Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans for Arizona; Maricopa County PM-10 Nonattainment Area; Serious Area Plan for Attainment of the 24-Hour and Annual PM-10 Standards, 31778-31781 [07-2848]
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 110 / Friday, June 8, 2007 / Proposed Rules
the environment. For the final NOX SIP
Call, the Agency conducted a general
analysis of the potential changes in
ozone and particulate matter levels that
may be experienced by minority and
low-income populations as a result of
the requirements of that rule. These
findings were presented in the RIA for
the NOX SIP Call. This action does not
affect this analysis.
Michigan, and Alabama within the fine
grid of the OTAG modeling domain. The
fine grid is the area encompassed by a
box with the following geographic
coordinates: Southwest Corner, 92
degrees West longitude and 32 degrees
North latitude; and Northeast Corner,
69.5 degrees West longitude and 44
degrees North latitude.
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List of Subjects
[FR Doc. E7–11036 Filed 6–7–07; 8:45 am]
40 CFR Part 51
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
Environmental protection,
Administrative practice and procedure,
Air pollution control, Intergovernmental
relations, Ozone, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
40 CFR Part 78
[EPA–R09–OAR–2006–0571; FRL–8324–1]
Acid rain, Air pollution control,
Nitrogen oxides, Ozone, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements.
Approval and Promulgation of
Implementation Plans for Arizona;
Maricopa County PM–10
Nonattainment Area; Serious Area Plan
for Attainment of the 24-Hour and
Annual PM–10 Standards
40 CFR Part 97
Administrative practice and
procedure, Air pollution control,
Intergovernmental relations, Nitrogen
oxides, Ozone, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements.
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
Dated: June 1, 2007.
William L. Wehrum,
Assistant Administrator for Air and
Radiation.
For the reasons set forth in the
preamble, part 51 of chapter I of title 40
of the Code of Federal Regulations is
proposed to be amended as follows:
PART 51—REQUIREMENTS FOR
PREPARATION, ADOPTION AND
SUBMITTAL OF IMPLEMENTATION
PLANS
1. The authority citation for Part 51
continues to read as follows:
Authority: 23 U.S.C. 101; 42 U.S.C. 7401–
7671q.
Subpart G—Control Strategy
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2. Section 51.121 is amended as
follows:
a. By revising paragraph (c)(2).
b. By removing the entry for
‘‘Georgia’’ from the tables in paragraphs
(e)(2)(i), (e)(4)(iii) and (g)(2)(ii).
c. By removing and reserving
paragraph (e)(2)(ii)(C).
d. By removing paragraph (s).
§ 51.121 Findings and requirements for
submission of State implementation plan
revisions relating to emissions of oxides of
nitrogen.
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(c) * * *
(2) With respect to the 1-hour ozone
NAAQS, the portions of Missouri,
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SUMMARY: On July 25, 2002, EPA
approved under the Clean Air Act
(CAA) the serious area particulate
matter (PM–10) plan for the Maricopa
County portion of the metropolitan
Phoenix (Arizona) nonattainment area
(Maricopa County area). Among other
things, EPA approved the best available
control measure (BACM) and most
stringent measure (MSM)
demonstrations in the plan and granted
the State’s request for an attainment
date extension for the area. EPA’s
approval was challenged in the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
In response to the Court’s remand, EPA
reassessed the BACM and MSM
demonstrations for the significant
source categories of on-road motor
vehicles and nonroad engines and
equipment exhaust, specifically
regarding whether California Air
Resources Board (CARB) diesel is a
BACM and/or MSM. As a result of this
reassessment, EPA again approved the
BACM and MSM demonstrations in the
plan and granted the State’s request to
extend the attainment deadline from
2001 to 2006. In light of its recent
finding that the Maricopa County area
failed to attain the 24-hour PM–10
National Ambient Air Quality Standard
(NAAQS) by December 31, 2006, EPA is
again reassessing the BACM and MSM
demonstrations in the plan and is again
proposing to approve these
demonstrations.
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Any comments must arrive by
July 9, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments,
identified by docket number EPA–R09–
OAR–2006–0571, by one of the folling
methods:
1. Federal eRulemaking Portal:
https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
on-line instructions.
2. E-mail: weisner.carol@epa.gov.
3. Mail or deliver: Marty Robin, Office
of Air Planning (AIR–2), U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 9, 75 Hawthorne Street, San
Francisco, CA 94105–3901.
Instructions: All comments will be
included in the public docket without
change and may be made available
online at https://www.regulations.gov,
including any personal information
provided, unless the comment includes
Confidential Business Information (CBI)
or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Information that
you consider CBI or otherwise protected
should be clearly identified as such and
should not be submitted through the
eRulemaking portal or e-mail. The
eRulemaking portal is an anonymous
access system, and EPA will not know
your identity or contact information
unless you provide it in the body of
your comment. 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.
Docket: The index to the docket for
this action is available electronically at
https://www.regulations.gov and in hard
copy at EPA Region 9, 75 Hawthorne
Street, San Francisco, California. While
all documents in the docket are listed in
the index, some information may be
publicly available only at the hard copy
location (e.g., copyrighted material), and
some may not be publicly available in
either location (e.g., CBI). To inspect the
hard copy materials, please schedule an
apointment during normal business
hours with the contact listed directly
below.
DATES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Carol Weisner, U.S. EPA Region 9, (415)
947–4107, weisner.carol@epa.gov or
https://www.epa.gov/region09/air/
actions.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Throughout this document, ‘‘we,’’ ‘‘us’’
and ‘‘our’’ refer to EPA.
I. Background
A. EPA’s 2002 Approval
On July 25, 2002, EPA approved
multiple documents submitted to EPA
by Arizona for the Maricopa County
area as meeting the CAA requirements
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for serious PM–10 nonattainment areas
for the 24-hour and annual PM–10
national ambient air quality standards.1
Among these documents is the ‘‘Revised
MAG 1999 Serious Area Particulate Plan
for PM–10 for the Maricopa County
Nonattainment Area,’’ February 2000
(MAG plan) that includes the BACM
demonstrations for all significant source
categories (except agriculture) for both
the 24-hour and annual PM–10
standards and the State’s request and
supporting documentation, including
the most stringent measure analysis
(except for agriculture) for an attainment
date extension for both standards. EPA’s
July 25, 2002 final action included
approval of these elements of the MAG
plan.2
Under CAA section 189(b)(2), serious
area PM–10 plans must provide
assurances that BACM will be
implemented no later than four years
after a moderate PM–10 nonattainment
area is reclassified as serious. For the
Maricopa County area, the BACM
implementation deadline was June 10,
2000. In short, a BACM demonstration
starts with the identification of all
source categories contributing
significantly to nonattainment of the
PM–10 NAAQS. Once the significant
categories are identified, all potential
BACM for these categories must be
identified and a reasoned justification
must be provided for any BACM that are
not implemented. All BACM that are
economically and technologically
feasible must be implemented.3
In the case of the Maricopa County
area, the MAG plan identified eight
significant PM–10 source categories,
including on-road motor vehicle and
nonroad engines and equipment
exhaust.4 5 In our 2002 approval of the
1 Effective December 18, 2006, EPA revoked the
annual PM–10 standard. 71 FR 61144 (October 17,
2006). References to the annual standard in this
proposed rule for historical purposes only. EPA is
not taking any regulatory action with regard to this
former standard.
2 For a detailed discussion of the MAG plan and
the serious area PM–10 requirements, please see
EPA’s proposed and final approval actions at 65 FR
19964 (April 13, 2000), 66 FR 50252 (October 2,
2001) and 67 FR 48718 (July 25, 2002).
3 For a detailed discussion of EPA’s preliminary
interpretation of the CAA’s BACM requirements,
see ‘‘State Implementation Plans for Serious PM–10
Nonattainment Areas, and Attainment Date Waivers
for PM–10 Nonattainment Areas Generally;
Addendum to the General Preamble for the
Implementation of Title I of the Clean Air Act
Amendments of 1990,’’ 59 FR 41998, 42008–42014
(August 16, 1994).
4 ‘‘Nonroad vehicles’’ and ‘‘nonroad engines’’ are
used interchangeably in EPA’s proposed and final
approval actions on the MAG plan. In addition,
CARB and other state air agencies typically refer to
these sources as ‘‘off-road.’’ ‘‘Nonroad engines and
equipment,’’ ‘‘nonroad vehicles,’’ ‘‘nonroad
engines,’’ ‘‘nonroad’’ and ‘‘off-road’’ are used
interchangeably in today’s proposed rule.
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MAG plan, we stated that Arizona had
one of the most comprehensive
programs for addressing on-road motor
vehicle emissions and that the
additional measures in the MAG plan
would strengthen and go beyond that
program. For nonroad engines, EPA
stated that Arizona had committed to
adopt measures that would strengthen
the overall nonroad engine program
making it go beyond the existing federal
program. 65 FR at 19972–19974; 66 FR
at 50258–50260. Strengthening and
expanding existing programs are key
criteria for demonstrating the
implementation of BACM. 59 FR at
42013. EPA noted that CARB diesel was
rejected in the MAG plan as a BACM
due to high costs, but believed the cost
analysis was too uncertain to judge. 65
FR at 19973; 67 FR at 48725. EPA
concluded that, overall, the on-road and
nonroad measures in the MAG plan
constituted BACM for the Maricopa
County area without the
implementation of CARB diesel. 67 FR
at 48725.
As a serious PM–10 nonattainment
area, the Maricopa County area was
required to attain the annual and 24–
hour PM–10 standards by no later than
December 31, 2001. CAA section
188(c)(2). However, CAA section 188(e)
allows us to extend the attainment date
for a serious PM–10 nonattainment area
for up to five years if attainment by 2001
is impracticable and certain specified
additional conditions are met. Among
these conditions is that the State must
demonstrate to our satisfaction that its
serious area plan includes the most
stringent measures that are included in
the implementation plan of any state
and/or are achieved in practice in any
state and are feasible for the area. EPA
determined that CARB diesel was not
required as a MSM because it did not
advance the attainment date. Therefore
EPA granted an attainment date
extension for the Maricopa County area
without it. Id. at 48739.
B. Vigil v. Leavitt
The Arizona Center for Law in the
Public Interest (ACLPI), on behalf of
Phoenix area residents, subsequently
filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Ninth Circuit a petition for review of
EPA’s approval of several elements in
the MAG plan. As relevant to this
proposed rule, ACLPI asserted that
EPA’s approval was arbitrary and
capricious because the plan did not
5 A list of all potential BACM was compiled for
each of the significant source categories and a
detailed analysis of whether the potential BACM
were technically and economically feasible was
provided by the MAG plan and evaluated by EPA.
65 FR at 19964, 66 FR at 50252.
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mandate the use of CARB diesel and
thus did not satisfy the CAA
requirements for BACM and MSM for
mobile sources. ACLPI further asserted
that we granted an extension of the
statutory deadline for attainment to
December 31, 2006 based on an
inadequate MSM demonstration.
On May 10, 2004, the Court issued its
opinion which upheld EPA’s final
approval in part but remanded to EPA
the question of whether CARB diesel
must be included in the serious area
plan as a BACM and a MSM.
Specifically, with respect to whether
CARB diesel was appropriately rejected
as BACM, the Court stated that ‘‘* * *
Arizona has offered one explanation,
which EPA has declined to ratify, and
EPA has not proffered an adequate
explanation of its own.’’ The Court
further stated that ‘‘[i]n light of our
disposition with respect to CARB diesel
as a BACM, we remand to EPA for
further consideration of whether CARB
diesel satisfies MSM as well.’’ Finally,
the Court remanded the question of
Maricopa County area’s eligibility for an
extension of the attainment date to
2006, but only insofar as that question
depends on EPA’s determination
regarding CARB diesel as a MSM. Vigil
v. Leavitt, 366 F.3d 1025, amended at
381 F. 3d 826 (9th Cir. 2004).
C. EPA’s 2006 Approval
In response to the Vigil Court’s
remand, on August 3, 2006, EPA again
approved the BACM and MSM
demonstrations in the MAG plan for the
significant source categories of on-road
motor vehicles and nonroad engines and
equipment exhaust without CARB
diesel and granted the State’s request to
extend the attainment deadline from
2001 to 2006. 71 FR 43979. In this final
action, EPA concluded that CARB diesel
is not feasible for on-road motor
vehicles because Arizona would not be
able to obtain a CAA section
211(c)(4)(C)(i) waiver for purposes of
PM–10 attainment. In reaching this
conclusion, EPA reasoned that Arizona
would not be able to provide a
demonstration that CARB diesel is
‘‘necessary’’ to achieve the PM–10
NAAQS, as required by that section,
because EPA had already approved the
State’s demonstration of attainment of
the PM–10 NAAQS without relying on
CARB diesel. Id. at 43983. Also in this
final action, EPA noted that in August
2005, CAA section 211(c)(4)(C) was
amended by the Energy Policy Act of
2005 (EPAct), 42 U.S.C. 15801 et seq.,
which placed additional restrictions on
EPA’s authority under that provision.
We did not, however, address the effect
of the new restrictions on our action
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because of our conclusion that CARB
diesel was not necessary to achieve the
NAAQS. Id. at 43980, footnotes 2 and 3.
With respect to nonroad engines and
equipment, EPA concluded that CARB
diesel is not feasible because of the
uncertainties with fuel availability,
storage and segregation and concerns
about program effectiveness due to
owners and operators fueling outside
the Maricopa County area. Id.
EPA to grant the extension request, the
State would now be required to
continue to implement it absent the
requisite showing under CAA section
110(1). Therefore EPA is again
proposing to approve the MSM
demonstration in the MAG plan without
CARB diesel. We are also confirming
that we appropriately granted Arizona’s
request for an attainment date extension
in our 2002 and 2006 actions.
II. Proposed Action
On March 23, 2007, EPA proposed to
find that the Maricopa County area 6
failed to attain the 24-hour PM–10
NAAQS by the December 31, 2006
deadline mandated by the CAA. 72 FR
13723. On May 24, 2007, the Regional
Administrator signed a final rule finding
that the Maricopa County area failed to
attain.7 As a result, the Agency can no
longer rely on its August 3, 2006
conclusion that the State would not be
able to obtain a section 211(c)(4)(C)(i)
waiver for CARB diesel because it is not
necessary for attainment of the PM–10
NAAQS. Thus EPA has reassessed the
BACM demonstration for the onroad
motor vehicle exhaust source category
in light of the new EPAct provisions
that it did not previously consider. As
discussed further in section III.A. below,
EPA has concluded it could not approve
a CAA section 211(c)(4)(C)(i) waiver for
Arizona for CARB diesel because the
effect of such an approval would
unlawfully increase the total number of
fuels approved into SIPs under section
211(c)(4)(C) as of September 1, 2004.
Therefore, EPA is again proposing to
approve the BACM demonstration in the
MAG plan without CARB diesel.
Because our August 2006 approval of
the BACM demonstration for nonroad
engines and equipment exhaust relied to
some extent on our conclusion with
respect to onroad motor vehicle exhaust,
we are also proposing again to find that
CARB diesel is not required as a BACM
for the nonroad category because of the
uncertainties with fuel availability,
storage and segregation and program
effectiveness due to owners and
operators fueling outside the Maricopa
County area.
Finally, since EPA granted the State’s
request for an attainment date extension
in August 2006, the December 31, 2006
attainment deadline has passed.
Therefore the extension request is now
moot. However, if CARB diesel had
been required as a MSM in order for
III. Reassessment of the BACM
Demonstration for the Maricopa County
Area
6 In its proposed and final nonattainment finding
actions, EPA refers to the Maricopa County area as
the Phoenix nonattainment area. These terms are
interchangeable.
7 The final rule will be published shortly in the
Federal Register.
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A. On-Road Motor Vehicle Exhaust
Section 211(c)(4)(A) of the CAA
generally preempts states from
prescribing or attempting to enforce
controls respecting motor vehicle fuel
characteristics or components that EPA
has controlled under section 211(c)(1),8
unless the state control is identical to
the Federal control. EPA currently has
nationwide regulations prescribing
limits on various characteristics and
components of motor vehicle diesel fuel
(e.g., sulfur content limits, minimum
cetane index and limits on aromatic
content). 55 FR 34120 (August 21,
1990). Thus Arizona would need to
obtain a CAA section 211(c)(4)(C)
waiver in order to implement a different
requirement governing these
characteristics and components of onroad diesel fuel, i.e., CARB diesel, in the
Maricopa County area.
Under section 211(c)(4)(C)(i), EPA
may waive preemption by approving a
non-identical state fuel control as a SIP
provision, if the state demonstrates that
the measure is necessary to achieve the
NAAQS. We may approve a state fuel
requirement as ‘‘necessary’’ if no other
measures would bring about timely
attainment, or if other measures exist
and are technically possible to
implement but are unreasonable or
impracticable.
Section 211(c)(4)(C)(v)(I), added by
the EPAct, further restricts EPA’s
authority to waive preemption by
providing that the Agency cannot
approve, under section 211(c)(4)(C)(i),
any state fuel if the effect of such
approval increases the total number of
fuels approved into SIPs under section
211(c)(4)(C) as of September 1, 2004.
The EPAct required EPA to determine
the total number of fuels approved into
SIPs under section 211(c)(4)(C) as of
September 1, 2004, and to publish the
list for public review and comment.
On June 6, 2006, EPA’s notice of its
draft list was published in the Federal
Register. 71 FR 32532. On December 28,
8 This prohibition applies to all states except
California, as explained in section 211(c)(4)(B).
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2006, EPA’s notice of its final list,
known as the Boutique Fuels List, was
published in the Federal Register. 71 FR
78192. The final list includes eight
types of fuels approved into SIPs under
section 211(c)(4)(C) as of September 1,
2004. CARB fuels are approved into
California’s SIP, but because the
approval is not under CAA section
211(c)(4)(C)(i), we did not place CARB
fuels on the list of fuel types. 71 FR
78196. Thus, CARB diesel is not one of
these eight fuel types. As a result, EPA
has no authority to approve, under
section 211(c)(4)(C)(i), CARB diesel for
on-road motor vehicles in the Maricopa
County area because the effect of such
approval would be to increase the total
number of fuels approved into SIPs
under section 211(c)(4)(C) as of
September 1, 2004.9 Thus, the State
would not be able to obtain a section
211(c)(4)(C)(i) waiver necessary to
implement CARB diesel for on-road
motor vehicles. Consequently EPA is
again proposing to approve the BACM
demonstration for the on-road category
in the MAG plan without CARB diesel.
B. Nonroad Engines and Equipment
Exhaust
EPA is not changing its assessment in
its August 3, 2006 final rule that
requiring CARB diesel for the control of
nonroad engines and equipment exhaust
is not currently feasible and is therefore
not required as BACM in the Maricopa
County area. Therefore, except as
specifically modified below, EPA is
relying for this proposed rule on its
discussion of Nonroad Engines and
Equipment Exhaust in Section II.B(2) of
the Agency’s July 1, 2005 proposed rule.
70 FR at 38066–38067. We are also
relying on our responses to public
comments on this issue in Section II.B.
of our August 3, 2006 final rule. 71 FR
at 43981–43983.
We note one update to the
information in footnote 7 of the August
2006 final rule. There are currently six,
rather than four, approval letters on the
9 Note that under the EPAct, in cases where our
approval would not increase the total number of
fuels on the list because the total number of fuels
in SIPs at that point is below the number of fuels
as of September 1, 2004, then our approval requires
a finding that the new fuel will not cause supply
or distribution problems or have significant adverse
impacts on fuel producibility in the affected or
contiguous areas. CAA section 211(c)(4)(C)(v)(IV).
In addition, we may not approve a state fuel unless
that fuel is already approved in at least one SIP in
the applicable Petroleum Administration for
Defense District (PADD). CAA section
211(c)(4)(C)(v)(V). Because we believe that approval
of CARB diesel is not allowed as it would increase
the total number of fuels on the Boutique Fuels list
above the number of fuels as of September 1, 2004,
we do not address these additional restrictions on
our approval authority under CAA section
211(c)(4)(c)(i).
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Texas Low Emission Diesel fuel
program web site providing for the use
of alternative diesel fuel formulations.
The second sentence in footnote 7
should now read as follows: ‘‘Although
Section 114.312(f) provides that
alternative diesel fuel formulations must
provide comparable or better reductions
of NOX and PM, three of the six
alternative diesel fuel formulation
approval letters to date have cited NOX
reductions alone, or (in one case)
reductions of NOX and hydrocarbons,
but not PM, as the basis for approval.’’
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IV. MSM Demonstration and Extension
of Attainment Date
In our August 3, 2006 final action, we
determined that CARB diesel was not
required as a MSM because it did not
advance the attainment date. Today’s
proposed approval of the BACM
demonstration in the MAG plan for the
on-road and nonroad vehicle exhaust
source categories for the Maricopa
County area without CARB diesel does
not affect that determination. Therefore,
we are again proposing to approve the
MSM demonstration in the MAG plan.
If we again take final action to approve
the MSM demonstration, the attainment
date extension granted to the Maricopa
County area in our August 3, 2006 final
action would not be affected.
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 proposed 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 Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
of 1995 (Public Law 104–4).
This proposed rule also does not have
tribal implications because it will not
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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). This
action also does not have Federalism
implications because it does not 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). This action merely
proposes to approve a state rule
implementing a Federal standard, 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
‘‘Protection of Children from
Environmental Health Risks and Safety
Risks’’ (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997),
because it approves a state rule
implementing a Federal standard.
In reviewing SIP submission, 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. This proposed
rule 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, Intergovernmental
relations, Particulate matter, Reporting
and recordkeeping requirements.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: May 31, 2007.
Wayne Nastri,
Regional Administrator, Region IX.
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R09–OAR–2007–0165; FRL–8323–9]
Approval and Promulgation of
Implementation Plans; Revisions to the
Nevada State Implementation Plan;
Stationary Source Permits
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of
comment period.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: On April 17, 2007 (72 FR
19144), EPA proposed certain approvals
and certain disapprovals of revisions to
the Nevada State Implementation Plan
(SIP) submitted to EPA by the Nevada
Division of Environmental Protection.
These revisions involve State rules
governing applications for, and issuance
of, permits for stationary sources, but
not including review and permitting of
major sources and major modifications
under parts C and D of title I of the
Clean Air Act. EPA is extending the
comment period to August 17, 2007.
DATES: Any comments on this proposal
must arrive by August 17, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments,
identified by docket number EPA–R09–
OAR–2007–0165, by one of the
following methods:
1. Federal eRulemaking Portal:
www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line
instructions.
2. E-mail: rios.gerardo@epa.gov.
3. Mail or deliver: Gerardo Rios (Air3), U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street,
San Francisco, CA 94105–3901.
Instructions: All comments 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
Confidential Business Information (CBI)
or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Information that
you consider CBI or otherwise protected
should be clearly identified as such and
should not be submitted through
www.regulations.gov or e-mail.
www.regulations.gov is an ‘‘anonymous
access’’ system, and EPA will not know
your identity or contact information
unless you provide it in the body of
your comment. If you send e-mail
directly to EPA, your e-mail address
will be automatically captured and
included as part of the public comment.
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.
E:\FR\FM\08JNP1.SGM
08JNP1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 110 (Friday, June 8, 2007)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 31778-31781]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-2848]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA-R09-OAR-2006-0571; FRL-8324-1]
Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans for Arizona;
Maricopa County PM-10 Nonattainment Area; Serious Area Plan for
Attainment of the 24-Hour and Annual PM-10 Standards
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: On July 25, 2002, EPA approved under the Clean Air Act (CAA)
the serious area particulate matter (PM-10) plan for the Maricopa
County portion of the metropolitan Phoenix (Arizona) nonattainment area
(Maricopa County area). Among other things, EPA approved the best
available control measure (BACM) and most stringent measure (MSM)
demonstrations in the plan and granted the State's request for an
attainment date extension for the area. EPA's approval was challenged
in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In response to the
Court's remand, EPA reassessed the BACM and MSM demonstrations for the
significant source categories of on-road motor vehicles and nonroad
engines and equipment exhaust, specifically regarding whether
California Air Resources Board (CARB) diesel is a BACM and/or MSM. As a
result of this reassessment, EPA again approved the BACM and MSM
demonstrations in the plan and granted the State's request to extend
the attainment deadline from 2001 to 2006. In light of its recent
finding that the Maricopa County area failed to attain the 24-hour PM-
10 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) by December 31, 2006,
EPA is again reassessing the BACM and MSM demonstrations in the plan
and is again proposing to approve these demonstrations.
DATES: Any comments must arrive by July 9, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments, identified by docket number EPA-R09-OAR-
2006-0571, by one of the folling methods:
1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow
the on-line instructions.
2. E-mail: weisner.carol@epa.gov.
3. Mail or deliver: Marty Robin, Office of Air Planning (AIR-2),
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9, 75 Hawthorne Street,
San Francisco, CA 94105-3901.
Instructions: All comments will be included in the public docket
without change and may be made available online at https://
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided,
unless the comment includes Confidential Business Information (CBI) or
other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
Information that you consider CBI or otherwise protected should be
clearly identified as such and should not be submitted through the
eRulemaking portal or e-mail. The eRulemaking portal is an anonymous
access system, and EPA will not know your identity or contact
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. 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.
Docket: The index to the docket for this action is available
electronically at https://www.regulations.gov and in hard copy at EPA
Region 9, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California. While all
documents in the docket are listed in the index, some information may
be publicly available only at the hard copy location (e.g., copyrighted
material), and some may not be publicly available in either location
(e.g., CBI). To inspect the hard copy materials, please schedule an
apointment during normal business hours with the contact listed
directly below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol Weisner, U.S. EPA Region 9,
(415) 947-4107, weisner.carol@epa.gov or https://www.epa.gov/region09/
air/actions.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, ``we,'' ``us'' and
``our'' refer to EPA.
I. Background
A. EPA's 2002 Approval
On July 25, 2002, EPA approved multiple documents submitted to EPA
by Arizona for the Maricopa County area as meeting the CAA requirements
[[Page 31779]]
for serious PM-10 nonattainment areas for the 24-hour and annual PM-10
national ambient air quality standards.\1\ Among these documents is the
``Revised MAG 1999 Serious Area Particulate Plan for PM-10 for the
Maricopa County Nonattainment Area,'' February 2000 (MAG plan) that
includes the BACM demonstrations for all significant source categories
(except agriculture) for both the 24-hour and annual PM-10 standards
and the State's request and supporting documentation, including the
most stringent measure analysis (except for agriculture) for an
attainment date extension for both standards. EPA's July 25, 2002 final
action included approval of these elements of the MAG plan.\2\
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\1\ Effective December 18, 2006, EPA revoked the annual PM-10
standard. 71 FR 61144 (October 17, 2006). References to the annual
standard in this proposed rule for historical purposes only. EPA is
not taking any regulatory action with regard to this former
standard.
\2\ For a detailed discussion of the MAG plan and the serious
area PM-10 requirements, please see EPA's proposed and final
approval actions at 65 FR 19964 (April 13, 2000), 66 FR 50252
(October 2, 2001) and 67 FR 48718 (July 25, 2002).
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Under CAA section 189(b)(2), serious area PM-10 plans must provide
assurances that BACM will be implemented no later than four years after
a moderate PM-10 nonattainment area is reclassified as serious. For the
Maricopa County area, the BACM implementation deadline was June 10,
2000. In short, a BACM demonstration starts with the identification of
all source categories contributing significantly to nonattainment of
the PM-10 NAAQS. Once the significant categories are identified, all
potential BACM for these categories must be identified and a reasoned
justification must be provided for any BACM that are not implemented.
All BACM that are economically and technologically feasible must be
implemented.\3\
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\3\ For a detailed discussion of EPA's preliminary
interpretation of the CAA's BACM requirements, see ``State
Implementation Plans for Serious PM-10 Nonattainment Areas, and
Attainment Date Waivers for PM-10 Nonattainment Areas Generally;
Addendum to the General Preamble for the Implementation of Title I
of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990,'' 59 FR 41998, 42008-42014
(August 16, 1994).
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In the case of the Maricopa County area, the MAG plan identified
eight significant PM-10 source categories, including on-road motor
vehicle and nonroad engines and equipment exhaust.4 5 In our
2002 approval of the MAG plan, we stated that Arizona had one of the
most comprehensive programs for addressing on-road motor vehicle
emissions and that the additional measures in the MAG plan would
strengthen and go beyond that program. For nonroad engines, EPA stated
that Arizona had committed to adopt measures that would strengthen the
overall nonroad engine program making it go beyond the existing federal
program. 65 FR at 19972-19974; 66 FR at 50258-50260. Strengthening and
expanding existing programs are key criteria for demonstrating the
implementation of BACM. 59 FR at 42013. EPA noted that CARB diesel was
rejected in the MAG plan as a BACM due to high costs, but believed the
cost analysis was too uncertain to judge. 65 FR at 19973; 67 FR at
48725. EPA concluded that, overall, the on-road and nonroad measures in
the MAG plan constituted BACM for the Maricopa County area without the
implementation of CARB diesel. 67 FR at 48725.
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\4\ ``Nonroad vehicles'' and ``nonroad engines'' are used
interchangeably in EPA's proposed and final approval actions on the
MAG plan. In addition, CARB and other state air agencies typically
refer to these sources as ``off-road.'' ``Nonroad engines and
equipment,'' ``nonroad vehicles,'' ``nonroad engines,'' ``nonroad''
and ``off-road'' are used interchangeably in today's proposed rule.
\5\ A list of all potential BACM was compiled for each of the
significant source categories and a detailed analysis of whether the
potential BACM were technically and economically feasible was
provided by the MAG plan and evaluated by EPA. 65 FR at 19964, 66 FR
at 50252.
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As a serious PM-10 nonattainment area, the Maricopa County area was
required to attain the annual and 24-hour PM-10 standards by no later
than December 31, 2001. CAA section 188(c)(2). However, CAA section
188(e) allows us to extend the attainment date for a serious PM-10
nonattainment area for up to five years if attainment by 2001 is
impracticable and certain specified additional conditions are met.
Among these conditions is that the State must demonstrate to our
satisfaction that its serious area plan includes the most stringent
measures that are included in the implementation plan of any state and/
or are achieved in practice in any state and are feasible for the area.
EPA determined that CARB diesel was not required as a MSM because it
did not advance the attainment date. Therefore EPA granted an
attainment date extension for the Maricopa County area without it. Id.
at 48739.
B. Vigil v. Leavitt
The Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest (ACLPI), on
behalf of Phoenix area residents, subsequently filed in the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit a petition for review of EPA's
approval of several elements in the MAG plan. As relevant to this
proposed rule, ACLPI asserted that EPA's approval was arbitrary and
capricious because the plan did not mandate the use of CARB diesel and
thus did not satisfy the CAA requirements for BACM and MSM for mobile
sources. ACLPI further asserted that we granted an extension of the
statutory deadline for attainment to December 31, 2006 based on an
inadequate MSM demonstration.
On May 10, 2004, the Court issued its opinion which upheld EPA's
final approval in part but remanded to EPA the question of whether CARB
diesel must be included in the serious area plan as a BACM and a MSM.
Specifically, with respect to whether CARB diesel was appropriately
rejected as BACM, the Court stated that ``* * * Arizona has offered one
explanation, which EPA has declined to ratify, and EPA has not
proffered an adequate explanation of its own.'' The Court further
stated that ``[i]n light of our disposition with respect to CARB diesel
as a BACM, we remand to EPA for further consideration of whether CARB
diesel satisfies MSM as well.'' Finally, the Court remanded the
question of Maricopa County area's eligibility for an extension of the
attainment date to 2006, but only insofar as that question depends on
EPA's determination regarding CARB diesel as a MSM. Vigil v. Leavitt,
366 F.3d 1025, amended at 381 F. 3d 826 (9th Cir. 2004).
C. EPA's 2006 Approval
In response to the Vigil Court's remand, on August 3, 2006, EPA
again approved the BACM and MSM demonstrations in the MAG plan for the
significant source categories of on-road motor vehicles and nonroad
engines and equipment exhaust without CARB diesel and granted the
State's request to extend the attainment deadline from 2001 to 2006. 71
FR 43979. In this final action, EPA concluded that CARB diesel is not
feasible for on-road motor vehicles because Arizona would not be able
to obtain a CAA section 211(c)(4)(C)(i) waiver for purposes of PM-10
attainment. In reaching this conclusion, EPA reasoned that Arizona
would not be able to provide a demonstration that CARB diesel is
``necessary'' to achieve the PM-10 NAAQS, as required by that section,
because EPA had already approved the State's demonstration of
attainment of the PM-10 NAAQS without relying on CARB diesel. Id. at
43983. Also in this final action, EPA noted that in August 2005, CAA
section 211(c)(4)(C) was amended by the Energy Policy Act of 2005
(EPAct), 42 U.S.C. 15801 et seq., which placed additional restrictions
on EPA's authority under that provision. We did not, however, address
the effect of the new restrictions on our action
[[Page 31780]]
because of our conclusion that CARB diesel was not necessary to achieve
the NAAQS. Id. at 43980, footnotes 2 and 3.
With respect to nonroad engines and equipment, EPA concluded that
CARB diesel is not feasible because of the uncertainties with fuel
availability, storage and segregation and concerns about program
effectiveness due to owners and operators fueling outside the Maricopa
County area. Id.
II. Proposed Action
On March 23, 2007, EPA proposed to find that the Maricopa County
area \6\ failed to attain the 24-hour PM-10 NAAQS by the December 31,
2006 deadline mandated by the CAA. 72 FR 13723. On May 24, 2007, the
Regional Administrator signed a final rule finding that the Maricopa
County area failed to attain.\7\ As a result, the Agency can no longer
rely on its August 3, 2006 conclusion that the State would not be able
to obtain a section 211(c)(4)(C)(i) waiver for CARB diesel because it
is not necessary for attainment of the PM-10 NAAQS. Thus EPA has
reassessed the BACM demonstration for the onroad motor vehicle exhaust
source category in light of the new EPAct provisions that it did not
previously consider. As discussed further in section III.A. below, EPA
has concluded it could not approve a CAA section 211(c)(4)(C)(i) waiver
for Arizona for CARB diesel because the effect of such an approval
would unlawfully increase the total number of fuels approved into SIPs
under section 211(c)(4)(C) as of September 1, 2004. Therefore, EPA is
again proposing to approve the BACM demonstration in the MAG plan
without CARB diesel.
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\6\ In its proposed and final nonattainment finding actions, EPA
refers to the Maricopa County area as the Phoenix nonattainment
area. These terms are interchangeable.
\7\ The final rule will be published shortly in the Federal
Register.
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Because our August 2006 approval of the BACM demonstration for
nonroad engines and equipment exhaust relied to some extent on our
conclusion with respect to onroad motor vehicle exhaust, we are also
proposing again to find that CARB diesel is not required as a BACM for
the nonroad category because of the uncertainties with fuel
availability, storage and segregation and program effectiveness due to
owners and operators fueling outside the Maricopa County area.
Finally, since EPA granted the State's request for an attainment
date extension in August 2006, the December 31, 2006 attainment
deadline has passed. Therefore the extension request is now moot.
However, if CARB diesel had been required as a MSM in order for EPA to
grant the extension request, the State would now be required to
continue to implement it absent the requisite showing under CAA section
110(1). Therefore EPA is again proposing to approve the MSM
demonstration in the MAG plan without CARB diesel. We are also
confirming that we appropriately granted Arizona's request for an
attainment date extension in our 2002 and 2006 actions.
III. Reassessment of the BACM Demonstration for the Maricopa County
Area
A. On-Road Motor Vehicle Exhaust
Section 211(c)(4)(A) of the CAA generally preempts states from
prescribing or attempting to enforce controls respecting motor vehicle
fuel characteristics or components that EPA has controlled under
section 211(c)(1),\8\ unless the state control is identical to the
Federal control. EPA currently has nationwide regulations prescribing
limits on various characteristics and components of motor vehicle
diesel fuel (e.g., sulfur content limits, minimum cetane index and
limits on aromatic content). 55 FR 34120 (August 21, 1990). Thus
Arizona would need to obtain a CAA section 211(c)(4)(C) waiver in order
to implement a different requirement governing these characteristics
and components of on-road diesel fuel, i.e., CARB diesel, in the
Maricopa County area.
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\8\ This prohibition applies to all states except California, as
explained in section 211(c)(4)(B).
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Under section 211(c)(4)(C)(i), EPA may waive preemption by
approving a non-identical state fuel control as a SIP provision, if the
state demonstrates that the measure is necessary to achieve the NAAQS.
We may approve a state fuel requirement as ``necessary'' if no other
measures would bring about timely attainment, or if other measures
exist and are technically possible to implement but are unreasonable or
impracticable.
Section 211(c)(4)(C)(v)(I), added by the EPAct, further restricts
EPA's authority to waive preemption by providing that the Agency cannot
approve, under section 211(c)(4)(C)(i), any state fuel if the effect of
such approval increases the total number of fuels approved into SIPs
under section 211(c)(4)(C) as of September 1, 2004. The EPAct required
EPA to determine the total number of fuels approved into SIPs under
section 211(c)(4)(C) as of September 1, 2004, and to publish the list
for public review and comment.
On June 6, 2006, EPA's notice of its draft list was published in
the Federal Register. 71 FR 32532. On December 28, 2006, EPA's notice
of its final list, known as the Boutique Fuels List, was published in
the Federal Register. 71 FR 78192. The final list includes eight types
of fuels approved into SIPs under section 211(c)(4)(C) as of September
1, 2004. CARB fuels are approved into California's SIP, but because the
approval is not under CAA section 211(c)(4)(C)(i), we did not place
CARB fuels on the list of fuel types. 71 FR 78196. Thus, CARB diesel is
not one of these eight fuel types. As a result, EPA has no authority to
approve, under section 211(c)(4)(C)(i), CARB diesel for on-road motor
vehicles in the Maricopa County area because the effect of such
approval would be to increase the total number of fuels approved into
SIPs under section 211(c)(4)(C) as of September 1, 2004.\9\ Thus, the
State would not be able to obtain a section 211(c)(4)(C)(i) waiver
necessary to implement CARB diesel for on-road motor vehicles.
Consequently EPA is again proposing to approve the BACM demonstration
for the on-road category in the MAG plan without CARB diesel.
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\9\ Note that under the EPAct, in cases where our approval would
not increase the total number of fuels on the list because the total
number of fuels in SIPs at that point is below the number of fuels
as of September 1, 2004, then our approval requires a finding that
the new fuel will not cause supply or distribution problems or have
significant adverse impacts on fuel producibility in the affected or
contiguous areas. CAA section 211(c)(4)(C)(v)(IV). In addition, we
may not approve a state fuel unless that fuel is already approved in
at least one SIP in the applicable Petroleum Administration for
Defense District (PADD). CAA section 211(c)(4)(C)(v)(V). Because we
believe that approval of CARB diesel is not allowed as it would
increase the total number of fuels on the Boutique Fuels list above
the number of fuels as of September 1, 2004, we do not address these
additional restrictions on our approval authority under CAA section
211(c)(4)(c)(i).
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B. Nonroad Engines and Equipment Exhaust
EPA is not changing its assessment in its August 3, 2006 final rule
that requiring CARB diesel for the control of nonroad engines and
equipment exhaust is not currently feasible and is therefore not
required as BACM in the Maricopa County area. Therefore, except as
specifically modified below, EPA is relying for this proposed rule on
its discussion of Nonroad Engines and Equipment Exhaust in Section
II.B(2) of the Agency's July 1, 2005 proposed rule. 70 FR at 38066-
38067. We are also relying on our responses to public comments on this
issue in Section II.B. of our August 3, 2006 final rule. 71 FR at
43981-43983.
We note one update to the information in footnote 7 of the August
2006 final rule. There are currently six, rather than four, approval
letters on the
[[Page 31781]]
Texas Low Emission Diesel fuel program web site providing for the use
of alternative diesel fuel formulations. The second sentence in
footnote 7 should now read as follows: ``Although Section 114.312(f)
provides that alternative diesel fuel formulations must provide
comparable or better reductions of NOX and PM, three of the
six alternative diesel fuel formulation approval letters to date have
cited NOX reductions alone, or (in one case) reductions of
NOX and hydrocarbons, but not PM, as the basis for
approval.''
IV. MSM Demonstration and Extension of Attainment Date
In our August 3, 2006 final action, we determined that CARB diesel
was not required as a MSM because it did not advance the attainment
date. Today's proposed approval of the BACM demonstration in the MAG
plan for the on-road and nonroad vehicle exhaust source categories for
the Maricopa County area without CARB diesel does not affect that
determination. Therefore, we are again proposing to approve the MSM
demonstration in the MAG plan. If we again take final action to approve
the MSM demonstration, the attainment date extension granted to the
Maricopa County area in our August 3, 2006 final action would not be
affected.
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
proposed 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 Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of
1995 (Public Law 104-4).
This proposed rule also does not have tribal implications because
it will 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). This action also does not
have Federalism implications because it does not 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). This action
merely proposes to approve a state rule implementing a Federal
standard, 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 ``Protection
of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks'' (62 FR
19885, April 23, 1997), because it approves a state rule implementing a
Federal standard.
In reviewing SIP submission, 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. This proposed rule 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, Intergovernmental
relations, Particulate matter, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: May 31, 2007.
Wayne Nastri,
Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. 07-2848 Filed 6-7-07; 8:45 am]
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