaining
the key elements of its regulatory
program, the Commonwealth will track
the attainment status of the ozone
NAAQs in the Area by reviewing air
quality and emissions data during the
maintenance period. The
Commonwealth will perform an annual
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evaluation of Vehicle Miles Traveled
(VMT) data and emissions reported from
stationary sources, and compare them to
the assumptions about these factors
used in the maintenance plan. The
Commonwealth will also evaluate the
periodic (every three years) emission
inventories prepared under EPA’s
Consolidated Emission Reporting
Regulation (40 CFR part 51, subpart A)
to see if they exceed the attainment year
inventory (2004) by more than 10
percent. The PADEP will also continue
to operate the existing ozone monitoring
station in the Area pursuant to 40 CFR
part 58 throughout the maintenance
period and submit quality-assured
ozone data to EPA through the AQS
system. Section 175A(b) of the CAA
states that eight years following
redesignation of the Altoona Area,
PADEP will be required to submit a
second maintenance plan that will
ensure attainment through 2028. PADEP
has made that commitment to meet the
requirement section 175A(b).
(e) The Maintenance Plan’s
Contingency Measures—The
contingency plan provisions are
designed to promptly correct a violation
of the NAAQS that occurs after
redesignation. Section 175A of the CAA
requires that a maintenance plan
include such contingency measures as
EPA deems necessary to ensure that the
Commonwealth will promptly correct a
violation of the NAAQS that occurs after
redesignation. The maintenance plan
should identify the events that would
‘‘trigger’’ the adoption and
implementation of a contingency
measure(s), the contingency measure(s)
that would be adopted and
implemented, and the schedule
indicating the time frame by which the
state would adopt and implement the
measure(s).
The ability of the Altoona Area to stay
in compliance with the 8-hour ozone
standard after redesignation depends
upon VOC and NOX emissions in the
Area remaining at or below 2004 levels.
The Commonwealth’s maintenance plan
projects VOC and NOX emissions to
decrease and stay below 2004 levels
through the year 2018. The
Commonwealth’s maintenance plan
outlines the procedures for the adoption
and implementation of contingency
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measures to further reduce emissions
should a violation occur.
Contingency measures will be
considered if for two consecutive years
the fourth highest 8-hour ozone
concentrations at the Blair County
monitor are above 84 ppb. If this trigger
point occurs, the Commonwealth will
evaluate whether additional local
emission control measures should be
implemented in order to prevent a
violation of the air quality standard.
PADEP will also analyze the conditions
leading to the excessive ozone levels
and evaluate which measures might be
most effective in correcting the
excessive ozone levels. PADEP will also
analyze the potential emissions effect of
Federal, state, and local measures that
have been adopted but not yet
implemented at the time the excessive
ozone levels occurred. PADEP will then
begin the process of implementing any
selected measures.
Contingency measures will also be
considered in the event that a violation
of the 8-hour ozone standard occurs at
the Altoona County, Pennsylvania
monitor. In the event of a violation of
the 8-hour ozone standard, PADEP will
adopt additional emissions reduction
measures as expeditiously as practicable
in accordance with the implementation
schedule listed later in this notice and
in the Pennsylvania Air Pollution
Control Act in order to return the Area
to attainment with the standard.
Contingency measures to be considered
for Altoona will include, but not be
limited to the following:
Regulatory measures:
—Additional controls on consumer
products.
—Additional controls on portable fuel
containers.
Non-Regulatory measures:
—Voluntary diesel engine ‘‘chip
reflash’’ (installation software to
correct the defeat device option on
certain heavy-duty diesel engines).
—Diesel retrofit, including replacement,
repowering or alternative fuel use, for
public or private local on-road or offroad fleets.
—Idling reduction technology for Class
2 yard locomotives.
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—Idling reduction technologies or
strategies for truck stops, warehouses
and other freight-handling facilities.
—Accelerated turnover of lawn and
garden equipment, especially
commercial equipment, including
promotion of electric equipment.
—Additional promotion of alternative
fuel (e.g., biodiesel) for home heating
and agricultural use.
The plan lays out a process to have
any regulatory contingency measures in
effect within 19 months of the trigger.
The plan also lays out a process to
implement the non-regulatory
contingency measures within 12–24
months of the trigger.
VII. Are the Motor Vehicle Emissions
Budgets Established and Identified in
the Altoona Maintenance Plan
Adequate and Approvable?
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A. What Are the Motor Vehicle
Emissions Budgets?
Under the CAA, States are required to
submit, at various times, control strategy
SIPs and maintenance plans in ozone
areas. These control strategy SIPs (i.e.,
RFP SIPs and attainment demonstration
SIPs) and maintenance plans identify
and establish MVEBs for certain criteria
pollutants and/or their precursors to
address pollution from on-road mobile
sources. In the maintenance plan, the
MVEBs are termed ‘‘on-road mobile
source emission budgets.’’ Pursuant to
40 CFR part 93 and 51.112, MVEBs must
be established in an ozone maintenance
plan. An MVEB is the portion of the
total allowable emissions that is
allocated to highway and transit vehicle
use and emissions. An MVEB serves as
a ceiling on emissions from an area’s
planned transportation system. The
MVEB concept is further explained in
the preamble to the November 24, 1993,
transportation conformity rule (58 FR
62188). The preamble also describes
how to establish and revise the MVEBs
in control strategy SIPs and
maintenance plans.
Under section 176(c) of the CAA, new
transportation projects, such as the
construction of new highways, must
‘‘conform’’ to (i.e., be consistent with)
the part of the State’s air quality plan
that addresses pollution from cars and
trucks. ‘‘Conformity’’ to the SIP means
that transportation activities will not
cause new air quality violations, worsen
existing violations, or delay timely
attainment of or reasonable progress
towards the NAAQS. If a transportation
plan does not ‘‘conform,’’ most new
projects that would expand the capacity
of roadways cannot go forward.
Regulations at 40 CFR part 93 set forth
EPA policy, criteria, and procedures for
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demonstrating and ensuring conformity
of such transportation activities to a SIP.
When reviewing submitted ‘‘control
strategy’’ SIPs or maintenance plans
containing MVEBs, EPA must
affirmatively find the MVEB contained
therein ‘‘adequate’’ for use in
determining transportation conformity.
After EPA affirmatively finds the
submitted MVEB is adequate for
transportation conformity purposes, that
MVEB can be used by state and federal
agencies in determining whether
proposed transportation projects
‘‘conform’’ to the SIP as required by
section 176(c) of the CAA. EPA’s
substantive criteria for determining
‘‘adequacy’’ of a MVEB are set out in 40
CFR 93.118(e)(4)
EPA’s process for determining
‘‘adequacy’’ consists of three basic steps:
Public notification of a SIP submission,
a public comment period, and EPA’s
adequacy finding. This process for
determining the adequacy of submitted
SIP MVEBs was initially outlined in
EPA’s May 14, 1999 guidance,
‘‘Conformity Guidance on
Implementation of March 2, 1999,
Conformity Court Decision.’’ This
guidance was finalized in the
Transportation Conformity Rule
Amendments for the ‘‘New 8-Hour
Ozone and PM2.5 National Ambient Air
Quality Standards and Miscellaneous
Revisions for Existing Areas;
Transportation Conformity Rule
Amendments—Response to Court
Decision and Additional Rule Change’’
on July 1, 2004 (69 FR 40004). EPA
consults this guidance and follows this
rulemaking in making its adequacy
determinations.
The MVEBS for the Altoona Area are
listed in Table 1 of this document for
2009 and 2018, and are the projected
emissions for the on-road mobile
sources plus any portion of the safety
margin allocated to the MVEBs (safety
margin allocation for 2009 and 2018
only). These emission budgets, when
approved by EPA, must be used for
transportation conformity
determinations.
B. What Is a Safety Margin?
A ‘‘safety margin’’ is the difference
between the attainment level of
emissions (from all sources) and the
projected level of emissions (from all
sources) in the maintenance plan. The
attainment level of emissions is the
level of emissions during one of the
years in which the area met the NAAQS.
The following example is for the 2018
safety margin: The Altoona Area first
attained the 8-hour ozone NAAQS
during the 2002 to 2004 time period.
The State used 2004 as the year to
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determine attainment levels of
emissions for the Altoona Area. The
total emissions from point, area, mobile
on-road, and mobile non-road sources in
2004 equaled 14.0 tpsd of VOC and 17.1
tpsd of NOX. The PADEP projected
emissions out to the year 2018 and
projected a total of 10.9 tpsd of VOC and
9.1 tpsd of NOX from all sources in the
Altoona Area. The safety margin for
2018 would be the difference between
these amounts, or 3.1 tpsd of VOC and
8.0 tpsd of NOX. The emissions up to
the level of the attainment year
including the safety margins are
projected to maintain the area’s air
quality consistent with the 8-hour ozone
NAAQS. The safety margin is the extra
emissions reduction below the
attainment levels that can be allocated
for emissions by various sources as long
as the total emission levels are
maintained at or below the attainment
levels. Table 7 shows the safety margins
for the 2009 and 2018 years.
TABLE 7.—2009 AND 2018 SAFETY
MARGINS FOR ALTOONA
Inventory year
2004 Attainment
2009 Interim ......
2009 Safety
Margin ...........
2004 Attainment
2018 Final .........
2018 Safety
Margin ...........
VOC emissions (tpsd)
NOX emissions (tpsd)
14.0
12.6
17.1
13.3
1.4
14.0
10.9
3.8
17.1
9.1
3.1
8.0
The PADEP allocated 0.4 tpsd VOC
and 0.4 tpsd NOX to the 2009 interim
VOC projected on-road mobile source
emissions projection and the 2009
interim NOX projected on-road mobile
source emissions projection to arrive at
the 2009 MVEBs. For the 2018 MVEBs
the PADEP allocated 0.6 tpsd VOC and
0.5 tpsd NOX from the 2018 safety
margins to arrive at the 2018 MVEBs.
Once allocated to the mobile source
budgets these portions of the safety
margins are no longer available, and
may no longer be allocated to any other
source category. Table 8 shows the final
2009 and 2018 MVEBS for Altoona.
TABLE 8.—2009 AND 2018 FINAL
MVEBS FOR ALTOONA
Inventory year
2009 projected
on-road mobile source
projected
emissions ......
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VOC emissions (tpsd)
NOX emissions (tpsd)
3.8
6.1
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TABLE 8.—2009 AND 2018 FINAL
MVEBS FOR ALTOONA—Continued
Inventory year
2009 Safety
Margin Allocated to
MVEBs ..........
2009 MVEBs .....
2018 projected
on-road mobile source
projected
emissions ......
2018 Safety
Margin Allocated to
MVEBs ..........
2018 MVEBs .....
VOC emissions (tpsd)
NOX emissions (tpsd)
0.4
4.2
0.4
6.5
2.2
2.8
0.6
2.8
0.5
3.3
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with PROPOSALS
C. Why Are the MVEBs Approvable?
The 2009 and 2018 MVEBs for the
Altoona Area are approvable because
the MVEBs for VOCs and NOX continue
to maintain the total emissions at or
below the attainment year inventory
levels as required by the transportation
conformity regulations.
D. What Is the Adequacy and Approval
Process for the MVEBs in the Altoona
Maintenance Plan?
The MVEBs for the Altoona Area
maintenance plan are being posted to
EPA’s conformity Web site concurrently
with this proposal. The public comment
period will end at the same time as the
public comment period for this
proposed rule. In this case, EPA is
concurrently processing the action on
the maintenance plan and the adequacy
process for the MVEBs contained
therein. In this proposed rule, EPA is
proposing to find the MVEBs adequate
and also proposing to approve the
MVEBs as part of the maintenance plan.
The MVEBs cannot be used for
transportation conformity until the
maintenance plan and associated
MVEBs are approved in a final Federal
Register notice, or EPA otherwise finds
the budgets adequate in a separate
action following the comment period.
If EPA receives adverse written
comments with respect to the proposed
approval of the Altoona MVEBs, or any
other aspect of our proposed approval of
this updated maintenance plan, we will
respond to the comments on the MVEBs
in our final action or proceed with the
adequacy process as a separate action.
Our action on the Altoona Area MVEBs
will also be announced on EPA’s
conformity Web site: https://
www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/
transconf/index.htm (once there, click
on ‘‘Adequacy Review of SIP
Submissions’’).
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VIII. Proposed Actions
EPA is proposing to determine that
the Altoona Area has attained the 8hour ozone NAAQS. EPA is also
proposing to approve the redesignation
of the Altoona Area from nonattainment
to attainment for the 8-hour ozone
NAAQS. EPA has evaluated
Pennsylvania’s redesignation request
and determined that it meets the
redesignation criteria set forth in section
107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA. EPA believes
that the redesignation request and
monitoring data demonstrate that the
Altoona Area has attained the 8-hour
ozone standard. The final approval of
this redesignation request would change
the designation of the Altoona Area
from nonattainment to attainment for
the 8-hour ozone standard. EPA is also
proposing to approve the associated
maintenance plan for the Altoona Area,
submitted on February 8, 2007, as a
revision to the Pennsylvania SIP. EPA is
proposing to approve the maintenance
plan for the Altoona Area because it
meets the requirements of section 175A
as described previously in this notice.
EPA is also proposing to approve the
2002 base-year inventory for the
Altoona Area, and the MVEBs submitted
by Pennsylvania for the Altoona Area in
conjunction with its redesignation
request. EPA is soliciting public
comments on the issues discussed in
this document. These comments will be
considered before taking final action.
IX. Statutory and Executive Order
Reviews
Under Executive Order 12866 (58 FR
51735, October 4, 1993), this proposed
action is not a ‘‘significant regulatory
action’’ and therefore is not subject to
review by the Office of Management and
Budget. For this reason, this action is
also not subject to Executive Order
13211, ‘‘Actions Concerning Regulations
That Significantly Affect Energy Supply,
Distribution, or Use’’ (66 FR 28355, May
22, 2001). This action merely proposes
to approve state law as meeting Federal
requirements and imposes no additional
requirements beyond those imposed by
state law. Accordingly, the
Administrator certifies that this
proposed rule will not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities under the
Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601
et seq.). Because this rule proposes to
approve pre-existing requirements
under state law and does not impose
any additional enforceable duty beyond
that required by state law, it does not
contain any unfunded mandate or
significantly or uniquely affect small
governments, as described in the
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Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995
(Pub. L. 104–4). This proposed rule also
does not have a substantial direct effect
on one or more Indian tribes, on the
relationship between the Federal
Government and Indian tribes, or on the
distribution of power and
responsibilities between the Federal
Government and Indian tribes, as
specified by Executive Order 13175 (65
FR 67249, November 9, 2000), nor will
it have substantial direct effects on the
States, on the relationship between the
national government and the States, or
on the distribution of power and
responsibilities among the various
levels of government, as specified in
Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255,
August 10, 1999), because it merely
proposes to approve a state rule
implementing a Federal requirement,
and does not alter the relationship or
the distribution of power and
responsibilities established in the Clean
Air Act. This proposed rule also is not
subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR
19885, April 23, 1997), because it
approves a state rule implementing a
Federal standard. In reviewing SIP
submissions, EPA’s role is to approve
state choices, provided that they meet
the criteria of the Clean Air Act. In this
context, in the absence of a prior
existing requirement for the State to use
voluntary consensus standards (VCS),
EPA has no authority to disapprove a
SIP submission for failure to use VCS.
It would thus be inconsistent with
applicable law for EPA, when it reviews
a SIP submission, to use VCS in place
of a SIP submission that otherwise
satisfies the provisions of the Clean Air
Act. Redesignation is an action that
affects the status of a geographical area
and does not impose any new
requirements on sources. Thus, the
requirements of section 12(d) of the
National Technology Transfer and
Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C.
272 note) do not apply. As required by
section 3 of Executive Order 12988 (61
FR 4729, February 7, 1996), in issuing
this proposed rule, EPA has taken the
necessary steps to eliminate drafting
errors and ambiguity, minimize
potential litigation, and provide a clear
legal standard for affected conduct. EPA
has complied with Executive Order
12630 (53 FR 8859, March 15, 1988) by
examining the takings implications of
the rule in accordance with the
‘‘Attorney General’s Supplemental
Guidelines for the Evaluation of Risk
and Avoidance of Unanticipated
Takings’’ issued under the executive
order.
This rule, proposing to approve the
redesignation of the Altoona Area to
E:\FR\FM\07JNP1.SGM
07JNP1
31507
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 109 / Thursday, June 7, 2007 / Proposed Rules
attainment for the 8-hour ozone
NAAQS, the associated maintenance
plan, the 2002 base-year inventory, and
the MVEBs identified in the
maintenance plan, does not impose an
information collection burden under the
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
List of Subjects
40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air
pollution control, Nitrogen dioxide,
Ozone, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Volatile organic
compounds.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
In FR Doc. 07–1920 of May 3, 2007
(72 FR 24680), there were a number of
technical errors that are identified and
corrected in the Correction of Errors
section of this notice. We issued the
fiscal year (FY) 2008 hospital inpatient
prospective payment systems (IPPS)
proposed rule on April 13, 2007. The FY
2008 IPPS proposed rule appeared in
the May 3, 2007 Federal Register.
II. Summary of Errors
40 CFR Part 81
Air pollution control, National parks,
Wilderness areas.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: May 31, 2007.
William T. Wisniewski,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. E7–11019 Filed 6–6–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services
42 CFR Parts 411, 412, 413, and 489
[CMS–1533–CN]
RIN 0938–A070
Medicare Program; Proposed Changes
to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective
Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 2008
Rates; Correction
Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Correction of proposed rule.
AGENCY:
We recently discovered that an error
was made in the calculation of the DRG
relative weights presented in the FY
2008 IPPS proposed rule. We have
revised the relative weights to correct
the error and have recalculated the
standardized amounts. These changes
increase the standardized amounts
slightly and reduce the proposed FY
2008 outlier threshold by $85. Further,
these revisions affect the DRG-specific
costs thresholds for new technology
add-on payments. Therefore, in this
notice we are correcting the following:
• Preamble language regarding the
methodology used to calculate chargebased and cost-based relative weights.
• Outlier threshold.
• Recalibration, wage and
recalibration, geographic
reclassification, and rural floor budget
neutrality factors.
• Tables 1A through 1D, 2, 4A, 4C, 4J,
5, 10.
• Impact analysis tables (Tables I and
II).
In addition, we have posted these
corrected tables on our Web site at
https://www.cms.hhs.gov/
AcuteInpatientPPS/WIFN/list.asp.
III. Correction of Errors
SUMMARY: This document corrects
technical errors that appeared in the
proposed rule entitled ‘‘Medicare
Program; Proposed Changes to the
Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment
Systems and Fiscal Year 2008 Rates’’
that appeared in the May 3, 2007
Federal Register.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Marc Hartstein, (410) 786–4548.
In FR Doc. 07–1920 of May 3, 2007
(72 FR 24680), make the following
corrections:
A. Corrections to the Preamble
1. On page 24711, second column, last
paragraph, sixth line from the bottom,
the figure ‘‘$23,015’’ is corrected to read
‘‘$22,930.’’
2. On page 24746, second column,
a. Third full paragraph, line 9, the
phrase, ‘‘in the FY 2005 MedPAR’’ is
corrected to read ‘‘in the FY 2006
MedPAR.’’
b. Fifth full paragraph, last line, after
the phrase ‘‘cost of living adjustment.’’,
the following sentence is added to read
as follows:
‘‘Beginning with FY 2008, because
hospital charges include charges for
both operating and capital costs, we are
proposing to standardize total charges to
remove the effects of differences in
geographic adjustment factors, large
urban add-on payments, cost-of-living
adjustment, disproportionate share
payments, and IME adjustments under
the capital IPPS as well.’’
3. On page 24747, first column, third
full paragraph, last line, after the phrase
‘‘cost of living adjustment.’’ and before
the phrase ‘‘Charges were then’’, the
following sentence is added to read as
follows:
‘‘Beginning with FY 2008, because
hospital charges include charges for
both operating and capital costs, we are
proposing to standardize total charges to
remove the effects of differences in
geographic adjustment factors, large
urban add-on payments, cost-of-living
adjustment, disproportionate share
payments, and IME adjustments under
the capital IPPS as well.’’
B. Corrections to the Addendum
1. On page 24836,
a. First column, second full
paragraph,
(1) Line 14, the figure ‘‘0.999317’’ is
corrected to read ‘‘0.999367.’’
(2) Lines 19 and 29, the figure
‘‘0.998557’’ is corrected to read
‘‘0.998573.’’
b. Second column, first partial
paragraph, line 17, the figure
‘‘0.991938’’ is corrected to read
‘‘0.991925.’’
2. On page 24837, second column,
second full paragraph, line 6, the figure
‘‘$23,015’’ is corrected to read
‘‘$22,930’’.
3. On page 24839, top half of the page,
in the table Comparison of FY 2007
Standardized Amounts to Proposed FY
2008 Single Standardized Amount with
Full Update and Reduced Update, the
figures in the listed entries are corrected
to read as follows:
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with PROPOSALS
Full update
(3.3 percent)
FY 2008 DRG Recalibrations and Wage Index Budget Neutrality Factor ..........................................................
FY 2008 Reclassification Budget Neutrality Factor .............................................................................................
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:51 Jun 06, 2007
Jkt 211001
PO 00000
Frm 00035
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
E:\FR\FM\07JNP1.SGM
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0.999367
0.991925
Reduced
update
(1.3 percent)
0.999367
0.991925
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 109 (Thursday, June 7, 2007)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 31495-31507]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-11019]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Parts 52 and 81
[EPA-R03-OAR-2007-0245; FRL-8322-8]
Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans;
Pennsylvania; Redesignation of the Altoona 8-Hour Ozone Nonattainment
Area to Attainment and Approval of the Associated Maintenance Plan and
2002 Base-Year Inventory
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: EPA is proposing to approve a redesignation request and State
Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
(PADEP) is requesting that the Altoona ozone nonattainment area
(``Altoona Area'' or ``Area'') be redesignated as attainment for the 8-
hour ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). The Area is
comprised of Blair County, Pennsylvania. EPA is proposing to approve
the ozone redesignation request for the Altoona Area. In conjunction
with its redesignation request, the Commonwealth submitted a SIP
revision consisting of a maintenance plan for the Altoona Area that
provides for continued attainment of the 8-hour ozone NAAQS for at
least 10 years after redesignation. EPA is proposing to make a
determination that the Altoona Area has attained the 8-hour ozone
NAAQS, based upon three years of complete, quality-assured ambient air
quality monitoring data for 2003-2005. EPA's proposed approval of the
8-hour ozone redesignation request is based on its determination that
the Altoona Area has met the criteria for redesignation to
[[Page 31496]]
attainment specified in the Clean Air Act (CAA). In addition, the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has also submitted a 2002 base-year
inventory for the Altoona Area, and EPA is proposing to approve that
inventory for the Altoona Area as a SIP revision. EPA is also providing
information on the status of its adequacy determination for the motor
vehicle emission budgets (MVEBs) that are identified in the maintenance
plan for the Altoona Area for purposes of transportation conformity,
and is also proposing to approve those MVEBs. EPA is proposing approval
of the redesignation request and of the maintenance plan and 2002 base-
year inventory SIP revisions in accordance with the requirements of the
CAA.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before July 9, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID Number EPA-
R03-OAR-2007-0245 by one of the following methods:
A. www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions for
submitting comments.
B. E-mail: miller.linda@epa.gov
C. Mail: EPA-R03-OAR-2007-0245, Linda Miller, Acting Chief, Air
Quality Planning Branch, Mailcode 3AP21, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Region III, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103.
D. Hand Delivery: At the previously-listed EPA Region III address.
Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of
operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of
boxed information.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-R03-OAR-
2007-0245. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included
in the public docket without change, and may be made available online
at www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided,
unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to
be CBI or otherwise protected through www.regulations.gov or e-mail.
The www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system,
which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information
unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-
mail comment directly to EPA without going through www.regulations.gov,
your e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part
of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available
on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends
that you include your name and other contact information in the body of
your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read
your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses.
Docket: All documents in the electronic docket are listed in the
www.regulations.gov index. 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 either electronically in www.regulations.gov or
in hard copy during normal business hours at the Air Protection
Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, 1650 Arch
Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103. Copies of the State submittal
are available at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection Bureau of Air Quality Control, P.O. Box 8468, 400 Market
Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17105.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Caprio, (215) 814-2156, or by e-
mail at caprio.amy@epa.gov
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document whenever ``we,''
``us,'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.
Table of Contents
I. What Are the Actions EPA Is Proposing To Take?
II. What Is the Background for These Proposed Actions?
III. What Are the Criteria for Redesignation to Attainment?
IV. Why Is EPA Taking These Actions?
V. What Would Be the Effect of These Actions?
VI. What Is EPA's Analysis of the Commonwealth's Request?
VII. Are the Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets Established and
Identified in the Maintenance Plan for the Altoona Area Adequate and
Approvable?
VIII. Proposed Actions
IX. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. What Are the Actions EPA Is Proposing To Take?
On February 8, 2007, the PADEP formally submitted a request to
redesignate the Altoona Area from nonattainment to attainment of the 8-
hour NAAQS for ozone. Concurrently, Pennsylvania submitted a
maintenance plan for the Altoona Area as a SIP revision to ensure
continued attainment in the Area over the next 11 years. PADEP also
submitted a 2002 base-year inventory for the Altoona Area as a SIP
revision. The Altoona Area is comprised of Blair County. It is
currently designated a basic 8-hour ozone nonattainment area. EPA is
proposing to determine that the Altoona Area has attained the 8-hour
ozone NAAQS and that it has met the requirements for redesignation
pursuant to section 107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA. EPA is, therefore,
proposing to approve the redesignation request to change the
designation of the Altoona Area from nonattainment to attainment for
the 8-hour ozone NAAQS. EPA is also proposing to approve the Altoona
maintenance plan as a SIP revision for the Area (such approval being
one of the CAA criteria for redesignation to attainment status). The
maintenance plan is designed to ensure continued attainment in the
Altoona Area for the next 11 years. EPA is also proposing to approve
the 2002 base-year inventory for the Altoona Area as a SIP revision.
Additionally, EPA is announcing its action on the adequacy process for
the MVEBs identified in the Altoona maintenance plan, and proposing to
approve the MVEBs identified for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and
nitrogen oxides (NOX) for the Altoona Area for
transportation conformity purposes.
II. What Is the Background for These Proposed Actions?
A. General
Ground-level ozone is not emitted directly by sources. Rather,
emissions of NOX and VOC react in the presence of sunlight
to form ground-level ozone. The air pollutants NOX and VOC
are referred to as precursors of ozone. The CAA establishes a process
for air quality management through the attainment and maintenance of
the NAAQS.
On July 18, 1997, EPA promulgated a revised 8-hour ozone standard
of 0.08 parts per million (ppm). This new standard is more stringent
than the previous 1-hour standard. EPA designated, as nonattainment,
any area violating the 8-hour ozone NAAQS based on the air quality data
for the three years of 2001-2003. These were the most recent three
years of data at the time EPA designated 8-hour areas. The Altoona Area
was designated a basic 8-hour ozone nonattainment area in a Federal
Register notice signed on April
[[Page 31497]]
15, 2004 and published on April 30, 2004 (69 FR 23857), based on its
exceedance of the 8-hour health-based standard for ozone during the
years 2001-2003.
On April 30, 2004, EPA issued a final rule (69 FR 23951, 23996) to
revoke the 1-hour ozone NAAQS in the Altoona Area (as well as most
other areas of the country), effective June 15, 2005. See, 40 CFR
50.9(b); 69 FR at 23996 (April 30, 2004); 70 FR 44470 (August 3, 2005).
However, on December 22, 2006, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia Circuit vacated EPA's Phase 1 Implementation Rule
for the 8-hour Ozone Standard. (69 FR 23951, April 30, 2004). See,
South Coast Air Quality Management Dist. v. EPA, 472 F.3d 882 (D.C.
Cir. 2006) (hereafter ``South Coast.''). The Court held that certain
provisions of EPA's Phase 1 Rule were inconsistent with the
requirements of the Clean Air Act. The Court rejected EPA's reasons for
implementing the 8-hour standard in nonattainment areas under subpart 1
in lieu of subpart 2 of Title I, part D of the Act. The Court also held
that EPA improperly failed to retain four measures required for 1-hour
nonattainment areas under the anti-backsliding provisions of the
regulations: (1) Nonattainment area New Source Review (NSR)
requirements based on an area's 1-hour nonattainment classification;
(2) Section 185 penalty fees for 1-hour severe or extreme nonattainment
areas; (3) measures to be implemented pursuant to section 172(c)(9) or
182(c)(9) of the Act, on the contingency of an area not making
reasonable further progress toward attainment of the 1-hour NAAQS, or
for failure to attain that NAAQS; and (4) the certain conformity
requirements for certain types of federal actions. The Court upheld
EPA's authority to revoke the 1-hour standard provided there were
adequate anti-backsliding provisions. Elsewhere in this document,
mainly in section VI. B. ``The Altoona Area Has Met All Applicable
Requirements Under Section 110 and Part D of the CAA and Has a Fully
Approved SIP Under Section 110(k) of the CAA,'' EPA discusses its
rationale why the decision in South Coast is not an impediment to
redesignating the Altoona Area to attainment of the 8-hour ozone NAAQS.
The CAA, title I, part D, contains two sets of provisions--subpart
1 and subpart 2--that address planning and control requirements for
nonattainment areas. Subpart 1 (which EPA refers to as ``basic''
nonattainment) contains general, less prescriptive requirements for
nonattainment areas for any pollutant--including ozone--governed by a
NAAQS. Subpart 2 (which EPA refers to as ``classified'' nonattainment)
provides more specific requirements for ozone nonattainment areas. In
2004, the Altoona Area was classified a basic 8-hour ozone
nonattainment area based on air quality monitoring data from 2001-2003.
Therefore, the Altoona Area is subject to the requirements of subpart 1
of part D.
Under 40 CFR part 50, the 8-hour ozone standard is attained when
the 3-year average of the annual fourth-highest daily maximum 8-hour
average ambient air quality ozone concentrations is less than or equal
to 0.08 ppm (i.e., 0.084 ppm when rounding is considered). See 69 FR
23857 (April 30, 2004) for further information. Ambient air quality
monitoring data for the 3-year period must meet data completeness
requirements. The data completeness requirements are met when the
average percent of days with valid ambient monitoring data is greater
than 90 percent, and no single year has less than 75 percent data
completeness as determined in Appendix I of 40 CFR part 50. The ozone
monitoring data indicates that the Altoona Area has a design value of
0.077 ppm for the 3-year period of 2003-2005, using complete, quality-
assured data. Additionally, certified 2006 ozone monitoring data
indicates that the Altoona Area continues to attain the ozone NAAQS.
Therefore, the ambient ozone data for the Altoona Area indicates no
violations of the 8-hour ozone standard.
B. The Altoona Area
The Altoona Area consists of Blair County, Pennsylvania. Prior to
its designation as an 8-hour ozone nonattainment area, the Altoona Area
was a marginal 1-hour ozone nonattainment Area, and therefore, was
subject to requirements for marginal nonattainment areas pursuant to
section 182(a) of the CAA. See 56 FR 56694 (November 6, 1991). EPA
determined that the Altoona Area has attained the 1-hour ozone NAAQS by
the November 15, 1993 attainment date (60 FR 3349, January 17, 1995).
On February 8, 2007, the PADEP requested that the Altoona Area be
redesignated to attainment for the 8-hour ozone standard. The
redesignation request included three years of complete, quality-assured
data for the period of 2003-2005, indicating that the 8-hour NAAQS for
ozone had been achieved in the Altoona Area. The data satisfies the CAA
requirements that the 3-year average of the annual fourth-highest daily
maximum 8-hour average ozone concentration (commonly referred to as the
area's design value), must be less than or equal to 0.08 ppm (i.e.,
0.084 ppm when rounding is considered). Under the CAA, a nonattainment
area may be redesignated if sufficient complete, quality-assured data
is available to determine that the area attained the standard and the
area meets the other CAA redesignation requirements set forth in
section 107(d)(3)(E).
III. What Are the Criteria for Redesignation to Attainment?
The CAA provides the requirements for redesignating a nonattainment
area to attainment. Specifically, section 107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA,
allows for redesignation, providing that:
(1) EPA determines that the area has attained the applicable NAAQS;
(2) EPA has fully approved the applicable implementation plan for
the area under section 110(k);
(3) EPA determines that the improvement in air quality is due to
permanent and enforceable reductions in emissions resulting from
implementation of the applicable SIP and applicable Federal air
pollutant control regulations and other permanent and enforceable
reductions;
(4) EPA has fully approved a maintenance plan for the area as
meeting the requirements of section 175A; and
(5) The State containing such area has met all requirements
applicable to the area under section 110 and part D.
EPA provided guidance on redesignations in the General Preamble for
the Implementation of Title I of the CAA Amendments of 1990, on April
16, 1992 (57 FR 13498), and supplemented this guidance on April 28,
1992 (57 FR 18070). EPA has provided further guidance on processing
redesignation requests in the following documents:
``Ozone and Carbon Monoxide Design Value Calculations,''
Memorandum from Bill Laxton, June, 18, 1990;
``Maintenance Plans for Redesignation of Ozone and Carbon
Monoxide Nonattainment Areas,'' Memorandum from G.T. Helms, Chief,
Ozone/Carbon Monoxide Programs Branch, April 30, 1992;
``Contingency Measures for Ozone and Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Redesignations,'' Memorandum from G.T. Helms, Chief, Ozone/Carbon
Monoxide Programs Branch, June 1, 1992;
``Procedures for Processing Requests to Redesignate Areas
to Attainment,'' Memorandum from John Calcagni, Director, Air Quality
Management Division, September 4, 1992;
[[Page 31498]]
``State Implementation Plan (SIP) Actions Submitted in
Response to Clean Air Act (Act) Deadlines,'' Memorandum from John
Calcagni Director, Air Quality Management Division, October 28, 1992;
``Technical Support Documents (TSDs) for Redesignation
Ozone and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Nonattainment Areas,'' Memorandum from
G.T. Helms, Chief, Ozone/Carbon Monoxide Programs Branch, August 17,
1993;
``State Implementation Plan (SIP) Requirements for Areas
Submitting Requests for Redesignation to Attainment of the Ozone and
Carbon Monoxide (CO) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) on
or after November 15, 1992,'' Memorandum from Michael H. Shapiro,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, September 17,
1993;
Memorandum from D. Kent Berry, Acting Director, Air
Quality Management Division, to Air Division Directors, Regions 1-10,
``Use of Actual Emissions in Maintenance Demonstrations for Ozone and
CO Nonattainment Areas,'' dated November 30, 1993;
``Part D New Source Review (part D NSR) Requirements for
Areas Requesting Redesignation to Attainment,'' Memorandum from Mary D.
Nichols, Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, October 14,
1994; and
``Reasonable Further Progress, Attainment Demonstration,
and Related Requirements for Ozone Nonattainment Areas Meeting the
Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard,'' Memorandum from John S.
Seitz, Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, May 10,
1995.
IV. Why Is EPA Taking These Actions?
On February 8, 2007, the PADEP requested redesignation of the
Altoona Area to attainment for the 8-hour ozone standard. On February
8, 2007, PADEP submitted a maintenance plan for the Altoona Area as a
SIP revision, to ensure continued attainment of the 8-hour ozone NAAQS
over the next 11 years, until 2018. PADEP also submitted a 2002 base-
year inventory concurrently with its maintenance plan as a SIP
revision. EPA has determined that the Altoona Area has attained the 8-
hour ozone standard and has met the requirements for redesignation set
forth in section 107(d)(3)(E).
V. What Would Be the Effect of These Actions?
Approval of the redesignation request would change the official
designation of the Altoona Area from nonattainment to attainment for
the 8-hour ozone NAAQS found at 40 CFR part 81. It would also
incorporate into the Pennsylvania SIP a 2002 base-year inventory and a
maintenance plan ensuring continued attainment of the 8-hour ozone
NAAQS in the Altoona Area for the next 11 years, until 2018. The
maintenance plan includes contingency measures to remedy any future
violations of the 8-hour NAAQS (should they occur), and identifies the
NOX and VOC MVEBs for transportation conformity purposes for
the years 2009 and 2018. These MVEBs are displayed in the following
table:
Table 1.--Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets in Tons per Summer Day (tpsd)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Year VOC NOX
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2009.............................................. 4.2 6.5
2018.............................................. 2.8 3.3
------------------------------------------------------------------------
VI. What Is EPA's Analysis of the Commonwealth's Request?
EPA is proposing to determine that the Altoona Area has attained
the 8-hour ozone standard, and that all other redesignation criteria
have been met. The following is a description of how the PADEP's
February 8, 2007 submittal satisfies the requirements of section
107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA.
A. The Altoona Area Has Attained the 8-Hour NAAQS
EPA is proposing to determine that the Altoona Area has attained
the 8-hour ozone NAAQS. For ozone, an area may be considered to be
attaining the 8-hour ozone NAAQS if there are no violations, as
determined in accordance with 40 CFR 50.10 and Appendix I of Part 50,
based on three complete, consecutive calendar years of quality-assured
air quality monitoring data. To attain this standard, the design value,
which is the 3-year average of the fourth-highest daily maximum 8-hour
average ozone concentrations measured at each monitor, within the area,
over each year must not exceed the ozone standard of 0.08 ppm. Based on
the rounding convention described in 40 CFR part 50, Appendix I, the
standard is attained if the design value is 0.084 ppm or below. The
data must be collected and quality-assured in accordance with 40 CFR
part 58, and recorded in the Air Quality System (AQS). The monitors
generally should have remained at the same location for the duration of
the monitoring period required for demonstrating attainment.
In the Altoona Area, there is one ozone monitor, located in Blair
County that measures air quality with respect to ozone. As part of its
redesignation request, Pennsylvania referenced ozone monitoring data
for the years 2003-2005 for the Altoona Area. This data has been
quality assured and is recorded in the AQS. The PADEP uses the AQS as
the permanent database to maintain its data and quality assures the
data transfers and content for accuracy. The fourth-high 8-hour daily
maximum concentrations, along with the three-year average are
summarized in Table 2.
Table 2.--Altoona Area Fourth Highest 8-Hour Average Values, Altoona
County Monitor/AIRS ID 42-013-0801
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual 4th
highest
Year reading
(ppm)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2003....................................................... 0.083
2004....................................................... 0.073
2005....................................................... 0.077
2006....................................................... 0.071
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The average for the 3-year period 2003-2005 is 0.077 ppm.
The average for the 3-year period 2004-2006 is 0.074 ppm.
The air quality data for 2003-2005 show that the Altoona Area has
attained the standard with a design value of 0.077 ppm. The data
collected at the Altoona Area monitor satisfies the CAA requirement
that the 3-year average of the annual fourth-highest daily maximum 8-
hour average ozone concentration is less than or equal to 0.08 ppm. EPA
believes this conclusion remains valid after review of the certified
2006 data because the design value for 2004-2006 would be 0.074 ppm.
The PADEP's request for redesignation for the Altoona Area indicates
that the data is complete and was quality assured in accordance with 40
CFR part 58. In addition, as discussed below with respect to the
maintenance plan, PADEP has committed to continue monitoring in
accordance with 40 CFR part 58. In summary, EPA has determined that the
data submitted by Pennsylvania and data taken from AQS indicate that
the Area has attained the 8-hour ozone NAAQS.
B. The Altoona Area Has Met All Applicable Requirements Under Section
110 and Part D of the CAA and Has a Fully Approved SIP Under Section
110(k) of the CAA
EPA has determined that the Altoona Area has met all SIP
requirements applicable for purposes of this redesignation under
section 110 of the CAA (General SIP Requirements) and
[[Page 31499]]
that it meets all applicable SIP requirements under part D of Title I
of the CAA, in accordance with section 107(d)(3)(E)(v). In addition,
EPA has determined that the SIP is fully approved with respect to all
requirements applicable for purposes of redesignation in accordance
with section 107(d)(3)(E)(ii). In making these proposed determinations,
EPA ascertained which requirements are applicable to the Altoona Area
and determined that the applicable portions of the SIP meeting these
requirements are fully approved under section 110(k) of the CAA. We
note that SIPs must be fully approved only with respect to applicable
requirements.
The September 4, 1992 Calcagni memorandum (``Procedures for
Processing Requests To Redesignate Areas to Attainment,'' Memorandum
from John Calcagni, Director, Air Quality Management Division,
September 4, 1992) describes EPA's interpretation of section
107(d)(3)(E) with respect to the timing of applicable requirements.
Under this interpretation, to qualify for redesignation, States
requesting redesignation to attainment must meet only the relevant CAA
requirements that came due prior to the submittal of a complete
redesignation request. See also, Michael Shapiro memorandum, September
17, 1993, and 60 FR 12459, 12465-66 (March 7, 1995) (redesignation of
Detroit-Ann Arbor). Applicable requirements of the CAA that come due
subsequent to the area's submittal of a complete redesignation request
remain applicable until a redesignation is approved, but are not
required as a prerequisite to redesignation. Section 175A(c) of the
CAA. Sierra Club v. EPA, 375 F.3d 537 (7th Cir. 2004). See also, 68 FR
at 25424, 25427 (May 12, 2003) (redesignation of St. Louis).
This section also sets forth EPA's views on the potential effect of
the Court's ruling in South Coast on this redesignation action. For the
reasons set forth below, EPA does not believe that the Court's ruling
alters any requirements relevant to this redesignation action so as to
preclude redesignation, and does not prevent EPA from finalizing this
redesignation. EPA believes that the Court's decision, as it currently
stands or as it may be modified based upon any petition for rehearing
that has been filed, imposes no impediment to moving forward with
redesignation of this area to attainment, because in either
circumstance redesignation is appropriate under the relevant
redesignation provisions of the Act and longstanding policies regarding
redesignation requests.
1. Section 110 General SIP Requirements
Section 110(a)(2) of Title I of the CAA delineates the general
requirements for a SIP, which includes enforceable emissions
limitations and other control measures, means, or techniques,
provisions for the establishment and operation of appropriate devices
necessary to collect data on ambient air quality, and programs to
enforce the limitations. The general SIP elements and requirements set
forth in section 110(a)(2) include, but are not limited to the
following:
Submittal of a SIP that has been adopted by the State
after reasonable public notice and hearing;
Provisions for establishment and operation of appropriate
procedures needed to monitor ambient air quality;
Implementation of a source permit program; provisions for
the implementation of part C requirements (Prevention of Significant
Deterioration (PSD));
Provisions for the implementation of part D requirements
for New Source Review (NSR) permit programs;
Provisions for air pollution modeling; and
Provisions for public and local agency participation in
planning and emission control rule development.
Section 110(a)(2)(D) requires that SIPs contain certain measures to
prevent sources in a state from significantly contributing to air
quality problems in another State. To implement this provision, EPA has
required certain states to establish programs to address transport of
air pollutants in accordance with the NOX SIP Call, October
27, 1998 (63 FR 57356), amendments to the NOX SIP Call, May
14, 1999 (64 FR 26298) and March 2, 2000 (65 FR 11222), and the Clean
Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), May 12, 2005 (70 FR 25162). However, the
section 110(a)(2)(D) requirements for a State are not linked with a
particular nonattainment area's designation and classification in that
State. EPA believes that the requirements linked with a particular
nonattainment area's designation and classifications are the relevant
measures to evaluate in reviewing a redesignation request. The
transport SIP submittal requirements, where applicable, continue to
apply to a state regardless of the designation of any one particular
area in the State. Thus, we do not believe that these requirements are
applicable requirements for purposes of redesignation.
In addition, EPA believes that the other section 110 elements not
connected with nonattainment plan submissions and not linked with an
area's attainment status are not applicable requirements for purposes
of redesignation. The Altoona Area will still be subject to these
requirements after it is redesignated. The section 110 and Part D
requirements which are linked with a particular area's designation and
classification, are the relevant measures to evaluate in reviewing a
redesignation request. This policy is consistent with EPA's existing
policy on applicability of conformity (i.e., for redesignations) and
oxygenated fuels requirement. See Reading, Pennsylvania, proposed and
final rulemakings (61 FR 53174, October 10, 1996), (62 FR 24826, May 7,
1997); Cleveland-Akron-Lorain, Ohio final rulemaking (61 FR 20458, May
7, 1996); and Tampa, Florida, final rulemaking (60 FR 62748, December
7, 1995). See also, the discussion on this issue in the Cincinnati
redesignation (65 FR at 37890, June 19, 2000), and in the Pittsburgh
redesignation (66 FR at 53099, October 19, 2001). Similarly, with
respect to the NOX SIP Call rules, EPA noted in its Phase 1
Final Rule to Implement the 8-hour Ozone NAAQS, that the NOX
SIP Call rules are not ``an'' `applicable requirement' for purposes of
section 110(1) because the NOX rules apply regardless of an
area's attainment or nonattainment status for the 8-hour (or the 1-
hour) NAAQS.'' 69 FR 23951, 23983 (April 30, 2004). EPA believes that
section 110 elements not linked to the area's nonattainment status are
not applicable for purposes of redesignation. As we explain later in
this notice, no Part D requirements applicable for purposes of
redesignation under the 8-hour standard became due for the Altoona Area
prior to submission of the redesignation request
2. Part D Nonattainment Requirements Under the 8-Hour Standard
Pursuant to an April 30, 2004, final rule (69 FR 23951), the
Altoona Area was designated a basic nonattainment area under subpart 1
for the 8-hour ozone standard. Sections 172-176 of the CAA, found in
subpart 1 of part D, set forth the basic nonattainment requirements
applicable to all nonattainment areas. Section 182 of the CAA, found in
subpart 2 of part D, establishes additional specific requirements
depending on the area's nonattainment classification. With respect to
the 8-hour standard, the court's ruling rejected EPA's reasons for
classifying areas under subpart 1 for the 8-hour standard, and remanded
that matter to the Agency. Consequently, it is possible that this area
could, during a remand to EPA, be reclassified under
[[Page 31500]]
subpart 2. Although any future decision by EPA to classify this area
under subpart 2 might trigger additional future requirements for the
area, EPA believes that this does not mean that redesignation of the
area cannot now go forward. This belief is based upon (1) EPA's
longstanding policy of evaluating redesignation requests in accordance
with the requirements due at the time the request is submitted; and,
(2) consideration of the inequity of applying retroactively any
requirements that might in the future be applied.
First, at the time the redesignation request was submitted, the
Altoona Area was classified under subpart 1 and was obligated to meet
subpart 1 requirements. Under EPA's longstanding interpretation of
section 107(d)(3)(E) of the Clean Air Act, to qualify for
redesignation, states requesting redesignation to attainment must meet
only the relevant SIP requirements that came due prior to the submittal
of a complete redesignation request. See September 4, 1992 Calcagni
memorandum (``Procedures for Processing Requests to Redesignate Areas
to Attainment,'' Memorandum from John Calcagni, Director, Air Quality
Management Division). See also, Michael Shapiro Memorandum, September
17, 1993, and 60 FR 12459, 12465-66 (March 7, 1995) (Redesignation of
Detroit-Ann Arbor); Sierra Club v. EPA, 375 F.3d 537 (7th Cir. 2004),
which upheld this interpretation. See 68 FR 25418, 25424, 25427 (May
12, 2003) (Redesignation of St. Louis).
Moreover, it would be inequitable to retroactively apply any new
SIP requirements that were not applicable at the time the request was
submitted. The D.C. Circuit has recognized the inequity in such
retroactive rulemaking, See, Sierra Club v. Whitman, 285 F. 3d 63 (D.C.
Cir. 2002), in which the D.C. Circuit upheld a District Court's ruling
refusing to make retroactive an EPA determination of nonattainment that
was past the statutory due date. Such a determination would have
resulted in the imposition of additional requirements on the area. The
Court stated: ``Although EPA failed to make the nonattainment
determination within the statutory time frame, Sierra Club's proposed
solution only makes the situation worse. Retroactive relief would
likely impose large costs on the States, which would face fines and
suits for not implementing air pollution prevention plans in 1997, even
though they were not on notice at the time.'' Id. at 68. Similarly here
it would be unfair to penalize the area by applying to it for purposes
of redesignation additional SIP requirements under subpart 2 that were
not in effect at the time it submitted its redesignation request.
With respect to 8-hour subpart 2 requirements, if the Altoona Area
initially had been classified under subpart 2, the first two part D
subpart 2 requirements applicable to the Altoona Area under section
182(a) of the CAA would be: A base-year inventory requirement pursuant
to section 182(a)(1) of the CAA, and, the emissions statement
requirement pursuant to section 182(a)(3)(B).
As stated previously, these requirements are not yet due for
purposes of redesignation of the Altoona Area, but nevertheless,
Pennsylvania already has in its approved SIP, an emissions statement
rule for the 1-hour standard that covers all portions of the designated
8-hour nonattainment area and, that satisfies the emissions statement
requirement for the 8-hour standard. See, 25 Pa. Code 135.21(a)(1),
codified at 40 CFR 52.2020; 60 FR 2881, January 12, 1995. With respect
to the base year inventory requirement, in this notice of proposed
rulemaking, EPA is proposing to approve the 2002 base-year inventory
for the Altoona Area, which was submitted on February 8, 2007,
concurrently with its maintenance plan, into the Pennsylvania SIP. EPA
is proposing to approve the 2002 base year inventory as fulfilling the
requirements, if necessary, of both section 182(a)(1) and section
172(c)(3) of the CAA. A detailed evaluation of Pennsylvania's 2002
base-year inventory for the Altoona Area can be found in a Technical
Support Document (TSD) prepared by EPA for this rulemaking. EPA has
determined that the emission inventory and emissions statement
requirements for the Altoona Area have been satisfied.
In addition to the fact that Part D requirements applicable for
purposes of redesignation did not become due prior to submission of the
redesignation request, EPA believes that the general conformity and NSR
requirements do not require approval prior to redesignation.
With respect to section 176, Conformity Requirements, section
176(c) of the CAA requires states to establish criteria and procedures
to ensure that Federally supported or funded projects conform to the
air quality planning goals in the applicable SIP. The requirement to
determine conformity applies to transportation plans, programs, and
projects developed, funded or approved under Title 23 U.S.C. and the
Federal Transit Act (``transportation conformity'') as well as to all
other Federally supported or funded projects (``general conformity'').
State conformity revisions must be consistent with Federal conformity
regulations relating to consultation, enforcement and enforceability
that the CAA required the EPA to promulgate. EPA believes it is
reasonable to interpret the conformity SIP requirements as not applying
for purposes of evaluating the redesignation request under section
107(d) since State conformity rules are still required after
redesignation and Federal conformity rules apply where State rules have
not been approved. See, Wall v. EPA, 265 F. 3d 426, 438-440 (6th Cir.
2001), upholding this interpretation. See also, 60 FR 62748 (December
7, 1995).
In the case of the Altoona Area, EPA has also determined that
before being redesignated, the Altoona Area need not comply with the
requirement that a NSR program be approved prior to redesignation. EPA
has determined that areas being redesignated need not comply with the
requirement that a NSR program be approved prior to redesignation,
provided that the area demonstrates maintenance of the standard without
Part D NSR in effect. The rationale for this position is described in a
memorandum from Mary Nichols, Assistant Administrator for Air and
Radiation, dated October 14, 1994, entitled, ``Part D NSR Requirements
or Areas Requesting Redesignation to Attainment.'' Normally, State's
Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program will become
effective in the area immediately upon redesignation to attainment. See
the more detailed explanations in the following redesignation
rulemakings: Detroit, MI (60 FR 12467-12468 (March 7, 1995); Cleveland-
Akron-Lorrain, OH (61 FR 20458, 20469-70, May 7, 1996); Louisville, KY
(66 FR 53665, 53669, October 23, 2001); Grand Rapids, MI (61 FR 31831,
31836-31837, June 21, 1996). In the case of the Altoona Area the
Chapter 127 Part D NSR regulations in the Pennsylvania SIP (codified at
40 CFR 52.2020(c)(1)) explicitly apply the requirements for NSR in
section 184 of the CAA to ozone attainment areas within the OTR. The
OTR NSR requirements are more stringent than that required for a
marginal or basic ozone nonattainment area. On October 19, 2001 (66 FR
53094), EPA fully approved Pennsylvania's NSR SIP revision consisting
of Pennsylvania's Chapter 127 Part D NSR regulations that cover the
Altoona Area.
EPA has also interpreted the section 184 OTR requirements,
including the NSR program, as not being applicable for purposes of
redesignation. The rationale for this is based on two
[[Page 31501]]
considerations. First, the requirement to submit SIP revisions for the
section 184 requirements continues to apply to areas in the OTR after
redesignation to attainment. Therefore, the State remains obligated to
have NSR, as well as RACT, and Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance
programs even after redesignation. Second, the section 184 control
measures are region-wide requirements and do not apply to the Altoona
Area by virtue of the Area's designation and classification. See 61 FR
53174, 53175-53176 (October 10, 1996) and 62 FR 24826, 24830-32 (May 7,
1997).
3. Part D Nonattainment Area Requirements Under the 1-Hour Standard
In its December 22, 2006 decision in South Coast, the Court also
addressed EPA's revocation of the 1-hour ozone standard. The current
status of the revocation and associated anti-backsliding rules is
dependent on whether the Court's decision stands as originally issued
or is modified in response to any petition for rehearing or request for
clarification that has been filed. As described more fully below, EPA
determined that the Altoona Area attained the 1-hour standard by its
attainment date (60 FR 3349, January 17, 1995), continues to attain
that standard, and has fulfilled any requirements of the 1-hour
standard that would apply even if the 1-hour standard is reinstated and
those requirements are viewed as applying under the statute itself.
Thus, the Court's decision, as it currently stands, imposes no
impediment to moving forward with redesignation of the Area to
attainment.
The conformity portion of the Court's ruling does not impact the
redesignation request for the Altoona Area because there are no
conformity requirements that are relevant to redesignation request for
any standard, including the requirement to submit a transportation
conformity SIP.\1\ As we have previously noted, under longstanding EPA
policy, EPA believes it is reasonable to interpret the conformity SIP
requirements as not applying for purposes of evaluating a redesignation
request under section 107(d) because state conformity rules are still
required after redesignation and federal conformity rules apply where
state rules have not been approved. 40 CFR 51.390. See, Wall v. EPA,
265 F.3d 426 (6th Cir. 2001), upholding this interpretation. See also,
60 FR 62748 (Dec. 7, 1995) (Tampa, Florida redesignation).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Clean Air Act section 176(c)(4)(E) currently requires States
to submit revisions to their SIPs to reflect certain federal
criteria and procedures for determining transportation conformity.
Transportation conformity SIPs are different from the motor vehicle
emissions budgets that are established in control strategy SIPs and
maintenance plans.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
With respect to the requirement for submission of contingency
measures for the 1-hour standard, section 182(a) does not require
contingency measures for marginal areas, and, therefore, that portion
of the Court's ruling does not impact the redesignation request for the
Altoona Area.
Prior to its designation as an 8-hour ozone nonattainment area, the
Altoona Area was designated a marginal nonattainment area for the 1-
hour standard. With respect to the 1-hour standard, the applicable
requirements of subpart 1 and of subpart 2 of Part D (section 182) for
the Altoona Area are discussed in the following paragraphs:
Section 182(a)(2)(A) required SIP revisions to correct or amend
RACT for sources in marginal areas, such as the Altoona Area, that were
subject to control technique guidelines (CTGs) issued before November
15, 1990 pursuant to CAA section 108. On December 22, 1994, EPA fully
approved into the Pennsylvania SIP all corrections required under
section 182(a)(2)(A) of the CAA (59 FR 65971, December 22, 1994). EPA
believes that this requirement applies only to marginal and higher
classified areas under the 1-hour NAAQS pursuant to the 1990 amendments
to the CAA; therefore, this is a one-time requirement. After an area
has fulfilled the section 182(a)(2)(A) requirement for the 1-hour
NAAQS, there is no requirement under the 8-hour NAAQS.
Section 182(a)(2)(B) relates to the savings clause for vehicle
inspection and maintenance (I/M). It requires marginal areas to adopt
vehicle I/M programs. This provision was not applicable to the Altoona
Area because this area did not have and was not required to have an I/M
program before November 15, 1990.
Section 182(a)(3)(A) requires a triennial Periodic Emissions
Inventory for the nonattainment area. The most recent inventory for the
Altoona Area was compiled for 2002 and submitted to EPA as a SIP
revision with the maintenance plan for the Altoona Area.
With respect to NSR, EPA has determined that areas being
redesignated need not have an approved New Source Review program for
the same reasons discussed previously with respect to the applicable
part D requirements for the 8-hour standard.
Section 182(a)(3)(B)--This provision of the Act requires sources of
VOCs and NOX in the nonattainment area to submit annual
Emissions Statements regarding the quantity of emissions from the
previous year. As discussed previously, Pennsylvania already has in its
approved SIP, a previously approved emissions statement rule for the 1-
hour standard, which applies to the Altoona Area.
Section 182(a)(1)--This provision of the Act provides for the
submission of a comprehensive, accurate, current inventory of actual
emissions from all sources, as described in section 172(c)(3), in
accordance with guidance provided by the Administrator. In this
proposed rule, EPA is proposing to approve a 2002 base year emissions
inventory for the Altoona Area as meeting the requirement of section
182(a)(1). While EPA generally required that the base year inventory
for the 1-hour standard be for calendar year 1990, EPA believes that
Pennsylvania's 2002 inventory fulfills this requirement because it
meets EPA's guidance and because it is more current than 1990. EPA also
proposes to determine that, if the 1-hour standard is deemed to be
reinstated, the 2002 base year inventory for the 8-hour standard will
provide an acceptable substitute for the base year inventory for the 1-
hour standard.
EPA has previously determined that the Altoona Area has attained
the 1-hour ozone NAAQS by the November 15, 1993 attainment date (60 FR
3349, January 17, 1995), and we believe that the Altoona Area is still
in attainment for the 1-hour ozone NAAQS based upon the ozone
monitoring data for the years 2003-2005. To demonstrate attainment,
i.e., compliance with this standard, the annual average of the number
of expected exceedances of the 1-hour standard over a three-year period
must be less than or equal to 1. Table 3 provides a summary of the
number of expected exceedances for each of the years 2003 through 2005
and three-year annual average.
Table 3.--Altoona Area Number of Expected Exceedances of the 1-Hour
Ozone Standard; Altoona County Monitor/AIRS ID 42-013-0801
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of
Year expected
exceedances
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2003....................................................... 1.0
2004....................................................... 0.0
2005....................................................... 0.0
2006....................................................... 0.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The average number of expected exceedances for the 3-year period 2003
through 2005 is 0.3.
[[Page 31502]]
The average number of expected exceedances for the 3-year period 2004-
2006 is 0.0.
In summary, EPA has determined that the data submitted by
Pennsylvania and taken from AQS indicates that Altoona Area is
maintaining air quality that conforms to the 1-hour ozone NAAQS. EPA
believes this conclusion remains valid after review of the certified
2006 data because no exceedances were recorded in the Altoona Area in
2006.
4. Transport Region Requirements
All areas in the Ozone Transport Region (OTR), both attainment and
nonattainment, are subject to additional control requirements under
section 184 for the purpose of reducing interstate transport of
emissions that may contribute to downwind ozone nonattainment. The
section 184 requirements include reasonably available control
technology (RACT), NSR, enhanced vehicle inspection and maintenance,
and Stage II vapor recovery or a comparable measure.
In the case of the Altoona Area, which is located in the OTR,
nonattainment NSR will be applicable after redesignation. As discussed
previously, EPA has fully approved Pennsylvania's NSR SIP revision
which applies the requirements for NSR of section 184 of the CAA to
attainment areas within the OTR.
As discussed previously in this notice, EPA has also interpreted
the section 184 OTR requirements, including NSR, as not being
applicable for purposes of redesignation. See, 61 FR 53174, October 10,
1996 and 62 FR 24826, May 7, 1997 (Reading, Pennsylvania
Redesignation).
5. Altoona Has a Fully Approved SIP for Purposes of Redesignation
EPA has fully approved the Pennsylvania SIP for the purposes of
this redesignation. EPA may rely on prior SIP approvals in approving a
redesignation request. Calcagni Memo, p. 3; Southwestern Pennsylvania
Growth Alliance v. Browner, 144 F.3d 984, 989-90 (6th Cir. 1998), Wall
v. EPA, 265 F.3d 426 (6th Cir. 2001), plus any additional measures it
may approve in conjunction with a redesignation action. See, 68 FR at
25425 (May 12, 2003) and citations therein.
C. The Air Quality Improvement in the Altoona Area Is Due to Permanent
and Enforceable Reductions in Emissions Resulting From Implementation
of the SIP and Applicable Federal Air Pollution Control Regulations and
Other Permanent and Enforceable Reductions
EPA believes that the Commonwealth has demonstrated that the
observed air quality improvement in the Altoona Area is due to
permanent and enforceable reductions in emissions resulting from
implementation of the SIP, Federal measures, and other State-adopted
measures. Emissions reductions attributable to these rules are shown in
Table 4.
Table 4.--Total VOC and NOX Emissions for 2002 and 2004 in Tons per Summer Day (tpsd)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Year Point \*\ Area Nonroad Mobile Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2002........................................... 1.2 5.8 2.0 6.3 15.3
2004........................................... 1.2 5.6 1.8 5.4 14.0
Diff (02-04)................................... -0.0 -0.2 -0.2 -0.9 -1.3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nitrogen Oxides (NOX)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2002........................................... 1.6 0.9 5.5 10.0 18.0
2004........................................... 2.3 0.9 5.1 8.8 17.1
Diff (02-04)................................... 0.7 0.0 -0.4 -1.2 -0.9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\*\ The stationary point source emissions shown here do not include banked emission credits of 68.9 tpd of VOC
and 4.4 tpd of NOX as indicated in Technical Appendix A-4 to Pennsylvania's SIP submission.
Between 2002 and 2004, VOC emissions decreased by 1.3 tpsd from
15.3 tpsd to 14.0 tpsd; NOX emissions decreased by 0.9 tpsd
from 18.0 tpsd to 17.1 tpsd. These reductions, and anticipated future
reductions, are due to the following permanent and enforceable
measures.
1. Stationary Point Sources
Federal NOX SIP Call (66 FR 43795, August 21, 2001)
2. Stationary Area Sources
Solvent Cleaning (68 FR 2206, January 16, 2003)
Portable Fuel Containers (69 FR 70893, December 8, 2004)
3. Highway Vehicle Sources
Federal Motor Vehicle Control Programs (FMVCP)
--Tier 1 (56 FR 25724, June 5, 1991)
--Tier 2 (65 FR 6698, February 10, 2000)
Heavy-duty Engine and Vehicle Standards (62 FR 54694, October 21, 1997,
and 65 FR 59896, October 6, 2000)
National Low Emission Vehicle (NLEV) Program (PA) (64 FR 72564,
December 28, 1999)
Vehicle Emission Inspection/Maintenance Program (70 FR 58313, October
6, 2005)
4. Non-Road Sources
Non-road Diesel (69 FR 38958, June 29, 2004)
EPA believes that permanent and enforceable emissions reductions
are the cause of the long-term improvement in ozone levels and are the
cause of the Area achieving attainment of the 8-hour ozone standard.
D. The Altoona Area Has a Fully Approvable Maintenance Plan Pursuant to
Section 175A of the CAA
In conjunction with its request to redesignate the Altoona Area to
attainment status, Pennsylvania submitted a SIP revision to provide for
maintenance of the 8-hour ozone NAAQS in the Area for at least 11 years
after redesignation. The Commonwealth is requesting that EPA approve
this SIP revision as meeting the requirement of CAA 175A. Once
approved, the maintenance plan for the 8-hour ozone NAAQS will ensure
that the SIP for Altoona meets the requirements of the CAA regarding
maintenance of the applicable 8-hour ozone standard.
What Is Required in a Maintenance Plan?
Section 175 of the CAA sets forth the elements of a maintenance
plan for
[[Page 31503]]
areas seeking redesignation from nonattainment to attainment. Under
section 175A, the plan must demonstrate continued attainment of the
applicable NAAQS for at least 10 years after approval of a
redesignation of an area to attainment. Eight years after the
redesignation, the Commonwealth must submit a revised maintenance plan
demonstrating that attainment will continue to be maintained for the 10
years following the initial 10-year period. To address the possibility
of future NAAQS violations, the maintenance plan must contain such
contingency measures, with a schedule for implementation, as EPA deems
necessary to assure prompt correction of any future 8-hour ozone
violations. Section 175A of the CAA sets forth the elements of a
maintenance plan for areas seeking redesignation from nonattainment to
attainment. The Calcagni memorandum dated September 4, 1992, provides
additional guidance on the content of a maintenance plan. An ozone
maintenance plan should address the following provisions:
(a) An attainment emissions inventory;
(b) A maintenance demonstration;
(c) A monitoring network;
(d) Verification of continued attainment; and
(e) A contingency plan.
Analysis of the Altoona Area Maintenance Plan
(a) Attainment inventory--An attainment inventory includes the
emissions during the time period associated with the monitoring data
showing attainment. PADEP determined that the appropriate attainment
inventory year is 2004. That year establishes a reasonable year within
the three-year block of 2003-2005 as a baseline and accounts for
reductions attributable to implementation of the CAA requirements to
date. The 2004 inventory is consistent with EPA guidance and is based
on actual ``typical summer day'' emissions of VOC and NOX
during 2004 and consists of a list of sources and their associated
emissions.
The 2002 and 2004 point source data was compiled from actual
sources. Pennsylvania requires owners and operators of larger
facilities to submit annual production figures and emission
calculations each year. Throughput data are multiplied by emission
factors from Factor Information Retrieval (FIRE) Data Systems and EPA's
publication series AP-42, and are based on Source Classification Codes
(SCC). The 2002 area source data was compiled using county-level
activity data, from census numbers, from county numbers, etc. The 2004
area source data was projected from the 2002 inventory using temporal
allocations provided by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management
Association (MARAMA).
The on-road mobile source inventories for 2002 and 2004 were
compiled using MOBILE6.2 and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
(PENNDOT) estimates for VMT. The PADEP has provided detailed data
summaries to document the calculations of mobile on-road VOC and
NOX emissions for 2002, as well as for the projection years
of 2004, 2009, and 2018 (shown in Tables 5 and 6 below). The 2002 and
2004 emissions for the majority of non-road emission source categories
were estimated using the EPA NONROAD 2005 model. The NONROAD model
calculates emissions for diesel, gasoline, liquefied petroleum
gasoline, and compressed natural gas-fueled non-road equipment types
and includes growth factors. The NONROAD model does not estimate
emissions from locomotives or aircraft. For 2002 and 2004 locomotive
emissions, the PADEP projected emissions from a 1999 survey using
national fuel consumption information and EPA emission and conversion
factors. There are no significant commercial aircraft operations
(aircraft that can seat over 60 passengers) in Blair County. The
Altoona Airport in Blair County supports some air taxi operations that
account for a very small amount of emissions. For 2002 and 2004
aircraft emissions, PADEP estimated emissions using small airport
operations statistics from https://www.airnav.com, and emission factors
and operational characteristics in the EPA-approved model, Emissions
and Dispersion Modeling System (EDMS).
More detailed information on the compilation of the 2002, 2004,
2009, and 2018 inventories can be found in the Technical Appendices,
which are part of this submittal.
(b) Maintenance Demonstration--On February 8, 2007, the PADEP
submitted a maintenance plan as required by section 175A of the CAA.
The Altoona maintenance plan shows maintenance of the 8-hour ozone
NAAQS by demonstrating that current and future emissions of VOC and
NOX remain at or below the attainment year 2004 emissions
levels throughout the Altoona Area through the year 2018. A maintenance
demonstration need not be based on modeling. See Wall v. EPA, supra;
Sierra Club v. EPA, supra. See also 66 FR at 53099-53100; 68 FR at
25430-32.
Tables 5 and 6 specify the VOC and NOX emissions for the
Altoona Area for 2004, 2009, and 2018. The PADEP chose 2009 as an
interim year in the maintenance demonstration period to demonstrate
that the VOC and NOX emissions are not projected to increase
above the 2004 attainment level during the time of the maintenance
period.
Table 5.--Total VOC Emissions for 2004-2018 (tpsd)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004 VOC 2009 VOC 2018 VOC
Source category emissions emissions emissions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point\*\......................... 1.2 1.2 1.5
Area............................. 5.6 5.8 5.3
Mobile........................... 5.4 4.2 2.8
Nonroad.......................... 1.8 1.4 1.3
--------------------------------------
Total........................ 14.0 12.6 10.9
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\*\ Totals may vary due to rounding.
Table 6.--Total NOX Emissions for 2004-2018 (tpsd)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004 NOX 2009 NOX 2018 NOX
Source category emissions emissions emissions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point\*\......................... 2.3 1.7 1.8
Area............................. 0.9 0.9 0.9
Mobile........................... 8.8 6.5 3.3
[[Page 31504]]
Non-road......................... 5.1 4.2 3.1
--------------------------------------
Total........................ 17.1 13.3 9.1
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\*\ Totals may vary due to rounding.
Additionally, the following programs are either effective or due to
become effective and will further contribute to the maintenance
demonstration of the 8-hour ozone NAAQS:
The Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) (71 FR 25328, April
28, 2006).
The Federal NOX SIP Call (66 FR 43795, August
21, 2001).
Area VOC regulations concerning portable fuel containers
(69 FR 70893, December 8, 2004), consumer products (69 FR 70895,
December 8, 2004), and architectural and industrial maintenance
coatings (AIM) (69 FR 68080, November 23, 2004).
Federal Motor Vehicle Control Programs (light-duty ) (Tier
1, Tier 2; 56 FR 25724, June 5, 1991; 65 FR 6698, February 10, 2000).
Vehicle emission/inspection/maintenance program (70 FR
58313, October 6, 2005).
Heavy duty diesel on-road (2004/2007) and low sulfur on-
road (2006); 66 FR 5002, (January 18, 2001).
Non-road emission standards (2008) and off-road diesel
fuel 2007/2010); 69 FR 38958 (June 29, 2004).
NLEV/PA Clean Vehicle Program (54 FR 72564, December 28,
1999)--Pennsylvania will implement this program in car model year 2008
and beyond.
Pennsylvania Heavy-Duty Diesel Emissions Control Program.
(May 10, 2002).
Based on the comparison of the projected emissions and the
attainment year emissions along with the additional measures, EPA
concludes that PADEP has successfully demonstrated that the 8-hour
ozone standard should be maintained in the Altoona Area.
(c) Monitoring Network--There is currently one monitor measuring
ozone in the Altoona Area. PADEP will continue to operate its current
air quality monitor (located in Blair County), in accordance with 40
CFR part 58.
(d) Verification of Continued Attainment--In addition to
maintaining the key elements of its regulatory program, the
Commonwealth will track the attainment status of the ozone NAAQs in the
Area by reviewing air quality and emissions data during the maintenance
period. The Commonwealth will perform an annual evaluation of Vehicle
Miles Traveled (VMT) data and emissions reported from stationary
sources, and compare them to the assumptions about these factors used
in the maintenance plan. The Commonwealth will also evaluate the
periodic (every three years) emission inventories prepared under EPA's
Consolidated Emission Reporting Regulation (40 CFR part 51, subpart A)
to see if they exceed the attainment year inventory (2004) by more than
10 percent. The PADEP will also continue to operate the existing ozone
monitoring station in the Area pursuant to 40 CFR part 58 throughout
the maintenance period and submit quality-assured ozone data to EPA
through the AQS system. Section 175A(b) of the CAA states that eight
years following redesignation of the Altoona Area, PADEP will be
required to submit a second maintenance plan that will ensure
attainment through 2028. PADEP has made that commitment to meet the
requirement section 175A(b).
(e) The Maintenance Plan's Contingency Measures--The contingency
plan provisions are designed to promptly correct a violation of the
NAAQS that occurs after redesignation. Section 175A of the CAA requires
that a maintenance plan include such contingency measures as EPA deems
necessary to ensure that the Commonwealth will promptly correct a
violation of the NAAQS that occurs after redesignation. The maintenance
plan should identify the events that would ``trigger'' the adoption and
implementation of a contingency measure(s), the contingency measure(s)
that would be adopted and implemented, and the schedule indicating the
time frame by which the state would adopt and implement the measure(s).
The ability of the Altoona Area to stay in compl
