Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Arizona; Motor Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Programs, 66422-66429 [2012-26977]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 214 / Monday, November 5, 2012 / Proposed Rules
For additional information, see the
direct final rule which is located in the
Rules Section of this Federal Register.
Dated: October 19, 2012.
H. Curtis Spalding,
Regional Administrator, EPA New England.
[FR Doc. 2012–26756 Filed 11–2–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R09–OAR–2011–0552; FRL–9748–9]
Approval and Promulgation of
Implementation Plans; Arizona; Motor
Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance
Programs
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
EPA is proposing to approve
three revisions to the Arizona State
Implementation Plan submitted by the
Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality. Two of these revisions relate to
an amendment to Arizona’s Basic and
Enhanced Vehicle Emissions Inspection
Programs that would exempt
motorcycles in the Phoenix
metropolitan area from emissions
testing requirements. The third revision
would expand the geographic area in
which various air quality control
measures, including the vehicle
emissions inspection program but also
including other control measures, apply
in the Phoenix metropolitan area. EPA
is proposing approval of these SIP
revisions because we have found that
they meet all applicable requirements
and would not interfere with reasonable
further progress or attainment of any of
the national ambient air quality
standards. EPA is proposing this action
under the Clean Air Act obligation to
take action on State submittals of
revisions to state implementation plans.
DATES: Written comments must be
received on or before December 5, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket No. EPA–R09–
OAR–2011–0552, by one of the
following methods:
1. Federal Rulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line
instructions for submitting comments.
2. Email: Jeffrey Buss at
buss.jeffrey@epa.gov.
3. Fax: Jeffrey Buss, Air Planning
Office (AIR–2), at fax number 415–947–
3579.
4. Mail: Jeffrey Buss, Air Planning
Office (AIR–2), U.S. Environmental
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SUMMARY:
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Protection Agency, Region IX, 75
Hawthorne, San Francisco, California
94105.
5. Hand or Courier Delivery: Jeffrey
Buss, Air Planning Section (AIR–2), U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Region IX, 75 Hawthorne, San
Francisco, California 94105. Such
deliveries are only accepted during the
Regional Office’s normal hours of
operation. Special arrangements should
be made for deliveries of boxed
information.
Instructions: Direct your comments to
Docket ID No. EPA–R09–OAR–2011–
0552. 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
the disclosure of which is restricted by
statute. Do not submit information
through www.regulations.gov or email
that you consider to be CBI or otherwise
protected from disclosure. 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.
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 Office (AIR–2), U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, San
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Francisco, California 94105. EPA
requests that if at all possible, you
contact the person listed in the FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to
schedule your inspection during normal
business hours.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jeffrey Buss, Office of Air Planning, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 9, (415) 947–4152, email:
buss.jeffrey@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Throughout this document, the terms
‘‘we,’’ ‘‘us,’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to EPA.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction and Background
II. Summary of Arizona’s SIP Submittals
III. EPA Review of the SIP Revisions
A. CAA Procedural Provisions
B. I/M Program Requirements
1. Geographic Coverage
2. Vehicle Coverage and Exemptions
3. Compliance Enforcement
4. Performance Evaluation
C. Demonstrating Noninterference With
Attainment and Maintenance Under
CAA Section 110(l)
1. Ozone
2. Carbon Monoxide
3. Particulate Matter
4. Air Toxics
5. Conclusion
IV. EPA’s Proposed Action and Request for
Public Comment
V. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Introduction and Background
In May 1995, EPA approved Arizona’s
Basic and Enhanced Vehicle Emissions
Inspection/Maintenance (VEI) Programs
as a revision to the Arizona State
Implementation Plan (SIP) under the
Clean Air Act, as amended in 1990
(CAA or ‘‘Act’’) and EPA’s motor
vehicle inspection and maintenance
rule (‘‘EPA’s I/M rule’’ or ‘‘federal I/M
rule’’) as amended. See 60 FR 22518
(May 8, 1995). A ‘‘basic’’ I/M program
was required in the Phoenix
metropolitan area (referred to as ‘‘Area
A’’) due to the area’s designation as a
‘‘moderate’’ nonattainment area for the
carbon monoxide (CO) and the 1-hour
ozone national ambient air quality
standards (NAAQS or ‘‘standard’’).1 The
VEI program was designed to reduce
emissions of CO, volatile organic
compounds (VOC) and oxides of
nitrogen (NOX).2 At that time, although
1 The Phoenix metropolitan area is also a
nonattainment area for respirable particulate matter
(PM10); however, the VEI program plays a very
minor role in the control strategy for this pollutant.
There is no CAA requirement for I/M programs in
PM10 nonattainment areas and no PM10 reduction
credited from EPA’s emission models, MOBILE 6.2
or MOVES.
2 VOC and NO are precursors to ozone formation
X
in the atmosphere under the influence of sunlight
and meteorology.
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it was not required to have an
‘‘enhanced’’ I/M program, Arizona was
implementing most elements of an
enhanced program in Phoenix.
Arizona’s program, as implemented in
Phoenix, however, was not approved as
an enhanced program, because the
program did not satisfy all the
requirements in EPA’s I/M rule for
enhanced programs. An enhanced I/M
program became a requirement for the
Phoenix area when the area was
reclassified from ‘‘moderate’’
nonattainment to ‘‘serious’’
nonattainment for the CO NAAQS
effective August 28, 1996 (61 FR 39343,
July 29, 1996), and when the area was
reclassified from ‘‘moderate’’
nonattainment to ‘‘serious’’
nonattainment for the 1-hour ozone
NAAQS effective February 13, 1998 (63
FR 7290 February 13, 1998).
Since the Arizona VEI programs were
originally approved in May 1995, EPA
has amended the federal I/M rule
several times to provide states with
more flexibility in designing their
programs but also to require testing of
the on-board diagnostic (OBD) system.
Since that time, Arizona has also made
a number of changes to its enhanced
and basic VEI programs.
In January 2003, we approved changes
to the Arizona VEI programs submitted
to us on July 6, 2001 and April 10, 2002,
including the incorporation of OBD
testing, an exemption for the first five
model year vehicles from the programs
on a rolling basis, replacement of the
previously-approved remote sensing
program in Phoenix with an on-road
testing study, and legislative changes to
the waiver provisions. See 68 FR 2912
(January 22, 2003). In our January 2003
final rule, we also approved the VEI
program in the Phoenix area as meeting
the enhanced I/M program performance
standard.
In our January 2003 final rule, we also
approved an expansion of the
geographic area in which the VEI
program in the Phoenix area applies, an
area referred to as ‘‘Area A.’’ Area A, as
approved in 2003, includes all of the
metropolitan Phoenix carbon monoxide
and 1-hour ozone nonattainment areas
plus additional areas in Maricopa
County to the north, east, and west, as
well as a small portion of Yavapai
County and the western portions of
Pinal County. ‘‘Area A’’ is also used by
the State of Arizona to identify the
applicable area for implementation of a
number of other air pollution control
measures, including but not limited to
the EPA-approved cleaner burning
gasoline (CBG) and stage II vapor
recovery programs. See, e.g., 69 FR
10161 (March 4, 2004) (approval of CBG
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program), and 77 FR 35279 (June 13,
2012) (approval of revised Stage II vapor
recovery program). ‘‘Area A’’ is defined
at Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS)
section 49–541, subsection (1).
In April 2004, we published a final
rule governing the transition from the 1hour ozone NAAQS to the 8-hour ozone
standard that we promulgated in 1997.
See 69 FR 23951 (April 30, 2004).3
Under our April 2004 final rule, we
established certain ‘‘anti-backsliding
requirements’’ that would continue to
apply to 8-hour ozone nonattainment
areas based on an area’s designation and
classification for the 1-hour ozone
standard at the time of designation for
the 1997 8-hour ozone standard, even
after revocation of the 1-hour ozone
standard. The I/M program requirement
was included in the list of such ‘‘antibacksliding’’ requirements. See 40 CFR
51.900(f)(2) and 51.905(a)(1)(i).
In April 2004, we published a second
final rule related to ozone, and in this
other rule, we designated the PhoenixMesa area as a nonattainment area for
the 1997 8-hour ozone standard, 69 FR
23858, at 23878 (April 30, 2004), and,
later, classified the area as ‘‘Subpart 2/
Marginal’’ for that standard, 77 FR
28424 (May 14, 2012). Thus, the
requirement to continue to implement
an enhanced I/M program continues to
apply in the Phoenix metropolitan area
based the area’s designation and
classification for the 1-hour ozone
standard notwithstanding revocation of
the 1-hour ozone standard in June 2005.
In 2005, we approved maintenance
plans and redesignation requests for
both the carbon monoxide and 1-hour
ozone standards in the Phoenix area.
See 70 FR 11553 (March 9, 2005)
(carbon monoxide redesignation request
and maintenance plan approval), and 70
FR 34362 (June 14, 2005) (1-hour ozone
redesignation request and maintenance
plan approval). Both approved
maintenance plans include ‘‘Expansion
of Area A Boundaries’’ as a contingency
measure.4 In these plans, ‘‘Expansion of
Area A Boundaries’’ refers to an
amendment to the definition of Area A
in ARS 49–541 that was made by the
Arizona Legislature in 2001 to expand
the boundaries of this area beyond the
boundaries approved by EPA in 2003 to
3 In 1997, EPA promulgated an 8-hour ozone
standard [0.08 parts per million (ppm)] to replace
the 1-hour ozone standard. The 1-hour ozone
standard was revoked effective June 15, 2005.
4 See page ES–6 of the Maricopa Association of
Government’s (MAG’s) Carbon Monoxide
Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan for
the Maricopa County Nonattainment Area (May
2003) and page ES–9 of MAG’s One-Hour Ozone
Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan for
the Maricopa County Nonattainment Area (March
2004).
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add portions of Maricopa County west
of Goodyear and Peoria and a small
piece of land on the north side of Lake
Pleasant in Yavapai County. In light of
the fact that the Legislature had already
acted, the two maintenance plans noted
that ‘‘Expansion of Area A’’ was an
example of ‘‘early implementation’’ of a
contingency measure.
In March 2007, we approved changes
to the Arizona VEI programs submitted
to us on December 23, 2005 and October
3, 2006, including an exemption for
collectible vehicles from VEI testing in
the Phoenix metropolitan area, and
collectible vehicles and motorcycles
from VEI testing in the Tucson
metropolitan area. See 72 FR 15046
(March 30, 2007). In our March 2007
rule, we also approved an updated
performance evaluation standard for the
VEI program in the Phoenix area; and
new contingency measures.
On June 13, 2007, ADEQ submitted
the Eight-Hour Ozone Plan for the
Maricopa Nonattainment Area (June
2007) (‘‘Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour
Ozone Attainment Plan’’) to
demonstrate attainment of the 1997 8hour ozone standard in the PhoenixMesa nonattainment area by June 2009.
Similar to the carbon monoxide and 1hour ozone maintenance plans, the
Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone
Attainment Plan does not take
emissions reduction credit for
‘‘Expansion of Area A Boundaries’’ to
demonstrate attainment or maintenance
but lists ‘‘Expansion of Area A
Boundaries’’ as a contingency measure.
We approved the plan at 77 FR 35285
(June 13, 2012). As a contingency
measure, ADEQ estimated that
‘‘Expansion of Area A Boundaries’’
would reduce VOC emissions by
approximately 1.3 metric tons per day
by increasing the number of vehicles
subject to the VEI program.5
In March 2009, ADEQ submitted the
MAG Eight-Hour Ozone Redesignation
Request and Maintenance Plan for the
Maricopa Nonattainment Area
(February 2009) (‘‘Phoenix-Mesa EightHour Ozone Maintenance Plan’’) to
demonstrate the criteria for
redesignation to ‘‘attainment’’ have been
satisfied and to demonstrate
maintenance of the 1997 8-hour ozone
standard through year 2025. Unlike the
previous plans, the Phoenix-Mesa EightHour Ozone Maintenance Plan includes
‘‘Expansion of Area A Boundaries’’ as a
measure for which credit is taken to
5 See pages V–20 and V–21 of exhibit 2
(‘‘Technical Support Document for Ozone Modeling
in Support of the Eight-Hour Ozone Plan for the
Maricopa Nonattainment Area’’) of appendix A to
the Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone Attainment
Plan.
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demonstrate maintenance of the 1997 8hour ozone standard through 2025.6 The
maintenance demonstration in the
Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone
Maintenance Plan specifically excludes
motorcycles from the calculated
emissions reductions from the VEI.7
We have not yet taken action on the
Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone
Maintenance Plan and do not propose
action related to that plan herein.
However, today’s proposed approval of
the expansion of Area A boundaries, as
codified in amended ARS 49–541(1) and
submitted on May 25, 2012 in
connection with the 2012 Phoenix Area
PM–10 Five Percent Plan (discussed in
the following section of this document),
provides support for the Phoenix-Mesa
Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan
given its reliance on the expansion of
Area A boundaries in maintaining the
1997 8-hour ozone standard once the
area is redesignated. EPA will take
action on the Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour
Ozone Maintenance Plan in one or more
future rulemakings.
Lastly, in March 2008, EPA revised
the 8-hour ozone standard to 0.075 parts
per million (ppm). See 73 FR 16436
(March 27, 2008). More recently, we
designated the Phoenix-Mesa area as a
‘‘Marginal’’ nonattainment area for the
2008 ozone standard, effective July 20,
2012. See 77 FR 30088 (May 21, 2012).
Such ‘‘Marginal’’ nonattainment areas
must attain the standard as
expeditiously as practicable but not
later than July 20, 2015 (i.e., 3 years
from July 20, 2012, the effective date of
the nonattainment designation).
II. Summary of Arizona’s SIP
Submittals
The Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality (ADEQ)
submitted the most recent statutory
changes to its Basic and Enhanced VEI
Programs as a revision to the Arizona
State Implementation Plan (SIP) on
November 6, 2009 (‘‘2009 VEI SIP
Revision’’). The 2009 VEI SIP Revision
submittal includes the SIP revision
itself, divided into a non-regulatory
portion, ‘‘Final Arizona State
Implementation Plan Revision,
Exemption of Motorcycles from Vehicle
Emissions Inspection/Maintenance
Requirements in Area A’’ (October
2009), and a regulatory portion, House
Bill (HB) 2280, as well as supporting
materials related to legal authority,
adoption, public process and technical
analysis.
6 See
page ES–4 of the Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour
Ozone Maintenance Plan.
7 See page 3–12 of the Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour
Ozone Maintenance Plan.
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HB 2280 amends the Arizona Revised
Statutes (ARS) Section 49–542 by
exempting motorcycles from emissions
testing in Area A (i.e., the Phoenix area).
Specifically, the amendments to ARS
49–542 are found in paragraphs or
subparagraphs (F)(2)(e), (F)(3), (J)(2)(l),
and (K) of that section of code. The
changes to ARS Section 49–542 are selfimplementing, which means that they
become effective upon EPA approval as
a revision to the Arizona SIP. Section 2
of HB 2280 provides that the exemption
becomes effective upon EPA approval of
a SIP revision on or before July 10, 2010.
In consultation with EPA concerning
the VEI SIP Revision, ADEQ prepared
additional information regarding the
impacts of the motorcycle exemption on
attainment of the 2008 8-hour ozone
NAAQS and the 1987 PM10 NAAQS. On
January 11, 2011, ADEQ adopted and
submitted the additional information
and a replacement measure in a
supplemental SIP revision, entitled,
‘‘Addendum to the Arizona State
Implementation Plan Revision,
Exemption of Motorcycles from Vehicle
Emissions Inspections and Maintenance
Program Requirements in Area A,
October 2009’’ (December 2010) (‘‘2011
VEI SIP Addendum’’). In the cover letter
to the 2011 VEI SIP Addendum, ADEQ
indicated that, through House Bill 2033
adopted in April 2010, the Arizona
Legislature had extended the date
authorizing the motorcycle exemption
to July 2012.8 Also, as part of the
submittal of the 2011 VEI SIP
Addendum, ADEQ documented the
public participation process that was
conducted by ADEQ prior to adoption
and submittal of the Addendum to EPA.
On May 25, 2012, ADEQ submitted
the MAG 2012 Five Percent Plan for
PM–10 for the Maricopa County
Nonattainment Area (May 2012) (‘‘2012
Phoenix Area PM–10 Five Percent
Plan’’). The 2012 PM–10 Phoenix Area
Five Percent Plan was submitted to
provide for attainment of the PM10
standard and an annual reduction in
PM10 emissions within the area of not
less than five percent until attainment of
the standard. Among the statutes
submitted as part of the 2012 Phoenix
Area PM–10 Five Percent Plan for
approval as part of the Arizona SIP is
ARS 49–541(1), which establishes the
boundaries of Area A as expanded by
the Arizona Legislature in 2001.9 As
noted, several previous plans for the
Phoenix area had included ‘‘Expansion
8 Through House Bill 2073 in 2012, the Arizona
Legislature has further extended the date
authorizing the motorcycle exemption to July 2014.
9 See exhibit 1 in Appendix C to the 2012 PM–
10 Five Percent Plan.
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of Area A Boundaries’’ as a contingency
measure, but the more recent submitted
plans, including the Phoenix-Mesa
Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan
and the 2012 Phoenix Area PM–10 Five
Percent Plan, rely on it as part of the
long-term control or maintenance
strategy. With respect to ADEQ’s May
25, 2012 SIP revision submittal of the
2012 Phoenix Area PM–10 Five Percent
Plan, EPA is proposing action only on
the amended statutory provision that
expands the boundaries of Area A [i.e.,
amended ARS 49–541(1)]. EPA will take
action on the rest of the 2012 Phoenix
Area PM–10 Five Percent Plan in one or
more future rulemakings.
III. EPA Review of the SIP Revisions
A. CAA Procedural Provisions
CAA section 110(l) requires revisions
to a SIP to be adopted by the state after
reasonable notice and public hearing.
EPA has promulgated specific
requirements for SIP revisions in 40
CFR part 51, subpart F.
On September 14 and 15, 2009, ADEQ
published notices in newspapers of
general circulation in the Phoenix area
of public hearings on proposed
revisions to the Arizona SIP to exempt
motorcycles in Phoenix from emissions
testing requirements under the Arizona
VEI programs (i.e., a draft VEI SIP
Revision). Public hearings were held on
October 15, 2009 in Phoenix. On
November 6, 2009, in accordance with
Arizona law, ADEQ adopted these
exemptions as set forth in ‘‘Final
Arizona State Implementation Plan
Revision, Exemption of Motorcycles
from Vehicle Emissions Inspection/
Maintenance Requirements in Area A’’
(October 2009) as a revision to the
Arizona SIP and submitted the revision
to EPA for approval.
ADEQ followed a similar process in
adopting and submitting the 2011 VEI
SIP Addendum. ADEQ held a public
hearing on December 15, 2010 in
Phoenix on a draft VEI SIP Addendum
and adopted the VEI SIP Addendum on
January 11, 2011 in accordance with
Arizona law prior to submittal to EPA
as a revision to the Arizona SIP.
ADEQ also provided for public
comment and hearing of the 2012
Phoenix Area PM–10 Five Percent Plan.
Specifically, ADEQ published notice of
the start of a 30-day comment period on
March 12, 2012. In this notice, ADEQ
also provided notice of a public hearing
that was, as scheduled, held on April
12, 2012. See exhibit 1 (‘‘Public Hearing
Process Documentation’’) to appendix E
to the 2012 Phoenix Area PM–10 Five
Percent Plan.
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ADEQ’s 2009 VEI SIP Revision, 2011
VEI SIP Addendum, and 2012 Phoenix
Area PM–10 Five Percent Plan submittal
packages include evidence of public
notice and hearing, ADEQ responses to
public comments, and ADEQ adoption
as described above, and, based on
review of these materials, we find that
ADEQ has met the procedural
requirements of CAA section 110(l) and
40 CFR part 51, subpart F.
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B. I/M Program Requirements
As noted in Section I, Introduction
and Background, herein, Arizona’s VEI
programs were most recently approved
as meeting federal I/M program
requirements on March 30, 2007 (72 FR
15046). Although the Phoenix and
Tucson areas have been redesignated to
‘‘attainment’’ for the CO NAAQS, the
VEI programs continue to be relied upon
to maintain the CO standard in those
areas. Moreover, ‘‘enhanced’’ I/M
remains an ‘‘applicable requirement’’ for
the Phoenix area under our final rule
implementing the 8-hour ozone NAAQS
(see 40 CFR 51.900(f) and 51.905(a)(1))
based on the designation of that area as
a nonattainment area for the 8-hour
ozone NAAQS (and designation as
nonattainment for the 1-hour ozone
NAAQS at the time of designation for
the 8-hour standard). Thus, to be
approved, the VEI programs, as
amended and evaluated herein, must
continue to meet the relevant
enforceability requirements for I/M
programs in subpart S of 40 CFR part 51
and, for the Phoenix area with respect
to ozone, the enhanced performance
standard in 40 CFR 51.351. In the
following paragraphs, we review
ADEQ’s 2009 VEI SIP Revision and 2011
VEI SIP Addendum to determine
whether the amended VEI programs
continue to meet federal I/M program
requirements.
The aspects of I/M affected by the
submitted revisions to the VEI programs
and the expansion of Area A boundaries
include geographic coverage, vehicle
coverage and exemptions, compliance
enforcement, and the performance
standard evaluation.
1. Geographic Coverage
EPA’s I/M regulations require that
state I/M programs be implemented in
the entire urbanized area, based on the
1990 census. See 40 CFR 51.350. We
have found in our approvals of the
Arizona VEI program in 1995 and 2003
that the geographic coverage of the VEI
program in the Phoenix area meets the
minimum requirements of EPA’s I/M
regulations. Since then, no regulatory
changes or new designations have
changed the minimum requirements
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with respect to the geographic coverage
of the I/M program in the Phoenix area,
and thus, the expansion of the
boundaries of Area A, which define the
area in which the VEI program is
implemented, is also acceptable.
2. Vehicle Coverage and Exemptions
The performance standard for
enhanced I/M programs (including
alternate low enhanced programs)
assumes coverage of all 1968 and later
model year light duty vehicles and
trucks. Light duty trucks are not
included in the performance standard
for basic I/M programs. Other levels of
coverage may be approved if the
necessary emission reductions are
achieved. See 40 CFR 51.356.
The Arizona VEI programs approved
by EPA in 1995 exempt several
categories of vehicles from the
emissions testing requirements. Such
vehicle categories included, among
others, vehicles manufactured in or
before the 1966 model year and vehicles
being sold between motor vehicle
dealers. See 60 FR 22518, 22521 (May
8, 1995). In 2003, we approved revisions
to the VEI programs including an
exemption for the first five model year
vehicles on a rolling basis. See 68 FR
2912 (January 22, 2003). In 2007, we
exempted collectible vehicles from the
Phoenix and Tucson areas and
motorcycles from the Tucson area. The
SIP revision we are acting on today
would establish an additional vehicle
category that would be exempt from
emissions testing requirements:
Motorcycles from the Phoenix area.
Based on data for calendar year 2008,
motorcycles make up approximately
38,100 (or 3.7 percent) of the 1,027,600
total number of vehicles subject to VEI
in the Phoenix area. See table 9 on page
17 of the 2009 VEI SIP Revision.
Basic and enhanced I/M programs are
not required to test any particular
category of motor vehicles so long as the
performance standard is met, and thus
I/M programs are not required to test
motorcycles. The effect of the new
exemption for motorcycles on the
continued ability of the VEI program in
the Phoenix area to meet the enhanced
I/M program performance standard is
discussed below in Section III.B.3,
‘‘Performance Evaluation,’’ and the
effect of the new exemptions on
emissions and ambient air quality in
Phoenix is discussed herein in Section
III.C, ‘‘Demonstrating Noninterference
With Attainment And Maintenance
Under CAA Section 110(l).’’
3. Compliance Enforcement
Section 51.361 of title 40 of the CFR
requires that denial of motor vehicle
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registration be the method used to
ensure compliance with enhanced I/M
programs. ARS Section 49–542(D) and
Arizona Administrative Code (AAC)
R18–2–1007 requires that all vehicles
must complete a vehicle emissions
inspection to obtain a vehicle
registration.
Exemption of motorcycles in the
Phoenix area from emissions testing
would be straightforward from the
standpoint of compliance enforcement
and would not undermine compliance
enforcement for other types of vehicles
that continue to be subject to the
emissions testing requirements under
the VEI program in the Phoenix area.
Owners of motorcycles registered in the
Phoenix area will simply receive a
registration or re-registration form from
the Arizona Department of
Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division
that indicates ‘‘emissions test not
required.’’
Therefore, we find that the Arizona
VEI programs, as amended to exempt
motorcycles in the Phoenix area, would
continue to meet the compliance
enforcement requirements of 40 CFR
51.361.
4. Performance Evaluation
As part of the 2009 VEI SIP Revision
submittal, ADEQ provided an updated
performance evaluation using the EPA’s
motor vehicle emissions model,
MOBILE6.2.10 The updated performance
evaluation included a summary report
and paper copies of MOBILE6.2 input
and output files. The purpose of the
updated performance evaluation is to
determine whether the VEI program, as
amended to exempt motorcycles, would
continue to meet the federal enhanced
I/M performance standard (codified at
40 CFR 51.351) in the Phoenix area. The
need for an updated performance
evaluation follows from the fact that the
Phoenix area, which was designated as
nonattainment for the 1-hour ozone
NAAQS (at the time of designation for
the 8-hour ozone nonattainment), is
designated as nonattainment for the 8hour ozone NAAQS and that enhanced
I/M remains an ‘‘applicable
requirement’’ for such areas under our
final rule implementing the 8-hour
ozone NAAQS [see 40 CFR 51.900(f)
and 51.905(a)(1)].
For the updated evaluation, ADEQ
developed and applied reduction factors
10 ADEQ submitted the 2009 VEI SIP Revision
prior to the availability and requirement to use
EPA’s Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator model
‘‘MOVES2010’’. While ADEQ’s 2011 VEI SIP
Addendum was submitted after the availability of
MOVES2010, we did not require the use of the new
MOVES2010 model because significant work had
already begun on the SIP revision. See 75 FR 9411
(March 2, 2010).
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to exclude motorcycles from the fleet
tested under the VEI program as
provided for in HB 2280. ADEQ then
compared the emissions reduction
benefits from the revised VEI program
with the corresponding benefits that
would be achieved under EPA’s
alternate low enhanced I/M
performance standard.
The results of ADEQ’s analysis are
summarized in Table 1 below, which
shows that the emissions reduction
benefits achieved by the Phoenix VEI
program as amended are higher than
those achieved under the performance
standard. The amended Phoenix VEI
program thus continues to achieve
greater emissions reductions than the
federal model program because the VEI
program includes elements that go
beyond federal I/M requirements. These
include a requirement for a one-time
only waiver, an implementation area
beyond the nonattainment area
boundaries, and denial of waivers for
grossly-emitting vehicles.
TABLE 1—RESULTS OF ADEQ’S ALTERNATE LOW ENHANCED PERFORMANCE STANDARD MODELING a
2002
VOC
I/M Benefits in Area A (grams/mile) ........
I/M Performance Standard benefits
(grams/mile) ..........................................
2008
CO
NOX
VOC
NOX
CO
0.201
0.109
2.938
0.088
0.101
1.579
0.152
0.026
2.262
0.056
0.006
1.160
a The
emission rates in this table represent the difference between the fleet-wide emission rate under the applicable program (i.e., amended
Arizona VEI program or EPA’s I/M model program) and the corresponding emission rate under the no-I/M scenario. See Table 8 on page 16 of
the 2009 VEI SIP Revision.
Based on our review of the 2009 VEI
SIP Revision, we find ADEQ’s methods
used to update the performance
standard evaluation and use of the
alternate low enhanced I/M
performance standard to be acceptable,
and we find that the VEI program, as
amended to exempt motorcycles in the
Phoenix area from the emissions testing
requirements, exceeds the alternate low
enhanced I/M performance standard in
the Phoenix area as required under 40
CFR 51.351 and 51.905(a)(1).
C. Demonstrating Noninterference With
Attainment and Maintenance Under
CAA Section 110(l)
Revisions to SIP-approved control
measures must meet the requirements of
Clean Air Act section 110(l) to be
approved by EPA. Section 110(l) states
in relevant part: ‘‘The Administrator
shall not approve a revision of a plan if
the revision would interfere with any
applicable requirement concerning
attainment and reasonable further
progress (as defined in section 171), or
any other applicable requirement of this
Act.’’
We interpret section 110(l) to apply to
all requirements of the CAA and to all
areas of the country, whether
attainment, nonattainment,
unclassifiable, or maintenance for one
or more of the six criteria pollutants. We
also interpret section 110(l) to require a
demonstration addressing all pollutants
whose emissions and/or ambient
concentrations may change as a result of
the SIP revision. Thus, for example,
modification of a SIP-approved measure
may impact NOX emissions, which may
impact ozone and PM2.5. The scope and
rigor of an adequate section 110(l)
demonstration of noninterference
depends on the air quality status of the
area, the potential impact of the revision
on air quality, the pollutant(s) affected,
and the nature of the applicable CAA
requirements.
The 2009 VEI SIP Revision submittal
that seeks exemption of motorcycles
from the Phoenix enhanced I/M
program includes an evaluation of the
effects of the revision to the VEI
programs on ozone, carbon monoxide,
PM2.5, and PM10 within the Phoenix
metropolitan area. The details of
ADEQ’s evaluation of the emissions
effects and related ambient air quality
impacts of the new exemptions are
contained in ‘‘Technical Support
Document for Evaluating Emissions
Impacts of Exempting Motorcycles from
Vehicle Emissions Inspections and
Comparing Inspection and Maintenance
(I/M) Emission Reduction Benefits in
Area A with the EPA Enhanced I/M
Performance Standard (August 19,
2009)’’ (‘‘2009 Report’’), which was
included as Appendix B to the 2009 VEI
SIP Revision.
The 2009 report indicates that ADEQ
used the EPA’s motor vehicle emissions
model program, MOBILE6.2, to estimate
the emissions effects of the new
exemptions. The methods used to gather
data included acquisition of data from
the State vehicle emissions inspections
programs, other state agencies, air
quality planning agencies and relevant
air quality plans. We find that ADEQ
used reasonable methods and
appropriate models in estimating the
emissions effects of the new
exemptions. Table 2 below summarizes
ADEQ’s estimates by pollutant in units
of metric tons per day (mtpd). Table 2
also shows the emissions impact as a
percentage of the overall pollutantspecific inventory in the applicable
area.
WREIER-AVILES on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
TABLE 2—VOC AND CO EMISSIONS INCREASES ASSOCIATED WITH THE 2009 VEI SIP REVISION a
Area-wide total
emissions
(mtpd)
Pollutant
I/M benefit
from motorcycle test and
repair (mtpd)
Percent of
areawide total
emissions
inventory
606.7
912.3
0.056
0.246
0.009
0.027
Volatile Organic Compounds .......................................................................................................
Carbon Monoxide ........................................................................................................................
a I/M
Benefit = the reduction in on-road emissions due to the motorcycle exemption in Area A. See pages 7 and 12 of 2009 VEI SIP Revision.
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1. Ozone
Ozone is formed by the interaction of
directly-emitted precursor emissions,
volatile organic compounds (VOC) and
oxides of nitrogen (NOX), as influenced
by the meteorological and topographical
features of an area.
As noted above, in 2004, EPA
designated the Phoenix area as a
nonattainment area for the 1997 8-hour
ozone standard, 69 FR 23858 (April 30,
2004), and in 2012, designated the
Phoenix area as a nonattainment area for
the 2008 8-hour ozone standard, 77 FR
30088 (May 21, 2012).
As indicated in Table 2 above, based
on ADEQ’s estimates, the revision to the
2009 VEI program in Phoenix would
increase VOC emissions by
approximately 0.056 metric tons per
day, which represents approximately
0.009% of the overall VOC emissions
inventory in this area under existing
conditions. ADEQ did not estimate NOX
emissions, but we agree with ADEQ’s
assertion that repairs to vehicles to
reduce VOC and CO emissions often
result in an incremental increase in NOX
emissions and, thus, discontinuance of
such repairs (e.g., through an
exemption) could result in an
incremental decrease in such emissions.
While minor, the incremental increase
in VOC emissions due to the motorcycle
exemption would occur in an area that
is violating the 2008 ozone standard
based on the design value for 2008–
2010.
ADEQ’s 2011 VEI SIP Addendum
includes a measure that is intended to
substitute for the foregone VOC
emissions reductions from the
motorcycle exemption and to thereby
provide a basis to find that the 2009 VEI
SIP Revision would not interfere with
attainment of the 2008 ozone standard.
The measure identified as the substitute
is a 2008 EPA rule for aerosol coatings
(spray paints and coatings) (‘‘coatings
rule’’). See 73 FR 15604 (March 24,
2008) 74 FR 29595 (June 23, 2009). The
compliance date for the 2008 EPA
coatings rule was July 1, 2009. The
designation of the Phoenix-Mesa area as
a ‘‘marginal’’ nonattainment for the
2008 ozone NAAQS reflects ambient
data from calendar years 2008–2010,
and thus reflects in part the VOC
emission reduction benefit from the
2008 EPA coatings rule and still the
Phoenix area appears to be violating the
2008 ozone standard. Thus, with the
information available at the present
time, we cannot conclude that the
coatings rule would offset the VOC
emissions increases estimated to occur
due to the motorcycle exemption.
However, we find that the expansion of
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the boundaries of Area A, as submitted
in regulatory form in ADEQ’s submittal
dated May 25, 2012, would more than
offset the incremental increase in VOC
emissions.
As noted above, the estimated benefit
of ‘‘Expansion of Area A Boundaries’’
would be approximately 1.3 metric tons
per day of VOC due to the extension of
the applicability of the VEI program to
areas not otherwise subject to the
program.11 In contrast, the incremental
increase in VOC emissions due to the
motorcycle exemption is estimated by
ADEQ to be less than 0.1 metric tons per
day (or more specifically, 0.056 mtpd).
Thus, we find that exempting
motorcycles from emissions testing
under the VEI program, together with
expanding the boundaries of Area A,
would not interfere with attainment or
maintenance of the ozone NAAQS in
the Phoenix area.
2. Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a product of
incomplete combustion of fuels. In most
urban areas, most of the CO comes from
motor vehicle exhaust.
In 2005, EPA redesignated the
Phoenix area for CO, and approved a
maintenance plan that provides for
maintenance of the CO NAAQS in that
area through 2015. See 70 FR 11553
(March 9, 2005) and 70 FR 52926
(September 6, 2005).
As indicated in Table 2 above, based
on ADEQ’s estimates, the motorcycle
exemption would increase CO
emissions by approximately 0.246
metric tons per day, which represents
approximately 0.027% of the overall CO
emissions inventory in this area under
existing conditions. This incremental
increase would be more than offset by
the expansion of Area A boundaries.12
Moreover, the net reduction in CO
emissions due to these SIP revisions
would occur in an area where overall
CO emissions are expected to remain
relatively constant over the next 10
years and where ambient CO levels are
well below the NAAQS.
Specifically, overall CO emissions are
expected to decrease by only 1%
between 2006 and 2015,13 and the
highest second-highest value (i.e., the
basis for the NAAQS) collected among
the 14 stations comprising the CO
11 See page 5–16 of the approved Phoenix-Mesa
Eight-Hour Ozone Attainment Plan, and footnote #5
included in this action.
12 On page ES–8 of MAG’s Carbon Monoxide
Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan for
the Maricopa County Nonattainment Area (May
2003), MAG estimates that Area A Expansion would
reduce area-wide CO emissions by 0.1%.
13 See MAG’s Carbon Monoxide Redesignation
Request and Maintenance Plan for the Maricopa
County Nonattainment Area (May 2003), page 3–10.
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monitoring network in the Phoenix area
is 4.6 ppm, eight-hour average, or less
than 55% of the 8-hour CO NAAQS
(based on 2006–2007 data).14
Therefore, based on the net reduction
in CO emissions due to the VEI SIP
Revision and expansion of Area A
boundaries, the relatively constant level
of overall CO emissions, and monitoring
data that shows that ambient CO levels
remain well below the CO NAAQS, we
find that exempting motorcycles from
emissions testing under the VEI
program, together with expanding the
boundaries of Area A, would not
interfere with continued attainment of
the CO NAAQS in the Phoenix area.
3. Particulate Matter
EPA has promulgated different
NAAQS for particles with a nominal
aerodynamic diameter of 10 microns or
less (PM10) and for particles with a
nominal aerodynamic diameter of 2.5
micrometers (microns) or less (PM2.5).
Ambient PM10 and PM2.5 levels consist
of directly-emitted particles as well as
secondary particles formed through
atmospheric reactions involving such
precursors as NOX and sulfur dioxide
(SO2).
In 1990, the Phoenix area was
designated as a ‘‘moderate’’
nonattainment for the PM10 NAAQS by
operation of law under the CAA
Amendments of 1990. EPA reclassified
the area as ‘‘serious’’ in 1996. See 61 FR
21372 (May 10, 1996). In 2002, EPA
approved the ‘‘serious area’’ PM10 plan,
which was intended to provide for
attainment of the PM10 NAAQS in the
Phoenix area by 2006. See 67 FR 48718
(July 25, 2002); certain plan elements reapproved at 71 FR 43979 (August 3,
2006). In 2007, EPA finalized its finding
that the Phoenix area had failed to attain
the PM10 NAAQS by the applicable
attainment date. See 72 FR 31183 (June
6, 2007). Finally, on February 14, 2011,
EPA finalized its finding that the
Phoenix area had failed to submit an
attainment demonstration SIP for its
PM10 nonattainment area. See 76 FR
8300 (February 14, 2011). PM10
emissions in the Phoenix area are
largely attributable to coarse particles,
composed primarily of geologic
material.15
In 2005, EPA designated Maricopa
County as ‘‘unclassifiable/attainment’’
for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. See 70 FR
944, at 954 (January 5, 2005). More
recently, EPA designated Maricopa
County as ‘‘unclassifiable/attainment’’
14 See
page 13 of the 2009 VEI SIP Revision.
Source Apportionment and Deposition
Study Prepared for Maricopa Association of
Governments by Sierra Research, Inc.’’, 2008, p. 2.
15 ‘‘PM–10
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for the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. See 76 FR
6056 (February 3, 2011). Local
monitoring by co-located PM10 and
PM2.5 monitors confirms that PM2.5 on
high PM10 days is a small fraction of the
PM10 concentrations.
PM10 emissions are emitted as a
product of incomplete combustion along
with such other pollutants as CO and
VOC, and because the exemption of
motorcycles from emissions testing
requirements of the VEI program in the
Phoenix area would incrementally
increase emissions of the latter
pollutants, it would also likely result in
the incremental increase of the former
as well.
Neither the MOBILE6.2 nor the
MOVES2010 emissions models provide
any PM10 emission reduction credit for
the I/M program. In light of its failure
to attain the PM10 NAAQS, however,
EPA requested ADEQ to attempt to
quantify the PM10 emissions impact of
this new exemption. ADEQ used the
MOBILE6.2 model to estimate the I/M
impact on PM10 emissions from
motorcycles based on the gaseous
hydrocarbon emissions. ADEQ’s
estimated PM10 emissions in Area A due
to the exemption of motorcycles from
the VEI program is equivalent to
approximately 0.000361% of the total
PM10 emissions in Area A.16 However,
similar to our evaluation for ozone, we
find that the expansion of the
boundaries of Area A would more than
offset the minimal estimated increase in
PM10 emissions due to the motorcycle
exemption. As a result, we conclude
that the motorcycle exemption,
combined with the expansion of the
boundaries in Area A, would be
consistent with attainment of the PM10
standard in the Phoenix area.
With respect to the PM2.5 standard, all
of the PM10 from exhaust can be
assumed to be PM2.5. We believe that the
motorcycle exemption, considered
together with the expansion of Area A
boundaries, would not interfere with
attainment or maintenance of the PM2.5
standard because there would be a net
decrease in emissions and because the
area is currently attaining the standard.
4. Air Toxics
Since the CAA does not have ambient
air quality standards for air toxics, the
EPA’s interpretation of section 110(l) is
that an area’s compliance with any
applicable Maximum Achievable
Control Technology (MACT) standards,
as well as any Federal Motor Vehicle
Control Programs (FMVCP) under
sections 112 or 202(l) of the CAA
16 See pages 11–13 of the 2011 VEI SIP
Addendum.
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constitutes an acceptable demonstration
of noninterference for air toxics. Motor
vehicles are not subject to MACT
standards, and the VEI SIP Revision,
together with the expansion of Area A
boundaries, will not interfere with any
Federal Motor Vehicle Control Programs
that apply in the area. For these reasons,
the State thus concludes, and EPA
concurs, that the VEI SIP Revision and
expansion of Area A boundaries would
not interfere with any applicable CAA
requirements relative to air toxics.
5. Conclusion
Based on the evaluation presented
above, we find that the exemption of
motorcycles in the Phoenix area from
the VEI program, coupled with the
expansion of the boundaries of Area A
would not interfere with reasonable
further progress or attainment of any of
the NAAQS, and thus, we propose to
approve the 2009 VEI SIP Revision,
2011 VEI SIP Addendum, and the
expansion of the boundaries of Area A
[i.e., amended ARS section 49–541(1)]
as consistent with the requirements for
SIP revisions under CAA section 110(l).
D. Contingency Provisions of CAA
Section 175A(d)
In 2005, EPA redesignated the
Phoenix area from nonattainment to
attainment for the CO NAAQS and
approved a maintenance plan. See 70
FR 11553 (March 9, 2005) and 70 FR
52926 (September 6, 2005). The CO
maintenance plan includes contingency
elements or plans that we approved as
meeting the requirements of CAA
section 175A(d).
The contingency plan establishes an
action (or trigger) level protective of the
NAAQS and identifies several measures,
including expansion of ‘‘Area A’’ (the
area in which certain control measures
apply), for early implementation as well
as consideration of additional measures
on a set schedule following the
triggering event. At the time of
redesignation of the Phoenix area to
attainment for the CO NAAQS, the VEI
programs were adopted and approved
into the Arizona SIP and were assumed
to continue in effect throughout the
maintenance periods. Moreover, the VEI
programs at the time of redesignation of
these areas did not exempt motorcycles
from the emissions testing requirements.
Generally, contingency plans should
clearly identify the measures to be
adopted, a schedule and procedure for
adoption and implementation, and a
specific time limit for action by the
State and should also identify specific
indicators, or triggers, which will be
used to determine when the
contingency measures need to be
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implemented. See EPA Memorandum
from John Calcagni, Office of Air
Quality Planning and Standards,
entitled ‘‘Procedures for Processing
Requests to Redesignate Areas to
Attainment,’’ dated September 4, 1992.
At a minimum, CAA section 175A(d)
requires that the State adopt as
contingency measures all control
measures that had been approved in the
SIP for the area prior to redesignation
but that the State subsequently repeals
or relaxes. In this instance, because the
EPA-approved VEI emissions testing
requirements applied to motorcycles at
the time of redesignation for the
Phoenix area, reinstatement of
emissions testing for this newly-exempt
vehicle category must be adopted as
contingency measures for the Phoenix
CO maintenance areas to comply with
CAA section 175A(d).
ADEQ’s 2009 VEI SIP Revision
includes a new contingency measure
establishing a binding commitment on
ADEQ to request Legislative action to
reinstate emissions testing for
motorcycles in the Phoenix area should
the applicable area experience a
violation of the CO standards.17
Specifically, ADEQ’s contingency
measure involves notification to the
Legislature by the October following a
violation of the CO standard in the
Phoenix area. After notifying the
Legislature, ADEQ will request that the
Arizona Legislature enact new
legislation to reinstate the motorcycle
exemption during the General
Legislative Session that begins in
January. ADEQ’s request to the
Legislature will call for testing to be
renewed for the newly exempt vehicle
category in the Phoenix testing area
beginning the January following the
General Legislative Session.
We view ADEQ’s contingency
measure in the context of the existing
EPA-approved CO contingency plans for
the Phoenix area, and as such, we find
that the plans, as amended to include
these new contingency measures,
continue to meet the requirements of
CAA section 175A(d), and that the new
contingency measure itself is consistent
with all applicable requirements.
IV. EPA’s Proposed Action and Request
for Public Comment
Under section 110(k) of the CAA, EPA
is proposing to approve the revisions to
the Arizona SIP submitted by ADEQ on
November 6, 2009 and January 11, 2011
concerning the exemption of
motorcycles from the Arizona VEI
program in the Phoenix area, because
we find that the revisions meet all
17 See
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applicable requirements, and together
with the expansion of the geographic
area to which the VEI and other air
pollution control measures apply,
would not interfere with reasonable
further progress or attainment of any of
the national ambient air quality
standards. EPA is also proposing to
approve the revised statutory provision
[amended Arizona Revised Statutes
(ARS) section 49–541(1)], submitted by
ADEQ on May 25, 2012,18 that expands
the boundaries of Area A, i.e., the area
in which the various air pollution
control measures (including the VEI,
and cleaner burning gasoline and stage
II vapor recovery programs) in the
Phoenix area apply.
We will accept comments from the
public on this proposal for the next 30
days.
V. Statutory and Executive Order
Reviews
Under the Clean Air Act, 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 Clean Air Act.
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 proposed 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 Clean Air Act;
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 proposed 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, Carbon monoxide,
Incorporation by reference,
Intergovernmental relations, Oxides of
nitrogen, Ozone, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements, Volatile
organic compounds.
Dated: October 22, 2012.
Jared Blumenfeld,
Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. 2012–26977 Filed 11–2–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R09–OAR–2012–0614; FRL–9749–1]
Revisions to the California State
Implementation Plan, San Joaquin
Valley Unified Air Pollution Control
District
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
18 Final
approval of the amendment to ARS 49–
541(1) that expands the boundaries of ‘‘Area A’’ to
those promulgated by the Arizona Legislature in
2001 would supersede the previous versions of ARS
49–541(1) approved into the Arizona SIP and would
expand the applicability under the Arizona SIP of
the VEI program, the CBG program, the Stage II
vapor recovery program and any other Arizona SIP
control measure that relies on the definition of
‘‘Area A’’ in ARS 49–541(1).
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EPA is proposing to approve
revisions to the San Joaquin Valley
Unified Air Pollution Control District
(SJVUAPCD) portion of the California
State Implementation Plan (SIP). These
SUMMARY:
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revisions concern volatile organic
compounds (VOC), carbon monoxide
(CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOX), oxides
of sulfur (SOX), and particulate matter
(PM) emissions from glass melting
furnaces. We are approving a local rule
that regulates these emission sources
under the Clean Air Act (CAA or the
Act). We are taking comments on this
proposal and plan to follow with a final
action.
DATES: Any comments must arrive by
December 5, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments,
identified by docket number EPA–R09–
OAR–2012–0614, by one of the
following methods:
1. Federal eRulemaking Portal:
www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line
instructions.
2. Email: steckel.andrew@epa.gov.
3. Mail or deliver: Andrew Steckel
(Air-4), U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street,
San Francisco, CA 94105–3901.
Instructions: All comments will be
included in the public docket without
change and may be made available
online at www.regulations.gov,
including any personal information
provided, unless the comment includes
Confidential Business Information (CBI)
or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Information that
you consider CBI or otherwise protected
should be clearly identified as such and
should not be submitted through
www.regulations.gov or email.
www.regulations.gov is an ‘‘anonymous
access’’ system, and EPA will not know
your identity or contact information
unless you provide it in the body of
your comment. If you send email
directly to EPA, your email address will
be automatically captured and included
as part of the public comment. If EPA
cannot read your comment due to
technical difficulties and cannot contact
you for clarification, EPA may not be
able to consider your comment.
Docket: Generally, documents in the
docket for this action are available
electronically at www.regulations.gov
and in hard copy at EPA Region IX, 75
Hawthorne Street, San Francisco,
California. While all documents in the
docket are listed at
www.regulations.gov, some information
may be publicly available only at the
hard copy location (e.g., copyrighted
material, large maps), and some may not
be publicly available in either location
(e.g., CBI). To inspect the hard copy
materials, please schedule an
appointment during normal business
hours with the contact listed in the FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
E:\FR\FM\05NOP1.SGM
05NOP1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 214 (Monday, November 5, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 66422-66429]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-26977]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA-R09-OAR-2011-0552; FRL-9748-9]
Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Arizona; Motor
Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Programs
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: EPA is proposing to approve three revisions to the Arizona
State Implementation Plan submitted by the Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality. Two of these revisions relate to an amendment to
Arizona's Basic and Enhanced Vehicle Emissions Inspection Programs that
would exempt motorcycles in the Phoenix metropolitan area from
emissions testing requirements. The third revision would expand the
geographic area in which various air quality control measures,
including the vehicle emissions inspection program but also including
other control measures, apply in the Phoenix metropolitan area. EPA is
proposing approval of these SIP revisions because we have found that
they meet all applicable requirements and would not interfere with
reasonable further progress or attainment of any of the national
ambient air quality standards. EPA is proposing this action under the
Clean Air Act obligation to take action on State submittals of
revisions to state implementation plans.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before December 5, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket No. EPA-R09-OAR-
2011-0552, by one of the following methods:
1. Federal Rulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow
the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
2. Email: Jeffrey Buss at buss.jeffrey@epa.gov.
3. Fax: Jeffrey Buss, Air Planning Office (AIR-2), at fax number
415-947-3579.
4. Mail: Jeffrey Buss, Air Planning Office (AIR-2), U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, 75 Hawthorne, San
Francisco, California 94105.
5. Hand or Courier Delivery: Jeffrey Buss, Air Planning Section
(AIR-2), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, 75 Hawthorne,
San Francisco, California 94105. Such deliveries are only accepted
during the Regional Office's normal hours of operation. Special
arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-R09-OAR-
2011-0552. 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 the disclosure of which
is restricted by statute. Do not submit information through
www.regulations.gov or email that you consider to be CBI or otherwise
protected from disclosure. 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.
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 Office (AIR-
2), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, 75 Hawthorne
Street, San Francisco, California 94105. EPA requests that if at all
possible, you contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section to schedule your inspection during normal business
hours.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey Buss, Office of Air Planning,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9, (415) 947-4152, email:
buss.jeffrey@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, the terms ``we,''
``us,'' and ``our'' refer to EPA.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction and Background
II. Summary of Arizona's SIP Submittals
III. EPA Review of the SIP Revisions
A. CAA Procedural Provisions
B. I/M Program Requirements
1. Geographic Coverage
2. Vehicle Coverage and Exemptions
3. Compliance Enforcement
4. Performance Evaluation
C. Demonstrating Noninterference With Attainment and Maintenance
Under CAA Section 110(l)
1. Ozone
2. Carbon Monoxide
3. Particulate Matter
4. Air Toxics
5. Conclusion
IV. EPA's Proposed Action and Request for Public Comment
V. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Introduction and Background
In May 1995, EPA approved Arizona's Basic and Enhanced Vehicle
Emissions Inspection/Maintenance (VEI) Programs as a revision to the
Arizona State Implementation Plan (SIP) under the Clean Air Act, as
amended in 1990 (CAA or ``Act'') and EPA's motor vehicle inspection and
maintenance rule (``EPA's I/M rule'' or ``federal I/M rule'') as
amended. See 60 FR 22518 (May 8, 1995). A ``basic'' I/M program was
required in the Phoenix metropolitan area (referred to as ``Area A'')
due to the area's designation as a ``moderate'' nonattainment area for
the carbon monoxide (CO) and the 1-hour ozone national ambient air
quality standards (NAAQS or ``standard'').\1\ The VEI program was
designed to reduce emissions of CO, volatile organic compounds (VOC)
and oxides of nitrogen (NOX).\2\ At that time, although
[[Page 66423]]
it was not required to have an ``enhanced'' I/M program, Arizona was
implementing most elements of an enhanced program in Phoenix. Arizona's
program, as implemented in Phoenix, however, was not approved as an
enhanced program, because the program did not satisfy all the
requirements in EPA's I/M rule for enhanced programs. An enhanced I/M
program became a requirement for the Phoenix area when the area was
reclassified from ``moderate'' nonattainment to ``serious''
nonattainment for the CO NAAQS effective August 28, 1996 (61 FR 39343,
July 29, 1996), and when the area was reclassified from ``moderate''
nonattainment to ``serious'' nonattainment for the 1-hour ozone NAAQS
effective February 13, 1998 (63 FR 7290 February 13, 1998).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The Phoenix metropolitan area is also a nonattainment area
for respirable particulate matter (PM10); however, the
VEI program plays a very minor role in the control strategy for this
pollutant. There is no CAA requirement for I/M programs in
PM10 nonattainment areas and no PM10 reduction
credited from EPA's emission models, MOBILE 6.2 or MOVES.
\2\ VOC and NOX are precursors to ozone formation in
the atmosphere under the influence of sunlight and meteorology.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since the Arizona VEI programs were originally approved in May
1995, EPA has amended the federal I/M rule several times to provide
states with more flexibility in designing their programs but also to
require testing of the on-board diagnostic (OBD) system. Since that
time, Arizona has also made a number of changes to its enhanced and
basic VEI programs.
In January 2003, we approved changes to the Arizona VEI programs
submitted to us on July 6, 2001 and April 10, 2002, including the
incorporation of OBD testing, an exemption for the first five model
year vehicles from the programs on a rolling basis, replacement of the
previously-approved remote sensing program in Phoenix with an on-road
testing study, and legislative changes to the waiver provisions. See 68
FR 2912 (January 22, 2003). In our January 2003 final rule, we also
approved the VEI program in the Phoenix area as meeting the enhanced I/
M program performance standard.
In our January 2003 final rule, we also approved an expansion of
the geographic area in which the VEI program in the Phoenix area
applies, an area referred to as ``Area A.'' Area A, as approved in
2003, includes all of the metropolitan Phoenix carbon monoxide and 1-
hour ozone nonattainment areas plus additional areas in Maricopa County
to the north, east, and west, as well as a small portion of Yavapai
County and the western portions of Pinal County. ``Area A'' is also
used by the State of Arizona to identify the applicable area for
implementation of a number of other air pollution control measures,
including but not limited to the EPA-approved cleaner burning gasoline
(CBG) and stage II vapor recovery programs. See, e.g., 69 FR 10161
(March 4, 2004) (approval of CBG program), and 77 FR 35279 (June 13,
2012) (approval of revised Stage II vapor recovery program). ``Area A''
is defined at Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) section 49-541, subsection
(1).
In April 2004, we published a final rule governing the transition
from the 1-hour ozone NAAQS to the 8-hour ozone standard that we
promulgated in 1997. See 69 FR 23951 (April 30, 2004).\3\ Under our
April 2004 final rule, we established certain ``anti-backsliding
requirements'' that would continue to apply to 8-hour ozone
nonattainment areas based on an area's designation and classification
for the 1-hour ozone standard at the time of designation for the 1997
8-hour ozone standard, even after revocation of the 1-hour ozone
standard. The I/M program requirement was included in the list of such
``anti-backsliding'' requirements. See 40 CFR 51.900(f)(2) and
51.905(a)(1)(i).
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\3\ In 1997, EPA promulgated an 8-hour ozone standard [0.08
parts per million (ppm)] to replace the 1-hour ozone standard. The
1-hour ozone standard was revoked effective June 15, 2005.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In April 2004, we published a second final rule related to ozone,
and in this other rule, we designated the Phoenix-Mesa area as a
nonattainment area for the 1997 8-hour ozone standard, 69 FR 23858, at
23878 (April 30, 2004), and, later, classified the area as ``Subpart 2/
Marginal'' for that standard, 77 FR 28424 (May 14, 2012). Thus, the
requirement to continue to implement an enhanced I/M program continues
to apply in the Phoenix metropolitan area based the area's designation
and classification for the 1-hour ozone standard notwithstanding
revocation of the 1-hour ozone standard in June 2005.
In 2005, we approved maintenance plans and redesignation requests
for both the carbon monoxide and 1-hour ozone standards in the Phoenix
area. See 70 FR 11553 (March 9, 2005) (carbon monoxide redesignation
request and maintenance plan approval), and 70 FR 34362 (June 14, 2005)
(1-hour ozone redesignation request and maintenance plan approval).
Both approved maintenance plans include ``Expansion of Area A
Boundaries'' as a contingency measure.\4\ In these plans, ``Expansion
of Area A Boundaries'' refers to an amendment to the definition of Area
A in ARS 49-541 that was made by the Arizona Legislature in 2001 to
expand the boundaries of this area beyond the boundaries approved by
EPA in 2003 to add portions of Maricopa County west of Goodyear and
Peoria and a small piece of land on the north side of Lake Pleasant in
Yavapai County. In light of the fact that the Legislature had already
acted, the two maintenance plans noted that ``Expansion of Area A'' was
an example of ``early implementation'' of a contingency measure.
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\4\ See page ES-6 of the Maricopa Association of Government's
(MAG's) Carbon Monoxide Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan
for the Maricopa County Nonattainment Area (May 2003) and page ES-9
of MAG's One-Hour Ozone Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan
for the Maricopa County Nonattainment Area (March 2004).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In March 2007, we approved changes to the Arizona VEI programs
submitted to us on December 23, 2005 and October 3, 2006, including an
exemption for collectible vehicles from VEI testing in the Phoenix
metropolitan area, and collectible vehicles and motorcycles from VEI
testing in the Tucson metropolitan area. See 72 FR 15046 (March 30,
2007). In our March 2007 rule, we also approved an updated performance
evaluation standard for the VEI program in the Phoenix area; and new
contingency measures.
On June 13, 2007, ADEQ submitted the Eight-Hour Ozone Plan for the
Maricopa Nonattainment Area (June 2007) (``Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour
Ozone Attainment Plan'') to demonstrate attainment of the 1997 8-hour
ozone standard in the Phoenix-Mesa nonattainment area by June 2009.
Similar to the carbon monoxide and 1-hour ozone maintenance plans, the
Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone Attainment Plan does not take emissions
reduction credit for ``Expansion of Area A Boundaries'' to demonstrate
attainment or maintenance but lists ``Expansion of Area A Boundaries''
as a contingency measure. We approved the plan at 77 FR 35285 (June 13,
2012). As a contingency measure, ADEQ estimated that ``Expansion of
Area A Boundaries'' would reduce VOC emissions by approximately 1.3
metric tons per day by increasing the number of vehicles subject to the
VEI program.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ See pages V-20 and V-21 of exhibit 2 (``Technical Support
Document for Ozone Modeling in Support of the Eight-Hour Ozone Plan
for the Maricopa Nonattainment Area'') of appendix A to the Phoenix-
Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone Attainment Plan.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In March 2009, ADEQ submitted the MAG Eight-Hour Ozone
Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan for the Maricopa
Nonattainment Area (February 2009) (``Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone
Maintenance Plan'') to demonstrate the criteria for redesignation to
``attainment'' have been satisfied and to demonstrate maintenance of
the 1997 8-hour ozone standard through year 2025. Unlike the previous
plans, the Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan includes
``Expansion of Area A Boundaries'' as a measure for which credit is
taken to
[[Page 66424]]
demonstrate maintenance of the 1997 8-hour ozone standard through
2025.\6\ The maintenance demonstration in the Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour
Ozone Maintenance Plan specifically excludes motorcycles from the
calculated emissions reductions from the VEI.\7\
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\6\ See page ES-4 of the Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone
Maintenance Plan.
\7\ See page 3-12 of the Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone
Maintenance Plan.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We have not yet taken action on the Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone
Maintenance Plan and do not propose action related to that plan herein.
However, today's proposed approval of the expansion of Area A
boundaries, as codified in amended ARS 49-541(1) and submitted on May
25, 2012 in connection with the 2012 Phoenix Area PM-10 Five Percent
Plan (discussed in the following section of this document), provides
support for the Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan given
its reliance on the expansion of Area A boundaries in maintaining the
1997 8-hour ozone standard once the area is redesignated. EPA will take
action on the Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan in one or
more future rulemakings.
Lastly, in March 2008, EPA revised the 8-hour ozone standard to
0.075 parts per million (ppm). See 73 FR 16436 (March 27, 2008). More
recently, we designated the Phoenix-Mesa area as a ``Marginal''
nonattainment area for the 2008 ozone standard, effective July 20,
2012. See 77 FR 30088 (May 21, 2012). Such ``Marginal'' nonattainment
areas must attain the standard as expeditiously as practicable but not
later than July 20, 2015 (i.e., 3 years from July 20, 2012, the
effective date of the nonattainment designation).
II. Summary of Arizona's SIP Submittals
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) submitted
the most recent statutory changes to its Basic and Enhanced VEI
Programs as a revision to the Arizona State Implementation Plan (SIP)
on November 6, 2009 (``2009 VEI SIP Revision''). The 2009 VEI SIP
Revision submittal includes the SIP revision itself, divided into a
non-regulatory portion, ``Final Arizona State Implementation Plan
Revision, Exemption of Motorcycles from Vehicle Emissions Inspection/
Maintenance Requirements in Area A'' (October 2009), and a regulatory
portion, House Bill (HB) 2280, as well as supporting materials related
to legal authority, adoption, public process and technical analysis.
HB 2280 amends the Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) Section 49-542 by
exempting motorcycles from emissions testing in Area A (i.e., the
Phoenix area). Specifically, the amendments to ARS 49-542 are found in
paragraphs or subparagraphs (F)(2)(e), (F)(3), (J)(2)(l), and (K) of
that section of code. The changes to ARS Section 49-542 are self-
implementing, which means that they become effective upon EPA approval
as a revision to the Arizona SIP. Section 2 of HB 2280 provides that
the exemption becomes effective upon EPA approval of a SIP revision on
or before July 10, 2010.
In consultation with EPA concerning the VEI SIP Revision, ADEQ
prepared additional information regarding the impacts of the motorcycle
exemption on attainment of the 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS and the 1987
PM10 NAAQS. On January 11, 2011, ADEQ adopted and submitted
the additional information and a replacement measure in a supplemental
SIP revision, entitled, ``Addendum to the Arizona State Implementation
Plan Revision, Exemption of Motorcycles from Vehicle Emissions
Inspections and Maintenance Program Requirements in Area A, October
2009'' (December 2010) (``2011 VEI SIP Addendum''). In the cover letter
to the 2011 VEI SIP Addendum, ADEQ indicated that, through House Bill
2033 adopted in April 2010, the Arizona Legislature had extended the
date authorizing the motorcycle exemption to July 2012.\8\ Also, as
part of the submittal of the 2011 VEI SIP Addendum, ADEQ documented the
public participation process that was conducted by ADEQ prior to
adoption and submittal of the Addendum to EPA.
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\8\ Through House Bill 2073 in 2012, the Arizona Legislature has
further extended the date authorizing the motorcycle exemption to
July 2014.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On May 25, 2012, ADEQ submitted the MAG 2012 Five Percent Plan for
PM-10 for the Maricopa County Nonattainment Area (May 2012) (``2012
Phoenix Area PM-10 Five Percent Plan''). The 2012 PM-10 Phoenix Area
Five Percent Plan was submitted to provide for attainment of the
PM10 standard and an annual reduction in PM10
emissions within the area of not less than five percent until
attainment of the standard. Among the statutes submitted as part of the
2012 Phoenix Area PM-10 Five Percent Plan for approval as part of the
Arizona SIP is ARS 49-541(1), which establishes the boundaries of Area
A as expanded by the Arizona Legislature in 2001.\9\ As noted, several
previous plans for the Phoenix area had included ``Expansion of Area A
Boundaries'' as a contingency measure, but the more recent submitted
plans, including the Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan and
the 2012 Phoenix Area PM-10 Five Percent Plan, rely on it as part of
the long-term control or maintenance strategy. With respect to ADEQ's
May 25, 2012 SIP revision submittal of the 2012 Phoenix Area PM-10 Five
Percent Plan, EPA is proposing action only on the amended statutory
provision that expands the boundaries of Area A [i.e., amended ARS 49-
541(1)]. EPA will take action on the rest of the 2012 Phoenix Area PM-
10 Five Percent Plan in one or more future rulemakings.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ See exhibit 1 in Appendix C to the 2012 PM-10 Five Percent
Plan.
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III. EPA Review of the SIP Revisions
A. CAA Procedural Provisions
CAA section 110(l) requires revisions to a SIP to be adopted by the
state after reasonable notice and public hearing. EPA has promulgated
specific requirements for SIP revisions in 40 CFR part 51, subpart F.
On September 14 and 15, 2009, ADEQ published notices in newspapers
of general circulation in the Phoenix area of public hearings on
proposed revisions to the Arizona SIP to exempt motorcycles in Phoenix
from emissions testing requirements under the Arizona VEI programs
(i.e., a draft VEI SIP Revision). Public hearings were held on October
15, 2009 in Phoenix. On November 6, 2009, in accordance with Arizona
law, ADEQ adopted these exemptions as set forth in ``Final Arizona
State Implementation Plan Revision, Exemption of Motorcycles from
Vehicle Emissions Inspection/Maintenance Requirements in Area A''
(October 2009) as a revision to the Arizona SIP and submitted the
revision to EPA for approval.
ADEQ followed a similar process in adopting and submitting the 2011
VEI SIP Addendum. ADEQ held a public hearing on December 15, 2010 in
Phoenix on a draft VEI SIP Addendum and adopted the VEI SIP Addendum on
January 11, 2011 in accordance with Arizona law prior to submittal to
EPA as a revision to the Arizona SIP.
ADEQ also provided for public comment and hearing of the 2012
Phoenix Area PM-10 Five Percent Plan. Specifically, ADEQ published
notice of the start of a 30-day comment period on March 12, 2012. In
this notice, ADEQ also provided notice of a public hearing that was, as
scheduled, held on April 12, 2012. See exhibit 1 (``Public Hearing
Process Documentation'') to appendix E to the 2012 Phoenix Area PM-10
Five Percent Plan.
[[Page 66425]]
ADEQ's 2009 VEI SIP Revision, 2011 VEI SIP Addendum, and 2012
Phoenix Area PM-10 Five Percent Plan submittal packages include
evidence of public notice and hearing, ADEQ responses to public
comments, and ADEQ adoption as described above, and, based on review of
these materials, we find that ADEQ has met the procedural requirements
of CAA section 110(l) and 40 CFR part 51, subpart F.
B. I/M Program Requirements
As noted in Section I, Introduction and Background, herein,
Arizona's VEI programs were most recently approved as meeting federal
I/M program requirements on March 30, 2007 (72 FR 15046). Although the
Phoenix and Tucson areas have been redesignated to ``attainment'' for
the CO NAAQS, the VEI programs continue to be relied upon to maintain
the CO standard in those areas. Moreover, ``enhanced'' I/M remains an
``applicable requirement'' for the Phoenix area under our final rule
implementing the 8-hour ozone NAAQS (see 40 CFR 51.900(f) and
51.905(a)(1)) based on the designation of that area as a nonattainment
area for the 8-hour ozone NAAQS (and designation as nonattainment for
the 1-hour ozone NAAQS at the time of designation for the 8-hour
standard). Thus, to be approved, the VEI programs, as amended and
evaluated herein, must continue to meet the relevant enforceability
requirements for I/M programs in subpart S of 40 CFR part 51 and, for
the Phoenix area with respect to ozone, the enhanced performance
standard in 40 CFR 51.351. In the following paragraphs, we review
ADEQ's 2009 VEI SIP Revision and 2011 VEI SIP Addendum to determine
whether the amended VEI programs continue to meet federal I/M program
requirements.
The aspects of I/M affected by the submitted revisions to the VEI
programs and the expansion of Area A boundaries include geographic
coverage, vehicle coverage and exemptions, compliance enforcement, and
the performance standard evaluation.
1. Geographic Coverage
EPA's I/M regulations require that state I/M programs be
implemented in the entire urbanized area, based on the 1990 census. See
40 CFR 51.350. We have found in our approvals of the Arizona VEI
program in 1995 and 2003 that the geographic coverage of the VEI
program in the Phoenix area meets the minimum requirements of EPA's I/M
regulations. Since then, no regulatory changes or new designations have
changed the minimum requirements with respect to the geographic
coverage of the I/M program in the Phoenix area, and thus, the
expansion of the boundaries of Area A, which define the area in which
the VEI program is implemented, is also acceptable.
2. Vehicle Coverage and Exemptions
The performance standard for enhanced I/M programs (including
alternate low enhanced programs) assumes coverage of all 1968 and later
model year light duty vehicles and trucks. Light duty trucks are not
included in the performance standard for basic I/M programs. Other
levels of coverage may be approved if the necessary emission reductions
are achieved. See 40 CFR 51.356.
The Arizona VEI programs approved by EPA in 1995 exempt several
categories of vehicles from the emissions testing requirements. Such
vehicle categories included, among others, vehicles manufactured in or
before the 1966 model year and vehicles being sold between motor
vehicle dealers. See 60 FR 22518, 22521 (May 8, 1995). In 2003, we
approved revisions to the VEI programs including an exemption for the
first five model year vehicles on a rolling basis. See 68 FR 2912
(January 22, 2003). In 2007, we exempted collectible vehicles from the
Phoenix and Tucson areas and motorcycles from the Tucson area. The SIP
revision we are acting on today would establish an additional vehicle
category that would be exempt from emissions testing requirements:
Motorcycles from the Phoenix area. Based on data for calendar year
2008, motorcycles make up approximately 38,100 (or 3.7 percent) of the
1,027,600 total number of vehicles subject to VEI in the Phoenix area.
See table 9 on page 17 of the 2009 VEI SIP Revision.
Basic and enhanced I/M programs are not required to test any
particular category of motor vehicles so long as the performance
standard is met, and thus I/M programs are not required to test
motorcycles. The effect of the new exemption for motorcycles on the
continued ability of the VEI program in the Phoenix area to meet the
enhanced I/M program performance standard is discussed below in Section
III.B.3, ``Performance Evaluation,'' and the effect of the new
exemptions on emissions and ambient air quality in Phoenix is discussed
herein in Section III.C, ``Demonstrating Noninterference With
Attainment And Maintenance Under CAA Section 110(l).''
3. Compliance Enforcement
Section 51.361 of title 40 of the CFR requires that denial of motor
vehicle registration be the method used to ensure compliance with
enhanced I/M programs. ARS Section 49-542(D) and Arizona Administrative
Code (AAC) R18-2-1007 requires that all vehicles must complete a
vehicle emissions inspection to obtain a vehicle registration.
Exemption of motorcycles in the Phoenix area from emissions testing
would be straightforward from the standpoint of compliance enforcement
and would not undermine compliance enforcement for other types of
vehicles that continue to be subject to the emissions testing
requirements under the VEI program in the Phoenix area. Owners of
motorcycles registered in the Phoenix area will simply receive a
registration or re-registration form from the Arizona Department of
Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division that indicates ``emissions test
not required.''
Therefore, we find that the Arizona VEI programs, as amended to
exempt motorcycles in the Phoenix area, would continue to meet the
compliance enforcement requirements of 40 CFR 51.361.
4. Performance Evaluation
As part of the 2009 VEI SIP Revision submittal, ADEQ provided an
updated performance evaluation using the EPA's motor vehicle emissions
model, MOBILE6.2.\10\ The updated performance evaluation included a
summary report and paper copies of MOBILE6.2 input and output files.
The purpose of the updated performance evaluation is to determine
whether the VEI program, as amended to exempt motorcycles, would
continue to meet the federal enhanced I/M performance standard
(codified at 40 CFR 51.351) in the Phoenix area. The need for an
updated performance evaluation follows from the fact that the Phoenix
area, which was designated as nonattainment for the 1-hour ozone NAAQS
(at the time of designation for the 8-hour ozone nonattainment), is
designated as nonattainment for the 8-hour ozone NAAQS and that
enhanced I/M remains an ``applicable requirement'' for such areas under
our final rule implementing the 8-hour ozone NAAQS [see 40 CFR
51.900(f) and 51.905(a)(1)].
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\10\ ADEQ submitted the 2009 VEI SIP Revision prior to the
availability and requirement to use EPA's Motor Vehicle Emissions
Simulator model ``MOVES2010''. While ADEQ's 2011 VEI SIP Addendum
was submitted after the availability of MOVES2010, we did not
require the use of the new MOVES2010 model because significant work
had already begun on the SIP revision. See 75 FR 9411 (March 2,
2010).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the updated evaluation, ADEQ developed and applied reduction
factors
[[Page 66426]]
to exclude motorcycles from the fleet tested under the VEI program as
provided for in HB 2280. ADEQ then compared the emissions reduction
benefits from the revised VEI program with the corresponding benefits
that would be achieved under EPA's alternate low enhanced I/M
performance standard.
The results of ADEQ's analysis are summarized in Table 1 below,
which shows that the emissions reduction benefits achieved by the
Phoenix VEI program as amended are higher than those achieved under the
performance standard. The amended Phoenix VEI program thus continues to
achieve greater emissions reductions than the federal model program
because the VEI program includes elements that go beyond federal I/M
requirements. These include a requirement for a one-time only waiver,
an implementation area beyond the nonattainment area boundaries, and
denial of waivers for grossly-emitting vehicles.
Table 1--Results of ADEQ's Alternate Low Enhanced Performance Standard Modeling \a\
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2002 2008
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VOC NOX CO VOC NOX CO
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I/M Benefits in Area A (grams/mile)..................... 0.201 0.109 2.938 0.088 0.101 1.579
I/M Performance Standard benefits (grams/mile).......... 0.152 0.026 2.262 0.056 0.006 1.160
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\a\ The emission rates in this table represent the difference between the fleet-wide emission rate under the applicable program (i.e., amended Arizona
VEI program or EPA's I/M model program) and the corresponding emission rate under the no-I/M scenario. See Table 8 on page 16 of the 2009 VEI SIP
Revision.
Based on our review of the 2009 VEI SIP Revision, we find ADEQ's
methods used to update the performance standard evaluation and use of
the alternate low enhanced I/M performance standard to be acceptable,
and we find that the VEI program, as amended to exempt motorcycles in
the Phoenix area from the emissions testing requirements, exceeds the
alternate low enhanced I/M performance standard in the Phoenix area as
required under 40 CFR 51.351 and 51.905(a)(1).
C. Demonstrating Noninterference With Attainment and Maintenance Under
CAA Section 110(l)
Revisions to SIP-approved control measures must meet the
requirements of Clean Air Act section 110(l) to be approved by EPA.
Section 110(l) states in relevant part: ``The Administrator shall not
approve a revision of a plan if the revision would interfere with any
applicable requirement concerning attainment and reasonable further
progress (as defined in section 171), or any other applicable
requirement of this Act.''
We interpret section 110(l) to apply to all requirements of the CAA
and to all areas of the country, whether attainment, nonattainment,
unclassifiable, or maintenance for one or more of the six criteria
pollutants. We also interpret section 110(l) to require a demonstration
addressing all pollutants whose emissions and/or ambient concentrations
may change as a result of the SIP revision. Thus, for example,
modification of a SIP-approved measure may impact NOX
emissions, which may impact ozone and PM2.5. The scope and
rigor of an adequate section 110(l) demonstration of noninterference
depends on the air quality status of the area, the potential impact of
the revision on air quality, the pollutant(s) affected, and the nature
of the applicable CAA requirements.
The 2009 VEI SIP Revision submittal that seeks exemption of
motorcycles from the Phoenix enhanced I/M program includes an
evaluation of the effects of the revision to the VEI programs on ozone,
carbon monoxide, PM2.5, and PM10 within the
Phoenix metropolitan area. The details of ADEQ's evaluation of the
emissions effects and related ambient air quality impacts of the new
exemptions are contained in ``Technical Support Document for Evaluating
Emissions Impacts of Exempting Motorcycles from Vehicle Emissions
Inspections and Comparing Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) Emission
Reduction Benefits in Area A with the EPA Enhanced I/M Performance
Standard (August 19, 2009)'' (``2009 Report''), which was included as
Appendix B to the 2009 VEI SIP Revision.
The 2009 report indicates that ADEQ used the EPA's motor vehicle
emissions model program, MOBILE6.2, to estimate the emissions effects
of the new exemptions. The methods used to gather data included
acquisition of data from the State vehicle emissions inspections
programs, other state agencies, air quality planning agencies and
relevant air quality plans. We find that ADEQ used reasonable methods
and appropriate models in estimating the emissions effects of the new
exemptions. Table 2 below summarizes ADEQ's estimates by pollutant in
units of metric tons per day (mtpd). Table 2 also shows the emissions
impact as a percentage of the overall pollutant-specific inventory in
the applicable area.
Table 2--VOC and CO Emissions Increases Associated With the 2009 VEI SIP Revision \a\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I/M benefit
Area-wide from Percent of
Pollutant total motorcycle areawide total
emissions test and emissions
(mtpd) repair (mtpd) inventory
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volatile Organic Compounds...................................... 606.7 0.056 0.009
Carbon Monoxide................................................. 912.3 0.246 0.027
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\a\ I/M Benefit = the reduction in on-road emissions due to the motorcycle exemption in Area A. See pages 7 and
12 of 2009 VEI SIP Revision.
[[Page 66427]]
1. Ozone
Ozone is formed by the interaction of directly-emitted precursor
emissions, volatile organic compounds (VOC) and oxides of nitrogen
(NOX), as influenced by the meteorological and topographical
features of an area.
As noted above, in 2004, EPA designated the Phoenix area as a
nonattainment area for the 1997 8-hour ozone standard, 69 FR 23858
(April 30, 2004), and in 2012, designated the Phoenix area as a
nonattainment area for the 2008 8-hour ozone standard, 77 FR 30088 (May
21, 2012).
As indicated in Table 2 above, based on ADEQ's estimates, the
revision to the 2009 VEI program in Phoenix would increase VOC
emissions by approximately 0.056 metric tons per day, which represents
approximately 0.009% of the overall VOC emissions inventory in this
area under existing conditions. ADEQ did not estimate NOX
emissions, but we agree with ADEQ's assertion that repairs to vehicles
to reduce VOC and CO emissions often result in an incremental increase
in NOX emissions and, thus, discontinuance of such repairs
(e.g., through an exemption) could result in an incremental decrease in
such emissions.
While minor, the incremental increase in VOC emissions due to the
motorcycle exemption would occur in an area that is violating the 2008
ozone standard based on the design value for 2008-2010.
ADEQ's 2011 VEI SIP Addendum includes a measure that is intended to
substitute for the foregone VOC emissions reductions from the
motorcycle exemption and to thereby provide a basis to find that the
2009 VEI SIP Revision would not interfere with attainment of the 2008
ozone standard. The measure identified as the substitute is a 2008 EPA
rule for aerosol coatings (spray paints and coatings) (``coatings
rule''). See 73 FR 15604 (March 24, 2008) 74 FR 29595 (June 23, 2009).
The compliance date for the 2008 EPA coatings rule was July 1, 2009.
The designation of the Phoenix-Mesa area as a ``marginal''
nonattainment for the 2008 ozone NAAQS reflects ambient data from
calendar years 2008-2010, and thus reflects in part the VOC emission
reduction benefit from the 2008 EPA coatings rule and still the Phoenix
area appears to be violating the 2008 ozone standard. Thus, with the
information available at the present time, we cannot conclude that the
coatings rule would offset the VOC emissions increases estimated to
occur due to the motorcycle exemption. However, we find that the
expansion of the boundaries of Area A, as submitted in regulatory form
in ADEQ's submittal dated May 25, 2012, would more than offset the
incremental increase in VOC emissions.
As noted above, the estimated benefit of ``Expansion of Area A
Boundaries'' would be approximately 1.3 metric tons per day of VOC due
to the extension of the applicability of the VEI program to areas not
otherwise subject to the program.\11\ In contrast, the incremental
increase in VOC emissions due to the motorcycle exemption is estimated
by ADEQ to be less than 0.1 metric tons per day (or more specifically,
0.056 mtpd). Thus, we find that exempting motorcycles from emissions
testing under the VEI program, together with expanding the boundaries
of Area A, would not interfere with attainment or maintenance of the
ozone NAAQS in the Phoenix area.
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\11\ See page 5-16 of the approved Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone
Attainment Plan, and footnote 5 included in this action.
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2. Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a product of incomplete combustion of
fuels. In most urban areas, most of the CO comes from motor vehicle
exhaust.
In 2005, EPA redesignated the Phoenix area for CO, and approved a
maintenance plan that provides for maintenance of the CO NAAQS in that
area through 2015. See 70 FR 11553 (March 9, 2005) and 70 FR 52926
(September 6, 2005).
As indicated in Table 2 above, based on ADEQ's estimates, the
motorcycle exemption would increase CO emissions by approximately 0.246
metric tons per day, which represents approximately 0.027% of the
overall CO emissions inventory in this area under existing conditions.
This incremental increase would be more than offset by the expansion of
Area A boundaries.\12\ Moreover, the net reduction in CO emissions due
to these SIP revisions would occur in an area where overall CO
emissions are expected to remain relatively constant over the next 10
years and where ambient CO levels are well below the NAAQS.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\12\ On page ES-8 of MAG's Carbon Monoxide Redesignation Request
and Maintenance Plan for the Maricopa County Nonattainment Area (May
2003), MAG estimates that Area A Expansion would reduce area-wide CO
emissions by 0.1%.
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Specifically, overall CO emissions are expected to decrease by only
1% between 2006 and 2015,\13\ and the highest second-highest value
(i.e., the basis for the NAAQS) collected among the 14 stations
comprising the CO monitoring network in the Phoenix area is 4.6 ppm,
eight-hour average, or less than 55% of the 8-hour CO NAAQS (based on
2006-2007 data).\14\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\13\ See MAG's Carbon Monoxide Redesignation Request and
Maintenance Plan for the Maricopa County Nonattainment Area (May
2003), page 3-10.
\14\ See page 13 of the 2009 VEI SIP Revision.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Therefore, based on the net reduction in CO emissions due to the
VEI SIP Revision and expansion of Area A boundaries, the relatively
constant level of overall CO emissions, and monitoring data that shows
that ambient CO levels remain well below the CO NAAQS, we find that
exempting motorcycles from emissions testing under the VEI program,
together with expanding the boundaries of Area A, would not interfere
with continued attainment of the CO NAAQS in the Phoenix area.
3. Particulate Matter
EPA has promulgated different NAAQS for particles with a nominal
aerodynamic diameter of 10 microns or less (PM10) and for
particles with a nominal aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 micrometers
(microns) or less (PM2.5). Ambient PM10 and
PM2.5 levels consist of directly-emitted particles as well
as secondary particles formed through atmospheric reactions involving
such precursors as NOX and sulfur dioxide (SO2).
In 1990, the Phoenix area was designated as a ``moderate''
nonattainment for the PM10 NAAQS by operation of law under
the CAA Amendments of 1990. EPA reclassified the area as ``serious'' in
1996. See 61 FR 21372 (May 10, 1996). In 2002, EPA approved the
``serious area'' PM10 plan, which was intended to provide
for attainment of the PM10 NAAQS in the Phoenix area by
2006. See 67 FR 48718 (July 25, 2002); certain plan elements re-
approved at 71 FR 43979 (August 3, 2006). In 2007, EPA finalized its
finding that the Phoenix area had failed to attain the PM10
NAAQS by the applicable attainment date. See 72 FR 31183 (June 6,
2007). Finally, on February 14, 2011, EPA finalized its finding that
the Phoenix area had failed to submit an attainment demonstration SIP
for its PM10 nonattainment area. See 76 FR 8300 (February
14, 2011). PM10 emissions in the Phoenix area are largely
attributable to coarse particles, composed primarily of geologic
material.\15\
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\15\ ``PM-10 Source Apportionment and Deposition Study Prepared
for Maricopa Association of Governments by Sierra Research, Inc.'',
2008, p. 2.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In 2005, EPA designated Maricopa County as ``unclassifiable/
attainment'' for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. See 70 FR 944, at 954
(January 5, 2005). More recently, EPA designated Maricopa County as
``unclassifiable/attainment''
[[Page 66428]]
for the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. See 76 FR 6056 (February 3, 2011).
Local monitoring by co-located PM10 and PM2.5
monitors confirms that PM2.5 on high PM10 days is
a small fraction of the PM10 concentrations.
PM10 emissions are emitted as a product of incomplete
combustion along with such other pollutants as CO and VOC, and because
the exemption of motorcycles from emissions testing requirements of the
VEI program in the Phoenix area would incrementally increase emissions
of the latter pollutants, it would also likely result in the
incremental increase of the former as well.
Neither the MOBILE6.2 nor the MOVES2010 emissions models provide
any PM10 emission reduction credit for the I/M program. In
light of its failure to attain the PM10 NAAQS, however, EPA
requested ADEQ to attempt to quantify the PM10 emissions
impact of this new exemption. ADEQ used the MOBILE6.2 model to estimate
the I/M impact on PM10 emissions from motorcycles based on
the gaseous hydrocarbon emissions. ADEQ's estimated PM10
emissions in Area A due to the exemption of motorcycles from the VEI
program is equivalent to approximately 0.000361% of the total
PM10 emissions in Area A.\16\ However, similar to our
evaluation for ozone, we find that the expansion of the boundaries of
Area A would more than offset the minimal estimated increase in
PM10 emissions due to the motorcycle exemption. As a result,
we conclude that the motorcycle exemption, combined with the expansion
of the boundaries in Area A, would be consistent with attainment of the
PM10 standard in the Phoenix area.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\16\ See pages 11-13 of the 2011 VEI SIP Addendum.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
With respect to the PM2.5 standard, all of the
PM10 from exhaust can be assumed to be PM2.5. We
believe that the motorcycle exemption, considered together with the
expansion of Area A boundaries, would not interfere with attainment or
maintenance of the PM2.5 standard because there would be a
net decrease in emissions and because the area is currently attaining
the standard.
4. Air Toxics
Since the CAA does not have ambient air quality standards for air
toxics, the EPA's interpretation of section 110(l) is that an area's
compliance with any applicable Maximum Achievable Control Technology
(MACT) standards, as well as any Federal Motor Vehicle Control Programs
(FMVCP) under sections 112 or 202(l) of the CAA constitutes an
acceptable demonstration of noninterference for air toxics. Motor
vehicles are not subject to MACT standards, and the VEI SIP Revision,
together with the expansion of Area A boundaries, will not interfere
with any Federal Motor Vehicle Control Programs that apply in the area.
For these reasons, the State thus concludes, and EPA concurs, that the
VEI SIP Revision and expansion of Area A boundaries would not interfere
with any applicable CAA requirements relative to air toxics.
5. Conclusion
Based on the evaluation presented above, we find that the exemption
of motorcycles in the Phoenix area from the VEI program, coupled with
the expansion of the boundaries of Area A would not interfere with
reasonable further progress or attainment of any of the NAAQS, and
thus, we propose to approve the 2009 VEI SIP Revision, 2011 VEI SIP
Addendum, and the expansion of the boundaries of Area A [i.e., amended
ARS section 49-541(1)] as consistent with the requirements for SIP
revisions under CAA section 110(l).
D. Contingency Provisions of CAA Section 175A(d)
In 2005, EPA redesignated the Phoenix area from nonattainment to
attainment for the CO NAAQS and approved a maintenance plan. See 70 FR
11553 (March 9, 2005) and 70 FR 52926 (September 6, 2005). The CO
maintenance plan includes contingency elements or plans that we
approved as meeting the requirements of CAA section 175A(d).
The contingency plan establishes an action (or trigger) level
protective of the NAAQS and identifies several measures, including
expansion of ``Area A'' (the area in which certain control measures
apply), for early implementation as well as consideration of additional
measures on a set schedule following the triggering event. At the time
of redesignation of the Phoenix area to attainment for the CO NAAQS,
the VEI programs were adopted and approved into the Arizona SIP and
were assumed to continue in effect throughout the maintenance periods.
Moreover, the VEI programs at the time of redesignation of these areas
did not exempt motorcycles from the emissions testing requirements.
Generally, contingency plans should clearly identify the measures
to be adopted, a schedule and procedure for adoption and
implementation, and a specific time limit for action by the State and
should also identify specific indicators, or triggers, which will be
used to determine when the contingency measures need to be implemented.
See EPA Memorandum from John Calcagni, Office of Air Quality Planning
and Standards, entitled ``Procedures for Processing Requests to
Redesignate Areas to Attainment,'' dated September 4, 1992. At a
minimum, CAA section 175A(d) requires that the State adopt as
contingency measures all control measures that had been approved in the
SIP for the area prior to redesignation but that the State subsequently
repeals or relaxes. In this instance, because the EPA-approved VEI
emissions testing requirements applied to motorcycles at the time of
redesignation for the Phoenix area, reinstatement of emissions testing
for this newly-exempt vehicle category must be adopted as contingency
measures for the Phoenix CO maintenance areas to comply with CAA
section 175A(d).
ADEQ's 2009 VEI SIP Revision includes a new contingency measure
establishing a binding commitment on ADEQ to request Legislative action
to reinstate emissions testing for motorcycles in the Phoenix area
should the applicable area experience a violation of the CO
standards.\17\ Specifically, ADEQ's contingency measure involves
notification to the Legislature by the October following a violation of
the CO standard in the Phoenix area. After notifying the Legislature,
ADEQ will request that the Arizona Legislature enact new legislation to
reinstate the motorcycle exemption during the General Legislative
Session that begins in January. ADEQ's request to the Legislature will
call for testing to be renewed for the newly exempt vehicle category in
the Phoenix testing area beginning the January following the General
Legislative Session.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\17\ See page 19 of the 2009 VEI SIP Revision.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We view ADEQ's contingency measure in the context of the existing
EPA-approved CO contingency plans for the Phoenix area, and as such, we
find that the plans, as amended to include these new contingency
measures, continue to meet the requirements of CAA section 175A(d), and
that the new contingency measure itself is consistent with all
applicable requirements.
IV. EPA's Proposed Action and Request for Public Comment
Under section 110(k) of the CAA, EPA is proposing to approve the
revisions to the Arizona SIP submitted by ADEQ on November 6, 2009 and
January 11, 2011 concerning the exemption of motorcycles from the
Arizona VEI program in the Phoenix area, because we find that the
revisions meet all
[[Page 66429]]
applicable requirements, and together with the expansion of the
geographic area to which the VEI and other air pollution control
measures apply, would not interfere with reasonable further progress or
attainment of any of the national ambient air quality standards. EPA is
also proposing to approve the revised statutory provision [amended
Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) section 49-541(1)], submitted by ADEQ on
May 25, 2012,\18\ that expands the boundaries of Area A, i.e., the area
in which the various air pollution control measures (including the VEI,
and cleaner burning gasoline and stage II vapor recovery programs) in
the Phoenix area apply.
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\18\ Final approval of the amendment to ARS 49-541(1) that
expands the boundaries of ``Area A'' to those promulgated by the
Arizona Legislature in 2001 would supersede the previous versions of
ARS 49-541(1) approved into the Arizona SIP and would expand the
applicability under the Arizona SIP of the VEI program, the CBG
program, the Stage II vapor recovery program and any other Arizona
SIP control measure that relies on the definition of ``Area A'' in
ARS 49-541(1).
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We will accept comments from the public on this proposal for the
next 30 days.
V. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
Under the Clean Air Act, 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 Clean Air Act.
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
proposed 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 Clean Air Act; 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 proposed 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, Carbon monoxide,
Incorporation by reference, Intergovernmental relations, Oxides of
nitrogen, Ozone, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Volatile
organic compounds.
Dated: October 22, 2012.
Jared Blumenfeld,
Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. 2012-26977 Filed 11-2-12; 8:45 am]
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