Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets; State of New Jersey, 11846-11848 [E8-4233]
Download as PDF
11846
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 44 / Wednesday, March 5, 2008 / Proposed Rules
Copies of the State submittal are
available at the Delaware Department of
Natural Resources & Environmental
Control, 89 Kings Highway, P.O. Box
1401, Dover, Delaware 19901.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rose
Quinto, (215) 814–2182, or by e-mail at
quinto.rose@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On November 1, 2007, the Delaware
Department of Natural Resources and
Environmental Control (DNREC)
submitted a SIP revision for Regulation
No. 1144—Control of Stationary
Generator Emissions. The SIP revision
applies to new, existing, emergency, and
distributed stationary generators.
II. Summary of SIP Revision
Regulation No. 1144 will impact any
owner of a stationary generator, except
the owner of any of the following:
mobile generator; residential generator
for emergency power use only; certain
generators whose emissions are already
controlled; or generators with a standby
power rating of 10 kilowatts or less.
Regulation No. 1144 establishes
operating requirements, fuel sulfur
content limits, and recordkeeping
requirements for stationary generators.
The regulation will also require
stationary generators which operate at
times other than during emergencies for
testing or for maintenance to meet
certain emission standards to reduce
their emissions.
yshivers on PROD1PC62 with PROPOSALS
III. Proposed Action
EPA is proposing to approve the
Delaware SIP revision for Regulation
No. 1144—Control of Stationary
Generator Emissions submitted on
November 1, 2007. This regulation will
help ensure that the air emissions from
new and existing stationary generators
do not cause or contribute to the
existing air quality problems with
regard to ground-level ozone and fine
particulate matter, thereby adversely
impacting public health, safety and
welfare. EPA is soliciting public
comments on the issues discussed in
this document. These comments will be
considered before taking final action.
IV. 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,
VerDate Aug<31>2005
14:23 Mar 04, 2008
Jkt 214001
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
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,
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
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 Delaware’s control of
stationary generator emissions, 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: February 25, 2008.
Donald S. Welsh,
Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. E8–4256 Filed 3–4–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[Docket No. EPA–R02–OAR–2008–0005;
FRL–8537–8]
Approval and Promulgation of
Implementation Plans; Motor Vehicle
Emissions Budgets; State of New
Jersey
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a
State Implementation Plan (SIP)
revision submitted by the State of New
Jersey. This revision updates the direct
PM2.5 and NOX motor vehicle emissions
budgets for Mercer County, located
within the New Jersey portion of the
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long
Island, NY-NJ-CT, PM2.5 nonattainment
area. The intended effect of this
rulemaking is to approve budgets that
will be used to determine transportation
conformity.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before April 4, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket ID No. EPA–R02–
E:\FR\FM\05MRP1.SGM
05MRP1
11847
yshivers on PROD1PC62 with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 44 / Wednesday, March 5, 2008 / Proposed Rules
OAR–2008–0005, by one of the
following methods:
https://www.regulations.gov: Follow
the on-line instructions for submitting
comments.
E-mail: Werner.Raymond@epa.gov.
Fax: 212–637–3901.
Mail: Raymond Werner, Chief, Air
Programs Branch, Environmental
Protection Agency, Region 2 Office, 290
Broadway, 25th Floor, New York, New
York 10007–1866.
Hand Delivery: Raymond Werner,
Chief, Air Programs Branch,
Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 2 Office, 290 Broadway, 25th
Floor, New York, New York 10007–
1866. Such deliveries are only accepted
during the Regional Office’s normal
hours of operation. The Regional
Office’s official hours of business are
Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:30
excluding Federal holidays.
Instructions: Direct your comments to
Docket ID No. EPA–R02–OAR–2008–
0005. EPA’s policy is that all comments
received 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 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 https://
www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The
https://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 https://
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. For additional information
about EPA’s public docket visit the EPA
Docket Center homepage at https://
www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: All documents in the docket
are listed in the https://
VerDate Aug<31>2005
14:23 Mar 04, 2008
Jkt 214001
www.regulations.gov index. Although
listed in the index, some information is
not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other
information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Certain other
material, such as copyrighted material,
will be publicly available only in hard
copy. Publicly available docket
materials are available either
electronically in https://
www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at
the Environmental Protection Agency,
Region II Office, Air Programs Branch,
290 Broadway, 25th Floor, New York,
New York 10007–1866. EPA requests, if
at all possible, that you contact the
individual listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section to view
the hard copy of the docket. You may
view the hard copy of the docket
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4
p.m., excluding Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Matthew Laurita,
laurita.matthew@epa.gov at the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Air
Programs Branch, 290 Broadway, 25th
Floor, New York, NY 10007–1866,
telephone number (212) 637–3895, fax
number (212) 637–3901.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
action is being proposed under a
procedure called parallel processing.
Under parallel processing, EPA
proposes action on a state submission
before it has been formally adopted and
submitted to EPA, and then takes final
action if: (1) The state’s final submission
is substantially unchanged from the
submission on which this proposal is
based, or (2) if significant changes in the
state’s final submission are anticipated
and adequately described in EPA’s
proposal as a basis for EPA’s proposed
action.
Table of Contents
I. Analysis of the State’s Submittal
II. Proposed EPA Action
III. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Analysis of the State’s Submittal
On December 17, 2007, New Jersey
submitted a state implementation plan
(SIP) revision to EPA updating the
existing motor vehicle emissions
budgets (MVEBs) for the Mercer County,
New Jersey portion of the New YorkNorthern New Jersey-Long Island, NYNJ-CT, PM2.5 nonattainment area.
MVEBs represent a cap that projected
emissions from existing and planned
highway and transit projects may not
exceed. The emissions from
transportation projects are evaluated
through a metropolitan planning
organization’s (MPO’s) process for
determining the long-range
transportation needs of a region, and its
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
process for scheduling projects to be
completed in the short term.
New Jersey is revising the budgets for
Mercer County to incorporate new
planning assumptions. Since the
original PM2.5 MVEBs were approved by
EPA (71 FR 38770, July 10, 2006), New
Jersey discovered an error that
underestimated the fraction of all
vehicle miles traveled attributable to the
heaviest category of heavy-duty trucks.
The MPO responsible for transportation
planning in Mercer County, the
Delaware Valley Regional Planning
Commission (DVRPC), is required to
incorporate this updated assumption in
its emissions modeling process.
Approval of the revised MVEB will
ensure consistency between the budget
and DVRPC’s planning process.
EPA allows for the establishment of
MVEBs for PM2.5 prior to a state
submitting its first required PM2.5 SIP
(69 FR 40004, July 1, 2004, specifically
see 69 FR 40028). These budgets are set
through the establishment of an early
SIP, which meets all the requirements of
a SIP submittal, in which emissions
from all sources, when projected from
the base to a future year, show some
progress toward attainment. EPA has
interpreted the phrase ‘‘some progress
toward attainment’’ to mean a 5% to
10% reduction in emissions from all
sources (see 69 FR 40019). In New
Jersey’s original early progress SIP, the
State demonstrated an overall 6.5%
reduction in direct PM2.5 and 32.3%
reduction in NOX, a PM2.5 precursor,
from 2002 to 2009 within the New
Jersey portion of the New York-Northern
New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT
PM2.5 nonattainment area. Using the
new assumptions, the State has shown
reductions of 6.3% and 32.0% from
2002 to 2009 for direct PM2.5 and NOX,
respectively; therefore, EPA has
determined that the revised MVEBs still
satisfy the early progress requirements
and are approvable. Once approved, the
revised MVEBs will supersede the
existing PM2.5 MVEBs for Mercer
County, New Jersey (Table 1).
TABLE 1.—EXISTING AND PROPOSED
2009 PM2.5 MOTOR VEHICLE EMISSIONS
BUDGETS FOR MERCER
COUNTY, NEW JERSEY
[Tons per year]
Pollutant
Existing .....................
Proposed ..................
E:\FR\FM\05MRP1.SGM
05MRP1
Direct
PM2.5
89
108
NOX
4,328
5,056
11848
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 44 / Wednesday, March 5, 2008 / Proposed Rules
II. Proposed EPA Action
EPA is proposing to approve revisions
to the PM2.5 motor vehicle emissions
budgets for Mercer County, New Jersey.
yshivers on PROD1PC62 with PROPOSALS
III. 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 (Pub. L. 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 CAA.
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 is not
economically significant.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
14:23 Mar 04, 2008
Jkt 214001
In reviewing SIP submissions, EPA’s
role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of
the CAA. 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 CAA. 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, Incorporation by
reference, Intergovernmental relations,
Nitrogen dioxide, Particulate matter,
Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: February 25, 2008.
Alan J. Steinberg,
Regional Administrator, Region 2.
[FR Doc. E8–4233 Filed 3–4–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Parts 158 and 161
[EPA–HQ–OPP–2008–0010; FRL–8348–5]
RIN 2070–AD30
Data Requirements for Antimicrobial
Pesticides and Revisions to Product
Chemistry Data Requirements for
Conventional Pesticides; Notification
to the Secretaries of Agriculture and
Health and Human Services
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notification to the Secretaries of
Agriculture and Health and Human
Services.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This document notifies the
public that the Administrator of EPA
has forwarded to the Secretaries of
Agriculture, and Health and Human
Services a draft proposed rule under
sections 21 and 25(a) of the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide
Act (FIFRA). As described in the
Agency’s semi-annual Regulatory
Agenda, the draft proposed rule updates
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
the data requirements in 40 CFR part
158 for the registration of antimicrobial
pesticide products. Besides providing
the regulated community with clearer
and more transparent information, once
finalized the data requirements will
enhance the development of health and
environmental data to conduct
scientifically sound chemical/hazard
risk assessments to protect human
health and the environment.
ADDRESSES: EPA has established a
docket for this action under docket
identification (ID) number EPA–HQ–
OPP–2008–0010. To access the
electronic docket, go to https://
www.regulations.gov, select ‘‘Advanced
Search,’’ then ‘‘Docket Search.’’ Insert
the docket ID number where indicated
and select the ‘‘Submit’’ button. Follow
the instructions on the regulations.gov
web site to view the docket index or
access available documents. All
documents in the docket are listed in
the docket index available in
regulations.gov. Although listed in the
index, some information is not publicly
available, e.g., Confidential Business
Information (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 in the electronic docket
at https://www.regulations.gov, or, if only
available in hard copy, at the Office of
Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory
Public Docket in Rm. S–4400, One
Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 S.
Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. The hours of
operation of this Docket Facility are
from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday
through Friday, excluding legal
holidays. The Docket Facility telephone
number is (703) 305–5805.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kathryn Boyle, Field and External
Affairs Division (7506P), Office of
Pesticide Programs, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington DC 20460–0001;
telephone number: 703.305.6304; e-mail
address: boyle.kathryn@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
This action is directed to the public
in general. It simply announces the
submission of a draft proposed rule to
the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) and Department of
Health and Human Services. It does not
otherwise affect any specific entities.
This action may, however, be of
particular interest to a producer or
E:\FR\FM\05MRP1.SGM
05MRP1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 5, 2008)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 11846-11848]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-4233]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[Docket No. EPA-R02-OAR-2008-0005; FRL-8537-8]
Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Motor Vehicle
Emissions Budgets; State of New Jersey
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to
approve a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the
State of New Jersey. This revision updates the direct PM2.5
and NOX motor vehicle emissions budgets for Mercer County,
located within the New Jersey portion of the New York-Northern New
Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT, PM2.5 nonattainment area. The
intended effect of this rulemaking is to approve budgets that will be
used to determine transportation conformity.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 4, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R02-
[[Page 11847]]
OAR-2008-0005, by one of the following methods:
https://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for
submitting comments.
E-mail: Werner.Raymond@epa.gov.
Fax: 212-637-3901.
Mail: Raymond Werner, Chief, Air Programs Branch, Environmental
Protection Agency, Region 2 Office, 290 Broadway, 25th Floor, New York,
New York 10007-1866.
Hand Delivery: Raymond Werner, Chief, Air Programs Branch,
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2 Office, 290 Broadway, 25th
Floor, New York, New York 10007-1866. Such deliveries are only accepted
during the Regional Office's normal hours of operation. The Regional
Office's official hours of business are Monday through Friday, 8:30 to
4:30 excluding Federal holidays.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-R02-OAR-
2008-0005. EPA's policy is that all comments received 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 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 https://
www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The https://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 https://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. For additional information about EPA's public
docket visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at https://www.epa.gov/
epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the https://
www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some
information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such
as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy.
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically
in https://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the Environmental
Protection Agency, Region II Office, Air Programs Branch, 290 Broadway,
25th Floor, New York, New York 10007-1866. EPA requests, if at all
possible, that you contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section to view the hard copy of the docket. You
may view the hard copy of the docket Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4
p.m., excluding Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Laurita,
laurita.matthew@epa.gov at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Air Programs Branch, 290 Broadway, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10007-1866,
telephone number (212) 637-3895, fax number (212) 637-3901.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This action is being proposed under a
procedure called parallel processing. Under parallel processing, EPA
proposes action on a state submission before it has been formally
adopted and submitted to EPA, and then takes final action if: (1) The
state's final submission is substantially unchanged from the submission
on which this proposal is based, or (2) if significant changes in the
state's final submission are anticipated and adequately described in
EPA's proposal as a basis for EPA's proposed action.
Table of Contents
I. Analysis of the State's Submittal
II. Proposed EPA Action
III. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Analysis of the State's Submittal
On December 17, 2007, New Jersey submitted a state implementation
plan (SIP) revision to EPA updating the existing motor vehicle
emissions budgets (MVEBs) for the Mercer County, New Jersey portion of
the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT,
PM2.5 nonattainment area. MVEBs represent a cap that
projected emissions from existing and planned highway and transit
projects may not exceed. The emissions from transportation projects are
evaluated through a metropolitan planning organization's (MPO's)
process for determining the long-range transportation needs of a
region, and its process for scheduling projects to be completed in the
short term.
New Jersey is revising the budgets for Mercer County to incorporate
new planning assumptions. Since the original PM2.5 MVEBs
were approved by EPA (71 FR 38770, July 10, 2006), New Jersey
discovered an error that underestimated the fraction of all vehicle
miles traveled attributable to the heaviest category of heavy-duty
trucks. The MPO responsible for transportation planning in Mercer
County, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), is
required to incorporate this updated assumption in its emissions
modeling process. Approval of the revised MVEB will ensure consistency
between the budget and DVRPC's planning process.
EPA allows for the establishment of MVEBs for PM2.5
prior to a state submitting its first required PM2.5 SIP (69
FR 40004, July 1, 2004, specifically see 69 FR 40028). These budgets
are set through the establishment of an early SIP, which meets all the
requirements of a SIP submittal, in which emissions from all sources,
when projected from the base to a future year, show some progress
toward attainment. EPA has interpreted the phrase ``some progress
toward attainment'' to mean a 5% to 10% reduction in emissions from all
sources (see 69 FR 40019). In New Jersey's original early progress SIP,
the State demonstrated an overall 6.5% reduction in direct
PM2.5 and 32.3% reduction in NOX, a
PM2.5 precursor, from 2002 to 2009 within the New Jersey
portion of the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT
PM2.5 nonattainment area. Using the new assumptions, the
State has shown reductions of 6.3% and 32.0% from 2002 to 2009 for
direct PM2.5 and NOX, respectively; therefore,
EPA has determined that the revised MVEBs still satisfy the early
progress requirements and are approvable. Once approved, the revised
MVEBs will supersede the existing PM2.5 MVEBs for Mercer
County, New Jersey (Table 1).
Table 1.--Existing and Proposed 2009 PM2.5 Motor Vehicle Emissions
Budgets for Mercer County, New Jersey
[Tons per year]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Direct
Pollutant PM2.5 NOX
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Existing.......................................... 89 4,328
Proposed.......................................... 108 5,056
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 11848]]
II. Proposed EPA Action
EPA is proposing to approve revisions to the PM2.5 motor
vehicle emissions budgets for Mercer County, New Jersey.
III. 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 (Pub. L. 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 CAA. 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 is not economically significant.
In reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve state
choices, provided that they meet the criteria of the CAA. 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 CAA. 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, Incorporation by
reference, Intergovernmental relations, Nitrogen dioxide, Particulate
matter, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: February 25, 2008.
Alan J. Steinberg,
Regional Administrator, Region 2.
[FR Doc. E8-4233 Filed 3-4-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P