Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; New Mexico; Albuquerque/Bernalillo County: Infrastructure and Interstate Transport Requirements for the 1997 and 2008 Ozone and the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5, 22249-22266 [2012-8927]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 72 / Friday, April 13, 2012 / Proposed Rules
veterinary licensing and practice
requirements.
(2) The veterinarian must fully and
accurately enter the following
information on the VFD:
(i) The veterinarian’s name, address,
and telephone number;
(ii) The client’s name, telephone
number, and business or home address;
(iii) The premises at which the
animals specified in the VFD are
located;
(iv) The date of VFD issuance;
(v) The expiration date of the VFD.
This date cannot extend beyond the
expiration date specified in the
approval, conditional approval, or index
listing, if such date is specified. In cases
where the expiration date is not
specified in the approval, conditional
approval, or index listing, the expiration
date of the VFD cannot exceed 6 months
after the date of issuance;
(vi) The name of the animal drug;
(vii) The species and production class
of animals to be fed the medicated feed;
(viii) The approximate number of
animals to be fed the medicated feed
prior to the expiration date on the VFD;
(ix) The indication for which the VFD
is issued;
(x) The level of drug in the feed and
duration of use;
(xi) The withdrawal time, special
instructions, and cautionary statements
necessary for use of the drug in
conformance with the approval;
(xii) The number of reorders (refills)
authorized, if permitted by the drug
approval, conditional approval, or index
listing;
(xiii) The statement: ‘‘Extralabel use
(i.e., use of this VFD feed in a manner
other than as directed on the labeling)
is not permitted’’; and
(xiv) The veterinarian’s electronic or
written signature.
(3) The veterinarian may, at his or her
discretion, enter the following
information on the VFD to more
specifically identify the animals
authorized to be treated/fed the
medicated feed:
(i) A more specific description of the
location of animals (e.g., by site, pen,
barn, stall, tank, or other descriptor that
the veterinarian deems appropriate);
(ii) The approximate age range of the
animals;
(iii) The approximate weight range of
the animals; and
(iv) Any other information the
veterinarian deems appropriate to
identify the animals specified in the
VFD.
(4) The veterinarian must send the
VFD to the feed distributor via
hardcopy, fax, or electronically. If in
hardcopy, the veterinarian may send the
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VFD to the distributor either directly or
through the client.
(5) The veterinarian must provide a
copy of the VFD to the client.
(6) The veterinarian may not transmit
a VFD by phone.
(c) Responsibilities of any person who
distributes an animal feed containing a
VFD drug:
(1) The distributor may only fill a
VFD if the VFD contains the information
required in § 558.6(b)(2).
(2) The distributor may only
distribute an animal feed containing a
VFD drug that complies with the terms
of the VFD.
(3) A distributor of animal feed
containing VFD drugs must notify FDA
at the time it first distributes animal
feed containing VFD drugs. The
notification is required one time per
distributor and must include the
following information:
(i) The distributor’s complete name
and business address;
(ii) The distributor’s signature or the
signature of the distributor’s authorized
agent; and
(iii) The date the notification was
signed;
(4) A distributor must submit the
notification by letter or facsimile to the
Food and Drug Administration, Center
for Veterinary Medicine, Division of
Animal Feeds (HFV–220), 7519
Standish Pl., Rockville, MD 20855, prior
to beginning its first distribution.
(5) A distributor must notify the
Center for Veterinary Medicine within
30 days of any change in ownership,
business name, or business address.
(6) A distributor may only distribute
a VFD feed to another person for further
distribution if the distributor first
obtains a written acknowledgment from
the person to whom the feed is shipped
stating that that person must not ship or
move such feed to an animal production
facility without a VFD, or ship such feed
to another person for further
distribution unless that person has
provided the same written
acknowledgment to the distributor’s
immediate supplier.
Dated: April 5, 2012.
David Dorsey,
Acting Associate Commissioner for Policy and
Planning.
[FR Doc. 2012–8844 Filed 4–11–12; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 4160–01–P
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R06–OAR–2009–0648; FRL–9658–2]
Approval and Promulgation of
Implementation Plans; New Mexico;
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County:
Infrastructure and Interstate Transport
Requirements for the 1997 and 2008
Ozone and the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
EPA is proposing to approve
submittals from the Governor of New
Mexico to the State Implementation
Plan (SIP) for the City of Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County area, pursuant to the
Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act) that
address the infrastructure elements
specified in the CAA section 110(a)(2),
necessary to implement, maintain, and
enforce the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone
and the 1997 and 2006 fine particulate
matter (PM2.5) national ambient air
quality standards (NAAQS or
standards). We are proposing to find
that the current Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County SIP meets the following
infrastructure elements for the 1997 and
2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS and the
1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS:
110(a)(2)(A), (B), (C), (D)(ii), (E), (F), (G),
(H), (J), (K), (L), and (M). We are also
proposing to find that the current
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets one of the four provisions of CAA
section 110(a)(2)(D)(i), which addresses
the requirement that emissions from
sources in the area do not interfere with
measures required in the SIP of any
other state under part C of the CAA to
prevent significant deterioration (PSD)
of air quality, with regard to the 1997
and 2008 ozone and 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA is also proposing to
approve SIP revisions that modify the
PSD SIP to include nitrogen oxides
(NOX) as an ozone precursor. For
purposes of the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS, EPA is proposing to approve
revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County PSD SIP that identify the PM2.5
precursors and establish significant
emission rates for said precursors,
consistent with the federal
requirements. We are also proposing to
approve other revisions to the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD SIP
to maintain consistency with the federal
PSD permitting requirements. In
addition to these revisions, EPA is
proposing to approve other revisions to
the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 72 / Friday, April 13, 2012 / Proposed Rules
necessary to implement Ambient Air
Quality Standards (AAQS). These
actions are taken under section 110 and
part C of the Act.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before May 14, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket No. EPA–R06–
OAR–2009–0648, by one of the
following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
• U.S. EPA Region 6 ‘‘Contact Us’’
Web site: https://epa.gov/region6/
r6comment.htm. Please click on ‘‘6PD
(Multimedia)’’ and select ‘‘Air’’ before
submitting comments.
• Email: Mr. Guy Donaldson at
donaldson.guy@epa.gov. Please also
send a copy by email to the person
listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section below.
• Fax: Mr. Guy Donaldson, Chief, Air
Planning Section (6PD–L), at fax
number 214–665–7263.
• Mail: Mr. Guy Donaldson, Chief,
Air Planning Section (6PD–L),
Environmental Protection Agency, 1445
Ross Avenue, Suite 1200, Dallas, Texas
75202–2733.
• Hand or Courier Delivery: Mr. Guy
Donaldson, Chief, Air Planning Section
(6PD–L), Environmental Protection
Agency, 1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200,
Dallas, Texas 75202–2733. Such
deliveries are accepted only between the
hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays,
and not on legal holidays. Special
arrangements should be made for
deliveries of boxed information.
Instructions: Direct your comments to
Docket ID No. EPA–R06–OAR–2009–
0648. 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 email. 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 email
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
docket and made available on the
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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 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
www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at
the Air Planning Section (6PD–L),
Environmental Protection Agency, 1445
Ross Avenue, Suite 700, Dallas, Texas
75202–2733. The file will be made
available by appointment for public
inspection in the Region 6 FOIA Review
Room between the hours of 8:30 a.m.
and 4:30 p.m. weekdays except for legal
holidays. Contact the person listed in
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
paragraph below or Mr. Bill Deese at
214–665–7253 to make an appointment.
If possible, please make the
appointment at least two working days
in advance of your visit. There will be
a fee of 15 cents per page for making
photocopies of documents. On the day
of the visit, please check in at the EPA
Region 6 reception area at 1445 Ross
Avenue, Suite 700, Dallas, Texas.
The State submittal is also available
for public inspection during official
business hours, by appointment, at the
City of Albuquerque, Environmental
Health Department—Air Quality
Division, One Civic Plaza, Room 3047,
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87103,
telephone 505–768–1972, email address
aqd@cabq.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
John Walser, Air Planning Section
(6PD–L), Environmental Protection
Agency, Region 6, 1445 Ross Avenue,
Suite 700, Dallas, Texas 75202–2733,
telephone 214–665–7128; fax number
214–665–6762; email address
walser.john@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Throughout this document, ‘‘we,’’ ‘‘us,’’
and ‘‘our’’ means EPA.
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Table of Contents
I. Background
A. What are the National Ambient Air
Quality Standards?
B. What is a SIP?
C. What is the background for this
rulemaking?
1. Section 110(a)(1) and (2) Infrastructure
SIP Elements
2. Section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) Interstate
Transport SIP Elements
3. Revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County PSD SIP
a. Revisions To Address the 1997 and 2008
8-Hour Ozone NAAQS
b. Revisions To Address the 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS
c. Revisions To Address the Greenhouse
Gas (GHG) Permitting Requirements
d. Revisions To Maintain Consistency With
the Federal PSD Requirements
4. Additional Revisions to the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
D. What elements are required under
section 110(a)(2)?
II. What action is EPA proposing?
A. Section 110(a)(1) and (2)
B. PSD Requirements
C. Additional SIP Revisions
III. How do the revisions to the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County PSD SIP meet EPA
requirements?
A. Revisions To Address the 1997 and
2008 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS
B. Revisions To Address the 2008 PM2.5
NSR Rule
C. Revisions To Address GHG Permitting
Requirements
D. Revisions To Maintain Consistency
With the Federal PSD Requirements
IV. How has Albuquerque/Bernalillo County
addressed the elements of section
110(a)(2)?
V. Additional Revisions to the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County SIP
VI. Proposed Action
VII. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Background
The Albuquerque/Bernalillo County
Air Quality Control Board (AQCB) is the
federally delegated air quality authority
for the City of Albuquerque and
Bernalillo County, New Mexico. Section
74–2–4 of the New Mexico Air Quality
Control Act (AQCA) authorizes
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County to
locally administer and enforce the State
Air Quality Control Act by providing for
a local air quality control program.
Thus, state law views Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County and the State of New
Mexico as distinct air quality control
entities. Therefore, each entity is
required to submit its own SIP in order
to satisfy the requirements of section
110(a)(1) and (2) of the CAA and the
AQCA, and to require local air pollution
sources to comply with air quality
standards. The AQCB is responsible for
the portion of the New Mexico SIP that
applies in Bernalillo County (excluding
Tribal Land), which encompasses the
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City of Albuquerque. As required by 40
CFR Part 51, the Governor of New
Mexico has submitted SIP revisions, on
behalf of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County, under the AQCA (section 74–2–
4), to satisfy the requirements of section
110(a)(2) and 110(a)(2)(D)(i) of the CAA
for the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County
area.1 Because of Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County’s separate authority
and SIP, it is necessary to separately
address the requirements of 110(a)(2) for
this portion of the State in order to
ensure that the requirements are
satisfied for the entire State of New
Mexico.
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A. What are the National Ambient Air
Quality Standards?
Section 109 of the Act requires EPA
to establish NAAQS for pollutants that
‘‘may reasonably be anticipated to
endanger public health and welfare,’’
and to develop a primary and secondary
standard for each NAAQS. The primary
standard is designed to protect human
health with an adequate margin of
safety, and the secondary standard is
designed to protect public welfare and
the environment. EPA has set NAAQS
for six common air pollutants, referred
to as criteria pollutants: carbon
monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide,
ozone, particulate matter (PM), and
sulfur dioxide. These standards present
state and local governments with the
minimum air quality levels they must
meet to comply with the Act. Also,
these standards provide information to
residents of the United States about the
air quality in their communities.
B. What is a SIP?
The SIP is a set of air pollution
regulations, control strategies, other
means or techniques, and technical
analyses developed by the state (or in
this case, local) air pollution control
agency, to ensure that the state meets
the NAAQS. The SIP is required by
section 110 and other provisions of the
Act. These SIPs can be extensive,
containing state regulations or other
enforceable documents and supporting
information such as emissions
inventories, monitoring networks, and
modeling demonstrations. Each state
must submit these regulations and
control strategies to EPA for approval
and incorporation into the Federallyenforceable SIP. Another important
aspect of the SIP is to ensure that
emissions from within the state do not
have certain prohibited impacts on the
ambient air in other states through
1 This proposed rulemaking does not apply to
Tribal Lands encompassed within the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County area.
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interstate transport of pollutants. This
SIP requirement is specified in section
110(a)(2)(D) of the CAA. Pursuant to
that section, each state’s SIP must
contain provisions adequate to prevent,
among other things, emissions that
interfere with measures required to be
included in the SIP of any other state to
prevent significant deterioration of air
quality in any other state. Each EPAapproved SIP protects air quality
primarily by addressing air pollution at
its point of origin.
C. What is the background for this
rulemaking?
Under sections 110(a)(1) and (2) of the
Act, states are required to submit SIPs
that provide for the implementation,
maintenance, and enforcement (the
infrastructure) of a new or revised
NAAQS within three years following
the promulgation of the NAAQS, or
within such shorter period as EPA may
prescribe. Section 110(a)(2) lists the
specific infrastructure elements that
must be incorporated into the SIPs,
including for example, requirements for
emission inventories, new source
review (NSR), air pollution control
measures, and monitoring that are
designed to assure attainment and
maintenance of the NAAQS. Table 1 in
Section D of this rulemaking provides a
list of all 14 infrastructure elements.2
EPA refers to the requirements of
section 110(a)(2)(A)–(C), (D)(ii), (E)–(H),
and (J)–(M) as the ‘‘infrastructure’’ SIPs.
Additionally, EPA refers to the
requirements of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)
as the ‘‘interstate transport’’ SIPs. EPA
provided separate guidance to states on
each type of SIP, infrastructure and
interstate transport, and these actions
are on separate tracks and timelines.
1. Section 110(a)(1) and (2)
Infrastructure SIP Elements
On July 18, 1997, we published new
and revised NAAQS for ozone (62 FR
38856) and PM (62 FR 38652). For
ozone, we set an 8-hour standard of 0.08
parts per million (ppm) to replace the 1hour standard of 0.12 ppm. For PM we
set a new annual and a new 24-hour
2 Two elements identified in section 110(a)(2) are
not governed by the 3-year submission deadline of
section 110(a)(1) because SIPs incorporating
necessary local nonattainment area controls are not
due within 3 years after promulgation of a new or
revised NAAQS, but rather are due at the time the
nonattainment area plan requirements are due
pursuant to section 172 of the CAA. These elements
are: (1) Submissions required by section
110(a)(2)(C) to the extent that subsection refers to
a permit program as required in part D Title I of
the CAA and (2) submissions required by section
110(a)(2)(I) which pertain to the nonattainment
planning requirements of part D Title I of the CAA.
Therefore, this action does not cover these specific
SIP elements.
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22251
NAAQS for particles with an
aerodynamic diameter less than or equal
to a nominal 2.5 micrometers (denoted
PM2.5). The annual PM2.5 standard was
set at 15 micrograms per cubic meter
(mg/m3). The 24-hour PM2.5 standard
was set at 65 mg/m3. On October 17,
2006, we published revised standards
for PM (71 FR 61144). For PM2.5, the
annual standard of 15 mg/m3 was
retained, and the 24-hour standard was
revised to 35 mg/m3. For PM10 the
annual standard was revoked, and the
24-hour standard (150 mg/m3) was
retained. On March 27, 2008, we
published revised standards for ozone
(73 FR 16436) of 0.75 ppm to replace the
1997 8-hour standard of 0.08 ppm. For
more information on these standards,
please see the 1997, 2006, and 2008
Federal Register notices (62 FR 38856,
62 FR 38652, 71 FR 61144, and 73 FR
16436).
Thus, states were required to submit
such SIPs for the 1997 8-hour ozone and
PM2.5 NAAQS to EPA no later than June
2000.3 However, intervening litigation
over the 1997 8-hour ozone and PM2.5
NAAQS created uncertainty about how
to proceed, and many states did not
provide the required ‘‘infrastructure’’
SIP submission for these newly
promulgated NAAQS.
On March 4, 2004, Earthjustice
submitted a notice of intent to sue
related to EPA’s failure to issue findings
of failure to submit related to the
infrastructure requirements for the 1997
8-hour ozone and PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA
entered into a consent decree with
Earthjustice which required EPA, among
other things, to complete a Federal
Register notice announcing EPA’s
determinations pursuant to section
110(k)(1)(B) of the Act as to whether
each state had made complete
submissions to meet the requirements of
section 110(a)(2) for the 1997 8-hour
ozone NAAQS by December 15, 2007.
Subsequently, EPA received an
extension of the date to complete this
Federal Register notice until March 17,
2008, based upon agreement to make the
findings with respect to submissions
made by January 7, 2008. In accordance
with the consent decree, EPA made
completeness findings for each state
based upon what the Agency had
received from each state as of January 7,
3 EPA issued a revised 8-hour ozone standard on
March 27, 2008 (73 FR 16436). On September 16,
2009, the EPA Administrator announced that EPA
would take rulemaking action to reconsider the
2008 primary and secondary ozone NAAQS. On
January 19, 2010, EPA proposed to set different
primary and secondary ozone standards than those
set in 2008 to provide requisite protection of public
health and welfare, respectively (75 FR 2938). The
final reconsidered ozone NAAQS have yet to be
promulgated.
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2008. With regard to the 1997 PM2.5
NAAQS, EPA entered into a consent
decree with Earthjustice, which
required EPA, among other things, to
complete a Federal Register notice
announcing EPA’s determinations
pursuant to section 110(k)(1)(B) of the
Act as to whether each state had made
complete submissions to meet the
requirements of section 110(a)(2) for the
1997 PM2.5 NAAQS by October 5, 2008.
On March 27, 2008 and October 22,
2008, we published findings concerning
whether states had made the 110(a)(2)
submissions for the 1997 ozone (73 FR
16205) and PM2.5 standards (73 FR
62902). In the March 27, 2008 action,
we found that New Mexico (including
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County)
addressed all but one of the
requirements of section 110(a)(2) of the
Act necessary to implement the 1997
ozone NAAQS. As required by section
110(a)(2)(C) and (J), New Mexico failed
to submit a SIP addressing changes to
the part C Prevention of Significant
Deterioration (PSD) permit program
required by the November 29, 2005 (70
FR 71612, page 71699) final rule that
made NOX a precursor for ozone in the
part C regulations at 40 CFR 51.166 and
in 40 CFR 52.21. Subsequent to this
finding, the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County PSD program was revised to
implement the 8-hour ozone NAAQS by
adopting regulations to implement NOX
as a precursor for ozone on December
22, 2005 and April 13, 2006. These
revisions were submitted as SIP
revisions by the Governor of New
Mexico on May 24, 2006. EPA SIPapproved the December 22, 2005 PSD
revisions on April 26, 2007 (72 FR
20728). In the October 22, 2008 action,
we found that New Mexico (including
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County) made
complete submissions intended to
provide for the basic program elements
specified in section 110(a)(2) of the Act
necessary to implement the 1997 PM2.5
NAAQS.
On October 2, 2007 we issued
‘‘Guidance on SIP Elements Required
Under Section 110(a)(1) and (2) for the
1997 8-hour Ozone and PM2.5 National
Ambient Air Quality Standards,’’
Memorandum from William T. Harnett,
Director, Air Quality Policy Division
(AQPD), Office of Air Quality Planning
and Standards (OAQPS).4 On September
25, 2009, we issued ‘‘Guidance on SIP
Elements Required Under Sections
110(a)(1) and (2) for the 2006 24-Hour
Fine Particle (PM2.5) National Ambient
Air Quality Standards (NAAQS),’’
4 This and any other guidance documents
referenced in this action are in the docket for this
rulemaking.
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Memorandum also from William T.
Harnett, Director, AQPD, OAQPS. Each
of these guidance memos addresses the
SIP elements found in 110(a)(2). In each
of these guidance memos, the guidance
states that, to the extent that existing
SIPs already meet the requirements,
states need only certify that fact to us.
On December 11, 2007, EPA received
a SIP submittal from Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County, certifying that its
portion of the New Mexico SIP includes
all the requirements in section 110(a)(1)
and (2) of the Act for implementation of
the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS.
On April 7, 2008 the Governor of New
Mexico submitted a certification letter
addressing Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County’s requirements under section
110(a)(1) and (2) of the Act for
implementation of the 1997 PM2.5
NAAQS. The letter certified what
sections of the New Mexico SIP
(including Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County) were met, as well as what
sections needed to be revised to comply
with the 110(a)(1) and (2)
requirements.5 The letter identified
proposed revisions to the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County SIP and a timeline for
finalizing the revisions.
On May 24, 2006 and August 16,
2010, the Governor of New Mexico
submitted revisions to the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County portion of the New
Mexico SIP to adopt and implement
PSD permitting regulations to meet the
federal requirements for implementation
of the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. The
submissions also included revisions to
the SIP to provide for NOX to be treated
as a precursor to ozone formation in the
preconstruction permitting program for
PSD. Also in the August 16, 2010
submittal, the Governor included an
Infrastructure SIP ‘‘Completeness
Checklist,’’ certifying how
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County met all
the requirements of section 110(a)(1)
and (2) of the Act. We are proposing
action on these items in today’s
rulemaking.
Additional information: EPA is
currently acting upon SIPs that address
the infrastructure requirements of CAA
section 110(a)(1) and (2) for ozone and
PM2.5 NAAQS for various states across
the country. Commenters on EPA’s
recent proposals for some states raised
concerns about EPA statements that it
was not addressing certain substantive
issues in the context of acting on those
5 Specifically, the letter stated that New Mexico
needed to revise its rules as follows: To include
PM2.5 in its definition of major sources; to include
PM2.5 in the definition of NAAQS and precursors
of a criteria pollutant; to include significant harm
levels for PM2.5; and to include NOX as a precursor
for ozone.
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infrastructure SIP submissions.6 Those
commenters specifically raised concerns
involving provisions in existing SIPs
and with EPA’s statements in other
proposals that it would address two
issues separately and not as part of
actions on the infrastructure SIP
submissions: (i) Existing provisions
related to excess emissions during
periods of start-up, shutdown, or
malfunction at sources, that may be
contrary to the CAA and EPA’s policies
addressing such excess emissions
(‘‘SSM’’); and (ii) existing provisions
related to ‘‘director’s variance’’ or
‘‘director’s discretion’’ that purport to
permit revisions to SIP approved
emissions limits with limited public
process or without requiring further
approval by EPA, that may be contrary
to the CAA (‘‘director’s discretion’’).
EPA notes that there are two other
substantive issues for which EPA
likewise stated in other proposals that it
would address the issues separately: (i)
Existing provisions for minor source
new source review programs that may
be inconsistent with the requirements of
the CAA and EPA’s regulations that
pertain to such programs (‘‘minor source
NSR’’); and (ii) existing provisions for
Prevention of Significant Deterioration
programs that may be inconsistent with
current requirements of EPA’s ‘‘Final
NSR Improvement Rule,’’ 67 FR 80186
(December 31, 2002), as amended by 72
FR 32526 (June 13, 2007) (‘‘NSR
Reform’’). In light of the comments, EPA
believes that its statements in various
proposed actions on infrastructure SIPs
with respect to these four individual
issues should be explained in greater
depth. It is important to emphasize that
EPA is taking the same position with
respect to these four substantive issues
in this action on the infrastructure SIP
submittals for the 1997 and 2008 8-hour
ozone NAAQS and the 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS submissions from
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County.
EPA intended the statements in the
other proposals concerning these four
issues merely to be informational, and
to provide general notice of the
potential existence of provisions within
the existing SIPs of some states that
might require future corrective action.
EPA did not want states, regulated
entities, or members of the public to be
under the misconception that the
6 See, Comments of Midwest Environmental
Defense Center, dated May 31, 2011. Docket # EPA–
R05–OAR–2007–1179 (adverse comments on
proposals for three states in Region 5). EPA notes
that these public comments on another proposal are
not relevant to this rulemaking and do not have to
be directly addressed in this rulemaking. EPA will
respond to these comments in the appropriate
rulemaking action to which they apply.
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Agency’s approval of the infrastructure
SIP submission of a given state should
be interpreted as a re-approval of certain
types of provisions that might exist
buried in the larger existing SIP for such
state. Thus, for example, EPA explicitly
noted that the Agency believes that
some states may have existing SIP
approved SSM provisions that are
contrary to the CAA and EPA policy,
but that ‘‘in this rulemaking, EPA is not
proposing to approve or disapprove any
existing State provisions with regard to
excess emissions during SSM of
operations at facilities.’’ EPA further
explained, for informational purposes,
‘‘EPA plans to address such State
regulations in the future.’’ EPA made
similar statements, for similar reasons,
with respect to the director’s discretion,
minor source NSR, and NSR Reform
issues. EPA’s objective was to make
clear that approval of an infrastructure
SIP for these ozone and PM2.5 NAAQS
should not be construed as explicit or
implicit reapproval of any existing
provisions that relate to these four
substantive issues. EPA is reiterating
that position in this action on these
infrastructure SIP submittals for
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County.
Unfortunately, the commenters and
others evidently interpreted these
statements to mean that EPA considered
action upon the SSM provisions and the
other three substantive issues to be
integral parts of acting on an
infrastructure SIP submission, and
therefore that EPA was merely
postponing taking final action on the
issues in the context of the
infrastructure SIPs. This was not EPA’s
intention. To the contrary, EPA only
meant to convey its awareness of the
potential for certain types of
deficiencies in existing SIPs, and to
prevent any misunderstanding that it
was reapproving any such existing
provisions. EPA’s intention was to
convey its position that the statute does
not require that infrastructure SIPs
address these specific substantive issues
in existing SIPs and that these issues
may be dealt with separately, outside
the context of acting on the
infrastructure SIP submission of a state.
To be clear, EPA did not mean to imply
that it was not taking a full final agency
action on the infrastructure SIP
submission with respect to any
substantive issue that EPA considers to
be a required part of acting on such
submissions under section 110(k) or
under section 110(c). Given the
confusion evidently resulting from
EPA’s statements in those other
proposals, however, we want to explain
more fully the Agency’s reasons for
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concluding that these four potential
substantive issues in existing SIPs may
be addressed separately from actions on
infrastructure SIP submissions.
The requirement for the SIP
submissions at issue arises out of CAA
section 110(a)(1). That provision
requires that states must make a SIP
submission ‘‘within 3 years (or such
shorter period as the Administrator may
prescribe) after the promulgation of a
national primary ambient air quality
standard (or any revision thereof)’’ and
that these SIPs are to provide for the
‘‘implementation, maintenance, and
enforcement’’ of such NAAQS. Section
110(a)(2) includes a list of specific
elements that ‘‘[e]ach such plan’’
submission must meet. EPA has
historically referred to these particular
submissions that states must make after
the promulgation of a new or revised
NAAQS as ‘‘infrastructure SIPs.’’ This
specific term does not appear in the
statute, but EPA uses the term to
distinguish this particular type of SIP
submission designed to address basic
structural requirements of a SIP from
other types of SIP submissions designed
to address other different requirements,
such as ‘‘nonattainment SIP’’
submissions required to address the
nonattainment planning requirements of
part D, ‘‘regional haze SIP’’ submissions
required to address the visibility
protection requirements of CAA section
169A, new source review permitting
program submissions required to
address the requirements of part D, and
a host of other specific types of SIP
submissions that address other specific
matters.
Although section 110(a)(1) addresses
the timing and general requirements for
these infrastructure SIPs, and section
110(a)(2) provides more details
concerning the required contents of
these infrastructure SIPs, EPA believes
that many of the specific statutory
provisions are facially ambiguous. In
particular, the list of required elements
provided in section 110(a)(2) contains a
wide variety of disparate provisions,
some of which pertain to required legal
authority, some of which pertain to
required substantive provisions, and
some of which pertain to requirements
for both authority and substantive
provisions.7 Some of the elements of
section 110(a)(2) are relatively
7 For example, section 110(a)(2)(E) provides that
states must provide assurances that they have
adequate legal authority under state and local law
to carry out the SIP; section 110(a)(2)(C) provides
that states must have a substantive program to
address certain sources as required by part C of the
CAA; section 110(a)(2)(G) provides that states must
have both legal authority to address emergencies
and substantive contingency plans in the event of
such an emergency.
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straightforward, but others clearly
require interpretation by EPA through
rulemaking, or recommendations
through guidance, in order to give
specific meaning for a particular
NAAQS.8
Notwithstanding that section 110(a)(2)
provides that ‘‘each’’ SIP submission
must meet the list of requirements
therein, EPA has long noted that this
literal reading of the statute is internally
inconsistent, insofar as section
110(a)(2)(I) pertains to nonattainment
SIP requirements that could not be met
on the schedule provided for these SIP
submissions in section 110(a)(1).9 This
illustrates that EPA must determine
which provisions of section 110(a)(2)
may be applicable for a given
infrastructure SIP submission.
Similarly, EPA has previously decided
that it could take action on different
parts of the larger, general
‘‘infrastructure SIP’’ for a given NAAQS
without concurrent action on all
subsections, such as section
110(a)(2)(D)(i), because the Agency
bifurcated the action on these latter
‘‘interstate transport’’ provisions within
section 110(a)(2) and worked with states
to address each of the four prongs of
section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) with substantive
administrative actions proceeding on
different tracks with different
schedules.10 This illustrates that EPA
may conclude that subdividing the
applicable requirements of section
110(a)(2) into separate SIP actions may
sometimes be appropriate for a given
NAAQS where a specific substantive
action is necessitated, beyond a mere
submission addressing basic structural
aspects of the state’s SIP. Finally, EPA
notes that not every element of section
8 For example, section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) requires
EPA to be sure that each state’s SIP contains
adequate provisions to prevent significant
contribution to nonattainment of the NAAQS in
other states. This provision contains numerous
terms that require substantial rulemaking by EPA in
order to determine such basic points as what
constitutes significant contribution. See, e.g., ‘‘Rule
To Reduce Interstate Transport of Fine Particulate
Matter and Ozone (Clean Air Interstate Rule);
Revisions to Acid Rain Program; Revisions to the
NOX SIP Call; Final Rule,’’ 70 FR 25162 (May 12,
2005) (defining, among other things, the phrase
‘‘contribute significantly to nonattainment’’).
9 See, e.g., Id., 70 FR 25162, at 63–65 (May 12,
2005) (explaining relationship between timing
requirement of section 110(a)(2)(D) versus section
110(a)(2)(I)).
10 EPA issued separate guidance to states with
respect to SIP submissions to meet section
110(a)(2)(D)(i) for the 1997 ozone and 1997 PM2.5
NAAQS. See, ‘‘Guidance for State Implementation
Plan (SIP) Submissions to Meet Current
Outstanding Obligations Under Section
110(a)(2)(D)(i) for the 8-Hour Ozone and PM2.5
National Ambient Air Quality Standards,’’ from
William T. Harnett, Director AQPD, OAQPS, to
Regional Air Division Directors, Regions I–X, dated
August 15, 2006.
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110(a)(2) would be relevant, or as
relevant, or relevant in the same way,
for each new or revised NAAQS and the
attendant infrastructure SIP submission
for that NAAQS. For example, the
monitoring requirements that might be
necessary for purposes of section
110(a)(2)(B) for one NAAQS could be
very different than what might be
necessary for a different pollutant. Thus,
the content of an infrastructure SIP
submission to meet this element from a
state might be very different for an
entirely new NAAQS, versus a minor
revision to an existing NAAQS.11
Similarly, EPA notes that other types
of SIP submissions required under the
statute also must meet the requirements
of section 110(a)(2), and this also
demonstrates the need to identify the
applicable elements for other SIP
submissions. For example,
nonattainment SIPs required by part D
likewise have to meet the relevant
subsections of section 110(a)(2) such as
section 110(a)(2)(A) or (E). By contrast,
it is clear that nonattainment SIPs
would not need to meet the portion of
section 110(a)(2)(C) that pertains to part
C, i.e., the PSD requirements applicable
in attainment areas. Nonattainment SIPs
required by part D also would not need
to address the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(G) with respect to emergency
episodes, as such requirements would
not be limited to nonattainment areas.
As this example illustrates, each type of
SIP submission may implicate some
subsections of section 110(a)(2) and not
others.
Given the potential for ambiguity of
the statutory language of section
110(a)(1) and (2), EPA believes that it is
appropriate for EPA to interpret that
language in the context of acting on the
infrastructure SIPs for a given NAAQS.
Because of the inherent ambiguity of the
list of requirements in section 110(a)(2),
EPA has adopted an approach in which
it reviews infrastructure SIPs against
this list of elements ‘‘as applicable.’’ In
other words, EPA assumes that Congress
could not have intended that each and
every SIP submission, regardless of the
purpose of the submission or the
NAAQS in question, would meet each
of the requirements, or meet each of
them in the same way. EPA elected to
use guidance to make recommendations
for infrastructure SIPs for these ozone
and PM2.5 NAAQS.
On October 2, 2007, EPA issued
guidance making recommendations for
the infrastructure SIP submissions for
11 For example, implementation of the 1997 PM
2.5
NAAQS required the deployment of a system of
new monitors to measure ambient levels of that new
indicator species for the new NAAQS.
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both the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS and
the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS.12 Within this
guidance document, EPA described the
duty of states to make these submissions
to meet what the Agency characterized
as the ‘‘infrastructure’’ elements for
SIPs, which it further described as the
‘‘basic SIP requirements, including
emissions inventories, monitoring, and
modeling to assure attainment and
maintenance of the standards.’’ 13 As
further identification of these basic
structural SIP requirements,
‘‘attachment A’’ to the guidance
document included a short description
of the various elements of section
110(a)(2) and additional information
about the types of issues that EPA
considered germane in the context of
such infrastructure SIPs. EPA
emphasized that the description of the
basic requirements listed on attachment
A was not intended ‘‘to constitute an
interpretation of’’ the requirements, and
was merely a ‘‘brief description of the
required elements.’’ 14 EPA also stated
its belief that with one exception, these
requirements were ‘‘relatively self
explanatory, and past experience with
SIPs for other NAAQS should enable
States to meet these requirements with
assistance from EPA Regions.’’ 15 For the
one exception to that general
assumption, however, i.e., how states
should proceed with respect to the
requirements of section 110(a)(2)(G) for
the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS, EPA gave much
more specific recommendations. But for
other infrastructure SIP submittals, and
for certain elements of the submittals for
the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS, EPA assumed
that each State would work with its
corresponding EPA regional office to
refine the scope of a State’s submittal
based on an assessment of how the
requirements of section 110(a)(2) should
reasonably apply to the basic structure
of the State’s SIP for the NAAQS in
question.
On September 25, 2009, EPA issued
guidance to make recommendations to
states with respect to the infrastructure
12 See, ‘‘Guidance on SIP Elements Required
Under Section 110(a)(1) and (2) for the 1997 8-hour
Ozone and PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality
Standards,’’ from William T. Harnett, Director
AQPD, OAQPS, to Air Division Directors, Regions
I-X, dated October 2, 2007 (the ‘‘2007 Guidance’’).
13 Id., at page 2.
14 Id., at attachment A, page 1.
15 Id., at page 4. In retrospect, the concerns raised
by commenters with respect to EPA’s approach to
some substantive issues indicates that the statute is
not so ‘‘self explanatory,’’ and indeed is sufficiently
ambiguous that EPA needs to interpret it in order
to explain why these substantive issues do not need
to be addressed in the context of infrastructure SIPs
and may be addressed at other times and by other
means.
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SIPs for the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.16 In the
2009 Guidance, EPA addressed a
number of additional issues that were
not germane to the infrastructure SIPs
for the 1997 8-hour ozone and 1997
PM2.5 NAAQS, but were germane to
these SIP submissions for the 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS, e.g., the requirements of
section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) that EPA had
bifurcated from the other infrastructure
elements for those specific 1997 ozone
and PM2.5 NAAQS.
Significantly, neither the 2007
Guidance nor the 2009 Guidance
explicitly referred to the SSM, director’s
discretion, minor source NSR, or NSR
Reform issues as among specific
substantive issues EPA expected states
to address in the context of the
infrastructure SIPs, nor did EPA give
any more specific recommendations
with respect to how states might address
such issues even if they elected to do so.
The SSM and director’s discretion
issues implicate section 110(a)(2)(A),
and the minor source NSR and NSR
Reform issues implicate section
110(a)(2)(C). In the 2007 Guidance and
the 2009 Guidance, however, EPA did
not indicate to states that it intended to
interpret these provisions as requiring a
substantive submission to address these
specific issues in existing SIP provisions
in the context of the infrastructure SIPs
for these NAAQS. Instead, EPA’s 2007
Guidance merely indicated its belief
that the states should make submissions
in which they established that they have
the basic SIP structure necessary to
implement, maintain, and enforce the
NAAQS. EPA believes that states can
establish that they have the basic SIP
structure, notwithstanding that there
may be potential deficiencies within the
existing SIP. Thus, EPA’s proposals for
other states mentioned these issues not
because the Agency considers them
issues that must be addressed in the
context of an infrastructure SIP as
required by section 110(a)(1) and (2),
but rather because EPA wanted to be
clear that it considers these potential
existing SIP problems as separate from
the pending infrastructure SIP actions.
The same holds true for this action on
the infrastructure SIP submittals for
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County.
EPA believes that this approach to the
infrastructure SIP requirement is
reasonable, because it would not be
feasible to read section 110(a)(1) and (2)
to require a top to bottom, stem to stern,
16 See, ‘‘Guidance on SIP Elements Required
Under Sections 110(a)(1) and (2) for the 2006 24Hour Fine Particle (PM2.5) National Ambient Air
Quality Standards (NAAQS),’’ from William T,
Harnett, Director AQPD, OAQPS, to Regional Air
Division Directors, Regions I–X, dated September
25, 2009 (the ‘‘2009 Guidance’’).
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review of each and every provision of an
existing SIP merely for purposes of
assuring that the state in question has
the basic structural elements for a
functioning SIP for a new or revised
NAAQS. Because SIPs have grown by
accretion over the decades as statutory
and regulatory requirements under the
CAA have evolved, they may include
some outmoded provisions and
historical artifacts that, while not fully
up to date, nevertheless may not pose a
significant problem for the purposes of
‘‘implementation, maintenance, and
enforcement’’ of a new or revised
NAAQS when EPA considers the overall
effectiveness of the SIP. To the contrary,
EPA believes that a better approach is
for EPA to determine which specific SIP
elements from section 110(a)(2) are
applicable to an infrastructure SIP for a
given NAAQS, and to focus attention on
those elements that are most likely to
need a specific SIP revision in light of
the new or revised NAAQS. Thus, for
example, EPA’s 2007 Guidance
specifically directed states to focus on
the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(G)
for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS because of
the absence of underlying EPA
regulations for emergency episodes for
this NAAQS and an anticipated absence
of relevant provisions in existing SIPs.
Finally, EPA believes that its
approach is a reasonable reading of
section 110(a)(1) and (2) because the
statute provides other avenues and
mechanisms to address specific
substantive deficiencies in existing SIPs.
These other statutory tools allow the
Agency to take appropriate tailored
action, depending upon the nature and
severity of the alleged SIP deficiency.
Section 110(k)(5) authorizes EPA to
issue a ‘‘SIP call’’ whenever the Agency
determines that a state’s SIP is
substantially inadequate to attain or
maintain the NAAQS, to mitigate
interstate transport, or otherwise to
comply with the CAA.17 Section
110(k)(6) authorizes EPA to correct
errors in past actions, such as past
approvals of SIP submissions.18
17 EPA has recently issued a SIP call to rectify a
specific SIP deficiency related to the SSM issue.
See, ‘‘Finding of Substantial Inadequacy of
Implementation Plan; Call for Utah State
Implementation Plan Revision,’’ 76 FR 21639 (April
18, 2011).
18 EPA has recently utilized this authority to
correct errors in past actions on SIP submissions
related to PSD programs. See, ‘‘Limitation of
Approval of Prevention of Significant Deterioration
Provisions Concerning Greenhouse Gas EmittingSources in State Implementation Plans; Final Rule,’’
75 FR 82536 (December 30, 2010). EPA has
previously used its authority under CAA 110(k)(6)
to remove numerous other SIP provisions that the
Agency determined it had approved in error. See,
e.g., 61 FR 38664 (July 25, 1996) and 62 FR 34641
(June 27, 1997) (corrections to American Samoa,
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Significantly, EPA’s determination that
an action on the infrastructure SIP
submittal is not the appropriate time
and place to address all potential
existing SIP problems does not preclude
the Agency’s subsequent reliance on
provisions in section 110(a)(2) as part of
the basis for action at a later time. For
example, although it may not be
appropriate to require a state to
eliminate all existing inappropriate
director’s discretion provisions in the
course of acting on the infrastructure
SIP, EPA believes that section
110(a)(2)(A) may be among the statutory
bases that the Agency cites in the course
of addressing the issue in a subsequent
action.19
2. Section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) Interstate
Transport SIP Elements
Section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) pertains to
interstate transport of certain emissions.
On August 15, 2006, the EPA issued its
‘‘Guidance for State Implementation
Plan (SIP) Submission to Meet Current
Outstanding Obligations Under Section
110(a)(2)(D)(i) for the 8-Hour Ozone and
PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality
Standards’’ (2006 Guidance). EPA
developed the 2006 Guidance to make
recommendations to states for making
submissions to meet the requirements of
section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) for the 1997 8hour ozone standards and the 1997
PM2.5 standards. As identified in the
2006 Guidance, the ‘‘good neighbor’’
provisions in section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)
require each state to submit a SIP that
prohibits emissions that adversely affect
another state in the ways contemplated
in the statute. Section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)
contains four distinct requirements
(prongs) related to the impacts of
interstate transport. The SIP must
prevent sources in the state from
emitting pollutants in amounts which
will: (1) Contribute significantly to
nonattainment of the NAAQS in other
states; (2) interfere with maintenance of
the NAAQS in other states; (3) interfere
with provisions to prevent significant
deterioration of air quality in other
states; and (4) interfere with efforts to
protect visibility in other states.
On September 12, 2007 and August
25, 2010 (dated August 16, 2010), we
received SIP submissions from the
Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada SIPs); 69
FR 67062 (November 16, 2004) (corrections to
California SIP); and 74 FR 57051 (November 3,
2009) (corrections to Arizona and Nevada SIPs).
19 EPA has recently disapproved a SIP submission
from Colorado on the grounds that it would have
included a director’s discretion provision
inconsistent with CAA requirements, including
section 110(a)(2)(A). See, e.g., 75 FR 42342 at 42344
(July 21, 2010) (proposed disapproval of director’s
discretion provisions); 76 FR 4540 (January 26,
2011) (final disapproval of such provisions).
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Governor of New Mexico intended to
address the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(D)(i) for both the 1997 8-hour
ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA
approved a portion of the 2007 SIP
submittal—the first prong—that pertains
to preventing sources in one state from
emitting pollutants in amounts that will
contribute significantly to
nonattainment of the 1997 ozone and
1997 PM2.5 NAAQS in any other state
(75 FR 68447, November 8, 2010). In
today’s action, we are also addressing a
portion of that submittal—the third
prong—that pertains to preventing
sources in Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County from emitting pollutants that
will interfere with measures required to
prevent significant deterioration of air
quality in other states. In its submission,
New Mexico indicated that its current
PSD NSR SIP is adequate to prevent
such interference. In a separate
rulemaking, EPA is taking action on the
requirement regarding interference with
efforts to protect visibility in other
states. The remaining prong, which
addresses interference with
maintenance of the NAAQS in other
states, will be evaluated in a separate
rulemaking.
3. Revisions to the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County PSD SIP
Today’s rulemaking includes the
review and analysis of two separate
revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County SIP for PSD permitting
submitted to EPA on May 24, 2006 and
August 16, 2010, that include provisions
to implement the 1997 and 2008 8-hour
ozone NAAQS and the 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS. We note that the AQCB
also provided revisions to the NNSR
permitting program in the August 16,
2010 submittal. EPA is severing the
August 16, 2010 revisions to the NNSR
SIP from our proposed action.20 The
NNSR SIP is a separate permit program
for nonattainment areas that functions
independently from the PSD program
and is authorized under Part D of the
Title I of the CAA. As explained
previously in section I.C.1 of this
proposed rule, the Albuquerque
infrastructure SIP review does not
include evaluation of NNSR provisions
at this time. EPA will address the NNSR
SIP revisions in a separate rulemaking.
20 These portions are severable. By which, we
mean that the portions of the SIP revision required
by EPA’s Implementation of the New Source
Review (NSR) Program for Particulate Matter Less
Than 2.5 Micrometers rule can be implemented
independently of the remaining portions of the
submittal, without affecting the stringency of the
submitted rules. In addition, the remaining portions
of the submittal are not necessary for approval of
the provisions implementing the PM2.5 NAAQS.
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a. Revisions To Address the 1997 and
2008 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS
On May 24, 2006 and August 16,
2010, the Governor submitted revisions
to the PSD SIP that include, but are not
limited to, revisions that provide for
NOX to be treated as a precursor to
ozone formation in the preconstruction
permitting program for PSD, found at
Title 20, Chapter 11, Section 61 of the
New Mexico Administrative Code
(20.11.61 NMAC). We are proposing to
approve portions of two revisions to the
PSD SIP that include revisions to
20.11.61 NMAC as submitted to EPA on
May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010
respectively, which implement the
provisions for NOX as a precursor for
ozone, consistent with the 1997 8-hour
ozone NAAQS as published in the
November 29, 2005 FRN. EPA finds that
these revisions are necessary for
implementation of the 1997 and 2008
ozone standard. As discussed further in
our Technical Support Document (TSD),
these revisions adopted by the AQCB
meet the requirements of the CAA and
EPA’s PSD SIP rules and are consistent
with EPA’s policy and guidance
regarding the PSD permit program.
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b. Revisions To Address the 1997 and
2006 PM2.5 NAAQS
To implement the PSD permitting
component of section 110(a)(2)(C) for
the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 standards,
states were required to submit the
necessary SIP revisions to EPA by May
16, 2011 under EPA’s Implementation of
the New Source Review (NSR) Program
for Particulate Matter Less Than 2.5
Micrometers (73 FR 28321, May 16,
2008; hereafter referred to as ‘‘2008
PM2.5 NSR rule’’). On July 14, 2010, the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County AQCB
adopted revisions to the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County SIP to amend their
PSD and NNSR programs to implement
PM2.5 NAAQS. These revisions became
effective on August 30, 2010. The
Governor submitted these changes to
EPA as a SIP revision on August 16,
2010. As noted previously, we are
proposing action on only the PSD
revisions at this time. We are proposing
to approve portions of the revisions to
the PSD SIP at 20.11.61 NMAC
submitted on August 16, 2010 that
implement the provisions for PM2.5
permitting, including the identification
of PM2.5 precursors and significant
emission rates, consistent with the
requirements as published in the 2008
PM2.5 NSR rule to adequately implement
the 1997 and 2006 NAAQS. As
discussed further in our TSD, these
revisions adopted by the Albuquerque/
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Bernalillo County AQCB meet the
requirements of the CAA and EPA’s PSD
SIP rules and are consistent with EPA’s
policy and guidance regarding the PSD
permit program.
c. Revisions To Address the Greenhouse
Gas (GHG) Permitting Requirements
EPA has recently undertaken a series
of actions pertaining to the regulation of
GHGs that, although for the most part
are distinct from one another, establish
the overall framework for today’s
proposed action on the Albuquerque
infrastructure SIP. Four of these actions
include, as they are commonly called,
the ‘‘Endangerment Finding’’ and
‘‘Cause or Contribute Finding,’’ which
EPA issued in a single final action,21 the
‘‘Johnson Memo Reconsideration,’’ 22
the ‘‘Light-Duty Vehicle Rule,’’ 23 and
the ‘‘Tailoring Rule.’’ 24 Taken together
and in conjunction with the CAA, these
actions established regulatory
requirements for GHGs emitted from
new motor vehicles and new motor
vehicle engines; determined that such
regulations, when they took effect on
January 2, 2011, subjected GHGs
emitted from stationary sources to PSD
requirements; and limited the
applicability of PSD requirements to
GHG sources on a phased-in basis. EPA
took this last action in the Tailoring
Rule, which, more specifically,
established appropriate GHG emission
thresholds for determining the
applicability of PSD requirements to
GHG-emitting sources.
On December 15, 2010, the Governor
of New Mexico submitted to EPA a SIP
revision that modified Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County’s PSD program to
establish appropriate emission
thresholds for determining which new
stationary sources and modification
projects become subject to
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County’s PSD
permitting requirements for their GHG
emissions. The regulatory revisions that
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County
submitted, on December 15, 2010,
incorporate the Tailoring Rule
thresholds, thereby (i) assuring that,
under State law, only sources at or
21 ‘‘Endangerment and Cause or Contribute
Findings for Greenhouse Gases Under Section
202(a) of the Clean Air Act.’’ 74 FR 66496
(December 15, 2009).
22 ‘‘Interpretation of Regulations that Determine
Pollutants Covered by Clean Air Act Permitting
Programs.’’ 75 FR 17004 (April 2, 2010).
23 ‘‘Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission
Standards and Corporate Average Fuel Economy
Standards; Final Rule.’’ 75 FR 25324 (May 7, 2010).
24 Prevention of Significant Deterioration and
Title V Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule; Final Rule.’’
75 FR 31514 (June 3, 2010).
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above the Tailoring Rule thresholds
would be subject to PSD; and (ii)
avoiding confusion under the federallyapproved SIP by clarifying that the SIP
applies only to sources at or above the
Tailoring Rule thresholds. EPA
determined that the PSD SIP revision
met the requirements of section 110 and
part C of the CAA and EPA regulations
regarding PSD permitting for GHGs, and
EPA approved the PSD SIP revision
effective January 30, 2012. (See 76 FR
81836).
d. Revisions To Maintain Consistency
With the Federal PSD Requirements
In addition to the revisions submitted
on May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010
to implement the 1997 and 2008 8-hour
ozone NAAQS and the 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS, Albuquerque also
adopted and submitted several revisions
to the general PSD program to maintain
consistency with the Federal PSD
requirements. It is incumbent on a
permitting authority to routinely review
and update the SIP to maintain
consistency with the Federal
requirements and submit these revisions
as appropriate for review and
incorporation into the state’s SIP. As
further explained in the TSD, EPA finds
that these revisions are consistent with
the Federal PSD requirements at 40 CFR
51.166 and necessary to implement the
Albuquerque PSD SIP.
4. Additional Revisions to the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
On November 6, 2009, the Governor
submitted a SIP revision that included
among other things, updating the SIP
rule entitled Ambient Air Quality
Standards. We are taking this
opportunity to evaluate and propose
action on the Ambient Air Quality
Standard SIP portion of the 2009
submission. EPA is not taking action on
the other severable portions of
November 2009 SIP revision submittal
at this time.
D. What elements are required under
section 110(a)(2)?
Pursuant to the October 2, 2007 EPA
guidance for addressing the SIP
infrastructure elements required under
sections 110(a)(1) and (2) for the 1997
ozone and 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS, there are 14 essential
components that must be included in
the SIP. These are listed in Table 1
below.
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TABLE 1—SECTION 110(a)(2) ELEMENTS REQUIRED IN SIPS
Clean Air Act citation
Section
Section
Section
Section
Section
Section
Section
Section
Section
Section
Section
Section
Section
Section
Brief description
110(a)(2)(A) ...........................................
110(a)(2)(B) ...........................................
110(a)(2)(C) ...........................................
110(a)(2)(D) ...........................................
110(a)(2)(E) ...........................................
110(a)(2)(F) ...........................................
110(a)(2)(G) ...........................................
110(a)(2)(H) ...........................................
110(a)(2)(J) 25 ........................................
110(a)(2)(J) ............................................
110(a)(2)(J) ............................................
110(a)(2)(K) ...........................................
110(a)(2)(L) ............................................
110(a)(2)(M) ...........................................
II. What action is EPA proposing?
A. Section 110(a)(1) and (2)
In today’s action, we are proposing to
determine and approve that the
following section 110(a)(2) elements are
contained in the current Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County SIP and provide the
infrastructure for implementing the
1997 and 2008 ozone and the 1997 and
2006 PM2.5 standards: Emission limits
and other control measures (section
110(a)(2)(A)); ambient air quality
monitoring/data system (section
110(a)(2)(B)); the program for
enforcement of control measures
(section 110(a)(2)(C)); international and
interstate pollution abatement (section
110(a)(2)(D)(ii)); adequate resources
(section 110(a)(2)(E)); stationary source
monitoring system (section 110(a)(2)(F));
emergency power (section 110(a)(2)(G));
future SIP revisions (section
110(a)(2)(H)); consultation with
government officials (section
110(a)(2)(J)); public notification (section
110(a)(2)(J)); PSD and visibility
protection (section 110(a)(2)(J)); air
quality modeling/data (section
110(a)(2)(K)); permitting fees (section
110(a)(2)(L)); and consultation/
participation by affected local entities
(section 110(a)(2)(M)).
We are also proposing that
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County has
adequately addressed one of the four
required prongs of CAA section
110(a)(2)(D)(i), the interstate transport
prong, which requires that the SIP
prohibit air emissions from sources
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25 Section
110(a)(2)(I) is omitted from the list.
Section 110(a)(2)(I) pertains to the nonattainment
planning requirements of part D, Title I of the Act.
This section is not governed by the 3-year
submission deadline of section 110(a)(1) because
SIPs incorporating necessary local nonattainment
area controls are not due within 3 years after
promulgation of a new or revised NAAQS, but are
due at the time the nonattainment area plan
requirements are due pursuant to section 172. Thus
this action does not cover section 110(a)(2)(I).
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Emission limits and other control measures.
Ambient air quality monitoring/data system.
Program for enforcement of control measures.
Interstate transport.
Adequate resources.
Stationary source monitoring system.
Emergency power.
Future SIP revisions.
Consultation with government officials.
Public notification.
Prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) and visibility protection.
Air quality modeling/submission of such data.
Permitting fees.
Consultation/participation by affected local entities.
within a state from interfering with
measures required to prevent significant
deterioration of air quality in any other
state. We are proposing to determine
that emissions from sources in
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County do not
interfere with measures to prevent
significant deterioration of air quality in
any other state for the 1997 and 2008
ozone and the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS (CAA section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II)). As noted previously,
we already have found that emissions
from sources within Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County do not significantly
contribute to nonattainment of the 1997
ozone and PM2.5 standards in any other
state. We are not addressing the prongs
of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) for the 1997
and 2008 8-hour ozone and 1997 and
2006 PM2.5 NAAQS that pertain to
prohibiting air emissions with
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County from:
(1) Interfering with the maintenance of
the relevant NAAQS in any other state
and (2) interfering with the measures
required to protect visibility in any
other state. We also are not addressing
the remaining prong for the 2008 ozone
and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS that pertain to
prohibiting emissions from sources
within Albuquerque/Bernalillo County
from significantly contributing to
nonattainment in any other state. We
will take action on these prongs of
section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) for these
particular NAAQS, which address
interstate transport, in separate
rulemakings.
B. PSD Requirements
In conjunction with our proposed
finding that the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County SIP meets the section 110(a)(1)
and (2) infrastructure and interstate
transport SIP elements listed above for
the four NAAQS, we are also proposing
to approve portions of two SIP revisions
submitted by the Governor of New
Mexico to EPA on May 24, 2006 and
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August 16, 2010 to the Albuquerque
PSD Permitting Program at 20.11.61
NMAC. These revisions identify NOX as
a precursor to ozone, identify the
precursors for PM2.5 and the applicable
significant emission rates for PM2.5 PSD
permitting, and make other necessary
updates to maintain consistency with
the federal PSD permitting requirements
at 40 CFR 51.166 and 40 CFR Part 51,
Appendix W. EPA is taking no action at
this time on revisions to the
Albuquerque NNSR Permitting program
that were submitted to EPA on August
16, 2010. We find that the NNSR
permitting program revisions can be
severed from our action today on the
PSD program revisions since the NNSR
revisions are authorized under Title I,
Part D of the CAA.
C. Additional SIP Revisions
EPA also is proposing to approve a
portion of a revision submitted on
November 6, 2009 to the New Mexico
SIP for Ambient Air Quality Standards,
codified at 20.11.8 NMAC (Part 8). The
substantive revisions submitted to Part
8 revise the local ambient air quality
standards to make them consistent with
the current NAAQS.
III. How do the revisions to the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD
SIP meet EPA requirements?
A. Revisions To Address the 1997 and
2008 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS
To meet the requirements of
110(a)(2)(C) for the 1997 and 2008 ozone
standard, EPA believes the State must
have updated its PSD rules to treat NOX
as a precursor to ozone (70 FR 71612).
On May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010,
the Governor of New Mexico submitted
the provisions for NOX as a precursor
consistent with EPA’s November 29,
2005 Phase 2 rule for the 1997 8-hour
ozone NAAQS. EPA proposes to
approve the May 24, 2006 and August
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16, 2010 SIP revisions to Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County’s PSD permitting
regulations that implement the
provisions for NOX as a precursor
because EPA finds these rule revisions
necessary to implement the 1997 and
2008 ozone NAAQS. The Albuquerque
PSD program satisfies the November 29,
2005 rule as follows. A complete
analysis is provided in the TSD for this
action.
1. Revising the PSD definition of
Major Stationary Source to state that a
source major for VOC or NOX will be
considered major for ozone. EPA SIPapproved the revision to the Major
Stationary Source definition at
20.11.61.7.JJ in our April 26, 2007 final
action on the Albuquerque NSR Reform
package, see 72 FR 20728.
2. Revising the PSD definition of
Major Modification to state that any
significant emissions increase from any
emissions units or net emissions
increase at a major stationary source
that is significant for VOC or NOX shall
be considered significant for ozone.
Albuquerque adopted the revised
definition of Major Modification at
20.11.61.7.HH NMAC to include NOX as
an ozone precursor on April 13, 2006
and submitted to EPA on May 24, 2006.
3. Adding the emission rate for NOX,
as a precursor to ozone, as 40 tpy, in the
PSD definition of Significant. The
August 16, 2010 submittal revises the
definition of Significant at
20.11.61.7.YY NMAC and Table 2 at
20.11.61.27 NMAC to identify NOX as
an ozone precursor.
4. Identifying NOX as a precursor for
ozone in the definition of Regulated
NSR Pollutant. As currently SIPapproved at 20.11.61.7.VV(1), the
definition of Regulated NSR Pollutant
identifies NOX as an ozone precursor.
See EPA’s April 26, 2007 approval of
the Albuquerque NSR Reform package
at 72 FR 20728. The August 16, 2010,
revisions to the Albuquerque PSD
Program revise the definition of
Regulated NSR Pollutant to address
PM2.5 requirements (as discussed below)
but continue to identify NOX as an
ozone precursor.
5. Under the PSD requirements,
allowing for an exemption with respect
to ambient air quality monitoring data
for a source with a net emissions
increase less than 100 tpy of NOX.
Albuquerque adopted and submitted
revisions to 20.11.61.28 NMAC—Table
3 Significant Monitoring Concentrations
on May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010
to identify NOX as an ozone precursor
and allow for the aforementioned
exemption from ambient air quality
monitoring.
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B. Revisions To Address the 2008 PM2.5
NSR Rule
To meet the requirements of
110(a)(2)(C) for the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
standard, EPA believes that the State
must have updated its PSD rules to
identify the PM2.5 precursors and
significant emission rates as outlined in
our May 16, 2008 rulemaking. The
Governor of New Mexico submitted a
SIP revision on August 16, 2010 to
address the requirements of the 1997
and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA proposes
to approve the August 16, 2010 SIP
revision to Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County’s PSD permitting regulations
that implement the provisions for PM2.5
permitting because EPA finds these rule
revisions adequate and necessary to
implement the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS. The Albuquerque PSD program
satisfies the May 16, 2008 rulemaking as
follows. A complete analysis is
provided in the TSD for this action.
1. Revising the PSD definition of
Significant to identify the significant
emission rates for PM2.5 precursors.
Revisions to the Albuquerque PSD SIP
at 20.11.61.7.YY NMAC and 20.11.61.27
Table 2 NMAC were submitted on
August 16, 2010, that identify
significant emission rates for the PM2.5
precursors (10 TPY of direct PM2.5, 40
TPY of SO2, 40 TPY of NOX unless
demonstrated not to be a PM2.5
precursor).
2. Revising the PSD definition of
Regulated NSR Pollutant to identify the
PM2.5 precursors. Revisions to the
Albuquerque PSD SIP at 20.11.61.7.VV
NMAC submitted on August 16, 2010,
revise the definition of Regulated NSR
Pollutant to identify SO2 is a PM2.5
precursor in all attainment and
unclassifiable areas, NOX is presumed to
be a PM2.5 precursor in all attainment
and unclassifiable areas unless
demonstrated not to be, and VOC is
presumed not to be a PM2.5 precursor in
any attainment or unclassifiable area
unless demonstrated otherwise.
3. Reserving a section in the PSD
definition of Regulated NSR Pollutant.
The August 16, 2010 revisions to the
Albuquerque PSD SIP reserve a section
in the definition of Regulated NSR
Pollutant at 20.11.61.7.VV(5) NMAC.
4. Revising the PSD definition of
Regulated NSR Pollutant to require that
PM, PM2.5 and PM10 emissions shall
include gaseous emissions from a source
or activity which condense to form
particulate matter at ambient
temperatures. Revisions to the
Albuquerque PSD SIP at
20.11.61.7.VV(6) NMAC submitted on
August 16, 2010, revise the definition of
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Regulated NSR Pollutant to include
condensables.
5. Revising the PSD requirements for
monitoring by providing an exemption
for sources if the pollutant of interest is
less than the significant monitoring
concentration. The August 16, 2010
revisions at 20.11.61.18(H) NMAC
satisfy this requirement.
C. Revisions To Address GHG
Permitting Requirements
Albuquerque adopted and submitted
revisions to the PSD program consistent
with EPA’s GHG Tailoring Rule
requirements on January 10, 2011. EPA
evaluated and SIP-approved these PSD
provisions in a separate rulemaking on
December 29, 2011, see 76 FR 81836.
Our approval action found that
Albuquerque has the necessary rules
and resources in place to apply the PSD
permit program requirements to GHGemitting sources.
D. Revisions To Maintain Consistency
With Federal PSD Requirements
The May 24, 2006 and August 16,
2010 revisions to the Albuquerque PSD
program also included several
substantive and non-substantive
revisions necessary to maintain
consistency with the Federal PSD
requirements. The TSD for this action
includes a thorough review of each of
the revisions, including non-substantive
revisions to update internal crossreferences and reformat SIP-approved
provisions. The TSD also includes an
analysis of each of the substantive
revisions, which include revising:
• Multiple revisions to PSD
definitions at 20.11.61.7 NMAC to
maintain consistency with PSD program
requirements at 40 CFR 51.166.
Definitions substantively revised
include: ‘‘Baseline area’’, ‘‘Building,
structure, facility or installation’’,
‘‘Federally Enforceable’’, ‘‘Regulated
NSR Pollutant’’, ‘‘Significant’’, and
‘‘VOC’’;
• 20.11.61.11 NMAC to include
provisions for ‘‘hybrid tests for projects
that involve multiple types of emission
units’’ consistent with 40 CFR
51.166(a)(7)(iv)(f);
• 20.11.61.12 NMAC to include
provision for ‘‘reasonable possibility’’
consistent with 40 CFR 51.166(r)(6)(vi);
• 20.11.61.21 NMAC to update the
public notification provisions to require
that the proposed control technology
and alternatives be included in the
notice, pursuant to 40 CFR 51.166(q);
• 20.11.61.23 to provide more clarity
to the listed sources for exclusions from
increment consumption pursuant to 40
CFR 51.166(f);
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• 20.11.61.26 Table 1 NMAC to
exclude ethanol production facilities
that produce ethanol from natural
fermentation from the listed PSD major
source categories pursuant to 40 CFR
51.166(b)(1)(i)(a); and
• 20.11.61.27 Table 2 NMAC to
include significant emission rates for
municipal solid waste landfills pursuant
to 40 CFR 51.166(b)(23)(i).
IV. How has Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County addressed the elements of
section 110(a)(2)?
The Albuquerque/Bernalillo County
submittals address the elements of
Section 110(a)(2) as described below.
We provide a more detailed review and
analysis of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County infrastructure SIP elements in
the TSD, located in the docket for this
proposed rulemaking.
Enforceable emission limits and other
control measures, pursuant to section
110(a)(2)(A): Section 110(a)(2)(A)
requires that all measures and other
elements in the SIP be enforceable. This
provision does not require the submittal
of regulations or emission limits
developed specifically for attaining the
1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and 1997
and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. Those
regulations are due later as part of
attainment demonstrations.
Additionally, as explained earlier (see
footnote 2), EPA does not consider SIP
requirements triggered by the
nonattainment area mandates in part D
of Title I of the CAA to be governed by
the submission deadline of section
110(a)(1).
Enacted in 1967, the New Mexico Air
Quality Control Act (AQCA) provided
for the establishment of the
Albuquerque-Bernalillo County AQCB
as a joint local authority, acting on
behalf of both the County of Bernalillo
and the City of Albuquerque. Within the
exterior boundary of Bernalillo County,
the AQCB is authorized to adopt,
promulgate, publish, amend and repeal
regulations consistent with the New
Mexico Air Quality Control Act, and to
maintain national ambient air quality
standards and prevent or abate air
pollution, including regulations
prescribing air standards, within
Bernalillo County. Through the City of
Albuquerque’s Department of
Environmental Health, the Albuquerque
Air Quality Division (AQD) serves as the
administrative agency for the AQCB.
The AQD is authorized to administer
and enforce the provisions of the New
Mexico Air Quality Control Act within
the boundary of Bernalillo County. The
AQCB has promulgated rules to limit
and control emissions of, among other
things, PM, sulfur compounds
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(including SO2), nitrogen compounds
(including NOX), and VOCs.26 These
rules include emission limits, control
measures, permits, and compliance
schedules and are found in 20.11 NMAC
(e.g., 20.11.5 Visible Air Contaminants,
20.11.20 Fugitive Dust Control, 20.11.21
Open Burning, 20.11.22 Wood Burning,
20.11.65 Volatile Organic Compounds,
20.11.66 Process Equipment, 20.11.67
Equipment, Emissions, Limitations,
20.11.67.14 Coal Burning Equipment—
Nitrogen Dioxide, 20.11.67.15 Coal
Burning Equipment—Sulfur Dioxide,
20.11.67.17 Oil Burning Equipment—
Nitrogen Dioxide, 20.11.67.19 Oil
Burning Equipment—Sulfur Dioxide,
20.11.68 Incinerators and Crematories,
and 20.11.60 NNSR NMAC and 20.11.61
PSD NMAC).
In this action, EPA is not proposing to
approve or disapprove any existing state
provisions with regard to excess
emissions during startup, shutdown, or
malfunction (SSM) of operations at a
facility. However, EPA previously
approved provisions with regard to
excess emissions as part of the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
(20.11.49 NMAC) on February 4, 2010.
See 75 FR 5698. EPA believes that a
number of states may have SSM SIP
provisions which are contrary to the Act
and inconsistent with existing EPA
guidance,27 and the Agency plans to
address such state regulations in the
future. In the meantime, EPA
encourages any state having a deficient
SSM provision to take steps to correct
it as soon as possible. Similarly, in this
proposed action EPA does not include
a review of, and also does not propose
to take any action to approve or
disapprove, any existing SIP rules with
regard to director’s discretion or
variance provisions. EPA believes that a
number of states have such provisions
that are contrary to the Act and not
consistent with existing EPA guidance
(52 FR 45044, November 24, 1987) 28
and the Agency plans to take action in
the future to address such state
regulations. In the meantime, EPA
encourages any state having a director’s
discretion or variance provision in its
26 NO and VOCs are precursors to ozone. PM can
X
be emitted directly and secondarily formed; the
latter is the result of NOX and SO2 precursors
combining with ammonia to form ammonium
nitrate and ammonium sulfate.
27 ‘‘State Implementation Plans (SIPs): Policy
Regarding Excess Emissions During Malfunctions,
Startup, and Shutdown,’’ Memorandum from
Steven A. Herman, Assistant Administrator for
Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, and
Robert Perciasepe, Assistant Administrator for Air
and Radiation, dated September 20, 1999.
28 The section addressing exemptions and
variances is found on p. 45109 of the 1987
rulemaking.
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SIP that is contrary to the Act and
inconsistent with EPA guidance to take
steps to correct the deficiency as soon
as possible.
A detailed list of the applicable rules
at 20.11 NMAC is provided in the TSD.
The Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
contains enforceable emission limits
and other control measures, which are
in the federally enforceable SIP. EPA is
proposing to determine that the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(A) of the Act with respect to
the 1997 and 2008 ozone and the 1997
and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.
Ambient air quality monitoring/data
system, pursuant to section 110(a)(2)(B):
Section 110(a)(2)(B) requires SIPs to
include provisions for establishment
and operation of ambient air quality
monitors, collecting and analyzing
ambient air quality data, and making
these data available to EPA upon
request. The AQD operates and
maintains a network of air quality
monitors throughout Bernalillo County;
data are collected, results are quality
assured and the data are submitted to
EPA’s Air Quality System 29 on a
quarterly basis. The air quality
surveillance network undergoes annual
review by EPA. EPA evaluated
Albuquerque’s 2011 Annual Monitoring
Network Plan (AAMNP) and approved it
on January 13, 2012.30 The AQD’s
AAMNP addresses each of the criteria
pollutants, including 8-hour ozone and
PM2.5 and thus allows the AQD to
measure the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County air quality for compliance with
the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and the
1997 and 2006 PM2.5 standards.
The AQD’s air quality surveillance
network consists of nine stations that
measure ambient concentrations of the
criteria pollutants for which standards
have been established in 40 CFR Part 50
(46 FR 2655), including ozone and
PM2.5. The AQD works closely with EPA
Region 6 and the New Mexico Air
Quality Bureau to ensure that its
monitoring network meets the
requirements for monitoring networks at
40 CFR part 58 Appendix D. The AQD’s
Web site (www.cabq.gov/airquality) and
EPA’s AirNow Web site
(www.airnow.gov) contain up-to-date
information about air quality
monitoring, including a description of
the network, information about
29 The Air Quality System (AQS) is EPA’s
repository of ambient air quality data. AQS stores
data from over 10,000 monitors, 5,000 of which are
currently active. State, Local and Tribal agencies
collect the data and submit it to AQS on a periodic
basis.
30 A copy of EPA’s evaluation and approval is in
the docket for this rulemaking.
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monitoring of ozone and PM2.5, and the
daily Air Quality Index (AQI).
In summary, Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County meets the requirements to
establish, operate, and maintain an
ambient air monitoring network, collect
and analyze the monitoring data, and
make the data available to EPA upon
request. EPA is proposing to find that
the current Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County SIP meets the requirements of
section 110(a)(2)(B) of the Act for the
1997 and 2008 ozone and 1997 and
2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.
Program for enforcement of control
measures and regulation of the
modification and construction of
stationary sources, including a permit
program, pursuant to section
110(a)(2)(C): The New Mexico Air
Quality Control Act provides the AQCB
with enforcement authority and
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County has an
EPA-approved air permitting program
SIP for both major and minor sources.
The administrative proceedings for
enforcement actions, including
administrative compliance orders and
determination of penalty, are provided
in 20.11.90 NMAC (75 FR 5698,
February 4, 2010). The rules at Title 20,
Chapter 11 of NMAC address allowable
emission rates, compliance, control
technology requirements, control
schedules, monitoring and testing
requirements, and reporting and
recordkeeping requirements. These
clarify the boundaries beyond which
regulated entities in Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County can expect
enforcement action.
Bernalillo County Ordinance 94–5,
also known as the Joint Air Quality
Control Board Ordinance,31 provides
the AQD with authority to enforce
permitting provisions, and provides for
assessment of administrative
enforcement actions and administrative
penalties for violations of those permit
terms and conditions, and injunctive
relief (Bernalillo County Ordinance 94–
5, Sections 9–18). The Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County AQCB and AQD have
the necessary legal authority and
jurisdiction to adopt and implement
requirements for measuring and
monitoring air emissions and to require
owners and operators of sources to make
31 EPA approved Bernalillo County Ordinance
88–45 into the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
in a June 1, 1999 rulemaking (64 FR 29235).
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County has since amended
the ordinance and re–codified it as Bernalillo
County Ordinance 94–5. EPA will act on this
amended ordinance in a future rulemaking. For
purposes of the I–SIP discussion, we will cite to the
current ordinance. The Joint Air Quality Control
Board Ordinance 94–5 is also cited as legal
authority in 20.11.1.3 NMAC, which is SIP–
approved.
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and maintain records of the emissions.
Therefore, the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County AQCB and AQD have the
requisite legal authority to implement
and enforce the minor and major permit
revision procedures in accordance with
the requirements of the CAA.
To meet the requirement for having a
program for the regulation of the
modification and construction of any
stationary source within the areas
covered by the plan as necessary to
assure that NAAQS are achieved,
including a permit program as required
by part C and part D of the CAA,
generally, the State is required to have
SIP–approved PSD, Nonattainment, and
Minor NSR permitting programs
adequate to implement the 1997 and
2008 8-hour ozone and the 1997 and
2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. We are not
evaluating nonattainment–related
provisions, such as the nonattainment
NSR program required by part D in
110(a)(2)(C) and measures for
attainment required by section
110(a)(2)(I), as part of the infrastructure
SIPs for these four NAAQS because
these submittals are required beyond the
date (three years from NAAQS
promulgation) that section 110
infrastructure submittals are required.
PSD programs apply in areas that are
meeting the NAAQS, referred to as
attainment areas, or in areas that are
unclassifiable, referred to as
unclassifiable/attainment areas. PSD
applies to new major sources and major
modifications at existing sources. The
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD SIP
program, found at 20.11.61 NMAC, was
initially approved into the SIP on
December 21, 1993, effective January 20,
1994 at 58 FR 67330. Subsequent
revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County PSD SIP program were adopted
by the AQCB on December 14, 2005,
submitted May 24, 2006, and approved
into the SIP on April 26, 2007 at 72 FR
20728. The AQD has the authority to
issue PSD permits and enforce them
under the approved PSD SIP, while the
AQCB has appellate authority over the
permitting.32
Additionally, as explained in sections
II.B and III of this notice, EPA is
proposing to approve revisions to the
PSD program that were adopted by the
AQCB on April 13, 2006 and July 14,
32 Under the Bernalillo County Joint Air Quality
Control Board Ordinance, the AQD ‘‘shall
administer and enforce the provisions of the Air
Quality Control Act,’’ while the AQCB ‘‘shall adopt,
promulgate, publish, amend and repeal
regulations.’’ Moreover, Any person who
participated in a permitting action before the [AQD]
and who is adversely affected by such permitting
action may file a petition for hearing before the
board.’’ See Ordinance 88–45, Sections 7(A)–(H).
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2010, submitted May 24, 2006 and
August 16, 2010, respectively.
PSD Permitting for Sources that are
Major for Ozone Precursors: To
implement section 110(a)(2)(C) for the
1997 and 2008 ozone NAAQS, a state
must have updated its PSD rules to
address NOX as an ozone precursor (70
FR 71612). On May 24, 2006 and August
16, 2010, the Governor submitted the
provisions for NOX as a precursor,
consistent with EPA’s November 29,
2005 Phase 2 rule for the 1997 ozone
NAAQS (70 FR 71612) as part of its
revisions to 20.11.61 NMAC. Based on
our review and analysis of the May 24,
2006 and August 16, 2010 submittals,
EPA is proposing to approve the
following revisions to the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County PSD SIP as necessary
to implement the provision for NOX as
a precursor to ozone consistent with 70
FR 71612: revisions to 20.11.61.7.HH
Major Modification adopted April 13,
2006 and submitted May 24, 2006,
revisions to 20.11.61.7.YY Significant,
and 20.11.61.27 Table 2—Significant
Emission Rates adopted July 14, 2010
and submitted August 16, 2010;
revisions to 20.11.61.7.VV Regulated
New Source Review Pollutant adopted
July 12, 2010 and submitted August 16,
2010; and revisions to 20.11.61.28 Table
3—Significant Monitoring
Concentrations adopted on April 13,
2006 and July 14, 2010 and submitted
on May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010,
respectively. Please see sections II.B and
III of this notice and the TSD
accompanying this rulemaking for
additional information about how the
May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010 PSD
SIP revisions satisfy section 110(a)(2)(C)
for the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone
NAAQS.
PM2.5 PSD Permitting: To implement
the PSD permitting component of
section 110(a)(2)(C) for the 1997 and
2006 PM2.5 NAAQS, states were
required to submit the necessary SIP
revisions to EPA by May 16, 2011 under
EPA’s 2008 PM2.5 NSR rule. On July 14,
2010 the AQCB adopted these revisions
effective August 30, 2010. On August
16, 2010, the Governor submitted
necessary revisions to the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County SIP to amend the PSD
program to meet the 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS implementation
requirements. EPA is proposing to
approve the following revisions to the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD SIP
adopted on July 14, 2010 and submitted
on August 16, 2010 in today’s action:
revisions to 20.11.61.7.YY Significant
and 20.11.61.27 Table 2—Significant
Emission Rates; revisions to
20.11.61.7.VV Regulated NSR Pollutant;
and revisions to 20.11.61.18(H)—
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Monitoring Requirements Air Quality
Analysis. Please see sections II.B and III
of this notice and the accompanying
TSD for more information on our
approval of revisions to the PSD
Program for PM2.5 permitting.
GHG PSD Permitting: The Tailoring
Rule established thresholds that phase
in the applicability of PSD requirements
to GHG sources, starting with the largest
GHG emitters, and were designed to
relieve the overwhelming administrative
burdens and costs associated with the
dramatic increase in permitting burden
that would have resulted from applying
PSD requirements to GHG emission
increases at or above only the mass–
based statutory thresholds of 100/250
tons per year generally applicable to all
PSD–regulated pollutants starting on
January 2, 2011. However, EPA
recognized that even after it finalized
the Tailoring Rule, many SIPs with
approved PSD programs would, until
they were revised, continue to apply
PSD at the statutory thresholds, even
though the States would not have
sufficient resources to implement the
PSD program at those levels. EPA
consequently implemented its ‘‘PSD SIP
Narrowing Rule’’ and narrowed its
approval of those provisions of
previously approved SIPs that apply
PSD to GHG emissions increases from
sources emitting GHGs below the
Tailoring Rule thresholds (75 FR 82536,
December 30, 2010). Through the PSD
SIP Narrowing Rule, EPA withdrew its
previous approvals of those programs to
the extent the SIPs apply PSD to
increases in GHG emissions from GHG–
emitting sources below the Tailoring
Rule thresholds. The portions of the
PSD programs regulating GHGs from
GHG–emitting sources with emission
increases at or above the Tailoring Rule
thresholds remained approved. The
effect of EPA narrowing its approval in
this manner is that the provisions of
previously approved SIPs that apply
PSD to GHG emissions increases from
sources emitting GHGs below the
Tailoring Rule thresholds have the
status of having been submitted by the
State but not yet acted upon by EPA (75
FR 82536).
On December 15, 2010, the Governor
submitted a revision to the SIP to
establish appropriate emission
thresholds for determining which new
stationary sources and modification
projects become subject to PSD
permitting requirements for GHG
emissions. The PSD SIP revision to
address GHGs was approved by the EPA
on December 29, 2011 (76 FR 81836).
Thus, the GHG emission thresholds for
PSD applicability set forth in EPA’s
Tailoring Rule, ensuring that smaller
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GHG sources emitting less than these
thresholds are not subject to section 110
of the CAA were approved.
Minor Source Permitting: Section
110(a)(2)(C) creates a ‘‘general duty on
States to include a program in their SIP
that regulates the modification and
construction of any stationary source as
necessary to assure that the NAAQS are
achieved’’ (70 FR 71612, 71677). This
duty is often referred to as ‘‘minor
NSR.’’ EPA provides states with a
‘‘broad degree of discretion’’ in
implementing their minor NSR
programs (71 FR 48696, 48700, August
21, 2006). The ‘‘considerably less
detailed’’ regulations for minor NSR are
provided in 40 CFR 51.160 through
51.164. We have determined that the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County minor
NSR regulations at 20.11.41 NMAC
approved as part of the SIP pursuant to
section 110(a)(2)(C) regulate emissions
of ozone and its precursors and PM.
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County and
EPA have relied upon the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County SIP–approved
existing minor NSR program to ensure
that new and modified sources not
captured by the major NNSR or PSD
permitting programs do not interfere
with attainment and maintenance of the
NAAQS.
It is important to stress that EPA is
not proposing to approve or disapprove
the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County
existing minor NSR SIP program itself to
the extent that it may be inconsistent
with EPA’s regulations governing this
program. EPA believes that a number of
states may have minor NSR provisions
that are contrary to the existing EPA
regulations for this program. EPA
intends to work with states to reconcile
state minor NSR SIP programs with
EPA’s regulatory provisions for the
program. The statutory requirements of
section 110(a)(2)(C) provide for
considerable flexibility in designing
minor NSR programs, and EPA believes
it may be time to revisit the regulatory
requirements for this program in order
to give the states an appropriate level of
flexibility to design programs that meet
their particular air quality concerns,
while assuring reasonable consistency
across the country in protecting the
NAAQS with respect to new and
modified minor sources.
Based on the above, we are proposing
to find that the current Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County PSD SIP meets
section 110(a)(2)(C) with respect to the
1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and the
1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.
Interstate transport, pursuant to
section 110(a)(2)(D): Section
110(a)(2)(D) has two components,
110(a)(2)(D)(i) and 110(a)(2)(D)(ii).
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Section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) requires SIPs to
include provisions prohibiting any
source or other type of emissions
activity in one state from contributing
significantly to nonattainment,
interfering with maintenance of the
NAAQS in another state, or from
interfering with measures required to
prevent significant deterioration of air
quality or to protect visibility in another
state. Section 110(a)(2)(D)(ii) requires
SIPs to include provisions insuring
compliance with sections 115 and 126
of the Act, relating to interstate and
international pollution abatement.
PSD and interstate transport,
pursuant to section 110(a)(2)(D)(i): One
of the four prongs in section
110(a)(2)(D)(i) requires a SIP to contain
adequate provisions prohibiting
emissions that interfere with any other
state’s required measures to prevent
significant deterioration of its air
quality. This is the only element of
110(a)(2)(D)(i) on which EPA is
proposing action in this rulemaking.
EPA’s 2006 Guidance made
recommendations for SIP submissions
to meet this requirement with respect to
both the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS and
the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS.
The 2006 Guidance states that the
PSD permitting program is the primary
measure that each state must include to
prevent interference with any other
state’s required measures to prevent
significant deterioration of its air quality
in accordance with section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II).
As discussed previously in this
rulemaking with regards to section
110(a)(2)(C) and in the TSD, the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD
program is in the SIP and meets the
basic requirements for implementing the
ozone and PM2.5 NAAQS. We are
proposing to approve the portion of the
submission from August 16, 2010 that
has adequately addressed section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) of the CAA, for the
element that requires that the SIP
prohibit air pollutant emissions from
sources within a state from interfering
with measures required to prevent
significant deterioration of air quality in
any other state.
Consistent with EPA’s November 29,
2005 Phase 2 rule for the 1997 8-hour
ozone NAAQS, the State submitted SIP
revisions to modify its PSD provisions
to address NOX as an ozone precursor.
Also consistent with EPA’s 2008 PM2.5
NSR rule, the State submitted SIP
revisions to modify its PSD provisions
to adequately implement the 1997 and
2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA is approving
these revisions and they have been
discussed previously in this notice. EPA
believes that the PSD revision for the
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1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS that makes
NOX a precursor for ozone for PSD
purposes, and the PSD revisions to
implement the EPA’s 2008 PM2.5 NSR
SIP rule, taken together with the PSD
SIP and the interstate transport SIP,
satisfy the requirements of the third
element of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) for the
1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and 1997
and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS, i.e., there will
be no interference with any other state’s
required PSD measures.
We are proposing to determine that
emissions from sources in Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County do not interfere with
measures required to prevent significant
deterioration of air quality for the 1997
and 2008 8-hour ozone and 1997 and
2006 PM2.5 NAAQS in any other state.
This rulemaking action is being taken
under section 110(a) of the CAA.
In a prior action, EPA approved
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
revisions that addressed the
requirements of section
(110)(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of the CAA that
emissions from sources in Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County do not significantly
contribute to nonattainment of the 1997
8-hour ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS in
any other state (75 FR 68447). The final
rule was effective December 8, 2010.
The SIP revision demonstrated that air
pollutant emissions from sources within
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County do not
significantly contribute to
nonattainment of the relevant NAAQS
in any other state for those pollutants.
The remaining three elements of section
110(a)(2)(D)(i): (1) Do not significantly
contribute to nonattainment of the
relevant NAAQS in any other state for
the 2008 ozone NAAQS and the 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS; (2) interference with the
maintenance of the NAAQS in any other
state for all four NAAQS; (3)
interference with measures required to
protect visibility in any other state will
be evaluated and addressed in future
rulemakings.
Interstate and international pollution
abatement, pursuant to section
110(a)(2)(D)(ii): Section 110(a)(2)(D)(ii)
of the Act requires compliance with
sections 115 and 126 of the Act, relating
to interstate and international pollution
abatement. Section 115(a) addresses
endangerment of public health or
welfare in foreign countries from
pollution emitted in the United States.
Pursuant to section 115, the
Administrator has neither received nor
issued a formal notification that
emissions from Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County are endangering public health or
welfare in a foreign country. Section
126(a) of the Act requires new or
modified sources to notify neighboring
states of potential impacts from such
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sources. Albuquerque/Bernalillo County
also has no pending obligations under
section 126 of the Act.
EPA is proposing to find that the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(D)(ii) of the Act for the 1997
and 2008 ozone and 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS.
Adequate personnel, funding, and
authority, pursuant to section
110(a)(2)(E): As stated previously, the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County AQCB
is the federally delegated air quality
authority for Albuquerque and
Bernalillo County, New Mexico. The
New Mexico Air Quality Control Act
(AQCA, section 74–2–4) authorizes
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County to
locally administer and implement the
State Air Quality Control Act by
providing for a local air quality control
program. Thus, state law views
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County and the
remainder of the State of New Mexico
as distinct air quality control entities.
The AQCA also provides for the
establishment of the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County AQCB as a joint local
authority, acting on behalf of both the
County of Bernalillo and the City of
Albuquerque. Within the boundary of
Bernalillo County, the AQCB is
authorized to adopt, promulgate,
publish, amend and repeal regulations
consistent with the New Mexico Air
Quality Control Act, and to maintain
national ambient air quality standards
and prevent or abate air pollution,
including regulations prescribing air
standards, within Bernalillo County
(with the exception of tribal lands).
Through the City of Albuquerque’s
Department of Environmental Health,
the Albuquerque Air Quality Division
(AQD) serves as the administrative
agency for the AQCB. The AQD is
authorized to administer and enforce
the provisions of the New Mexico Air
Quality Control Act within the
boundary of Bernalillo County.
The City of Albuquerque and
Bernalillo County Ordinances approved
into the SIP on June 1, 1999 provide
assurances that Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County has the adequate personnel and
funding to carry out their SIP.33 The
August 16, 2010 Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County SIP submittal from the Governor
includes a discussion of funding and
personnel resources for carrying out the
programs of the SIP for demonstrating
attainment of 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 and
1997 and 2008 ozone NAAQS. The
submittals state that budgets are
approved annually by the Albuquerque
City Council, and that the annual
33 See
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budgeting process provides a periodic
update that enables the AQD to adjust
funding and personnel needs to carry
out air programs to meet the CAA. The
Bernalillo County Joint Air Quality
Ordinance authorizes the AQCB to
adopt rules, pursuant to AQCA section
74–2–7, for establishing fees, to review
and act on permit applications; amend
and review permits; conduct
inspections of facilities; and enforce the
rules and orders of permits. Fees
collected pursuant to this ordinance are
then deposited into a fund created by
section 74–2–16 of the AQCA, which
must be used by the municipality or
county only for the purpose of paying
the reasonable costs of, among other
things, reviewing and acting on permit
applications, implementing and
enforcing rules of the permit, air
monitoring, air modeling, preparing
guidance, and preparing emission
inventories.
Additionally, there are federal sources
of funding for the implementation of the
1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and 1997
and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS through, for
example, the CAA sections 103 and 105
grant funds. The AQD receives federal
funds on an annual basis, under
sections 103 and 105 of the Act, to
support its air quality programs. The
AQD has authority to collect fees for
Title V and non-Title V permit
applications, revisions, renewals and
inspections pursuant to New Mexico
AQCA, New Mexico Statutes Annotated
(NMSA) 1978 Sections 74–2–4, 74–2–5
and 74–2–7, the Bernalillo County
Ordinance 94–5 Sections 3, 4 and 7, and
the revised ordinances of Albuquerque
1994, Section 9–5–1–3, Section 9–5–1–
4 and Section 9–5–1–7. For example,
New Mexico AQCA Section 74–2–
7(B)(7) requires by regulation a schedule
of emission fees consistent with the
provisions of Section 502(b)(3) of the
1990 Amendments to the Federal Clean
Air Act. The SIP-approved regulation
that addresses permit fees, AQCB Air
Quality Control Regulation Section 21—
Permit Fees (April 10, 1980 at 45 FR
24460) was repealed and replaced by
the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County
AQCB rule effective July 1, 2001 and
recodified as 20.11.2 NMAC. It was
submitted as a SIP revision on May 24,
2011. We have proposed to approve the
revisions that repeal and replace the
existing SIP rule but have not finalized
our action (November 4, 2011, 76 FR
68385). A detailed list of the applicable
sections of the NMAC is provided in the
TSD. More specific information on
permitting fees is provided in the
discussion for 110(a)(2)(L) below and in
the TSD.
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Section 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) requires that
states comply with section 128. Section
128 requires: (1) That the majority of
members of the state body which
approves permits or enforcement orders
do not derive any significant portion of
their income from entities subject to
permitting or enforcement orders under
the CAA; and (2) any potential conflicts
of interest by such body be adequately
disclosed. On June 1,1999, the EPA
approved into the SIP the AQCB
Ordinances and provisions of the ACQA
that pertain to financial disclosures,
conflicts of interest, code of conduct
and ethical conduct for the Executive
Director and classified employees of the
agency (64 FR 29235). The EPA action,
effective August 2, 1999, approved the
SIP revisions for Board composition and
conflict of interest disclosure
requirements submitted by the Governor
for Albuquerque/Bernalillo County.
These include public interest
requirements and safeguards against
conflict of interest and are codified in
the City of Albuquerque Ordinances, 2–
6–1–3(A)(4), 9–5–1–3(B)(4), 9–5–1–3(E)
and County Ordinance 94–5, Section
(3)(E) Joint Air Quality Control Board
Ordinance. For example, County
Ordinance 94–5 Section (3)(E) states:
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Any member of the Board who has a
conflict of interest regarding a matter before
the Board shall disqualify himself or herself
from the discussion and shall abstain from
the vote on such matter. A conflict of interest
means any interest which may yield, directly
or indirectly any monetary or other material
benefit to the Board member or the member’s
spouse or minor child.34
EPA is proposing to find that the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(E) of the Act for the 1997 and
2008
8-hour ozone and the 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS.
Stationary source monitoring system,
pursuant to section 110(a)(2)(F): Rules
that require stationary sources to
monitor for compliance, provide
recordkeeping and reporting, and
provide for enforcement of ozone, PM2.5,
and precursors to these pollutants (SO2,
ammonia, VOCs and NOX), consistent
with the requirements of 40 CFR part
51, subpart K have been approved into
the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
and codified at 20.11.1 NMAC (General
Provisions, 70 FR 41963, July 21, 2005),
20.11.5 NMAC (Visible Air
Contaminants, 69 FR 78312, Dec. 30,
2004), 20.11.40 NMAC (Source
34 As
explained in greater detail in footnote 31,
Bernalillo County Ordinance 94–5 amended
Ordinance 88–45, which is in the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County SIP. EPA will act on Bernalillo
County Ordinance 94–5 in a future rulemaking.
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Registration, 69 FR 78312), 20.11.49
NMAC (Excess Emissions, 75 FR 5698,
Feb. 4, 2010), 20.11.66 NMAC (Process
Equipment, 69 FR 78312), 20.11.67
NMAC (Equipment, Emissions,
Limitations, 69 FR 78312), and 20.11.90
NMAC (Source Surveillance, 75 FR
5698). Requirements in 20.11.47 NMAC
(Emission Inventory Requirements)
provide for the reporting of emission
inventories on a schedule consistent
with EPA regulations at 40 CFR 51.211,
subpart K—Source Surveillance.
20.11.42 NMAC, Operating Permits,
encompasses the Title V operating
permit program for facilities within
Bernalillo County. The Title V program
is a delegated program and does not
reside in the SIP.35
Under the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County SIP rules, the AQD is required
to analyze the emissions data from
point, area, mobile, and biogenic
(natural) sources. The AQD uses this
data to track progress towards
maintaining the NAAQS, develop
control and maintenance strategies,
identify sources and general emission
levels, and determine compliance with
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County and
EPA requirements. Additionally, the
AQD air quality inspectors compare
source emissions to emission limitations
and standards pursuant to 20.11.90.6
NMAC. Emissions data are available
electronically: https://www.epa.gov/ttn/
chief/eiinformation.html. These rules
are in the federally-approved SIP. A
comprehensive list of the chapters and
Federal Register citations is provided in
the TSD.
EPA is proposing to find that the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(F) for the 1997 and 2008
8-hour ozone and the 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS.
Emergency power, pursuant to section
110(a)(2)(G): Section 110(a)(2)(G)
requires states to provide for authority
to address activities causing imminent
and substantial endangerment to public
health, including contingency plans to
implement the emergency episode
provisions in their SIPs. The AQCB and
AQD are empowered by the New
Mexico Air Quality Control Act to
respond to air pollution episodes and
other air quality emergencies, and the
AQCB adopted contingency plans to
implement emergency episode
provisions in the SIP. The Air Pollution
Episode Contingency Plan for Bernalillo
35 EPA approved the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County Title V program (20.11.42 NMAC, Operating
Permits) on November 26, 1996 (61 FR 60032,
effective January 27, 1997) and subsequent
revisions on September 8, 2004 (69 FR 54244,
effective November 8, 2004).
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County was approved into the SIP on
August 12, 1991 (56 FR 38073, effective
October 11, 1991). The Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County Air Pollution Episode
Contingency Plan (Plan) addresses all
the necessary requirements for a Priority
1 region (defined in 40 CFR 51.150).
First, the Plan includes significant
harm levels for sulfur dioxide,
particulate matter, carbon monoxide,
ozone, and nitrogen dioxide as per 40
CFR 51.151. Second, the Plan
adequately addresses all requirements
for contingency plans outlined in 40
CFR 51.152. Three stages of episode
criteria as per 40 CFR 51.152(a)(1) and
40 CFR 51, appendix L, are set forth: air
pollution alert, air pollution warning,
and air pollution emergency. Prior to
reaching the first episode stage, an air
Stagnation Advisory will be in effect.
This is initiated when the AQD is
notified by the National Weather
Service (NWS) that air stagnation
conditions will persist for a period of 36
hours or more within the Middle Rio
Grande portion of New Mexico
(includes Bernalillo County). The
Episode Criteria Table on page 3 of the
Plan shows alert, warning, emergency,
and significant harm levels for each of
the pollutants. The Plan also provides
for public announcement of, and
specifies adequate emission control
actions to be taken at, each episode
stage (40 CFRR 51.152(a)(2) and 40 CFR
51.152(a)(3)). Finally, the Plan
sufficiently addresses the requirements
of 51.152(b)(1–3) concerning prompt
acquisition of forecasts of atmospheric
stagnation conditions including
updates, source compliance inspections,
and communication procedures.
The criteria for ozone are based on a
1-hour average ozone level. These
episode criteria and contingency
measures are adequate to address 8-hour
ozone emergency episodes and are in
the federally approved SIP. The
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Plan
provides for the pollutants specified
under 40 CFR 51.150, including
particulate matter, and is consistent
with the provisions of 40 CFR 51.151
and 152, and Appendix L to Part 51.
The 2009 Infrastructure SIP Guidance
for PM2.5 recommends that a state with
at least one monitored 24-hour PM2.5
value exceeding 140.4 mg/m3 since 2006
establish an emergency episode plan
and contingency measures to be
implemented should such level be
exceeded again. The 2006–2010 ambient
air quality monitoring data for
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County do not
exceed 140.4 mg/m3. The PM2.5 levels
have consistently remained below this
level (140.4 mg/m3), and furthermore,
the AQCB has appropriate general
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emergency powers to address PM2.5
related episodes to protect the
environment and public health. Given
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County’s
monitored PM2.5 levels, EPA is
proposing that Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County is not required to submit an
emergency episode plan and
contingency measures at this time, for
the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 standards.
Additional detail is provided in the
TSD.
EPA is proposing to find that the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(G) for the 1997 and 2008 8hour ozone and 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS.
Future SIP revisions, pursuant to
section 110(a)(2)(H): The New Mexico
AQCA directs the AQD to prepare and
develop the SIP and provides the AQD
with the authority to carry out other
duties, requirements and
responsibilities necessary for the
implementation and fulfillment of the
requirements of the CAA. The New
Mexico AQCA (section 74–2–4)
delegates authority to AQCB to adopt,
promulgate, publish, amend and repeal
regulations consistent with the AQCA to
attain and maintain NAAQS and
prevent or abate air pollution. Thus, the
AQCB has the authority (AQCA Section
74–2–5.1) to revise the SIP from time to
time as may be necessary to take into
account revisions of primary or
secondary NAAQS, or the availability of
improved or more expeditious methods
of attaining such standards.
Furthermore, the AQCB also has the
authority under these New Mexico
AQCA provisions to revise the SIP in
the event the EPA, pursuant to the
federal CAA, finds the SIP to be
substantially inadequate to attain the
NAAQS.
EPA is proposing to find that the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(H) for the 1997 and 2008 8hour ozone and 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS.
Consultation with government
officials, pursuant to section
110(a)(2)(J): 36 The New Mexico AQCA
(section 74–2–5—Duties and Powers of
the Local Board) and Air Quality
Control Board Ordinances gives the
AQD and AQCB authority to advise,
consult, contract and cooperate with
municipalities, counties, other states,
the federal government and other
interested persons or groups in regards
36 Section 110(a)(2)(J) is divided into three
segments: consultation with government officials;
public notification; and PSD and visibility
protection.
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to matters of common interest in the
field of air quality control. The County
Ordinance 94–5 ‘‘establishes powers
and duties of the Board for providing for
the adoption, administration and
enforcement of the regulations;
providing for variances; providing for
permits; providing for special
regulations consistent with Federal and
State requirements for prevention of
significant deterioration, new source
performance standards, national
emissions standards for hazardous air
pollutants and providing for operating
permits and fees as required by the 1990
Amendments to the Federal CAA.’’
Additionally, 20.11.82 NMAC—
Rulemaking Procedures standardizes the
procedures used in rulemaking
proceedings before the AQCB, including
public notice. These rules and
regulations comply with the
requirements of section 121 of the CAA
that requires that states provide a
satisfactory process of consultation with
general purpose local governments.
Furthermore, Bernalillo County
Ordinance 94–5 states that any
regulations adopted by the AQCB must
include, among other things, any
information that the AQD deems
necessary; specification of public notice;
comment period and public period;
provisions requiring notice to the New
Mexico Environment Department for
permitting sources that emit 100 or
more tpy of any regulated air
contaminant; and provisions that
require notice to, and review by, EPA.
These rules comply with the
requirements of CAA section 121.
Therefore, EPA is proposing to find
that the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County
SIP meets this portion of the section
110(a)(2)(J) requirements for the 1997
and 2008 8-hour ozone and the 1997
and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.
Public notification if NAAQS are
exceeded, pursuant to section
110(a)(2)(J): Public notification begins
with the air quality forecasts, which
advise the public of conditions capable
of exceeding the 8-hour ozone and PM2.5
NAAQS. The air quality forecasts for
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County can be
found on the City of Albuquerque 37
Web site at www.cabq.gov/airquality
and are updated hourly. Ozone forecasts
are made daily during the ozone season
for the Bernalillo County. The ozone
forecasts are made, in most cases, a day
in advance local time and are valid for
37 As discussed earlier in this proposed action,
the Albuquerque Air Quality Division is a part of
the City of Albuquerque’s Department of
Environmental Health. The AQD serves as the
administrative agency for the Bernalillo County Air
Quality Control Board, which encompasses the City
of Albuquerque.
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the next day. Ozone readings/warnings
and the daily air quality index for the
area are generated automatically, and
sent to the all persons that have signed
up on the City of Albuquerque Web site
(www.cabq.gov/airquality/
enviroflash.html ) to receive email
updates, which includes the public,
various stakeholders and government
officials. This Air Quality Notification
System is a service through airnow.gov
and is called EnviroFlash. EnviroFlash
is a system that sends emails about daily
air quality forecasts. The message is the
same air quality information that the
local radio or television stations
provide, plus suggested safety measures
when air quality levels are unhealthy.
Additionally, the air quality index is
available via telephone by calling the
AQD. Public notice is governed by the
New Mexico AQCA (section 74–2–6)
and 20.11.82 NMAC—Rulemaking
Procedures Air Quality Control Board.
EPA is proposing to find that the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets this portion of the section
110(a)(2)(J) requirements for the 1997
and 2008 8-hour ozone and 1997 and
2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.
PSD and visibility protection, section
110(a)(2)(J): This portion of section
110(a)(2)(J) in part requires that a state’s
SIP meet the applicable requirements of
section 110(a)(2)(C) as relating to PSD
programs. As discussed previously in
this rulemaking with regards to section
110(a)(2)(C) and in the TSD, the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County’s PSD
program is in the SIP (12/21/93 at 58 FR
67330 and 4/26/07 at 72 FR 20728). In
addition to the approved program and to
meet the requirements of 110(a)(2)(C)
and 110(a)(2)(D)(i) for 1997 and 2008
ozone standard, EPA believes
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County must
have updated its PSD rules to treat NOX
as a precursor for ozone. Thus, we are
proposing to approve the SIP revisions
(submitted May 24, 2006 and August 16,
2010) to implement NOX as a precursor
to ozone. To implement section
110(a)(2)(C) for the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
standard, states must provide a SIP
revision due May 16, 2011 under EPA’s
Implementation of the New Source
Review (NSR) Program for Particulate
Matter Less Than 2.5 Micrometers (73
FR 28321). The AQCB adopted rules on
July 14, 2010 to meet this requirement
and the Governor submitted them on
August 16, 2010 for approval as a SIP
revision. We discuss our proposal to
approve these revisions and the
revisions implementing NOX as a
precursor to ozone in further detail in
this rulemaking and in the TSD.
The most recent New Mexico SIP
revision of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
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County Regional Haze program, which
addresses the visibility transport prong
for Albuquerque/Bernalillo County, was
submitted to EPA on July 28, 2011. We
are evaluating this submittal and will be
proposing action on the Regional Haze
submittal in Spring of 2012. With regard
to the applicable requirements for
visibility protection, EPA recognizes
that states are subject to visibility and
regional haze program requirements
under part C of the Act (which includes
sections 169A and 169B). In the event
of the establishment of a new NAAQS,
however, the visibility and regional
haze program requirements under part C
do not change. Thus, we find that there
is no new visibility obligation
‘‘triggered’’ under section 110(a)(2)(J)
when a new NAAQS becomes effective.
This would be the case even in the
event a secondary PM2.5 NAAQS for
visibility is established, because this
NAAQS would not affect visibility
requirements under part C.
EPA is proposing to find that the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the visibility protection
requirements of section 110(a)(2)(J) for
the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and
1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.
Air quality and modeling and
submission of data, pursuant to section
110(a)(2)(K): The New Mexico Air
Quality Control Act charges the AQCB
and AQD with preparing and
implementing the SIP, which includes
modeling to inform decisions on
nonattainment area boundaries and
demonstrate effectiveness of SIP control
strategies.
The AQD’s air quality modeling work
complies with EPA’s guidance on the
use of models in attainment
demonstrations for the 8-hour ozone
standard and uses EPA’s latest draft
final guidance for modeling PM2.5
consistent with the air quality modeling
requirements in 40 CFR 52.21(l) and
(m). EPA Region 6 and AQD modeling
staff have communicated on numerous
occasions regarding modeling for
Bernalillo County. Additionally,
20.11.61 NMAC Prevention of
Significant Deterioration requires
approval of permits consistent with the
modeling requirements of 40 CFR
51.21(l) and (m). As stated in the August
16, 2010 SIP submittal, the AQD
commits to continue to use air quality
models in accordance with EPA’s
currently approved modeling guidance
and protocols and the continued
submittal of data and modeling results
to EPA.
EPA is proposing to find that the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(K) for the 1997 and 2008 8-
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hour ozone and the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS.
Permitting fees, section 110(a)(2)(L):
The AQD has authority to collect fees
for Title V 38 and non-Title V permit
applications, revisions, renewals and
inspections pursuant to New Mexico
AQCA, New Mexico Statutes Annotated
(NMSA) 1978 Sections 74–2–4, 74–2–5
and 74–2–7, the Bernalillo County
Ordinance 94–5—Joint Air Quality
Control Board Sections 3, 4 and 7, and
the revised ordinances of Albuquerque
1994, Section 9–5–1–3, Section 9–5–1–
4 and Section 9–5–1–7. For example,
New Mexico AQCA Section 74–2–
7(B)(7) requires by regulation a schedule
of emission fees consistent with the
Title V provisions of Section 502(b)(3)
of the CAA. The SIP-approved
regulation that addresses permit fees,
AQCB Air Quality Control Regulation
Section 21—Permit Fees (April 10, 1980
at 45 FR 24460) was repealed and
replaced by the more stringent and
broader in scope Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County AQCB rule effective
July 1, 2001 and recodified as 20.11.2
NMAC. It was submitted as a SIP
revision on May 24, 2011. We have
proposed to approve the revisions that
repeal and replace the existing SIP rule
but have not finalized our action
(November 4, 2011, 76 FR 68385). A
detailed list of the applicable sections of
the NMAC is provided in the TSD.
The submitted revision that we have
proposed to approve addresses fees for
reviewing and acting on specific permit
applications received by the AQCD; fees
to partially offset the administrative
costs of permit-related administrative
hearings; funding for small business
stationary sources; and fees to cover
administrative expenses. The comment
period on the proposal closed on
December 5, 2011. No comments were
received.
EPA is proposing to find that the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(L) for the 1997 and 2008 8hour ozone and the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS.
Consultation/participation by affected
local entities, section 110(a)(2)(M): New
Mexico is divided in two air authorities,
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County and
State of New Mexico covering the
remaining counties. Each authority is
responsible for controlling air pollution
38 Albuquerque/Bernalillo County has an
federally-approved Title V fee program in place.
EPA approved Albuquerque/Bernalillo County’s
Title V fee program as part of its Title V Operating
Permit Program on November 26, 1996. See 61 FR
60032. EPA approved revisions to the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County Title V fee program on September
8, 2004. See 69 FR 54244.
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22265
emitted by stationary sources within its
respective jurisdiction. The AQD,
consistent with regulations adopted by
the AQCB, consults with and provides
liaison to the New Mexico Environment
Department’s Air Quality Bureau and
provides frequent and regular
communication and consultation with
their management and staff. Section
5(B)(4) of the AQCA authorizes the AQD
to advise, consult, contract and
cooperate with municipalities, counties,
other states, the federal government and
other interested persons or groups in
regards to matters of common interest in
the field of air quality control. The
AQCB is required to conduct public
hearings and to solicit testimony from
the public when plans or rules are
proposed to be adopted by the AQCB for
inclusion into the SIP. Consultation and
public involvement are also required by
20.11.3 NMAC, Transportation
Conformity (75 FR 20922, April 22,
2010). For example, Subsection (F)
Public Consultation Procedures of
20.11.3.105 NMAC, requires ‘‘affected
agencies making conformity
determinations on transportation plans,
programs and projects shall establish a
proactive public involvement process
that provides opportunity for public
review and comments * * *’’ EPA is
proposing to find that the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County SIP meets the
requirements of section 110(a)(2)(M) for
the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and the
1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.
V. Additional Revisions to the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
EPA is also proposing to approve a
portion of a SIP submission that
addresses Ambient Air Quality
Standards.
Ambient Air Quality Standards: The
provisions for ambient air quality
standards are addressed at 20.11.8
NMAC, or Part 8 of the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County SIP. This provision
was approved into the SIP on May 31,
2006 (71 FR 30805). This provision
incorporates by reference the state
ambient air quality standards and
summarizes the local ambient air
quality standards that are identical to
the NAAQS, which are codified at 40
CFR Part 50.4 et seq. On November 6,
2009, the Governor of New Mexico
submitted a revision to the New Mexico
SIP that included among other things,
Ambient Air Quality Standards,
codified at 20.11.8 NMAC (Part 8). The
substantive revisions submitted to Part
8 again revise the local ambient air
quality standards to make them
consistent with the current NAAQS.
Specifically, the standards for carbon
monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), sulfur
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dioxide (SO2), PM2.5, PM10 and lead (Pb)
were revised to reflect the new
standards for those pollutants. Nonsubstantive revisions are editorial in
nature with the replacement of terms
and other clarifications or typographical
corrections. We are proposing to
approve the severable portion of the
November 6, 2009 SIP revision
submittal that revises Part 8, because it
will ensure that the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County SIP contains
standards that are consistent with the
latest Federally-promulgated NAAQS.
Appendix A of the TSD for this
rulemaking provides more detail
regarding the specific revisions.
VI. Proposed Action
We are proposing to approve the
submittals provided to demonstrate that
the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the infrastructure elements for the
1997 and 2008 ozone and 1997 and
2006 PM2.5 NAAQS listed below:
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Emission limits and other control measures
(110(a)(2)(A) of the Act);
Ambient air quality monitoring/data
system (110(a)(2)(B) of the Act);
Program for enforcement of control
measures (110(a)(2)(C) of the Act);
Interstate transport, pursuant to section
110(a)(2)(D)(ii) of the Act;
Adequate resources (110(a)(2)(E) of the
Act);
Stationary source monitoring system
(110(a)(2)(F) of the Act);
Emergency power (110(a)(2)(G) of the Act);
Future SIP revisions (110(a)(2)(H) of the
Act);
Consultation with government officials
(110(a)(2)(J) of the Act);
Public notification (110(a)(2)(J) of the Act);
Prevention of significant deterioration and
visibility protection (110(a)(2)(J) of the Act);
Air quality modeling data (110(a)(2)(K) of
the Act);
Permitting fees (110(a)(2)(L) of the Act);
and
Consultation/participation by affected local
entities (110(a)(2)(M) of the Act).
We are also proposing to approve the
portion of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County SIP revision submittal that
addresses the requirement of section
(110)(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) of the Act that
emissions from sources in Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County do not interfere with
measures required in the SIP of any
other state under part C of the Act
regarding PSD for the 1997 and 2008
8-hour ozone and 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS.
We are proposing to approve
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD SIP
provisions to 20.11.61 NMAC submitted
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May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010.
These SIP revisions address NOX as a
precursor for ozone, consistent with
EPA’s November 29, 2005 Phase 2 rule
for the 1997 ozone NAAQS (70 FR
71612). These revisions also identify the
precursors for PM2.5 and significant
emission rates necessary for PM2.5 PSD
permitting, consistent with the 1997 and
2006 PM2.5 NAAQS (73 FR 28321, May
16, 2008). Additionally, the May 24,
2006 and August 16, 2010 submittals
make numerous other changes necessary
to maintain consistency with the federal
PSD permitting requirements.
Specifically, we are proposing to
approve revisions to 20.11.61.7,
20.11.61.28, and 20.11.61.29 NMAC
submitted on May 24, 2006. We are also
proposing to approve revisions to
20.11.61.1, 20.11.61.2, 20.11.61.7,
20.11.61.11, 20.11.61.12, 20.11.61.14,
20.11.61.15, 20.11.61.16, 20.11.61.17,
20.11.61.18, 20.11.61.19, 20.11.61.20,
20.11.61.23, 20.11.61.24, 20.11.61.25,
20.11.61.26, 20.11.61.27, 20.11.61.28,
20.11.61.29, 20.11.61.30, and
20.11.61.31 NMAC submitted on August
16, 2010.
We are also proposing to approve SIP
revisions from November 6, 2009
pertaining to updating Part 8 Ambient
Air Quality Standards (20.11.8 NMAC).
EPA is proposing to approve these
revisions pursuant to section 110 of the
CAA. These revisions improve the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP and
update 20.11.8 NMAC to add new
standards and revise existing NAAQS in
20.11.8 NMAC to be consistent with 40
CFR Part 50—National Primary and
Secondary Ambient Air Quality
Standards.
VII. Statutory and Executive Order
Reviews
Under the CAA, the Administrator is
required to approve a SIP submission
that complies with the provisions of the
Act and applicable Federal regulations.
42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a).
Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions,
EPA’s role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of
the CAA. Accordingly, this action
merely proposes to approve state law as
meeting Federal requirements and does
not impose additional requirements
beyond those imposed by state law. For
that reason, this action:
• Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory
action’’ subject to review by the Office
of Management and Budget under
Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735,
October 4, 1993);
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• Does not impose an information
collection burden under the provisions
of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
• Is certified as not having a
significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities
under the Regulatory Flexibility Act
(5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
• Does not contain any unfunded
mandate or significantly or uniquely
affect small governments, as described
in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–4);
• Does not have Federalism
implications as specified in Executive
Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10,
1999);
• Is not an economically significant
regulatory action based on health or
safety risks subject to Executive Order
13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997);
• Is not a significant regulatory action
subject to Executive Order 13211 (66 FR
28355, May 22, 2001);
• Is not subject to requirements of
section 12(d) of the National
Technology Transfer and Advancement
Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) because
application of those requirements would
be inconsistent with the CAA; and
• Does not provide EPA with the
discretionary authority to address, as
appropriate, disproportionate human
health or environmental effects, using
practicable and legally permissible
methods, under Executive Order 12898
(59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).
In addition, this rule does not have
tribal implications as specified by
Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249,
November 9, 2000), because the SIP is
not approved to apply in Indian country
located in the state, and EPA notes that
it will not impose substantial direct
costs on tribal governments or preempt
tribal law.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air
pollution control, Intergovernmental
relations, Nitrogen dioxides, Ozone,
Particulate matter, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements, Volatile
organic compounds.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: March 30, 2012.
Samuel Coleman,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 6.
[FR Doc. 2012–8927 Filed 4–12–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
E:\FR\FM\13APP1.SGM
13APP1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 72 (Friday, April 13, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 22249-22266]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-8927]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA-R06-OAR-2009-0648; FRL-9658-2]
Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; New Mexico;
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County: Infrastructure and Interstate Transport
Requirements for the 1997 and 2008 Ozone and the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: EPA is proposing to approve submittals from the Governor of
New Mexico to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the City of
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County area, pursuant to the Clean Air Act (CAA
or the Act) that address the infrastructure elements specified in the
CAA section 110(a)(2), necessary to implement, maintain, and enforce
the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and the 1997 and 2006 fine particulate
matter (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS
or standards). We are proposing to find that the current Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County SIP meets the following infrastructure elements for
the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS and the 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS: 110(a)(2)(A), (B), (C), (D)(ii), (E), (F), (G),
(H), (J), (K), (L), and (M). We are also proposing to find that the
current Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP meets one of the four
provisions of CAA section 110(a)(2)(D)(i), which addresses the
requirement that emissions from sources in the area do not interfere
with measures required in the SIP of any other state under part C of
the CAA to prevent significant deterioration (PSD) of air quality, with
regard to the 1997 and 2008 ozone and 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS. EPA is also proposing to approve SIP revisions that modify the
PSD SIP to include nitrogen oxides (NOX) as an ozone
precursor. For purposes of the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS,
EPA is proposing to approve revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County PSD SIP that identify the PM2.5 precursors and
establish significant emission rates for said precursors, consistent
with the federal requirements. We are also proposing to approve other
revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD SIP to maintain
consistency with the federal PSD permitting requirements. In addition
to these revisions, EPA is proposing to approve other revisions to the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
[[Page 22250]]
necessary to implement Ambient Air Quality Standards (AAQS). These
actions are taken under section 110 and part C of the Act.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 14, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket No. EPA-R06-OAR-
2009-0648, by one of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
U.S. EPA Region 6 ``Contact Us'' Web site: https://epa.gov/region6/r6comment.htm. Please click on ``6PD (Multimedia)'' and select
``Air'' before submitting comments.
Email: Mr. Guy Donaldson at donaldson.guy@epa.gov. Please
also send a copy by email to the person listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section below.
Fax: Mr. Guy Donaldson, Chief, Air Planning Section (6PD-
L), at fax number 214-665-7263.
Mail: Mr. Guy Donaldson, Chief, Air Planning Section (6PD-
L), Environmental Protection Agency, 1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200,
Dallas, Texas 75202-2733.
Hand or Courier Delivery: Mr. Guy Donaldson, Chief, Air
Planning Section (6PD-L), Environmental Protection Agency, 1445 Ross
Avenue, Suite 1200, Dallas, Texas 75202-2733. Such deliveries are
accepted only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays, and not
on legal holidays. Special arrangements should be made for deliveries
of boxed information.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-R06-OAR-
2009-0648. 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 email. 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 email 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 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
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 www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the Air Planning Section
(6PD-L), Environmental Protection Agency, 1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 700,
Dallas, Texas 75202-2733. The file will be made available by
appointment for public inspection in the Region 6 FOIA Review Room
between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays except for legal
holidays. Contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT paragraph below or Mr. Bill Deese at 214-665-7253 to make an
appointment. If possible, please make the appointment at least two
working days in advance of your visit. There will be a fee of 15 cents
per page for making photocopies of documents. On the day of the visit,
please check in at the EPA Region 6 reception area at 1445 Ross Avenue,
Suite 700, Dallas, Texas.
The State submittal is also available for public inspection during
official business hours, by appointment, at the City of Albuquerque,
Environmental Health Department--Air Quality Division, One Civic Plaza,
Room 3047, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87103, telephone 505-768-1972, email
address aqd@cabq.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Walser, Air Planning Section
(6PD-L), Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6, 1445 Ross Avenue,
Suite 700, Dallas, Texas 75202-2733, telephone 214-665-7128; fax number
214-665-6762; email address walser.john@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, ``we,'' ``us,''
and ``our'' means EPA.
Table of Contents
I. Background
A. What are the National Ambient Air Quality Standards?
B. What is a SIP?
C. What is the background for this rulemaking?
1. Section 110(a)(1) and (2) Infrastructure SIP Elements
2. Section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) Interstate Transport SIP Elements
3. Revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD SIP
a. Revisions To Address the 1997 and 2008 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS
b. Revisions To Address the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS
c. Revisions To Address the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Permitting
Requirements
d. Revisions To Maintain Consistency With the Federal PSD
Requirements
4. Additional Revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
D. What elements are required under section 110(a)(2)?
II. What action is EPA proposing?
A. Section 110(a)(1) and (2)
B. PSD Requirements
C. Additional SIP Revisions
III. How do the revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD
SIP meet EPA requirements?
A. Revisions To Address the 1997 and 2008 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS
B. Revisions To Address the 2008 PM2.5 NSR Rule
C. Revisions To Address GHG Permitting Requirements
D. Revisions To Maintain Consistency With the Federal PSD
Requirements
IV. How has Albuquerque/Bernalillo County addressed the elements of
section 110(a)(2)?
V. Additional Revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
VI. Proposed Action
VII. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Background
The Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board (AQCB)
is the federally delegated air quality authority for the City of
Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, New Mexico. Section 74-2-4 of the
New Mexico Air Quality Control Act (AQCA) authorizes Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County to locally administer and enforce the State Air
Quality Control Act by providing for a local air quality control
program. Thus, state law views Albuquerque/Bernalillo County and the
State of New Mexico as distinct air quality control entities.
Therefore, each entity is required to submit its own SIP in order to
satisfy the requirements of section 110(a)(1) and (2) of the CAA and
the AQCA, and to require local air pollution sources to comply with air
quality standards. The AQCB is responsible for the portion of the New
Mexico SIP that applies in Bernalillo County (excluding Tribal Land),
which encompasses the
[[Page 22251]]
City of Albuquerque. As required by 40 CFR Part 51, the Governor of New
Mexico has submitted SIP revisions, on behalf of the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County, under the AQCA (section 74-2-4), to satisfy the
requirements of section 110(a)(2) and 110(a)(2)(D)(i) of the CAA for
the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County area.\1\ Because of Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County's separate authority and SIP, it is necessary to
separately address the requirements of 110(a)(2) for this portion of
the State in order to ensure that the requirements are satisfied for
the entire State of New Mexico.
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\1\ This proposed rulemaking does not apply to Tribal Lands
encompassed within the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County area.
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A. What are the National Ambient Air Quality Standards?
Section 109 of the Act requires EPA to establish NAAQS for
pollutants that ``may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public
health and welfare,'' and to develop a primary and secondary standard
for each NAAQS. The primary standard is designed to protect human
health with an adequate margin of safety, and the secondary standard is
designed to protect public welfare and the environment. EPA has set
NAAQS for six common air pollutants, referred to as criteria
pollutants: carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate
matter (PM), and sulfur dioxide. These standards present state and
local governments with the minimum air quality levels they must meet to
comply with the Act. Also, these standards provide information to
residents of the United States about the air quality in their
communities.
B. What is a SIP?
The SIP is a set of air pollution regulations, control strategies,
other means or techniques, and technical analyses developed by the
state (or in this case, local) air pollution control agency, to ensure
that the state meets the NAAQS. The SIP is required by section 110 and
other provisions of the Act. These SIPs can be extensive, containing
state regulations or other enforceable documents and supporting
information such as emissions inventories, monitoring networks, and
modeling demonstrations. Each state must submit these regulations and
control strategies to EPA for approval and incorporation into the
Federally-enforceable SIP. Another important aspect of the SIP is to
ensure that emissions from within the state do not have certain
prohibited impacts on the ambient air in other states through
interstate transport of pollutants. This SIP requirement is specified
in section 110(a)(2)(D) of the CAA. Pursuant to that section, each
state's SIP must contain provisions adequate to prevent, among other
things, emissions that interfere with measures required to be included
in the SIP of any other state to prevent significant deterioration of
air quality in any other state. Each EPA-approved SIP protects air
quality primarily by addressing air pollution at its point of origin.
C. What is the background for this rulemaking?
Under sections 110(a)(1) and (2) of the Act, states are required to
submit SIPs that provide for the implementation, maintenance, and
enforcement (the infrastructure) of a new or revised NAAQS within three
years following the promulgation of the NAAQS, or within such shorter
period as EPA may prescribe. Section 110(a)(2) lists the specific
infrastructure elements that must be incorporated into the SIPs,
including for example, requirements for emission inventories, new
source review (NSR), air pollution control measures, and monitoring
that are designed to assure attainment and maintenance of the NAAQS.
Table 1 in Section D of this rulemaking provides a list of all 14
infrastructure elements.\2\ EPA refers to the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(A)-(C), (D)(ii), (E)-(H), and (J)-(M) as the
``infrastructure'' SIPs. Additionally, EPA refers to the requirements
of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) as the ``interstate transport'' SIPs. EPA
provided separate guidance to states on each type of SIP,
infrastructure and interstate transport, and these actions are on
separate tracks and timelines.
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\2\ Two elements identified in section 110(a)(2) are not
governed by the 3-year submission deadline of section 110(a)(1)
because SIPs incorporating necessary local nonattainment area
controls are not due within 3 years after promulgation of a new or
revised NAAQS, but rather are due at the time the nonattainment area
plan requirements are due pursuant to section 172 of the CAA. These
elements are: (1) Submissions required by section 110(a)(2)(C) to
the extent that subsection refers to a permit program as required in
part D Title I of the CAA and (2) submissions required by section
110(a)(2)(I) which pertain to the nonattainment planning
requirements of part D Title I of the CAA. Therefore, this action
does not cover these specific SIP elements.
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1. Section 110(a)(1) and (2) Infrastructure SIP Elements
On July 18, 1997, we published new and revised NAAQS for ozone (62
FR 38856) and PM (62 FR 38652). For ozone, we set an 8-hour standard of
0.08 parts per million (ppm) to replace the 1-hour standard of 0.12
ppm. For PM we set a new annual and a new 24-hour NAAQS for particles
with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to a nominal 2.5
micrometers (denoted PM2.5). The annual PM2.5
standard was set at 15 micrograms per cubic meter ([mu]g/m\3\). The 24-
hour PM2.5 standard was set at 65 [mu]g/m\3\. On October 17,
2006, we published revised standards for PM (71 FR 61144). For
PM2.5, the annual standard of 15 [mu]g/m\3\ was retained,
and the 24-hour standard was revised to 35 [mu]g/m\3\. For
PM10 the annual standard was revoked, and the 24-hour
standard (150 [mu]g/m\3\) was retained. On March 27, 2008, we published
revised standards for ozone (73 FR 16436) of 0.75 ppm to replace the
1997 8-hour standard of 0.08 ppm. For more information on these
standards, please see the 1997, 2006, and 2008 Federal Register notices
(62 FR 38856, 62 FR 38652, 71 FR 61144, and 73 FR 16436).
Thus, states were required to submit such SIPs for the 1997 8-hour
ozone and PM2.5 NAAQS to EPA no later than June 2000.\3\
However, intervening litigation over the 1997 8-hour ozone and
PM2.5 NAAQS created uncertainty about how to proceed, and
many states did not provide the required ``infrastructure'' SIP
submission for these newly promulgated NAAQS.
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\3\ EPA issued a revised 8-hour ozone standard on March 27, 2008
(73 FR 16436). On September 16, 2009, the EPA Administrator
announced that EPA would take rulemaking action to reconsider the
2008 primary and secondary ozone NAAQS. On January 19, 2010, EPA
proposed to set different primary and secondary ozone standards than
those set in 2008 to provide requisite protection of public health
and welfare, respectively (75 FR 2938). The final reconsidered ozone
NAAQS have yet to be promulgated.
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On March 4, 2004, Earthjustice submitted a notice of intent to sue
related to EPA's failure to issue findings of failure to submit related
to the infrastructure requirements for the 1997 8-hour ozone and
PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA entered into a consent decree with
Earthjustice which required EPA, among other things, to complete a
Federal Register notice announcing EPA's determinations pursuant to
section 110(k)(1)(B) of the Act as to whether each state had made
complete submissions to meet the requirements of section 110(a)(2) for
the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS by December 15, 2007. Subsequently, EPA
received an extension of the date to complete this Federal Register
notice until March 17, 2008, based upon agreement to make the findings
with respect to submissions made by January 7, 2008. In accordance with
the consent decree, EPA made completeness findings for each state based
upon what the Agency had received from each state as of January 7,
[[Page 22252]]
2008. With regard to the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS, EPA entered into
a consent decree with Earthjustice, which required EPA, among other
things, to complete a Federal Register notice announcing EPA's
determinations pursuant to section 110(k)(1)(B) of the Act as to
whether each state had made complete submissions to meet the
requirements of section 110(a)(2) for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS
by October 5, 2008.
On March 27, 2008 and October 22, 2008, we published findings
concerning whether states had made the 110(a)(2) submissions for the
1997 ozone (73 FR 16205) and PM2.5 standards (73 FR 62902).
In the March 27, 2008 action, we found that New Mexico (including
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County) addressed all but one of the
requirements of section 110(a)(2) of the Act necessary to implement the
1997 ozone NAAQS. As required by section 110(a)(2)(C) and (J), New
Mexico failed to submit a SIP addressing changes to the part C
Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit program required
by the November 29, 2005 (70 FR 71612, page 71699) final rule that made
NOX a precursor for ozone in the part C regulations at 40
CFR 51.166 and in 40 CFR 52.21. Subsequent to this finding, the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD program was revised to implement the
8-hour ozone NAAQS by adopting regulations to implement NOX
as a precursor for ozone on December 22, 2005 and April 13, 2006. These
revisions were submitted as SIP revisions by the Governor of New Mexico
on May 24, 2006. EPA SIP-approved the December 22, 2005 PSD revisions
on April 26, 2007 (72 FR 20728). In the October 22, 2008 action, we
found that New Mexico (including Albuquerque/Bernalillo County) made
complete submissions intended to provide for the basic program elements
specified in section 110(a)(2) of the Act necessary to implement the
1997 PM2.5 NAAQS.
On October 2, 2007 we issued ``Guidance on SIP Elements Required
Under Section 110(a)(1) and (2) for the 1997 8-hour Ozone and
PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards,'' Memorandum
from William T. Harnett, Director, Air Quality Policy Division (AQPD),
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS).\4\ On September
25, 2009, we issued ``Guidance on SIP Elements Required Under Sections
110(a)(1) and (2) for the 2006 24-Hour Fine Particle (PM2.5)
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS),'' Memorandum also from
William T. Harnett, Director, AQPD, OAQPS. Each of these guidance memos
addresses the SIP elements found in 110(a)(2). In each of these
guidance memos, the guidance states that, to the extent that existing
SIPs already meet the requirements, states need only certify that fact
to us.
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\4\ This and any other guidance documents referenced in this
action are in the docket for this rulemaking.
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On December 11, 2007, EPA received a SIP submittal from
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County, certifying that its portion of the New
Mexico SIP includes all the requirements in section 110(a)(1) and (2)
of the Act for implementation of the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS.
On April 7, 2008 the Governor of New Mexico submitted a
certification letter addressing Albuquerque/Bernalillo County's
requirements under section 110(a)(1) and (2) of the Act for
implementation of the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. The letter certified
what sections of the New Mexico SIP (including Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County) were met, as well as what sections needed to be revised to
comply with the 110(a)(1) and (2) requirements.\5\ The letter
identified proposed revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
and a timeline for finalizing the revisions.
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\5\ Specifically, the letter stated that New Mexico needed to
revise its rules as follows: To include PM2.5 in its
definition of major sources; to include PM2.5 in the
definition of NAAQS and precursors of a criteria pollutant; to
include significant harm levels for PM2.5; and to include
NOX as a precursor for ozone.
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On May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010, the Governor of New Mexico
submitted revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County portion of the
New Mexico SIP to adopt and implement PSD permitting regulations to
meet the federal requirements for implementation of the 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS. The submissions also included revisions to the
SIP to provide for NOX to be treated as a precursor to ozone
formation in the preconstruction permitting program for PSD. Also in
the August 16, 2010 submittal, the Governor included an Infrastructure
SIP ``Completeness Checklist,'' certifying how Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County met all the requirements of section 110(a)(1) and (2) of the
Act. We are proposing action on these items in today's rulemaking.
Additional information: EPA is currently acting upon SIPs that
address the infrastructure requirements of CAA section 110(a)(1) and
(2) for ozone and PM2.5 NAAQS for various states across the
country. Commenters on EPA's recent proposals for some states raised
concerns about EPA statements that it was not addressing certain
substantive issues in the context of acting on those infrastructure SIP
submissions.\6\ Those commenters specifically raised concerns involving
provisions in existing SIPs and with EPA's statements in other
proposals that it would address two issues separately and not as part
of actions on the infrastructure SIP submissions: (i) Existing
provisions related to excess emissions during periods of start-up,
shutdown, or malfunction at sources, that may be contrary to the CAA
and EPA's policies addressing such excess emissions (``SSM''); and (ii)
existing provisions related to ``director's variance'' or ``director's
discretion'' that purport to permit revisions to SIP approved emissions
limits with limited public process or without requiring further
approval by EPA, that may be contrary to the CAA (``director's
discretion''). EPA notes that there are two other substantive issues
for which EPA likewise stated in other proposals that it would address
the issues separately: (i) Existing provisions for minor source new
source review programs that may be inconsistent with the requirements
of the CAA and EPA's regulations that pertain to such programs (``minor
source NSR''); and (ii) existing provisions for Prevention of
Significant Deterioration programs that may be inconsistent with
current requirements of EPA's ``Final NSR Improvement Rule,'' 67 FR
80186 (December 31, 2002), as amended by 72 FR 32526 (June 13, 2007)
(``NSR Reform''). In light of the comments, EPA believes that its
statements in various proposed actions on infrastructure SIPs with
respect to these four individual issues should be explained in greater
depth. It is important to emphasize that EPA is taking the same
position with respect to these four substantive issues in this action
on the infrastructure SIP submittals for the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone
NAAQS and the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS submissions from
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County.
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\6\ See, Comments of Midwest Environmental Defense Center, dated
May 31, 2011. Docket EPA-R05-OAR-2007-1179 (adverse
comments on proposals for three states in Region 5). EPA notes that
these public comments on another proposal are not relevant to this
rulemaking and do not have to be directly addressed in this
rulemaking. EPA will respond to these comments in the appropriate
rulemaking action to which they apply.
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EPA intended the statements in the other proposals concerning these
four issues merely to be informational, and to provide general notice
of the potential existence of provisions within the existing SIPs of
some states that might require future corrective action. EPA did not
want states, regulated entities, or members of the public to be under
the misconception that the
[[Page 22253]]
Agency's approval of the infrastructure SIP submission of a given state
should be interpreted as a re-approval of certain types of provisions
that might exist buried in the larger existing SIP for such state.
Thus, for example, EPA explicitly noted that the Agency believes that
some states may have existing SIP approved SSM provisions that are
contrary to the CAA and EPA policy, but that ``in this rulemaking, EPA
is not proposing to approve or disapprove any existing State provisions
with regard to excess emissions during SSM of operations at
facilities.'' EPA further explained, for informational purposes, ``EPA
plans to address such State regulations in the future.'' EPA made
similar statements, for similar reasons, with respect to the director's
discretion, minor source NSR, and NSR Reform issues. EPA's objective
was to make clear that approval of an infrastructure SIP for these
ozone and PM2.5 NAAQS should not be construed as explicit or
implicit reapproval of any existing provisions that relate to these
four substantive issues. EPA is reiterating that position in this
action on these infrastructure SIP submittals for Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County.
Unfortunately, the commenters and others evidently interpreted
these statements to mean that EPA considered action upon the SSM
provisions and the other three substantive issues to be integral parts
of acting on an infrastructure SIP submission, and therefore that EPA
was merely postponing taking final action on the issues in the context
of the infrastructure SIPs. This was not EPA's intention. To the
contrary, EPA only meant to convey its awareness of the potential for
certain types of deficiencies in existing SIPs, and to prevent any
misunderstanding that it was reapproving any such existing provisions.
EPA's intention was to convey its position that the statute does not
require that infrastructure SIPs address these specific substantive
issues in existing SIPs and that these issues may be dealt with
separately, outside the context of acting on the infrastructure SIP
submission of a state. To be clear, EPA did not mean to imply that it
was not taking a full final agency action on the infrastructure SIP
submission with respect to any substantive issue that EPA considers to
be a required part of acting on such submissions under section 110(k)
or under section 110(c). Given the confusion evidently resulting from
EPA's statements in those other proposals, however, we want to explain
more fully the Agency's reasons for concluding that these four
potential substantive issues in existing SIPs may be addressed
separately from actions on infrastructure SIP submissions.
The requirement for the SIP submissions at issue arises out of CAA
section 110(a)(1). That provision requires that states must make a SIP
submission ``within 3 years (or such shorter period as the
Administrator may prescribe) after the promulgation of a national
primary ambient air quality standard (or any revision thereof)'' and
that these SIPs are to provide for the ``implementation, maintenance,
and enforcement'' of such NAAQS. Section 110(a)(2) includes a list of
specific elements that ``[e]ach such plan'' submission must meet. EPA
has historically referred to these particular submissions that states
must make after the promulgation of a new or revised NAAQS as
``infrastructure SIPs.'' This specific term does not appear in the
statute, but EPA uses the term to distinguish this particular type of
SIP submission designed to address basic structural requirements of a
SIP from other types of SIP submissions designed to address other
different requirements, such as ``nonattainment SIP'' submissions
required to address the nonattainment planning requirements of part D,
``regional haze SIP'' submissions required to address the visibility
protection requirements of CAA section 169A, new source review
permitting program submissions required to address the requirements of
part D, and a host of other specific types of SIP submissions that
address other specific matters.
Although section 110(a)(1) addresses the timing and general
requirements for these infrastructure SIPs, and section 110(a)(2)
provides more details concerning the required contents of these
infrastructure SIPs, EPA believes that many of the specific statutory
provisions are facially ambiguous. In particular, the list of required
elements provided in section 110(a)(2) contains a wide variety of
disparate provisions, some of which pertain to required legal
authority, some of which pertain to required substantive provisions,
and some of which pertain to requirements for both authority and
substantive provisions.\7\ Some of the elements of section 110(a)(2)
are relatively straightforward, but others clearly require
interpretation by EPA through rulemaking, or recommendations through
guidance, in order to give specific meaning for a particular NAAQS.\8\
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\7\ For example, section 110(a)(2)(E) provides that states must
provide assurances that they have adequate legal authority under
state and local law to carry out the SIP; section 110(a)(2)(C)
provides that states must have a substantive program to address
certain sources as required by part C of the CAA; section
110(a)(2)(G) provides that states must have both legal authority to
address emergencies and substantive contingency plans in the event
of such an emergency.
\8\ For example, section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) requires EPA to be sure
that each state's SIP contains adequate provisions to prevent
significant contribution to nonattainment of the NAAQS in other
states. This provision contains numerous terms that require
substantial rulemaking by EPA in order to determine such basic
points as what constitutes significant contribution. See, e.g.,
``Rule To Reduce Interstate Transport of Fine Particulate Matter and
Ozone (Clean Air Interstate Rule); Revisions to Acid Rain Program;
Revisions to the NOX SIP Call; Final Rule,'' 70 FR 25162
(May 12, 2005) (defining, among other things, the phrase
``contribute significantly to nonattainment'').
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Notwithstanding that section 110(a)(2) provides that ``each'' SIP
submission must meet the list of requirements therein, EPA has long
noted that this literal reading of the statute is internally
inconsistent, insofar as section 110(a)(2)(I) pertains to nonattainment
SIP requirements that could not be met on the schedule provided for
these SIP submissions in section 110(a)(1).\9\ This illustrates that
EPA must determine which provisions of section 110(a)(2) may be
applicable for a given infrastructure SIP submission. Similarly, EPA
has previously decided that it could take action on different parts of
the larger, general ``infrastructure SIP'' for a given NAAQS without
concurrent action on all subsections, such as section 110(a)(2)(D)(i),
because the Agency bifurcated the action on these latter ``interstate
transport'' provisions within section 110(a)(2) and worked with states
to address each of the four prongs of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) with
substantive administrative actions proceeding on different tracks with
different schedules.\10\ This illustrates that EPA may conclude that
subdividing the applicable requirements of section 110(a)(2) into
separate SIP actions may sometimes be appropriate for a given NAAQS
where a specific substantive action is necessitated, beyond a mere
submission addressing basic structural aspects of the state's SIP.
Finally, EPA notes that not every element of section
[[Page 22254]]
110(a)(2) would be relevant, or as relevant, or relevant in the same
way, for each new or revised NAAQS and the attendant infrastructure SIP
submission for that NAAQS. For example, the monitoring requirements
that might be necessary for purposes of section 110(a)(2)(B) for one
NAAQS could be very different than what might be necessary for a
different pollutant. Thus, the content of an infrastructure SIP
submission to meet this element from a state might be very different
for an entirely new NAAQS, versus a minor revision to an existing
NAAQS.\11\
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\9\ See, e.g., Id., 70 FR 25162, at 63-65 (May 12, 2005)
(explaining relationship between timing requirement of section
110(a)(2)(D) versus section 110(a)(2)(I)).
\10\ EPA issued separate guidance to states with respect to SIP
submissions to meet section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) for the 1997 ozone and
1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. See, ``Guidance for State
Implementation Plan (SIP) Submissions to Meet Current Outstanding
Obligations Under Section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) for the 8-Hour Ozone and
PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards,'' from
William T. Harnett, Director AQPD, OAQPS, to Regional Air Division
Directors, Regions I-X, dated August 15, 2006.
\11\ For example, implementation of the 1997 PM2.5
NAAQS required the deployment of a system of new monitors to measure
ambient levels of that new indicator species for the new NAAQS.
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Similarly, EPA notes that other types of SIP submissions required
under the statute also must meet the requirements of section 110(a)(2),
and this also demonstrates the need to identify the applicable elements
for other SIP submissions. For example, nonattainment SIPs required by
part D likewise have to meet the relevant subsections of section
110(a)(2) such as section 110(a)(2)(A) or (E). By contrast, it is clear
that nonattainment SIPs would not need to meet the portion of section
110(a)(2)(C) that pertains to part C, i.e., the PSD requirements
applicable in attainment areas. Nonattainment SIPs required by part D
also would not need to address the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(G)
with respect to emergency episodes, as such requirements would not be
limited to nonattainment areas. As this example illustrates, each type
of SIP submission may implicate some subsections of section 110(a)(2)
and not others.
Given the potential for ambiguity of the statutory language of
section 110(a)(1) and (2), EPA believes that it is appropriate for EPA
to interpret that language in the context of acting on the
infrastructure SIPs for a given NAAQS. Because of the inherent
ambiguity of the list of requirements in section 110(a)(2), EPA has
adopted an approach in which it reviews infrastructure SIPs against
this list of elements ``as applicable.'' In other words, EPA assumes
that Congress could not have intended that each and every SIP
submission, regardless of the purpose of the submission or the NAAQS in
question, would meet each of the requirements, or meet each of them in
the same way. EPA elected to use guidance to make recommendations for
infrastructure SIPs for these ozone and PM2.5 NAAQS.
On October 2, 2007, EPA issued guidance making recommendations for
the infrastructure SIP submissions for both the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS
and the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS.\12\ Within this guidance document,
EPA described the duty of states to make these submissions to meet what
the Agency characterized as the ``infrastructure'' elements for SIPs,
which it further described as the ``basic SIP requirements, including
emissions inventories, monitoring, and modeling to assure attainment
and maintenance of the standards.'' \13\ As further identification of
these basic structural SIP requirements, ``attachment A'' to the
guidance document included a short description of the various elements
of section 110(a)(2) and additional information about the types of
issues that EPA considered germane in the context of such
infrastructure SIPs. EPA emphasized that the description of the basic
requirements listed on attachment A was not intended ``to constitute an
interpretation of'' the requirements, and was merely a ``brief
description of the required elements.'' \14\ EPA also stated its belief
that with one exception, these requirements were ``relatively self
explanatory, and past experience with SIPs for other NAAQS should
enable States to meet these requirements with assistance from EPA
Regions.'' \15\ For the one exception to that general assumption,
however, i.e., how states should proceed with respect to the
requirements of section 110(a)(2)(G) for the 1997 PM2.5
NAAQS, EPA gave much more specific recommendations. But for other
infrastructure SIP submittals, and for certain elements of the
submittals for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS, EPA assumed that each
State would work with its corresponding EPA regional office to refine
the scope of a State's submittal based on an assessment of how the
requirements of section 110(a)(2) should reasonably apply to the basic
structure of the State's SIP for the NAAQS in question.
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\12\ See, ``Guidance on SIP Elements Required Under Section
110(a)(1) and (2) for the 1997 8-hour Ozone and PM2.5
National Ambient Air Quality Standards,'' from William T. Harnett,
Director AQPD, OAQPS, to Air Division Directors, Regions I-X, dated
October 2, 2007 (the ``2007 Guidance'').
\13\ Id., at page 2.
\14\ Id., at attachment A, page 1.
\15\ Id., at page 4. In retrospect, the concerns raised by
commenters with respect to EPA's approach to some substantive issues
indicates that the statute is not so ``self explanatory,'' and
indeed is sufficiently ambiguous that EPA needs to interpret it in
order to explain why these substantive issues do not need to be
addressed in the context of infrastructure SIPs and may be addressed
at other times and by other means.
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On September 25, 2009, EPA issued guidance to make recommendations
to states with respect to the infrastructure SIPs for the 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS.\16\ In the 2009 Guidance, EPA addressed a
number of additional issues that were not germane to the infrastructure
SIPs for the 1997 8-hour ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS, but
were germane to these SIP submissions for the 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS, e.g., the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) that EPA had
bifurcated from the other infrastructure elements for those specific
1997 ozone and PM2.5 NAAQS.
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\16\ See, ``Guidance on SIP Elements Required Under Sections
110(a)(1) and (2) for the 2006 24-Hour Fine Particle
(PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS),''
from William T, Harnett, Director AQPD, OAQPS, to Regional Air
Division Directors, Regions I-X, dated September 25, 2009 (the
``2009 Guidance'').
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Significantly, neither the 2007 Guidance nor the 2009 Guidance
explicitly referred to the SSM, director's discretion, minor source
NSR, or NSR Reform issues as among specific substantive issues EPA
expected states to address in the context of the infrastructure SIPs,
nor did EPA give any more specific recommendations with respect to how
states might address such issues even if they elected to do so. The SSM
and director's discretion issues implicate section 110(a)(2)(A), and
the minor source NSR and NSR Reform issues implicate section
110(a)(2)(C). In the 2007 Guidance and the 2009 Guidance, however, EPA
did not indicate to states that it intended to interpret these
provisions as requiring a substantive submission to address these
specific issues in existing SIP provisions in the context of the
infrastructure SIPs for these NAAQS. Instead, EPA's 2007 Guidance
merely indicated its belief that the states should make submissions in
which they established that they have the basic SIP structure necessary
to implement, maintain, and enforce the NAAQS. EPA believes that states
can establish that they have the basic SIP structure, notwithstanding
that there may be potential deficiencies within the existing SIP. Thus,
EPA's proposals for other states mentioned these issues not because the
Agency considers them issues that must be addressed in the context of
an infrastructure SIP as required by section 110(a)(1) and (2), but
rather because EPA wanted to be clear that it considers these potential
existing SIP problems as separate from the pending infrastructure SIP
actions. The same holds true for this action on the infrastructure SIP
submittals for Albuquerque/Bernalillo County.
EPA believes that this approach to the infrastructure SIP
requirement is reasonable, because it would not be feasible to read
section 110(a)(1) and (2) to require a top to bottom, stem to stern,
[[Page 22255]]
review of each and every provision of an existing SIP merely for
purposes of assuring that the state in question has the basic
structural elements for a functioning SIP for a new or revised NAAQS.
Because SIPs have grown by accretion over the decades as statutory and
regulatory requirements under the CAA have evolved, they may include
some outmoded provisions and historical artifacts that, while not fully
up to date, nevertheless may not pose a significant problem for the
purposes of ``implementation, maintenance, and enforcement'' of a new
or revised NAAQS when EPA considers the overall effectiveness of the
SIP. To the contrary, EPA believes that a better approach is for EPA to
determine which specific SIP elements from section 110(a)(2) are
applicable to an infrastructure SIP for a given NAAQS, and to focus
attention on those elements that are most likely to need a specific SIP
revision in light of the new or revised NAAQS. Thus, for example, EPA's
2007 Guidance specifically directed states to focus on the requirements
of section 110(a)(2)(G) for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS because of
the absence of underlying EPA regulations for emergency episodes for
this NAAQS and an anticipated absence of relevant provisions in
existing SIPs.
Finally, EPA believes that its approach is a reasonable reading of
section 110(a)(1) and (2) because the statute provides other avenues
and mechanisms to address specific substantive deficiencies in existing
SIPs. These other statutory tools allow the Agency to take appropriate
tailored action, depending upon the nature and severity of the alleged
SIP deficiency. Section 110(k)(5) authorizes EPA to issue a ``SIP
call'' whenever the Agency determines that a state's SIP is
substantially inadequate to attain or maintain the NAAQS, to mitigate
interstate transport, or otherwise to comply with the CAA.\17\ Section
110(k)(6) authorizes EPA to correct errors in past actions, such as
past approvals of SIP submissions.\18\ Significantly, EPA's
determination that an action on the infrastructure SIP submittal is not
the appropriate time and place to address all potential existing SIP
problems does not preclude the Agency's subsequent reliance on
provisions in section 110(a)(2) as part of the basis for action at a
later time. For example, although it may not be appropriate to require
a state to eliminate all existing inappropriate director's discretion
provisions in the course of acting on the infrastructure SIP, EPA
believes that section 110(a)(2)(A) may be among the statutory bases
that the Agency cites in the course of addressing the issue in a
subsequent action.\19\
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\17\ EPA has recently issued a SIP call to rectify a specific
SIP deficiency related to the SSM issue. See, ``Finding of
Substantial Inadequacy of Implementation Plan; Call for Utah State
Implementation Plan Revision,'' 76 FR 21639 (April 18, 2011).
\18\ EPA has recently utilized this authority to correct errors
in past actions on SIP submissions related to PSD programs. See,
``Limitation of Approval of Prevention of Significant Deterioration
Provisions Concerning Greenhouse Gas Emitting-Sources in State
Implementation Plans; Final Rule,'' 75 FR 82536 (December 30, 2010).
EPA has previously used its authority under CAA 110(k)(6) to remove
numerous other SIP provisions that the Agency determined it had
approved in error. See, e.g., 61 FR 38664 (July 25, 1996) and 62 FR
34641 (June 27, 1997) (corrections to American Samoa, Arizona,
California, Hawaii, and Nevada SIPs); 69 FR 67062 (November 16,
2004) (corrections to California SIP); and 74 FR 57051 (November 3,
2009) (corrections to Arizona and Nevada SIPs).
\19\ EPA has recently disapproved a SIP submission from Colorado
on the grounds that it would have included a director's discretion
provision inconsistent with CAA requirements, including section
110(a)(2)(A). See, e.g., 75 FR 42342 at 42344 (July 21, 2010)
(proposed disapproval of director's discretion provisions); 76 FR
4540 (January 26, 2011) (final disapproval of such provisions).
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2. Section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) Interstate Transport SIP Elements
Section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) pertains to interstate transport of certain
emissions. On August 15, 2006, the EPA issued its ``Guidance for State
Implementation Plan (SIP) Submission to Meet Current Outstanding
Obligations Under Section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) for the 8-Hour Ozone and
PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards'' (2006
Guidance). EPA developed the 2006 Guidance to make recommendations to
states for making submissions to meet the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(D)(i) for the 1997 8-hour ozone standards and the 1997
PM2.5 standards. As identified in the 2006 Guidance, the
``good neighbor'' provisions in section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) require each
state to submit a SIP that prohibits emissions that adversely affect
another state in the ways contemplated in the statute. Section
110(a)(2)(D)(i) contains four distinct requirements (prongs) related to
the impacts of interstate transport. The SIP must prevent sources in
the state from emitting pollutants in amounts which will: (1)
Contribute significantly to nonattainment of the NAAQS in other states;
(2) interfere with maintenance of the NAAQS in other states; (3)
interfere with provisions to prevent significant deterioration of air
quality in other states; and (4) interfere with efforts to protect
visibility in other states.
On September 12, 2007 and August 25, 2010 (dated August 16, 2010),
we received SIP submissions from the Governor of New Mexico intended to
address the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) for both the 1997
8-hour ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA approved a portion of
the 2007 SIP submittal--the first prong--that pertains to preventing
sources in one state from emitting pollutants in amounts that will
contribute significantly to nonattainment of the 1997 ozone and 1997
PM2.5 NAAQS in any other state (75 FR 68447, November 8,
2010). In today's action, we are also addressing a portion of that
submittal--the third prong--that pertains to preventing sources in
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County from emitting pollutants that will
interfere with measures required to prevent significant deterioration
of air quality in other states. In its submission, New Mexico indicated
that its current PSD NSR SIP is adequate to prevent such interference.
In a separate rulemaking, EPA is taking action on the requirement
regarding interference with efforts to protect visibility in other
states. The remaining prong, which addresses interference with
maintenance of the NAAQS in other states, will be evaluated in a
separate rulemaking.
3. Revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD SIP
Today's rulemaking includes the review and analysis of two separate
revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP for PSD permitting
submitted to EPA on May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010, that include
provisions to implement the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS and the
1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. We note that the AQCB also
provided revisions to the NNSR permitting program in the August 16,
2010 submittal. EPA is severing the August 16, 2010 revisions to the
NNSR SIP from our proposed action.\20\ The NNSR SIP is a separate
permit program for nonattainment areas that functions independently
from the PSD program and is authorized under Part D of the Title I of
the CAA. As explained previously in section I.C.1 of this proposed
rule, the Albuquerque infrastructure SIP review does not include
evaluation of NNSR provisions at this time. EPA will address the NNSR
SIP revisions in a separate rulemaking.
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\20\ These portions are severable. By which, we mean that the
portions of the SIP revision required by EPA's Implementation of the
New Source Review (NSR) Program for Particulate Matter Less Than 2.5
Micrometers rule can be implemented independently of the remaining
portions of the submittal, without affecting the stringency of the
submitted rules. In addition, the remaining portions of the
submittal are not necessary for approval of the provisions
implementing the PM2.5 NAAQS.
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[[Page 22256]]
a. Revisions To Address the 1997 and 2008 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS
On May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010, the Governor submitted
revisions to the PSD SIP that include, but are not limited to,
revisions that provide for NOX to be treated as a precursor
to ozone formation in the preconstruction permitting program for PSD,
found at Title 20, Chapter 11, Section 61 of the New Mexico
Administrative Code (20.11.61 NMAC). We are proposing to approve
portions of two revisions to the PSD SIP that include revisions to
20.11.61 NMAC as submitted to EPA on May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010
respectively, which implement the provisions for NOX as a
precursor for ozone, consistent with the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS as
published in the November 29, 2005 FRN. EPA finds that these revisions
are necessary for implementation of the 1997 and 2008 ozone standard.
As discussed further in our Technical Support Document (TSD), these
revisions adopted by the AQCB meet the requirements of the CAA and
EPA's PSD SIP rules and are consistent with EPA's policy and guidance
regarding the PSD permit program.
b. Revisions To Address the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS
To implement the PSD permitting component of section 110(a)(2)(C)
for the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 standards, states were required
to submit the necessary SIP revisions to EPA by May 16, 2011 under
EPA's Implementation of the New Source Review (NSR) Program for
Particulate Matter Less Than 2.5 Micrometers (73 FR 28321, May 16,
2008; hereafter referred to as ``2008 PM2.5 NSR rule''). On
July 14, 2010, the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County AQCB adopted revisions
to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP to amend their PSD and NNSR
programs to implement PM2.5 NAAQS. These revisions became
effective on August 30, 2010. The Governor submitted these changes to
EPA as a SIP revision on August 16, 2010. As noted previously, we are
proposing action on only the PSD revisions at this time. We are
proposing to approve portions of the revisions to the PSD SIP at
20.11.61 NMAC submitted on August 16, 2010 that implement the
provisions for PM2.5 permitting, including the
identification of PM2.5 precursors and significant emission
rates, consistent with the requirements as published in the 2008
PM2.5 NSR rule to adequately implement the 1997 and 2006
NAAQS. As discussed further in our TSD, these revisions adopted by the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County AQCB meet the requirements of the CAA and
EPA's PSD SIP rules and are consistent with EPA's policy and guidance
regarding the PSD permit program.
c. Revisions To Address the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Permitting
Requirements
EPA has recently undertaken a series of actions pertaining to the
regulation of GHGs that, although for the most part are distinct from
one another, establish the overall framework for today's proposed
action on the Albuquerque infrastructure SIP. Four of these actions
include, as they are commonly called, the ``Endangerment Finding'' and
``Cause or Contribute Finding,'' which EPA issued in a single final
action,\21\ the ``Johnson Memo Reconsideration,'' \22\ the ``Light-Duty
Vehicle Rule,'' \23\ and the ``Tailoring Rule.'' \24\ Taken together
and in conjunction with the CAA, these actions established regulatory
requirements for GHGs emitted from new motor vehicles and new motor
vehicle engines; determined that such regulations, when they took
effect on January 2, 2011, subjected GHGs emitted from stationary
sources to PSD requirements; and limited the applicability of PSD
requirements to GHG sources on a phased-in basis. EPA took this last
action in the Tailoring Rule, which, more specifically, established
appropriate GHG emission thresholds for determining the applicability
of PSD requirements to GHG-emitting sources.
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\21\ ``Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for
Greenhouse Gases Under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act.'' 74 FR
66496 (December 15, 2009).
\22\ ``Interpretation of Regulations that Determine Pollutants
Covered by Clean Air Act Permitting Programs.'' 75 FR 17004 (April
2, 2010).
\23\ ``Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards and
Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards; Final Rule.'' 75 FR 25324
(May 7, 2010).
\24\ Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Title V
Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule; Final Rule.'' 75 FR 31514 (June 3,
2010).
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On December 15, 2010, the Governor of New Mexico submitted to EPA a
SIP revision that modified Albuquerque/Bernalillo County's PSD program
to establish appropriate emission thresholds for determining which new
stationary sources and modification projects become subject to
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County's PSD permitting requirements for their
GHG emissions. The regulatory revisions that Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County submitted, on December 15, 2010, incorporate the Tailoring Rule
thresholds, thereby (i) assuring that, under State law, only sources at
or above the Tailoring Rule thresholds would be subject to PSD; and
(ii) avoiding confusion under the federally-approved SIP by clarifying
that the SIP applies only to sources at or above the Tailoring Rule
thresholds. EPA determined that the PSD SIP revision met the
requirements of section 110 and part C of the CAA and EPA regulations
regarding PSD permitting for GHGs, and EPA approved the PSD SIP
revision effective January 30, 2012. (See 76 FR 81836).
d. Revisions To Maintain Consistency With the Federal PSD Requirements
In addition to the revisions submitted on May 24, 2006 and August
16, 2010 to implement the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS and the 1997
and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS, Albuquerque also adopted and submitted
several revisions to the general PSD program to maintain consistency
with the Federal PSD requirements. It is incumbent on a permitting
authority to routinely review and update the SIP to maintain
consistency with the Federal requirements and submit these revisions as
appropriate for review and incorporation into the state's SIP. As
further explained in the TSD, EPA finds that these revisions are
consistent with the Federal PSD requirements at 40 CFR 51.166 and
necessary to implement the Albuquerque PSD SIP.
4. Additional Revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
On November 6, 2009, the Governor submitted a SIP revision that
included among other things, updating the SIP rule entitled Ambient Air
Quality Standards. We are taking this opportunity to evaluate and
propose action on the Ambient Air Quality Standard SIP portion of the
2009 submission. EPA is not taking action on the other severable
portions of November 2009 SIP revision submittal at this time.
D. What elements are required under section 110(a)(2)?
Pursuant to the October 2, 2007 EPA guidance for addressing the SIP
infrastructure elements required under sections 110(a)(1) and (2) for
the 1997 ozone and 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS, there are 14
essential components that must be included in the SIP. These are listed
in Table 1 below.
[[Page 22257]]
Table 1--Section 110(a)(2) Elements Required in SIPs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clean Air Act citation Brief description
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 110(a)(2)(A)......... Emission limits and other control
measures.
Section 110(a)(2)(B)......... Ambient air quality monitoring/data
system.
Section 110(a)(2)(C)......... Program for enforcement of control
measures.
Section 110(a)(2)(D)......... Interstate transport.
Section 110(a)(2)(E)......... Adequate resources.
Section 110(a)(2)(F)......... Stationary source monitoring system.
Section 110(a)(2)(G)......... Emergency power.
Section 110(a)(2)(H)......... Future SIP revisions.
Section 110(a)(2)(J) \25\.... Consultation with government officials.
Section 110(a)(2)(J)......... Public notification.
Section 110(a)(2)(J)......... Prevention of significant deterioration
(PSD) and visibility protection.
Section 110(a)(2)(K)......... Air quality modeling/submission of such
data.
Section 110(a)(2)(L)......... Permitting fees.
Section 110(a)(2)(M)......... Consultation/participation by affected
local entities.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
II. What action is EPA proposing?
A. Section 110(a)(1) and (2)
In today's action, we are proposing to determine and approve that
the following section 110(a)(2) elements are contained in the current
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP and provide the infrastructure for
implementing the 1997 and 2008 ozone and the 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 standards: Emission limits and other control measures
(section 110(a)(2)(A)); ambient air quality monitoring/data system
(section 110(a)(2)(B)); the program for enforcement of control measures
(section 110(a)(2)(C)); international and interstate pollution
abatement (section 110(a)(2)(D)(ii)); adequate resources (section
110(a)(2)(E)); stationary source monitoring system (section
110(a)(2)(F)); emergency power (section 110(a)(2)(G)); future SIP
revisions (section 110(a)(2)(H)); consultation with government
officials (section 110(a)(2)(J)); public notification (section
110(a)(2)(J)); PSD and visibility protection (section 110(a)(2)(J));
air quality modeling/data (section 110(a)(2)(K)); permitting fees
(section 110(a)(2)(L)); and consultation/participation by affected
local entities (section 110(a)(2)(M)).
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\25\ Section 110(a)(2)(I) is omitted from the list. Section
110(a)(2)(I) pertains to the nonattainment planning requirements of
part D, Title I of the Act. This section is not governed by the 3-
year submission deadline of section 110(a)(1) because SIPs
incorporating necessary local nonattainment area controls are not
due within 3 years after promulgation of a new or revised NAAQS, but
are due at the time the nonattainment area plan requirements are due
pursuant to section 172. Thus this action does not cover section
110(a)(2)(I).
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We are also proposing that Albuquerque/Bernalillo County has
adequately addressed one of the four required prongs of CAA section
110(a)(2)(D)(i), the interstate transport prong, which requires that
the SIP prohibit air emissions from sources within a state from
interfering with measures required to prevent significant deterioration
of air quality in any other state. We are proposing to determine that
emissions from sources in Albuquerque/Bernalillo County do not
interfere with measures to prevent significant deterioration of air
quality in any other state for the 1997 and 2008 ozone and the 1997 and
2006 PM2.5 NAAQS (CAA section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II)). As noted
previously, we already have found that emissions from sources within
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County do not significantly contribute to
nonattainment of the 1997 ozone and PM2.5 standards in any
other state. We are not addressing the prongs of section
110(a)(2)(D)(i) for the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS that pertain to prohibiting air emissions with
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County from: (1) Interfering with the
maintenance of the relevant NAAQS in any other state and (2)
interfering with the measures required to protect visibility in any
other state. We also are not addressing the remaining prong for the
2008 ozone and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS that pertain to prohibiting
emissions from sources within Albuquerque/Bernalillo County from
significantly contributing to nonattainment in any other state. We will
take action on these prongs of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) for these
particular NAAQS, which address interstate transport, in separate
rulemakings.
B. PSD Requirements
In conjunction with our proposed finding that the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County SIP meets the section 110(a)(1) and (2)
infrastructure and interstate transport SIP elements listed above for
the four NAAQS, we are also proposing to approve portions of two SIP
revisions submitted by the Governor of New Mexico to EPA on May 24,
2006 and August 16, 2010 to the Albuquerque PSD Permitting Program at
20.11.61 NMAC. These revisions identify NOX as a precursor
to ozone, identify the precursors for PM2.5 and the
applicable significant emission rates for PM2.5 PSD
permitting, and make other necessary updates to maintain consistency
with the federal PSD permitting requirements at 40 CFR 51.166 and 40
CFR Part 51, Appendix W. EPA is taking no action at this time on
revisions to the Albuquerque NNSR Permitting program that were
submitted to EPA on August 16, 2010. We find that the NNSR permitting
program revisions can be severed from our action today on the PSD
program revisions since the NNSR revisions are authorized under Title
I, Part D of the CAA.
C. Additional SIP Revisions
EPA also is proposing to approve a portion of a revision submitted
on November 6, 2009 to the New Mexico SIP for Ambient Air Quality
Standards, codified at 20.11.8 NMAC (Part 8). The substantive revisions
submitted to Part 8 revise the local ambient air quality standards to
make them consistent with the current NAAQS.
III. How do the revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD SIP
meet EPA requirements?
A. Revisions To Address the 1997 and 2008 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS
To meet the requirements of 110(a)(2)(C) for the 1997 and 2008
ozone standard, EPA believes the State must have updated its PSD rules
to treat NOX as a precursor to ozone (70 FR 71612). On May
24, 2006 and August 16, 2010, the Governor of New Mexico submitted the
provisions for NOX as a precursor consistent with EPA's
November 29, 2005 Phase 2 rule for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. EPA
proposes to approve the May 24, 2006 and August
[[Page 22258]]
16, 2010 SIP revisions to Albuquerque/Bernalillo County's PSD
permitting regulations that implement the provisions for NOX
as a precursor because EPA finds these rule revisions necessary to
implement the 1997 and 2008 ozone NAAQS. The Albuquerque PSD program
satisfies the November 29, 2005 rule as follows. A complete analysis is
provided in the TSD for this action.
1. Revising the PSD definition of Major Stationary Source to state
that a source major for VOC or NOX will be considered major
for ozone. EPA SIP-approved the revision to the Major Stationary Source
definition at 20.11.61.7.JJ in our April 26, 2007 final action on the
Albuquerque NSR Reform package, see 72 FR 20728.
2. Revising the PSD definition of Major Modification to state that
any significant emissions increase from any emissions units or net
emissions increase at a major stationary source that is significant for
VOC or NOX shall be considered significant for ozone.
Albuquerque adopted the revised definition of Major Modification at
20.11.61.7.HH NMAC to include NOX as an ozone precursor on
April 13, 2006 and submitted to EPA on May 24, 2006.
3. Adding the emission rate for NOX, as a precursor to
ozone, as 40 tpy, in the PSD definition of Significant. The August 16,
2010 submittal revises the definition of Significant at 20.11.61.7.YY
NMAC and Table 2 at 20.11.61.27 NMAC to identify NOX as an
ozone precursor.
4. Identifying NOX as a precursor for ozone in the
definition of Regulated NSR Pollutant. As currently SIP-approved at
20.11.61.7.VV(1), the definition of Regulated NSR Pollutant identifies
NOX as an ozone precursor. See EPA's April 26, 2007 approval
of the Albuquerque NSR Reform package at 72 FR 20728. The August 16,
2010, revisions to the Albuquerque PSD Program revise the definition of
Regulated NSR Pollutant to address PM2.5 requirements (as
discussed below) but continue to identify NOX as an ozone
precursor.
5. Under the PSD requirements, allowing for an exemption with
respect to ambient air quality monitoring data for a source with a net
emissions increase less than 100 tpy of NOX. Albuquerque
adopted and submitted revisions to 20.11.61.28 NMAC--Table 3
Significant Monitoring Concentrations on May 24, 2006 and August 16,
2010 to identify NOX as an ozone precursor and allow for the
aforementioned exemption from ambient air quality monitoring.
B. Revisions To Address the 2008 PM2.5 NSR Rule
To meet the requirements of 110(a)(2)(C) for the 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 standard, EPA believes that the State must have
updated its PSD rules to identify the PM2.5 precursors and
significant emission rates as outlined in our May 16, 2008 rulemaking.
The Governor of New Mexico submitted a SIP revision on August 16, 2010
to address the requirements of the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS. EPA proposes to approve the August 16, 2010 SIP revision to
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County's PSD permitting regulations that
implement the provisions for PM2.5 permitting because EPA
finds these rule revisions adequate and necessary to implement the 1997
and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. The Albuquerque PSD program satisfies
the May 16, 2008 rulemaking as follows. A complete analysis is provided
in the TSD for this action.
1. Revising the PSD definition of Significant to identify the
significant emission rates for PM2.5 precursors. Revisions
to the Albuquerque PSD SIP at 20.11.61.7.YY NMAC and 20.11.61.27 Table
2 NMAC were submitted on August 16, 2010, that identify significant
emission rates for the PM2.5 precursors (10 TPY of direct
PM2.5, 40 TPY of SO2, 40 TPY of NOX
unless demonstrated not to be a PM2.5 precursor).
2. Revising the PSD definition of Regulated NSR Pollutant to
identify the PM2.5 precursors. Revisions to the Albuquerque
PSD SIP at 20.11.61.7.VV NMAC submitted on August 16, 2010, revise the
definition of Regulated NSR Pollutant to identify SO2 is a
PM2.5 precursor in all attainment and unclassifiable areas,
NOX is presumed to be a PM2.5 precursor in all
attainment and unclassifiable areas unless demonstrated not to be, and
VOC is presumed not to be a PM2.5 precursor in any
attainment or unclassifiable area unless demonstrated otherwise.
3. Reserving a section in the PSD definition of Regulated NSR
Pollutant. The August 16, 2010 revisions to the Albuquerque PSD SIP
reserve a section in the definition of Regulated NSR Pollutant at
20.11.61.7.VV(5) NMAC.
4. Revising the PSD definition of Regulated NSR Pollutant to
require that PM, PM2.5 and PM10 emissions shall
include gaseous emissions from a source or activity which condense to
form particulate matter at ambient temperatures. Revisions to the
Albuquerque PSD SIP at 20.11.61.7.VV(6) NMAC submitted on August 16,
2010, revise the definition of Regulated NSR Pollutant to include
condensables.
5. Revising the PSD requirements for monitoring by providing an
exemption for sources if the pollutant of interest is less than the
significant monitoring concentration. The August 16, 2010 revisions at
20.11.61.18(H) NMAC satisfy this requirement.
C. Revisions To Address GHG Permitting Requirements
Albuquerque adopted and submitted revisions to the PSD program
consistent with EPA's GHG Tailoring Rule requirements on January 10,
2011. EPA evaluated and SIP-approved these PSD provisions in a separate
rulemaking on December 29, 2011, see 76 FR 81836. Our approval action
found that Albuquerque has the necessary rules and resources in place
to apply the PSD permit program requirements to GHG-emitting sources.
D. Revisions To Maintain Consistency With Federal PSD Requirements
The May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010 revisions to the Albuquerque
PSD program also included several substantive and non-substantive
revisions necessary to maintain consistency with the Federal PSD
requirements. The TSD for this action includes a thorough review of
each of the revisions, including non-substantive revisions to update
internal cross-references and reformat SIP-approved provisions. The TSD
also includes an analysis of each of the substantive revisions, which
include revising:
Multiple revisions to PSD definitions at 20.11.61.7 NMAC
to maintain consistency with PSD program requirements at 40 CFR 51.166.
Definitions substantively revised include: ``Baseline area'',
``Building, structure, facility or installation'', ``Federally
Enforceable'', ``Regulated NSR Pollutant'', ``Significant'', and
``VOC'';
20.11.61.11 NMAC to include provisions for ``hybrid tests
for projects that involve multiple types of emission units'' consistent
with 40 CFR 51.166(a)(7)(iv)(f);
20.11.61.12 NMAC to include provision for ``reasonable
possibility'' consistent with 40 CFR 51.166(r)(6)(vi);
20.11.61.21 NMAC to update the public notification
provisions to require that the proposed control technology and
alternatives be included in the notice, pursuant to 40 CFR 51.166(q);
20.11.61.23 to provide more clarity to the listed sources
for exclusions from increment consumption pursuant to 40 CFR 51.166(f);
[[Page 22259]]
20.11.61.26 Table 1 NMAC to exclude ethanol production
facilities that produce ethanol from natural fermentation from the
listed PSD major source categories pursuant to 40 CFR
51.166(b)(1)(i)(a); and
20.11.61.27 Table 2 NMAC to include significant emission
rates for municipal solid waste landfills pursuant to 40 CFR
51.166(b)(23)(i).
IV. How has Albuquerque/Bernalillo County addressed the elements of
section 110(a)(2)?
The Albuquerque/Bernalillo County submittals address the elements
of Section 110(a)(2) as described below. We provide a more detailed
review and analysis of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County infrastructure
SIP elements in the TSD, located in the docket for this proposed
rulemaking.
Enforceable emission limits and other control measures, pursuant to
section 110(a)(2)(A): Section 110(a)(2)(A) requires that all measures
and other elements in the SIP be enforceable. This provision does not
require the submittal of regulations or emission limits developed
specifically for attaining the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and 1997 and
2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. Those regulations are due later as part of
attainment demonstrations. Additionally, as explained earlier (see
footnote 2), EPA does not consider SIP requirements triggered by the
nonattainment area mandates in part D of Title I of the CAA to be
governed by the submission deadline of section 110(a)(1).
Enacted in 1967, the New Mexico Air Quality Control Act (AQCA)
provided for the establishment of the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County
AQCB as a joint local authority, acting on behalf of both the County of
Bernalillo and the City of Albuquerque. Within the exterior boundary of
Bernalillo County, the AQCB is authorized to adopt, promulgate,
publish, amend and repeal regulations consistent with the New Mexico
Air Quality Control Act, and to maintain national ambient air quality
standards and prevent or abate air pollution, including regulations
prescribing air standards, within Bernalillo County. Through the City
of Albuquerque's Department of Environmental Health, the Albuquerque
Air Quality Division (AQD) serves as the administrative agency for the
AQCB. The AQD is authorized to administer and enforce the provisions of
the New Mexico Air Quality Control Act within the boundary of
Bernalillo County. The AQCB has promulgated rules to limit and control
emissions of, among other things, PM, sulfur compounds (including
SO2), nitrogen compounds (including NOX), and
VOCs.\26\ These rules include emission limits, control measures,
permits, and compliance schedules and are found in 20.11 NMAC (e.g.,
20.11.5 Visible Air Contaminants, 20.11.20 Fugitive Dust Control,
20.11.21 Open Burning, 20.11.22 Wood Burning, 20.11.65 Volatile Organic
Compounds, 20.11.66 Process Equipment, 20.11.67 Equipment, Emissions,
Limitations, 20.11.67.14 Coal Burning Equipment--Nitrogen Dioxide,
20.11.67.15 Coal Burning Equipment--Sulfur Dioxide, 20.11.67.17 Oil
Burning Equipment--Nitrogen Dioxide, 20.11.67.19 Oil Burning
Equipment--Sulfur Dioxide, 20.11.68 Incinerators and Crematories, and
20.11.60 NNSR NMAC and 20.11.61 PSD NMAC).
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\26\ NOX and VOCs are precursors to ozone. PM can be
emitted directly and secondarily formed; the latter is the result of
NOX and SO2 precursors combining with ammonia
to form ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate.
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In this action, EPA is not proposing to approve or disapprove any
existing state provisions with regard to excess emissions during
startup, shutdown, or malfunction (SSM) of operations at a facility.
However, EPA previously approved provisions with regard to excess
emissions as part of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP (20.11.49
NMAC) on February 4, 2010. See 75 FR 5698. EPA believes that a number
of states may have SSM SIP provisions which are contrary to the Act and
inconsistent with existing EPA guidance,\27\ and the Agency plans to
address such state regulations in the future. In the meantime, EPA
encourages any state having a deficient SSM provision to take steps to
correct it as soon as possible. Similarly, in this proposed action EPA
does not include a review of, and also does not propose to take any
action to approve or disapprove, any existing SIP rules with regard to
director's discretion or variance provisions. EPA believes that a
number of states have such provisions that are contrary to the Act and
not consistent with existing EPA guidance (52 FR 45044, November 24,
1987) \28\ and the Agency plans to take action in the future to address
such state regulations. In the meantime, EPA encourages any state
having a director's discretion or variance provision in its SIP that is
contrary to the Act and inconsistent with EPA guidance to take steps to
correct the deficiency as soon as possible.
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\27\ ``State Implementation Plans (SIPs): Policy Regarding
Excess Emissions During Malfunctions, Startup, and Shutdown,''
Memorandum from Steven A. Herman, Assistant Administrator for
Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, and Robert Perciasepe,
Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, dated September 20,
1999.
\28\ The section addressing exemptions and variances is found on
p. 45109 of the 1987 rulemaking.
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A detailed list of the applicable rules at 20.11 NMAC is provided
in the TSD. The Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP contains enforceable
emission limits and other control measures, which are in the federally
enforceable SIP. EPA is proposing to determine that the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County SIP meets the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(A) of
the Act with respect to the 1997 and 2008 ozone and the 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS.
Ambient air quality monitoring/data system, pursuant to section
110(a)(2)(B): Section 110(a)(2)(B) requires SIPs to include provisions
for establishment and operation of ambient air quality monitors,
collecting and analyzing ambient air quality data, and making these
data available to EPA upon request. The AQD operates and maintains a
network of air quality monitors throughout Bernalillo County; data are
collected, results are quality assured and the data are submitted to
EPA's Air Quality System \29\ on a quarterly basis. The air quality
surveillance network undergoes annual review by EPA. EPA evaluated
Albuquerque's 2011 Annual Monitoring Network Plan (AAMNP) and approved
it on January 13, 2012.\30\ The AQD's AAMNP addresses each of the
criteria pollutants, including 8-hour ozone and PM2.5 and
thus allows the AQD to measure the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County air
quality for compliance with the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and the 1997
and 2006 PM2.5 standards.
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\29\ The Air Quality System (AQS) is EPA's repository of ambient
air quality data. AQS stores data from over 10,000 monitors, 5,000
of which are currently active. State, Local and Tribal agencies
collect the data and submit it to AQS on a periodic basis.
\30\ A copy of EPA's evaluation and approval is in the docket
for this rulemaking.
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The AQD's air quality surveillance network consists of nine
stations that measure ambient concentrations of the criteria pollutants
for which standards have been established in 40 CFR Part 50 (46 FR
2655), including ozone and PM2.5. The AQD works closely with
EPA Region 6 and the New Mexico Air Quality Bureau to ensure that its
monitoring network meets the requirements for monitoring networks at 40
CFR part 58 Appendix D. The AQD's Web site (www.cabq.gov/airquality)
and EPA's AirNow Web site (www.airnow.gov) contain up-to-date
information about air quality monitoring, including a description of
the network, information about
[[Page 22260]]
monitoring of ozone and PM2.5, and the daily Air Quality
Index (AQI).
In summary, Albuquerque/Bernalillo County meets the requirements to
establish, operate, and maintain an ambient air monitoring network,
collect and analyze the monitoring data, and make the data available to
EPA upon request. EPA is proposing to find that the current
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP meets the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(B) of the Act for the 1997 and 2008 ozone and 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS.
Program for enforcement of control measures and regulation of the
modification and construction of stationary sources, including a permit
program, pursuant to section 110(a)(2)(C): The New Mexico Air Quality
Control Act provides the AQCB with enforcement authority and
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County has an EPA-approved air permitting
program SIP for both major and minor sources. The administrative
proceedings for enforcement actions, including administrative
compliance orders and determination of penalty, are provided in
20.11.90 NMAC (75 FR 5698, February 4, 2010). The rules at Title 20,
Chapter 11 of NMAC address allowable emission rates, compliance,
control technology requirements, control schedules, monitoring and
testing requirements, and reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
These clarify the boundaries beyond which regulated entities in
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County can expect enforcement action.
Bernalillo County Ordinance 94-5, also known as the Joint Air
Quality Control Board Ordinance,\31\ provides the AQD with authority to
enforce permitting provisions, and provides for assessment of
administrative enforcement actions and administrative penalties for
violations of those permit terms and conditions, and injunctive relief
(Bernalillo County Ordinance 94-5, Sections 9-18). The Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County AQCB and AQD have the necessary legal authority and
jurisdiction to adopt and implement requirements for measuring and
monitoring air emissions and to require owners and operators of sources
to make and maintain records of the emissions. Therefore, the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County AQCB and AQD have the requisite legal
authority to implement and enforce the minor and major permit revision
procedures in accordance with the requirements of the CAA.
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\31\ EPA approved Bernalillo County Ordinance 88-45 into the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP in a June 1, 1999 rulemaking (64
FR 29235). Albuquerque/Bernalillo County has since amended the
ordinance and re-codified it as Bernalillo County Ordinance 94-5.
EPA will act on this amended ordinance in a future rulemaking. For
purposes of the I-SIP discussion, we will cite to the current
ordinance. The Joint Air Quality Control Board Ordinance 94-5 is
also cited as legal authority in 20.11.1.3 NMAC, which is SIP-
approved.
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To meet the requirement for having a program for the regulation of
the modification and construction of any stationary source within the
areas covered by the plan as necessary to assure that NAAQS are
achieved, including a permit program as required by part C and part D
of the CAA, generally, the State is required to have SIP-approved PSD,
Nonattainment, and Minor NSR permitting programs adequate to implement
the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS. We are not evaluating nonattainment-related provisions, such as
the nonattainment NSR program required by part D in 110(a)(2)(C) and
measures for attainment required by section 110(a)(2)(I), as part of
the infrastructure SIPs for these four NAAQS because these submittals
are required beyond the date (three years from NAAQS promulgation) that
section 110 infrastructure submittals are required.
PSD programs apply in areas that are meeting the NAAQS, referred to
as attainment areas, or in areas that are unclassifiable, referred to
as unclassifiable/attainment areas. PSD applies to new major sources
and major modifications at existing sources. The Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County PSD SIP program, found at 20.11.61 NMAC, was initially approved
into the SIP on December 21, 1993, effective January 20, 1994 at 58 FR
67330. Subsequent revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD
SIP program were adopted by the AQCB on December 14, 2005, submitted
May 24, 2006, and approved into the SIP on April 26, 2007 at 72 FR
20728. The AQD has the authority to issue PSD permits and enforce them
under the approved PSD SIP, while the AQCB has appellate authority over
the permitting.\32\
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\32\ Under the Bernalillo County Joint Air Quality Control Board
Ordinance, the AQD ``shall administer and enforce the provisions of
the Air Quality Control Act,'' while the AQCB ``shall adopt,
promulgate, publish, amend and repeal regulations.'' Moreover, Any
person who participated in a permitting action before the [AQD] and
who is adversely affected by such permitting action may file a
petition for hearing before the board.'' See Ordinance 88-45,
Sections 7(A)-(H).
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Additionally, as explained in sections II.B and III of this notice,
EPA is proposing to approve revisions to the PSD program that were
adopted by the AQCB on April 13, 2006 and July 14, 2010, submitted May
24, 2006 and August 16, 2010, respectively.
PSD Permitting for Sources that are Major for Ozone Precursors: To
implement section 110(a)(2)(C) for the 1997 and 2008 ozone NAAQS, a
state must have updated its PSD rules to address NOX as an
ozone precursor (70 FR 71612). On May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010, the
Governor submitted the provisions for NOX as a precursor,
consistent with EPA's November 29, 2005 Phase 2 rule for the 1997 ozone
NAAQS (70 FR 71612) as part of its revisions to 20.11.61 NMAC. Based on
our review and analysis of the May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010
submittals, EPA is proposing to approve the following revisions to the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD SIP as necessary to implement the
provision for NOX as a precursor to ozone consistent with 70
FR 71612: revisions to 20.11.61.7.HH Major Modification adopted April
13, 2006 and submitted May 24, 2006, revisions to 20.11.61.7.YY
Significant, and 20.11.61.27 Table 2--Significant Emission Rates
adopted July 14, 2010 and submitted August 16, 2010; revisions to
20.11.61.7.VV Regulated New Source Review Pollutant adopted July 12,
2010 and submitted August 16, 2010; and revisions to 20.11.61.28 Table
3--Significant Monitoring Concentrations adopted on April 13, 2006 and
July 14, 2010 and submitted on May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010,
respectively. Please see sections II.B and III of this notice and the
TSD accompanying this rulemaking for additional information about how
the May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010 PSD SIP revisions satisfy section
110(a)(2)(C) for the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS.
PM2.5 PSD Permitting: To implement the PSD permitting component of
section 110(a)(2)(C) for the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS,
states were required to submit the necessary SIP revisions to EPA by
May 16, 2011 under EPA's 2008 PM2.5 NSR rule. On July 14,
2010 the AQCB adopted these revisions effective August 30, 2010. On
August 16, 2010, the Governor submitted necessary revisions to the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP to amend the PSD program to meet the
1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS implementation requirements. EPA
is proposing to approve the following revisions to the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County PSD SIP adopted on July 14, 2010 and submitted on
August 16, 2010 in today's action: revisions to 20.11.61.7.YY
Significant and 20.11.61.27 Table 2--Significant Emission Rates;
revisions to 20.11.61.7.VV Regulated NSR Pollutant; and revisions to
20.11.61.18(H)--
[[Page 22261]]
Monitoring Requirements Air Quality Analysis. Please see sections II.B
and III of this notice and the accompanying TSD for more information on
our approval of revisions to the PSD Program for PM2.5
permitting.
GHG PSD Permitting: The Tailoring Rule established thresholds that
phase in the applicability of PSD requirements to GHG sources, starting
with the largest GHG emitters, and were designed to relieve the
overwhelming administrative burdens and costs associated with the
dramatic increase in permitting burden that would have resulted from
applying PSD requirements to GHG emission increases at or above only
the mass-based statutory thresholds of 100/250 tons per year generally
applicable to all PSD-regulated pollutants starting on January 2, 2011.
However, EPA recognized that even after it finalized the Tailoring
Rule, many SIPs with approved PSD programs would, until they were
revised, continue to apply PSD at the statutory thresholds, even though
the States would not have sufficient resources to implement the PSD
program at those levels. EPA consequently implemented its ``PSD SIP
Narrowing Rule'' and narrowed its approval of those provisions of
previously approved SIPs that apply PSD to GHG emissions increases from
sources emitting GHGs below the Tailoring Rule thresholds (75 FR 82536,
December 30, 2010). Through the PSD SIP Narrowing Rule, EPA withdrew
its previous approvals of those programs to the extent the SIPs apply
PSD to increases in GHG emissions from GHG-emitting sources below the
Tailoring Rule thresholds. The portions of the PSD programs regulating
GHGs from GHG-emitting sources with emission increases at or above the
Tailoring Rule thresholds remained approved. The effect of EPA
narrowing its approval in this manner is that the provisions of
previously approved SIPs that apply PSD to GHG emissions increases from
sources emitting GHGs below the Tailoring Rule thresholds have the
status of having been submitted by the State but not yet acted upon by
EPA (75 FR 82536).
On December 15, 2010, the Governor submitted a revision to the SIP
to establish appropriate emission thresholds for determining which new
stationary sources and modification projects become subject to PSD
permitting requirements for GHG emissions. The PSD SIP revision to
address GHGs was approved by the EPA on December 29, 2011 (76 FR
81836). Thus, the GHG emission thresholds for PSD applicability set
forth in EPA's Tailoring Rule, ensuring that smaller GHG sources
emitting less than these thresholds are not subject to section 110 of
the CAA were approved.
Minor Source Permitting: Section 110(a)(2)(C) creates a ``general
duty on States to include a program in their SIP that regulates the
modification and construction of any stationary source as necessary to
assure that the NAAQS are achieved'' (70 FR 71612, 71677). This duty is
often referred to as ``minor NSR.'' EPA provides states with a ``broad
degree of discretion'' in implementing their minor NSR programs (71 FR
48696, 48700, August 21, 2006). The ``considerably less detailed''
regulations for minor NSR are provided in 40 CFR 51.160 through 51.164.
We have determined that the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County minor NSR
regulations at 20.11.41 NMAC approved as part of the SIP pursuant to
section 110(a)(2)(C) regulate emissions of ozone and its precursors and
PM. Albuquerque/Bernalillo County and EPA have relied upon the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP-approved existing minor NSR program
to ensure that new and modified sources not captured by the major NNSR
or PSD permitting programs do not interfere with attainment and
maintenance of the NAAQS.
It is important to stress that EPA is not proposing to approve or
disapprove the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County existing minor NSR SIP
program itself to the extent that it may be inconsistent with EPA's
regulations governing this program. EPA believes that a number of
states may have minor NSR provisions that are contrary to the existing
EPA regulations for this program. EPA intends to work with states to
reconcile state minor NSR SIP programs with EPA's regulatory provisions
for the program. The statutory requirements of section 110(a)(2)(C)
provide for considerable flexibility in designing minor NSR programs,
and EPA believes it may be time to revisit the regulatory requirements
for this program in order to give the states an appropriate level of
flexibility to design programs that meet their particular air quality
concerns, while assuring reasonable consistency across the country in
protecting the NAAQS with respect to new and modified minor sources.
Based on the above, we are proposing to find that the current
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD SIP meets section 110(a)(2)(C) with
respect to the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and the 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS.
Interstate transport, pursuant to section 110(a)(2)(D): Section
110(a)(2)(D) has two components, 110(a)(2)(D)(i) and 110(a)(2)(D)(ii).
Section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) requires SIPs to include provisions prohibiting
any source or other type of emissions activity in one state from
contributing significantly to nonattainment, interfering with
maintenance of the NAAQS in another state, or from interfering with
measures required to prevent significant deterioration of air quality
or to protect visibility in another state. Section 110(a)(2)(D)(ii)
requires SIPs to include provisions insuring compliance with sections
115 and 126 of the Act, relating to interstate and international
pollution abatement.
PSD and interstate transport, pursuant to section 110(a)(2)(D)(i):
One of the four prongs in section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) requires a SIP to
contain adequate provisions prohibiting emissions that interfere with
any other state's required measures to prevent significant
deterioration of its air quality. This is the only element of
110(a)(2)(D)(i) on which EPA is proposing action in this rulemaking.
EPA's 2006 Guidance made recommendations for SIP submissions to meet
this requirement with respect to both the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS and
the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS.
The 2006 Guidance states that the PSD permitting program is the
primary measure that each state must include to prevent interference
with any other state's required measures to prevent significant
deterioration of its air quality in accordance with section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II).
As discussed previously in this rulemaking with regards to section
110(a)(2)(C) and in the TSD, the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD
program is in the SIP and meets the basic requirements for implementing
the ozone and PM2.5 NAAQS. We are proposing to approve the
portion of the submission from August 16, 2010 that has adequately
addressed section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) of the CAA, for the element that
requires that the SIP prohibit air pollutant emissions from sources
within a state from interfering with measures required to prevent
significant deterioration of air quality in any other state.
Consistent with EPA's November 29, 2005 Phase 2 rule for the 1997
8-hour ozone NAAQS, the State submitted SIP revisions to modify its PSD
provisions to address NOX as an ozone precursor. Also
consistent with EPA's 2008 PM2.5 NSR rule, the State
submitted SIP revisions to modify its PSD provisions to adequately
implement the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA is approving
these revisions and they have been discussed previously in this notice.
EPA believes that the PSD revision for the
[[Page 22262]]
1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS that makes NOX a precursor for ozone
for PSD purposes, and the PSD revisions to implement the EPA's 2008
PM2.5 NSR SIP rule, taken together with the PSD SIP and the
interstate transport SIP, satisfy the requirements of the third element
of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) for the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and 1997
and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS, i.e., there will be no interference
with any other state's required PSD measures.
We are proposing to determine that emissions from sources in
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County do not interfere with measures required
to prevent significant deterioration of air quality for the 1997 and
2008 8-hour ozone and 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS in any other
state. This rulemaking action is being taken under section 110(a) of
the CAA.
In a prior action, EPA approved Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
revisions that addressed the requirements of section
(110)(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of the CAA that emissions from sources in
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County do not significantly contribute to
nonattainment of the 1997 8-hour ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS
in any other state (75 FR 68447). The final rule was effective December
8, 2010. The SIP revision demonstrated that air pollutant emissions
from sources within Albuquerque/Bernalillo County do not significantly
contribute to nonattainment of the relevant NAAQS in any other state
for those pollutants. The remaining three elements of section
110(a)(2)(D)(i): (1) Do not significantly contribute to nonattainment
of the relevant NAAQS in any other state for the 2008 ozone NAAQS and
the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS; (2) interference with the maintenance
of the NAAQS in any other state for all four NAAQS; (3) interference
with measures required to protect visibility in any other state will be
evaluated and addressed in future rulemakings.
Interstate and international pollution abatement, pursuant to
section 110(a)(2)(D)(ii): Section 110(a)(2)(D)(ii) of the Act requires
compliance with sections 115 and 126 of the Act, relating to interstate
and international pollution abatement. Section 115(a) addresses
endangerment of public health or welfare in foreign countries from
pollution emitted in the United States. Pursuant to section 115, the
Administrator has neither received nor issued a formal notification
that emissions from Albuquerque/Bernalillo County are endangering
public health or welfare in a foreign country. Section 126(a) of the
Act requires new or modified sources to notify neighboring states of
potential impacts from such sources. Albuquerque/Bernalillo County also
has no pending obligations under section 126 of the Act.
EPA is proposing to find that the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(D)(ii) of the Act for the
1997 and 2008 ozone and 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.
Adequate personnel, funding, and authority, pursuant to section
110(a)(2)(E): As stated previously, the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County
AQCB is the federally delegated air quality authority for Albuquerque
and Bernalillo County, New Mexico. The New Mexico Air Quality Control
Act (AQCA, section 74-2-4) authorizes Albuquerque/Bernalillo County to
locally administer and implement the State Air Quality Control Act by
providing for a local air quality control program. Thus, state law
views Albuquerque/Bernalillo County and the remainder of the State of
New Mexico as distinct air quality control entities. The AQCA also
provides for the establishment of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County
AQCB as a joint local authority, acting on behalf of both the County of
Bernalillo and the City of Albuquerque. Within the boundary of
Bernalillo County, the AQCB is authorized to adopt, promulgate,
publish, amend and repeal regulations consistent with the New Mexico
Air Quality Control Act, and to maintain national ambient air quality
standards and prevent or abate air pollution, including regulations
prescribing air standards, within Bernalillo County (with the exception
of tribal lands).
Through the City of Albuquerque's Department of Environmental
Health, the Albuquerque Air Quality Division (AQD) serves as the
administrative agency for the AQCB. The AQD is authorized to administer
and enforce the provisions of the New Mexico Air Quality Control Act
within the boundary of Bernalillo County.
The City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County Ordinances approved
into the SIP on June 1, 1999 provide assurances that Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County has the adequate personnel and funding to carry out
their SIP.\33\ The August 16, 2010 Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
submittal from the Governor includes a discussion of funding and
personnel resources for carrying out the programs of the SIP for
demonstrating attainment of 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 and 1997 and
2008 ozone NAAQS. The submittals state that budgets are approved
annually by the Albuquerque City Council, and that the annual budgeting
process provides a periodic update that enables the AQD to adjust
funding and personnel needs to carry out air programs to meet the CAA.
The Bernalillo County Joint Air Quality Ordinance authorizes the AQCB
to adopt rules, pursuant to AQCA section 74-2-7, for establishing fees,
to review and act on permit applications; amend and review permits;
conduct inspections of facilities; and enforce the rules and orders of
permits. Fees collected pursuant to this ordinance are then deposited
into a fund created by section 74-2-16 of the AQCA, which must be used
by the municipality or county only for the purpose of paying the
reasonable costs of, among other things, reviewing and acting on permit
applications, implementing and enforcing rules of the permit, air
monitoring, air modeling, preparing guidance, and preparing emission
inventories.
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\33\ See 64 FR 29235.
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Additionally, there are federal sources of funding for the
implementation of the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS through, for example, the CAA sections 103 and
105 grant funds. The AQD receives federal funds on an annual basis,
under sections 103 and 105 of the Act, to support its air quality
programs. The AQD has authority to collect fees for Title V and non-
Title V permit applications, revisions, renewals and inspections
pursuant to New Mexico AQCA, New Mexico Statutes Annotated (NMSA) 1978
Sections 74-2-4, 74-2-5 and 74-2-7, the Bernalillo County Ordinance 94-
5 Sections 3, 4 and 7, and the revised ordinances of Albuquerque 1994,
Section 9-5-1-3, Section 9-5-1-4 and Section 9-5-1-7. For example, New
Mexico AQCA Section 74-2-7(B)(7) requires by regulation a schedule of
emission fees consistent with the provisions of Section 502(b)(3) of
the 1990 Amendments to the Federal Clean Air Act. The SIP-approved
regulation that addresses permit fees, AQCB Air Quality Control
Regulation Section 21--Permit Fees (April 10, 1980 at 45 FR 24460) was
repealed and replaced by the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County AQCB rule
effective July 1, 2001 and recodified as 20.11.2 NMAC. It was submitted
as a SIP revision on May 24, 2011. We have proposed to approve the
revisions that repeal and replace the existing SIP rule but have not
finalized our action (November 4, 2011, 76 FR 68385). A detailed list
of the applicable sections of the NMAC is provided in the TSD. More
specific information on permitting fees is provided in the discussion
for 110(a)(2)(L) below and in the TSD.
[[Page 22263]]
Section 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) requires that states comply with section
128. Section 128 requires: (1) That the majority of members of the
state body which approves permits or enforcement orders do not derive
any significant portion of their income from entities subject to
permitting or enforcement orders under the CAA; and (2) any potential
conflicts of interest by such body be adequately disclosed. On June
1,1999, the EPA approved into the SIP the AQCB Ordinances and
provisions of the ACQA that pertain to financial disclosures, conflicts
of interest, code of conduct and ethical conduct for the Executive
Director and classified employees of the agency (64 FR 29235). The EPA
action, effective August 2, 1999, approved the SIP revisions for Board
composition and conflict of interest disclosure requirements submitted
by the Governor for Albuquerque/Bernalillo County. These include public
interest requirements and safeguards against conflict of interest and
are codified in the City of Albuquerque Ordinances, 2-6-1-3(A)(4), 9-5-
1-3(B)(4), 9-5-1-3(E) and County Ordinance 94-5, Section (3)(E) Joint
Air Quality Control Board Ordinance. For example, County Ordinance 94-5
Section (3)(E) states:
Any member of the Board who has a conflict of interest regarding
a matter before the Board shall disqualify himself or herself from
the discussion and shall abstain from the vote on such matter. A
conflict of interest means any interest which may yield, directly or
indirectly any monetary or other material benefit to the Board
member or the member's spouse or minor child.\34\
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\34\ As explained in greater detail in footnote 31, Bernalillo
County Ordinance 94-5 amended Ordinance 88-45, which is in the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP. EPA will act on Bernalillo County
Ordinance 94-5 in a future rulemaking.
EPA is proposing to find that the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(E) of the Act for the 1997
and 2008 8-hour ozone and the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.
Stationary source monitoring system, pursuant to section
110(a)(2)(F): Rules that require stationary sources to monitor for
compliance, provide recordkeeping and reporting, and provide for
enforcement of ozone, PM2.5, and precursors to these
pollutants (SO2, ammonia, VOCs and NOX),
consistent with the requirements of 40 CFR part 51, subpart K have been
approved into the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP and codified at
20.11.1 NMAC (General Provisions, 70 FR 41963, July 21, 2005), 20.11.5
NMAC (Visible Air Contaminants, 69 FR 78312, Dec. 30, 2004), 20.11.40
NMAC (Source Registration, 69 FR 78312), 20.11.49 NMAC (Excess
Emissions, 75 FR 5698, Feb. 4, 2010), 20.11.66 NMAC (Process Equipment,
69 FR 78312), 20.11.67 NMAC (Equipment, Emissions, Limitations, 69 FR
78312), and 20.11.90 NMAC (Source Surveillance, 75 FR 5698).
Requirements in 20.11.47 NMAC (Emission Inventory Requirements) provide
for the reporting of emission inventories on a schedule consistent with
EPA regulations at 40 CFR 51.211, subpart K--Source Surveillance.
20.11.42 NMAC, Operating Permits, encompasses the Title V operating
permit program for facilities within Bernalillo County. The Title V
program is a delegated program and does not reside in the SIP.\35\
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\35\ EPA approved the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Title V
program (20.11.42 NMAC, Operating Permits) on November 26, 1996 (61
FR 60032, effective January 27, 1997) and subsequent revisions on
September 8, 2004 (69 FR 54244, effective November 8, 2004).
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Under the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP rules, the AQD is
required to analyze the emissions data from point, area, mobile, and
biogenic (natural) sources. The AQD uses this data to track progress
towards maintaining the NAAQS, develop control and maintenance
strategies, identify sources and general emission levels, and determine
compliance with Albuquerque/Bernalillo County and EPA requirements.
Additionally, the AQD air quality inspectors compare source emissions
to emission limitations and standards pursuant to 20.11.90.6 NMAC.
Emissions data are available electronically: https://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/eiinformation.html. These rules are in the federally-approved
SIP. A comprehensive list of the chapters and Federal Register
citations is provided in the TSD.
EPA is proposing to find that the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(F) for the 1997 and 2008 8-
hour ozone and the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.
Emergency power, pursuant to section 110(a)(2)(G): Section
110(a)(2)(G) requires states to provide for authority to address
activities causing imminent and substantial endangerment to public
health, including contingency plans to implement the emergency episode
provisions in their SIPs. The AQCB and AQD are empowered by the New
Mexico Air Quality Control Act to respond to air pollution episodes and
other air quality emergencies, and the AQCB adopted contingency plans
to implement emergency episode provisions in the SIP. The Air Pollution
Episode Contingency Plan for Bernalillo County was approved into the
SIP on August 12, 1991 (56 FR 38073, effective October 11, 1991). The
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Air Pollution Episode Contingency Plan
(Plan) addresses all the necessary requirements for a Priority 1 region
(defined in 40 CFR 51.150).
First, the Plan includes significant harm levels for sulfur
dioxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, and nitrogen
dioxide as per 40 CFR 51.151. Second, the Plan adequately addresses all
requirements for contingency plans outlined in 40 CFR 51.152. Three
stages of episode criteria as per 40 CFR 51.152(a)(1) and 40 CFR 51,
appendix L, are set forth: air pollution alert, air pollution warning,
and air pollution emergency. Prior to reaching the first episode stage,
an air Stagnation Advisory will be in effect. This is initiated when
the AQD is notified by the National Weather Service (NWS) that air
stagnation conditions will persist for a period of 36 hours or more
within the Middle Rio Grande portion of New Mexico (includes Bernalillo
County). The Episode Criteria Table on page 3 of the Plan shows alert,
warning, emergency, and significant harm levels for each of the
pollutants. The Plan also provides for public announcement of, and
specifies adequate emission control actions to be taken at, each
episode stage (40 CFRR 51.152(a)(2) and 40 CFR 51.152(a)(3)). Finally,
the Plan sufficiently addresses the requirements of 51.152(b)(1-3)
concerning prompt acquisition of forecasts of atmospheric stagnation
conditions including updates, source compliance inspections, and
communication procedures.
The criteria for ozone are based on a 1-hour average ozone level.
These episode criteria and contingency measures are adequate to address
8-hour ozone emergency episodes and are in the federally approved SIP.
The Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Plan provides for the pollutants
specified under 40 CFR 51.150, including particulate matter, and is
consistent with the provisions of 40 CFR 51.151 and 152, and Appendix L
to Part 51.
The 2009 Infrastructure SIP Guidance for PM2.5
recommends that a state with at least one monitored 24-hour
PM2.5 value exceeding 140.4 [micro]g/m\3\ since 2006
establish an emergency episode plan and contingency measures to be
implemented should such level be exceeded again. The 2006-2010 ambient
air quality monitoring data for Albuquerque/Bernalillo County do not
exceed 140.4 [micro]g/m\3\. The PM2.5 levels have
consistently remained below this level (140.4 [micro]g/m\3\), and
furthermore, the AQCB has appropriate general
[[Page 22264]]
emergency powers to address PM2.5 related episodes to
protect the environment and public health. Given Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County's monitored PM2.5 levels, EPA is proposing that
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County is not required to submit an emergency
episode plan and contingency measures at this time, for the 1997 and
2006 PM2.5 standards. Additional detail is provided in the
TSD.
EPA is proposing to find that the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(G) for the 1997 and 2008 8-
hour ozone and 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.
Future SIP revisions, pursuant to section 110(a)(2)(H): The New
Mexico AQCA directs the AQD to prepare and develop the SIP and provides
the AQD with the authority to carry out other duties, requirements and
responsibilities necessary for the implementation and fulfillment of
the requirements of the CAA. The New Mexico AQCA (section 74-2-4)
delegates authority to AQCB to adopt, promulgate, publish, amend and
repeal regulations consistent with the AQCA to attain and maintain
NAAQS and prevent or abate air pollution. Thus, the AQCB has the
authority (AQCA Section 74-2-5.1) to revise the SIP from time to time
as may be necessary to take into account revisions of primary or
secondary NAAQS, or the availability of improved or more expeditious
methods of attaining such standards. Furthermore, the AQCB also has the
authority under these New Mexico AQCA provisions to revise the SIP in
the event the EPA, pursuant to the federal CAA, finds the SIP to be
substantially inadequate to attain the NAAQS.
EPA is proposing to find that the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(H) for the 1997 and 2008 8-
hour ozone and 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.
Consultation with government officials, pursuant to section
110(a)(2)(J): \36\ The New Mexico AQCA (section 74-2-5--Duties and
Powers of the Local Board) and Air Quality Control Board Ordinances
gives the AQD and AQCB authority to advise, consult, contract and
cooperate with municipalities, counties, other states, the federal
government and other interested persons or groups in regards to matters
of common interest in the field of air quality control. The County
Ordinance 94-5 ``establishes powers and duties of the Board for
providing for the adoption, administration and enforcement of the
regulations; providing for variances; providing for permits; providing
for special regulations consistent with Federal and State requirements
for prevention of significant deterioration, new source performance
standards, national emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants
and providing for operating permits and fees as required by the 1990
Amendments to the Federal CAA.'' Additionally, 20.11.82 NMAC--
Rulemaking Procedures standardizes the procedures used in rulemaking
proceedings before the AQCB, including public notice. These rules and
regulations comply with the requirements of section 121 of the CAA that
requires that states provide a satisfactory process of consultation
with general purpose local governments. Furthermore, Bernalillo County
Ordinance 94-5 states that any regulations adopted by the AQCB must
include, among other things, any information that the AQD deems
necessary; specification of public notice; comment period and public
period; provisions requiring notice to the New Mexico Environment
Department for permitting sources that emit 100 or more tpy of any
regulated air contaminant; and provisions that require notice to, and
review by, EPA. These rules comply with the requirements of CAA section
121.
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\36\ Section 110(a)(2)(J) is divided into three segments:
consultation with government officials; public notification; and PSD
and visibility protection.
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Therefore, EPA is proposing to find that the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County SIP meets this portion of the section 110(a)(2)(J) requirements
for the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and the 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS.
Public notification if NAAQS are exceeded, pursuant to section
110(a)(2)(J): Public notification begins with the air quality
forecasts, which advise the public of conditions capable of exceeding
the 8-hour ozone and PM2.5 NAAQS. The air quality forecasts
for Albuquerque/Bernalillo County can be found on the City of
Albuquerque \37\ Web site at www.cabq.gov/airquality and are updated
hourly. Ozone forecasts are made daily during the ozone season for the
Bernalillo County. The ozone forecasts are made, in most cases, a day
in advance local time and are valid for the next day. Ozone readings/
warnings and the daily air quality index for the area are generated
automatically, and sent to the all persons that have signed up on the
City of Albuquerque Web site (www.cabq.gov/airquality/enviroflash.html
) to receive email updates, which includes the public, various
stakeholders and government officials. This Air Quality Notification
System is a service through airnow.gov and is called EnviroFlash.
EnviroFlash is a system that sends emails about daily air quality
forecasts. The message is the same air quality information that the
local radio or television stations provide, plus suggested safety
measures when air quality levels are unhealthy. Additionally, the air
quality index is available via telephone by calling the AQD. Public
notice is governed by the New Mexico AQCA (section 74-2-6) and 20.11.82
NMAC--Rulemaking Procedures Air Quality Control Board.
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\37\ As discussed earlier in this proposed action, the
Albuquerque Air Quality Division is a part of the City of
Albuquerque's Department of Environmental Health. The AQD serves as
the administrative agency for the Bernalillo County Air Quality
Control Board, which encompasses the City of Albuquerque.
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EPA is proposing to find that the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets this portion of the section 110(a)(2)(J) requirements for the
1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.
PSD and visibility protection, section 110(a)(2)(J): This portion
of section 110(a)(2)(J) in part requires that a state's SIP meet the
applicable requirements of section 110(a)(2)(C) as relating to PSD
programs. As discussed previously in this rulemaking with regards to
section 110(a)(2)(C) and in the TSD, the Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County's PSD program is in the SIP (12/21/93 at 58 FR 67330 and 4/26/07
at 72 FR 20728). In addition to the approved program and to meet the
requirements of 110(a)(2)(C) and 110(a)(2)(D)(i) for 1997 and 2008
ozone standard, EPA believes Albuquerque/Bernalillo County must have
updated its PSD rules to treat NOX as a precursor for ozone.
Thus, we are proposing to approve the SIP revisions (submitted May 24,
2006 and August 16, 2010) to implement NOX as a precursor to
ozone. To implement section 110(a)(2)(C) for the 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 standard, states must provide a SIP revision due May
16, 2011 under EPA's Implementation of the New Source Review (NSR)
Program for Particulate Matter Less Than 2.5 Micrometers (73 FR 28321).
The AQCB adopted rules on July 14, 2010 to meet this requirement and
the Governor submitted them on August 16, 2010 for approval as a SIP
revision. We discuss our proposal to approve these revisions and the
revisions implementing NOX as a precursor to ozone in
further detail in this rulemaking and in the TSD.
The most recent New Mexico SIP revision of the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo
[[Page 22265]]
County Regional Haze program, which addresses the visibility transport
prong for Albuquerque/Bernalillo County, was submitted to EPA on July
28, 2011. We are evaluating this submittal and will be proposing action
on the Regional Haze submittal in Spring of 2012. With regard to the
applicable requirements for visibility protection, EPA recognizes that
states are subject to visibility and regional haze program requirements
under part C of the Act (which includes sections 169A and 169B). In the
event of the establishment of a new NAAQS, however, the visibility and
regional haze program requirements under part C do not change. Thus, we
find that there is no new visibility obligation ``triggered'' under
section 110(a)(2)(J) when a new NAAQS becomes effective. This would be
the case even in the event a secondary PM2.5 NAAQS for
visibility is established, because this NAAQS would not affect
visibility requirements under part C.
EPA is proposing to find that the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the visibility protection requirements of section 110(a)(2)(J)
for the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS.
Air quality and modeling and submission of data, pursuant to
section 110(a)(2)(K): The New Mexico Air Quality Control Act charges
the AQCB and AQD with preparing and implementing the SIP, which
includes modeling to inform decisions on nonattainment area boundaries
and demonstrate effectiveness of SIP control strategies.
The AQD's air quality modeling work complies with EPA's guidance on
the use of models in attainment demonstrations for the 8-hour ozone
standard and uses EPA's latest draft final guidance for modeling
PM2.5 consistent with the air quality modeling requirements
in 40 CFR 52.21(l) and (m). EPA Region 6 and AQD modeling staff have
communicated on numerous occasions regarding modeling for Bernalillo
County. Additionally, 20.11.61 NMAC Prevention of Significant
Deterioration requires approval of permits consistent with the modeling
requirements of 40 CFR 51.21(l) and (m). As stated in the August 16,
2010 SIP submittal, the AQD commits to continue to use air quality
models in accordance with EPA's currently approved modeling guidance
and protocols and the continued submittal of data and modeling results
to EPA.
EPA is proposing to find that the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(K) for the 1997 and 2008 8-
hour ozone and the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.
Permitting fees, section 110(a)(2)(L): The AQD has authority to
collect fees for Title V \38\ and non-Title V permit applications,
revisions, renewals and inspections pursuant to New Mexico AQCA, New
Mexico Statutes Annotated (NMSA) 1978 Sections 74-2-4, 74-2-5 and 74-2-
7, the Bernalillo County Ordinance 94-5--Joint Air Quality Control
Board Sections 3, 4 and 7, and the revised ordinances of Albuquerque
1994, Section 9-5-1-3, Section 9-5-1-4 and Section 9-5-1-7. For
example, New Mexico AQCA Section 74-2-7(B)(7) requires by regulation a
schedule of emission fees consistent with the Title V provisions of
Section 502(b)(3) of the CAA. The SIP-approved regulation that
addresses permit fees, AQCB Air Quality Control Regulation Section 21--
Permit Fees (April 10, 1980 at 45 FR 24460) was repealed and replaced
by the more stringent and broader in scope Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County AQCB rule effective July 1, 2001 and recodified as 20.11.2 NMAC.
It was submitted as a SIP revision on May 24, 2011. We have proposed to
approve the revisions that repeal and replace the existing SIP rule but
have not finalized our action (November 4, 2011, 76 FR 68385). A
detailed list of the applicable sections of the NMAC is provided in the
TSD.
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\38\ Albuquerque/Bernalillo County has an federally-approved
Title V fee program in place. EPA approved Albuquerque/Bernalillo
County's Title V fee program as part of its Title V Operating Permit
Program on November 26, 1996. See 61 FR 60032. EPA approved
revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Title V fee program
on September 8, 2004. See 69 FR 54244.
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The submitted revision that we have proposed to approve addresses
fees for reviewing and acting on specific permit applications received
by the AQCD; fees to partially offset the administrative costs of
permit-related administrative hearings; funding for small business
stationary sources; and fees to cover administrative expenses. The
comment period on the proposal closed on December 5, 2011. No comments
were received.
EPA is proposing to find that the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
meets the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(L) for the 1997 and 2008 8-
hour ozone and the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.
Consultation/participation by affected local entities, section
110(a)(2)(M): New Mexico is divided in two air authorities,
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County and State of New Mexico covering the
remaining counties. Each authority is responsible for controlling air
pollution emitted by stationary sources within its respective
jurisdiction. The AQD, consistent with regulations adopted by the AQCB,
consults with and provides liaison to the New Mexico Environment
Department's Air Quality Bureau and provides frequent and regular
communication and consultation with their management and staff. Section
5(B)(4) of the AQCA authorizes the AQD to advise, consult, contract and
cooperate with municipalities, counties, other states, the federal
government and other interested persons or groups in regards to matters
of common interest in the field of air quality control. The AQCB is
required to conduct public hearings and to solicit testimony from the
public when plans or rules are proposed to be adopted by the AQCB for
inclusion into the SIP. Consultation and public involvement are also
required by 20.11.3 NMAC, Transportation Conformity (75 FR 20922, April
22, 2010). For example, Subsection (F) Public Consultation Procedures
of 20.11.3.105 NMAC, requires ``affected agencies making conformity
determinations on transportation plans, programs and projects shall
establish a proactive public involvement process that provides
opportunity for public review and comments * * *'' EPA is proposing to
find that the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP meets the requirements
of section 110(a)(2)(M) for the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and the 1997
and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.
V. Additional Revisions to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP
EPA is also proposing to approve a portion of a SIP submission that
addresses Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Ambient Air Quality Standards: The provisions for ambient air
quality standards are addressed at 20.11.8 NMAC, or Part 8 of the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP. This provision was approved into the
SIP on May 31, 2006 (71 FR 30805). This provision incorporates by
reference the state ambient air quality standards and summarizes the
local ambient air quality standards that are identical to the NAAQS,
which are codified at 40 CFR Part 50.4 et seq. On November 6, 2009, the
Governor of New Mexico submitted a revision to the New Mexico SIP that
included among other things, Ambient Air Quality Standards, codified at
20.11.8 NMAC (Part 8). The substantive revisions submitted to Part 8
again revise the local ambient air quality standards to make them
consistent with the current NAAQS. Specifically, the standards for
carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), sulfur
[[Page 22266]]
dioxide (SO2), PM2.5, PM10 and lead
(Pb) were revised to reflect the new standards for those pollutants.
Non-substantive revisions are editorial in nature with the replacement
of terms and other clarifications or typographical corrections. We are
proposing to approve the severable portion of the November 6, 2009 SIP
revision submittal that revises Part 8, because it will ensure that the
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP contains standards that are
consistent with the latest Federally-promulgated NAAQS. Appendix A of
the TSD for this rulemaking provides more detail regarding the specific
revisions.
VI. Proposed Action
We are proposing to approve the submittals provided to demonstrate
that the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County SIP meets the infrastructure
elements for the 1997 and 2008 ozone and 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS listed below:
Emission limits and other control measures (110(a)(2)(A) of the
Act);
Ambient air quality monitoring/data system (110(a)(2)(B) of the
Act);
Program for enforcement of control measures (110(a)(2)(C) of the
Act);
Interstate transport, pursuant to section 110(a)(2)(D)(ii) of
the Act;
Adequate resources (110(a)(2)(E) of the Act);
Stationary source monitoring system (110(a)(2)(F) of the Act);
Emergency power (110(a)(2)(G) of the Act);
Future SIP revisions (110(a)(2)(H) of the Act);
Consultation with government officials (110(a)(2)(J) of the
Act);
Public notification (110(a)(2)(J) of the Act);
Prevention of significant deterioration and visibility
protection (110(a)(2)(J) of the Act);
Air quality modeling data (110(a)(2)(K) of the Act);
Permitting fees (110(a)(2)(L) of the Act); and
Consultation/participation by affected local entities
(110(a)(2)(M) of the Act).
We are also proposing to approve the portion of the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County SIP revision submittal that addresses the requirement
of section (110)(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) of the Act that emissions from sources
in Albuquerque/Bernalillo County do not interfere with measures
required in the SIP of any other state under part C of the Act
regarding PSD for the 1997 and 2008 8-hour ozone and 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS.
We are proposing to approve Albuquerque/Bernalillo County PSD SIP
provisions to 20.11.61 NMAC submitted May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010.
These SIP revisions address NOX as a precursor for ozone,
consistent with EPA's November 29, 2005 Phase 2 rule for the 1997 ozone
NAAQS (70 FR 71612). These revisions also identify the precursors for
PM2.5 and significant emission rates necessary for
PM2.5 PSD permitting, consistent with the 1997 and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS (73 FR 28321, May 16, 2008). Additionally, the
May 24, 2006 and August 16, 2010 submittals make numerous other changes
necessary to maintain consistency with the federal PSD permitting
requirements. Specifically, we are proposing to approve revisions to
20.11.61.7, 20.11.61.28, and 20.11.61.29 NMAC submitted on May 24,
2006. We are also proposing to approve revisions to 20.11.61.1,
20.11.61.2, 20.11.61.7, 20.11.61.11, 20.11.61.12, 20.11.61.14,
20.11.61.15, 20.11.61.16, 20.11.61.17, 20.11.61.18, 20.11.61.19,
20.11.61.20, 20.11.61.23, 20.11.61.24, 20.11.61.25, 20.11.61.26,
20.11.61.27, 20.11.61.28, 20.11.61.29, 20.11.61.30, and 20.11.61.31
NMAC submitted on August 16, 2010.
We are also proposing to approve SIP revisions from November 6,
2009 pertaining to updating Part 8 Ambient Air Quality Standards
(20.11.8 NMAC). EPA is proposing to approve these revisions pursuant to
section 110 of the CAA. These revisions improve the Albuquerque/
Bernalillo County SIP and update 20.11.8 NMAC to add new standards and
revise existing NAAQS in 20.11.8 NMAC to be consistent with 40 CFR Part
50--National Primary and Secondary Ambient Air Quality Standards.
VII. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
Under the CAA, the Administrator is required to approve a SIP
submission that complies with the provisions of the Act and applicable
Federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a). Thus, in
reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of the CAA. Accordingly, this
action merely proposes to approve state law as meeting Federal
requirements and does not impose additional requirements beyond those
imposed by state law. For that reason, this action:
Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' subject to
review by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Order
12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993);
Does not impose an information collection burden under the
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
Is certified as not having a significant economic impact
on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
Does not contain any unfunded mandate or significantly or
uniquely affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4);
Does not have Federalism implications as specified in
Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999);
Is not an economically significant regulatory action based
on health or safety risks subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR
19885, April 23, 1997);
Is not a significant regulatory action subject to
Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001);
Is not subject to requirements of section 12(d) of the
National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272
note) because application of those requirements would be inconsistent
with the CAA; and
Does not provide EPA with the discretionary authority to
address, as appropriate, disproportionate human health or environmental
effects, using practicable and legally permissible methods, under
Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).
In addition, this rule does not have tribal implications as
specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9, 2000),
because the SIP is not approved to apply in Indian country located in
the state, and EPA notes that it will not impose substantial direct
costs on tribal governments or preempt tribal law.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Intergovernmental
relations, Nitrogen dioxides, Ozone, Particulate matter, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements, Volatile organic compounds.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: March 30, 2012.
Samuel Coleman,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 6.
[FR Doc. 2012-8927 Filed 4-12-12; 8:45 am]
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