Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Region 4 States; 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) Infrastructure Requirement for the 1997 and 2006 Fine Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards, 11805-11808 [2013-03841]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 34 / Wednesday, February 20, 2013 / Proposed Rules
are received in response to this action,
no further activity is contemplated in
relation to this action. If EPA receives
relevant adverse comments, the direct
final rule will be withdrawn and all
public comments received will be
addressed in a subsequent final rule
based on this proposed rule. EPA will
not institute a second comment period
on this action. Any parties interested in
commenting on this action should do so
at this time. Please note that if EPA
receives adverse comment on part of
this rule and if that part can be severed
from the remainder of the rule, EPA may
adopt as final those parts of the rule that
are not the subject of an adverse
comment.
For additional information, see the
direct final rule which is located in the
rules section of this Federal Register.
Dated: February 6, 2013.
Karl Brooks,
Regional Administrator, Region 7.
[FR Doc. 2013–03757 Filed 2–19–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R04–OAR–2012–0814; FRL–9782–6]
Approval and Promulgation of
Implementation Plans; Region 4
States; 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) Infrastructure
Requirement for the 1997 and 2006
Fine Particulate Matter National
Ambient Air Quality Standards
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
EPA is proposing to approve
submissions from Alabama, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina and Tennessee for
inclusion into each state’s
implementation plan. This proposal
pertains to the infrastructure state
implementation plans (SIPs) for these
States as they relate to certain Clean Air
Act (CAA or Act) requirements for the
1997 annual and 2006 24-hour fine
particulate matter (PM2.5) National
Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS). The CAA requires that each
state adopt and submit a SIP for the
implementation, maintenance, and
enforcement of each NAAQS
promulgated by EPA. These plans are
commonly referred to as an
‘‘infrastructure’’ SIPs. Specifically, EPA
is proposing to approve the submissions
for Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South
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SUMMARY:
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Carolina and Tennessee that relate to
the infrastructure SIP requirement to
protect visibility in another state. All
other applicable infrastructure
requirements for the 1997 annual and
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS associated
with these States are being addressed in
separate rulemakings.
DATES: Written comments must be
received on or before March 22, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket ID No. EPA–R04–
OAR–2012–0814, by one of the
following methods:
1. www.regulations.gov: Follow the
on-line instructions for submitting
comments.
2. Email: R4-RDS@epa.gov.
3. Fax: (404) 562–9019.
4. Mail: ‘‘EPA–R04–OAR–2012–
0814,’’ Regulatory Development Section,
Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and
Toxics Management Division, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW.,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960.
5. Hand Delivery or Courier: Lynorae
Benjamin, Chief, Regulatory
Development Section, Air Planning
Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics
Management Division, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW.,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960. Such
deliveries are only accepted during the
Regional Office’s normal hours of
operation. The Regional Office’s official
hours of business are Monday through
Friday, 8:30 to 4:30, excluding federal
holidays.
Instructions: Direct your comments to
Docket ID No. EPA–R04–OAR–2012–
0814. EPA’s policy is that all comments
received will be included in the public
docket without change and may be
made available online at
www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided, unless
the comment includes information
claimed to be Confidential Business
Information (CBI) or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
Do not submit through
www.regulations.gov or email,
information that you consider to be CBI
or otherwise protected. 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
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submit an electronic comment, EPA
recommends that you include your
name and other contact information in
the body of your comment and with any
disk or CD–ROM you submit. If EPA
cannot read your comment due to
technical difficulties and cannot contact
you for clarification, EPA may not be
able to consider your comment.
Electronic files should avoid the use of
special characters, any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or
viruses. For additional information
about EPA’s public docket visit the EPA
Docket Center homepage at https://
www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: All documents in the
electronic docket are listed in the
www.regulations.gov index. Although
listed in the index, some information is
not publicly available, i.e., CBI or other
information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Certain other
material, such as copyrighted material,
is not placed on the Internet and will be
publicly available only in hard copy
form. Publicly available docket
materials are available either
electronically in www.regulations.gov or
in hard copy at the Regulatory
Development Section, Air Planning
Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics
Management Division, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW.,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960. EPA
requests that if at all possible, you
contact the person listed in the FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to
schedule your inspection. The Regional
Office’s official hours of business are
Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:30,
excluding federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sean Lakeman, Regulatory Development
Section, Air Planning Branch, Air,
Pesticides and Toxics Management
Division, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street
SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960. The
telephone number is (404) 562–9043.
Mr. Lakeman can be reached via
electronic mail at
lakeman.sean@epa.gov.
Table of Contents
I. Background
II. What are States required to address under
sections 110(a)(2)(D)?
III. What is EPA’s analysis of how Region 4
States addressed element (D)(i)(II) related
to visibility?
IV. Proposed Action
V. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Background
On July 18, 1997 (62 FR 38652), EPA
established an annual PM2.5 NAAQS at
15.0 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/
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m3) based on a 3-year average of annual
mean PM2.5 concentrations. At that time,
EPA also established a 24-hour NAAQS
of 65 mg/m3. See 40 CFR 50.7. On
October 17, 2006 (71 FR 61144), EPA
retained the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS
at 15.0 mg/m3 based on a 3-year average
of annual mean PM2.5 concentrations,
and promulgated a new 24-hour
NAAQS of 35 mg/m3 based on a 3-year
average of the 98th percentile of 24-hour
concentrations. By statute, SIPs meeting
the requirements of sections 110(a)(1)
and (2) are to be submitted by states
within three years after promulgation of
a new or revised NAAQS. Sections
110(a)(1) and (2) require states to
address basic SIP requirements,
including emissions inventories,
monitoring, and modeling to assure
attainment and maintenance of the
NAAQS. States were required to submit
such SIPs to EPA no later than July 2000
for the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS, and
no later than October 2009 for the 2006
24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS.
Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Tennessee’s infrastructure
submissions were received by EPA on
July 25, 2008, July 23, 2008, August 26,
2008, December 7, 2007, April 1, 2008,
March 14, 2008, and December 14, 2007,
respectively, for the 1997 annual PM2.5
NAAQS; and on September 23, 2009,
October 21, 2009, July 17, 2012,1
October 6, 2009, September 21, 2009,
September 18, 2009, and October 19,
2009, respectively, for the 2006 24-hour
PM2.5 NAAQS. Alabama, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina and Tennessee were
among other states that did not receive
findings of failure to submit because
they had provided a complete
submission to EPA to address the
infrastructure elements for the 1997
PM2.5 NAAQS by October 3, 2008.
The rulemaking proposed through
today’s action only addresses section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) visibility
requirements.
II. What are States required to address
under sections 110(a)(2)(D)?
Section 110(a)(2)(D) has two
components: 110(a)(2)(D)(i) and
110(a)(2)(D)(ii). Section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)
includes four distinct components,
commonly referred to as ‘‘prongs,’’ that
must be addressed in SIP submissions.
The first two prongs, which are codified
1 On July 17, 2012, Kentucky withdrew its
September 8, 2009, 110(a)(1) and (2) infrastructure
submission addressing the 2008 8-hour ozone, 2006
PM2.5 and 2008 Lead NAAQS. Kentucky replaced
its September 8, 2009, section 110(a)(1) and (2)
infrastructure submission with a submission
provided on July 17, 2012.
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in section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I), are
provisions that prohibit any source or
other type of emissions activity in one
state from contributing significantly to
nonattainment of the NAAQS in another
state (prong 1), and interfering with
maintenance of the NAAQS in another
state (prong 2). The third and fourth
prongs, which are codified in section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II), are provisions that
prohibit emissions activity in one state
interfering with measures required to
prevent significant deterioration of air
quality in another state (prong 3), or to
protect visibility in another state (prong
4). Section 110(a)(2)(D)(ii) requires SIPs
to include provisions insuring
compliance with sections 115 and 126
of the Act, relating to interstate and
international pollution abatement.
EPA has previously taken action to
address Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Tennessee’s SIP
submissions related to prongs 1 through
3 of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) and the
requirements of section 110(a)(2)(D)(ii)
for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour
PM2.5 NAAQS. Today’s proposed
rulemaking relates only to requirements
of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) (prong 4),
which as previously described, requires
that the SIP contain adequate provisions
to protect visibility in any other State.
More information on this requirement
and EPA’s rationale for today’s proposal
that each state is meeting this
requirement for purposes of the 1997
annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS
is provided below.
III. What is EPA’s analysis of how
Region 4 States addressed element
(D)(i)(II) related to visibility?
Prong 4 of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)
requires that SIPs include provisions
prohibiting any source or other type of
emissions activity in one state from
interfering with measures to protect
visibility in another state. In describing
how its submission meets this
requirement, Alabama, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina and Tennessee each
referred to EPA-approved state
provisions requiring electric generating
units (EGUs) to comply with the Clean
Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) and to the
limited approval and limited
disapproval of Alabama, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina and Tennessee’s regional
haze SIPs. Although Alabama, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina and Tennessee’s regional
haze SIPs have not been fully approved,
EPA believes that the infrastructure SIP
submission together with previously
approved SIP provisions, specifically
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those provisions that require EGUs to
comply with CAIR and the additional
measures in the regional haze SIP
addressing best available retrofit
technology (BART) and reasonable
progress requirements for other sources
or pollutants, are adequate to
demonstrate compliance with prong 4,
thus, EPA is proposing to fully approve
this aspect of the submission.
Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Tennessee’s regional haze
SIPs relied on previous incorporations
of the CAIR into the EPA-approved SIPs
as an alternative to the requirement that
the regional haze SIPs provide for
source-specific BART emission limits
for sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen
oxides (NOX) emissions from EGUs.
CAIR, as originally promulgated,
requires significant reductions in
emissions of SO2 and NOX to limit the
interstate transport of these pollutants,
and EPA’s determination that states
could rely on CAIR as an alternative to
requiring BART for CAIR-subject EGUs
had specifically been upheld in Utility
Air Regulatory Group v. EPA, 471 F.3d
1333 (D.C. Cir. 2006). Moreover, the
states with Class I areas affected by
emissions from sources in Alabama,
Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee
had adopted reasonable progress goals
for visibility protection that were
consistent with the EGU emission limits
resulting from CAIR.
In 2008, however, the D.C. Circuit
remanded CAIR back to EPA. See North
Carolina v. EPA, 550 F.3d 1176 (D.C.
Cir. 2008). The court found CAIR to be
inconsistent with the requirements of
the CAA, see North Carolina v. EPA,
531 F.3d 896 (D.C. Cir. 2008), but
ultimately remanded the rule to EPA
without vacatur because it found that
‘‘allowing CAIR to remain in effect until
it is replaced by a rule consistent with
[the court’s] opinion would at least
temporarily preserve the environmental
values covered by CAIR.’’ North
Carolina, 550 F.3d at 1178.
After the remand of CAIR by the D.C.
Circuit and the promulgation by EPA of
a new rule—the Cross State Air
Pollution Rule (CSAPR) or ‘‘Transport
Rule’’—to replace CAIR, EPA issued a
limited disapproval of Alabama,
Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina and
Tennessee’s regional haze SIPs (and
other states’ regional haze SIPs that
relied similarly on CAIR) because EPA
believed that full approval of the SIP
was not appropriate in light of the
court’s remand of CAIR and the
uncertain but limited remaining period
of operation of CAIR. EPA finalized a
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limited approval of Alabama, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina and Tennessee regional
haze SIPs, indicating that except for its
reliance on CAIR, the SIP met CAA
requirements for the first planning
period of the regional haze program. See
Alabama: July 28, 2012 (77 FR 38515);
Georgia: July 28, 2012 (77 FR 38501);
Kentucky: March 30, 2012 (77 FR
19098); Mississippi: July 27, 2012 (77
FR 38191); North Carolina: July 27, 2012
(77 FR 38185); South Carolina: July 28,
2012 (77 FR 38509) Tennessee: April 24,
2012 (77 FR 243392), and November 27,
2012 (77 FR 70689).2 EPA also finalized
a limited Federal Implementation Plan
for Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina
and Tennessee, which merely
substituted reliance on EPA’s more
recent CSAPR’s NOX and SO2 trading
programs for EGUs for the SIP’s reliance
on CAIR. See 77 FR 33642, June 7, 2012.
Since the above-described
developments with regard to Alabama,
Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina and
Tennessee’s regional haze SIPs, the
situation has changed. In August 2012,
the D.C. Circuit issued a decision to
vacate CSAPR. EME Homer City
Generation, 696 F.3d7 (D.C. Cir. 2012).
In this decision, the court ordered EPA
to ‘‘continue administering CAIR
pending the promulgation of a valid
replacement.’’ Thus, EPA has been
ordered by the court to develop a new
rule, and to continue implementing
CAIR in the meantime, and the opinion
makes clear that after promulgating that
new rule EPA must provide states an
opportunity to draft and submit SIPs to
implement that rule. Implementation of
CAIR thus cannot be replaced until EPA
has promulgated a final rule through a
notice-and-comment rulemaking
process; states have had an opportunity
to draft and submit SIPs; EPA has
reviewed the SIPs to determine if they
can be approved; and EPA has taken
action on the SIPs, including
promulgating a Federal Implementation
Plan, if appropriate.
At this time, the deadline for asking
the Supreme Court to review this
decision has not passed, and the United
States has made no decision regarding
whether to seek further appeal.
2 Under CAA sections 301(a) and 110(k)(6) and
EPA’s long-standing guidance, a limited approval
results in approval of the entire SIP submittal, even
of those parts that are deficient and prevent EPA
from granting a full approval of the SIP revision.
Processing of State Implementation Plan (SIP)
Revisions, EPA Memorandum from John Calcagni,
Director, Air Quality Management Division,
OAQPS, to Air Division Directors, EPA Regional
Offices I–X, September 7, 1992, (1992 Calcagni
Memorandum) located at https://www.epa.gov/ttn/
caaa/t1/memoranda/siproc.pdf.
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Nonetheless, the EPA intends to act in
accordance with the holdings in the
EME Homer City Generation opinion.
Based upon the direction provided in
that opinion for EPA to continue
administering CAIR, the Agency
believes that it is appropriate to rely on
CAIR emission reductions for now for
purposes of assessing the adequacy of
Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Tennessee’s infrastructure
SIPs with respect to prong 4 while a
valid replacement rule is developed and
until implementation plans complying
with any new rule are submitted by the
states and acted upon by EPA or until
the court case is resolved in a way that
provides different direction regarding
CAIR and CSAPR. In addition, EPA
believes that based on the court’s
decision on CSAPR it would be
appropriate to propose to rescind its
limited disapproval of Alabama,
Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina and
Tennessee’s regional haze SIPs and
propose a full approval, however, EPA
is not at this time proposing to change
the limited approval and limited
disapproval of these states’ regional
haze SIPs. EPA expects to propose an
appropriate action regarding Alabama,
Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina and
Tennessee’s regional haze SIPs in a
separate rulemaking.
As neither Alabama, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina and Tennessee nor EPA
has taken any action to remove CAIR
from the Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Tennessee SIPs, CAIR
remains part of the EPA-approved SIP
and can be considered in determining
whether the SIP as a whole meets the
requirement of prong 4 of
110(a)(2)(D)(i). EPA is proposing to
approve the infrastructure SIP
submission with respect to prong 4
because Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Tennessee’s regional haze
SIPs which EPA has given a limited
approval in combination with its SIP
provisions to implement CAIR
adequately prevent sources in Alabama,
Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee
from interfering with measures adopted
by other states to protect visibility
during the first planning period. While
EPA is not at this time proposing to
change the limited approval and limited
disapproval of Alabama, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina and Tennessee’s regional
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haze SIPs, EPA expects to propose an
appropriate action regarding Alabama,
Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina and
Tennessee’s regional haze SIPs upon
final resolution of EME Homer City
Generation v. EPA.
IV. Proposed Action
As described above, EPA is proposing
to approve submissions from Alabama,
Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee
to incorporate provisions into the States’
implementation plans to address prong
4 of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) of the CAA
for both the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS. Specifically, EPA is proposing
to approve the States’ prong 4 of section
110(a)(2)(D)(i) submissions because they
are consistent with section 110 of the
CAA.
V. Statutory and Executive Order
Reviews
Under the CAA, the Administrator is
required to approve a SIP submission
that complies with the provisions of the
Act and applicable federal regulations.
See 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a).
Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions,
EPA’s role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of
the CAA. Accordingly, this proposed
action merely approves 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);
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• Is not subject to requirements of
Section 12(d) of the National
Technology Transfer and Advancement
Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) because
application of those requirements would
be inconsistent with the CAA; and
• Does not provide EPA with the
discretionary authority to address, as
appropriate, disproportionate human
health or environmental effects, using
practicable and legally permissible
methods, under Executive Order 12898
(59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).
EPA has preliminarily determined
that this proposed rule does not have
tribal implications as specified by
Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249,
November 9, 2000), because the
determination does not have
‘‘substantial direct effects’’ on an Indian
Tribe as a result of this action. With
respect to today’s proposed action as it
relates to South Carolina, EPA notes that
the Catawba Indian Nation Reservation
is located within the South Carolina and
pursuant to the Catawba Indian Claims
Settlement Act, S.C. Code Ann. 27–16–
120, ‘‘all state and local environmental
laws and regulations apply to the
Catawba Indian Nation and Reservation
and are fully enforceable by all relevant
state and local agencies and
authorities.’’ Thus, the South Carolina
SIP applies to the Catawba Reservation,
however, because today’s proposed
action is not approving any specific rule
into the South Carolina SIP, but rather
proposing that the State’s already
approved SIP meets certain CAA
requirements, EPA has preliminarily
determined that there are no substantial
direct effects on the Catawba Indian
Nation. EPA has also preliminarily
determined that these revisions will not
impose any substantial direct costs on
tribal governments or preempt tribal
law.
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List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air
pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Intergovernmental relations,
Nitrogen dioxide, Particulate matter,
Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Volatile organic
compounds.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: February 7, 2013.
A. Stanley Meiburg,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4.
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R04–OAR–2012–0762; FRL–9781–9]
Approval and Promulgation of
Implementation Plans; Tennessee:
Approve Knox County Supplemental
Motor Vehicle Emissions Budget
Update
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
EPA is proposing to approve
a revision to the Tennessee State
Implementation Plan (SIP), submitted to
EPA on December 13, 2012, by the State
of Tennessee, through the Tennessee
Department of Environment and
Conservation. Tennessee’s December 13,
2012, SIP revision includes changes to
the maintenance plan for the Knox
County 1-hour ozone area submitted on
August 26, 1992, and approved by EPA
on September 27, 1993, and a
subsequent SIP revision approved by
EPA on August 5, 1997. The Knox
County 1-hour ozone area was
comprised of Knox County in its
entirety. The December 13, 2012, SIP
revision proposes to increase the safety
margin allocated to motor vehicle
emissions budgets for nitrogen oxides
and volatile organic compounds for
Knox County to account for changes in
the emissions model and vehicle miles
traveled projection model. EPA is
approving this SIP revision because the
State has demonstrated that it is
consistent with the Clean Air Act.
DATES: Written comments must be
received on or before March 22, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket ID No. EPA–R04–
OAR–2012–0762 by one of the following
methods:
1. www.regulations.gov: Follow the
on-line instructions for submitting
comments.
2. Email: R4–RDS@epa.gov.
3. Fax: (404) 562–9019.
4. Mail: ‘‘EPA–R04–OAR–2013–
0762,’’ Regulatory Development Section,
Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and
Toxics Management Division, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW.,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960.
5. Hand Delivery or Courier: Lynorae
Benjamin, Regulatory Development
Section, Air Planning Branch, Air,
Pesticides and Toxics Management
Division, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street
SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960. Such
SUMMARY:
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deliveries are only accepted during the
Regional Office’s normal hours of
operation. The Regional Office’s official
hours of business are Monday through
Friday, 8:30 to 4:30, excluding federal
holidays.
Please see the direct final rule which
is located in the Rules section of this
Federal Register for detailed
instructions on how to submit
comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kelly Sheckler, Air Quality Modeling
and Transportation Section, Air
Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and
Toxics Management Division, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW.,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960. Kelly
Sheckler may be reached by phone at
(404) 562–9222 or by electronic mail
address sheckler.kelly@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On
December 18, 2012, EPA proposed to
approve, through parallel processing, a
draft revision to the Tennessee SIP. EPA
explained in that notice that if the
State’s final submission was changed,
EPA will evaluate those changes and if
necessary and appropriate, issue
another notice of proposed rulemaking.
Tennessee’s final submittal was
different from its draft submittal and as
a result, EPA is now taking direct final
action and this proposed action to
approve Tennessee’s final submittal
dated December 13, 2012. Today’s
actions replace and supercede EPA’s
previous December 18, 2012, proposal
action.
Additionally, on March 12, 2008, EPA
issued a revised ozone National
Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS). See 73 FR 16436. The current
action, however, is being taken to
address requirements under the 1997 8hour ozone NAAQS.
For additional information regarding
today’s action see the direct final rule
which is published in the Rules Section
of this Federal Register. Through that
direct final rule, EPA is approving the
State’s implementation plan revision
without prior proposal because the
Agency views this as a noncontroversial
submittal and anticipates no adverse
comments. A detailed rationale for the
approval is set forth in the direct final
rule. If no adverse comments are
received in response to this rule, no
further activity is contemplated. If EPA
receives adverse comments, the direct
final rule will be withdrawn and all
public comments received will be
addressed in a subsequent final rule
based on this proposed rule. EPA will
not institute a second comment period
on this document. Any parties
E:\FR\FM\20FEP1.SGM
20FEP1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 34 (Wednesday, February 20, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 11805-11808]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-03841]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA-R04-OAR-2012-0814; FRL-9782-6]
Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Region 4
States; 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) Infrastructure Requirement for the 1997 and
2006 Fine Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: EPA is proposing to approve submissions from Alabama, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee for
inclusion into each state's implementation plan. This proposal pertains
to the infrastructure state implementation plans (SIPs) for these
States as they relate to certain Clean Air Act (CAA or Act)
requirements for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour fine particulate
matter (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS). The CAA requires that each state adopt and submit a SIP for
the implementation, maintenance, and enforcement of each NAAQS
promulgated by EPA. These plans are commonly referred to as an
``infrastructure'' SIPs. Specifically, EPA is proposing to approve the
submissions for Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee that relate to the
infrastructure SIP requirement to protect visibility in another state.
All other applicable infrastructure requirements for the 1997 annual
and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS associated with these States
are being addressed in separate rulemakings.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before March 22, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R04-
OAR-2012-0814, by one of the following methods:
1. www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for
submitting comments.
2. Email: R4-RDS@epa.gov.
3. Fax: (404) 562-9019.
4. Mail: ``EPA-R04-OAR-2012-0814,'' Regulatory Development Section,
Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW.,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960.
5. Hand Delivery or Courier: Lynorae Benjamin, Chief, Regulatory
Development Section, Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics
Management Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61
Forsyth Street SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. Such deliveries are
only accepted during the Regional Office's normal hours of operation.
The Regional Office's official hours of business are Monday through
Friday, 8:30 to 4:30, excluding federal holidays.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-R04-OAR-
2012-0814. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included
in the public docket without change and may be made available online at
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided,
unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Do not submit through www.regulations.gov or
email, information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected.
The www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system,
which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information
unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an email
comment directly to EPA without going through www.regulations.gov, your
email address will be automatically captured and included as part of
the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on
the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that
you include your name and other contact information in the body of your
comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your
comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional
information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center
homepage at https://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: All documents in the electronic docket are listed in the
www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some
information is not publicly available, i.e., CBI or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such
as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet and will be
publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket
materials are available either electronically in www.regulations.gov or
in hard copy at the Regulatory Development Section, Air Planning
Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW.,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. EPA requests that if at all possible, you
contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section to schedule your inspection. The Regional Office's official
hours of business are Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:30, excluding
federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sean Lakeman, Regulatory Development
Section, Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management
Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth
Street SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. The telephone number is (404)
562-9043. Mr. Lakeman can be reached via electronic mail at
lakeman.sean@epa.gov.
Table of Contents
I. Background
II. What are States required to address under sections 110(a)(2)(D)?
III. What is EPA's analysis of how Region 4 States addressed element
(D)(i)(II) related to visibility?
IV. Proposed Action
V. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Background
On July 18, 1997 (62 FR 38652), EPA established an annual
PM2.5 NAAQS at 15.0 micrograms per cubic meter ([mu]g/
[[Page 11806]]
m\3\) based on a 3-year average of annual mean PM2.5
concentrations. At that time, EPA also established a 24-hour NAAQS of
65 [mu]g/m\3\. See 40 CFR 50.7. On October 17, 2006 (71 FR 61144), EPA
retained the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS at 15.0 [mu]g/m\3\
based on a 3-year average of annual mean PM2.5
concentrations, and promulgated a new 24-hour NAAQS of 35 [mu]g/m\3\
based on a 3-year average of the 98th percentile of 24-hour
concentrations. By statute, SIPs meeting the requirements of sections
110(a)(1) and (2) are to be submitted by states within three years
after promulgation of a new or revised NAAQS. Sections 110(a)(1) and
(2) require states to address basic SIP requirements, including
emissions inventories, monitoring, and modeling to assure attainment
and maintenance of the NAAQS. States were required to submit such SIPs
to EPA no later than July 2000 for the 1997 annual PM2.5
NAAQS, and no later than October 2009 for the 2006 24-hour
PM2.5 NAAQS.
Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Tennessee's infrastructure submissions were received by
EPA on July 25, 2008, July 23, 2008, August 26, 2008, December 7, 2007,
April 1, 2008, March 14, 2008, and December 14, 2007, respectively, for
the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS; and on September 23, 2009,
October 21, 2009, July 17, 2012,\1\ October 6, 2009, September 21,
2009, September 18, 2009, and October 19, 2009, respectively, for the
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee were among
other states that did not receive findings of failure to submit because
they had provided a complete submission to EPA to address the
infrastructure elements for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS by October
3, 2008.
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\1\ On July 17, 2012, Kentucky withdrew its September 8, 2009,
110(a)(1) and (2) infrastructure submission addressing the 2008 8-
hour ozone, 2006 PM2.5 and 2008 Lead NAAQS. Kentucky
replaced its September 8, 2009, section 110(a)(1) and (2)
infrastructure submission with a submission provided on July 17,
2012.
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The rulemaking proposed through today's action only addresses
section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) visibility requirements.
II. What are States required to address under sections 110(a)(2)(D)?
Section 110(a)(2)(D) has two components: 110(a)(2)(D)(i) and
110(a)(2)(D)(ii). Section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) includes four distinct
components, commonly referred to as ``prongs,'' that must be addressed
in SIP submissions. The first two prongs, which are codified in section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I), are provisions that prohibit any source or other
type of emissions activity in one state from contributing significantly
to nonattainment of the NAAQS in another state (prong 1), and
interfering with maintenance of the NAAQS in another state (prong 2).
The third and fourth prongs, which are codified in section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II), are provisions that prohibit emissions activity in
one state interfering with measures required to prevent significant
deterioration of air quality in another state (prong 3), or to protect
visibility in another state (prong 4). Section 110(a)(2)(D)(ii)
requires SIPs to include provisions insuring compliance with sections
115 and 126 of the Act, relating to interstate and international
pollution abatement.
EPA has previously taken action to address Alabama, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee's
SIP submissions related to prongs 1 through 3 of section
110(a)(2)(D)(i) and the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(D)(ii) for
the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. Today's
proposed rulemaking relates only to requirements of section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) (prong 4), which as previously described, requires
that the SIP contain adequate provisions to protect visibility in any
other State. More information on this requirement and EPA's rationale
for today's proposal that each state is meeting this requirement for
purposes of the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS is
provided below.
III. What is EPA's analysis of how Region 4 States addressed element
(D)(i)(II) related to visibility?
Prong 4 of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) requires that SIPs include
provisions prohibiting any source or other type of emissions activity
in one state from interfering with measures to protect visibility in
another state. In describing how its submission meets this requirement,
Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina
and Tennessee each referred to EPA-approved state provisions requiring
electric generating units (EGUs) to comply with the Clean Air
Interstate Rule (CAIR) and to the limited approval and limited
disapproval of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina and Tennessee's regional haze SIPs. Although Alabama,
Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and
Tennessee's regional haze SIPs have not been fully approved, EPA
believes that the infrastructure SIP submission together with
previously approved SIP provisions, specifically those provisions that
require EGUs to comply with CAIR and the additional measures in the
regional haze SIP addressing best available retrofit technology (BART)
and reasonable progress requirements for other sources or pollutants,
are adequate to demonstrate compliance with prong 4, thus, EPA is
proposing to fully approve this aspect of the submission.
Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Tennessee's regional haze SIPs relied on previous
incorporations of the CAIR into the EPA-approved SIPs as an alternative
to the requirement that the regional haze SIPs provide for source-
specific BART emission limits for sulfur dioxide (SO2) and
nitrogen oxides (NOX) emissions from EGUs. CAIR, as
originally promulgated, requires significant reductions in emissions of
SO2 and NOX to limit the interstate transport of
these pollutants, and EPA's determination that states could rely on
CAIR as an alternative to requiring BART for CAIR-subject EGUs had
specifically been upheld in Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA, 471
F.3d 1333 (D.C. Cir. 2006). Moreover, the states with Class I areas
affected by emissions from sources in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee had adopted
reasonable progress goals for visibility protection that were
consistent with the EGU emission limits resulting from CAIR.
In 2008, however, the D.C. Circuit remanded CAIR back to EPA. See
North Carolina v. EPA, 550 F.3d 1176 (D.C. Cir. 2008). The court found
CAIR to be inconsistent with the requirements of the CAA, see North
Carolina v. EPA, 531 F.3d 896 (D.C. Cir. 2008), but ultimately remanded
the rule to EPA without vacatur because it found that ``allowing CAIR
to remain in effect until it is replaced by a rule consistent with [the
court's] opinion would at least temporarily preserve the environmental
values covered by CAIR.'' North Carolina, 550 F.3d at 1178.
After the remand of CAIR by the D.C. Circuit and the promulgation
by EPA of a new rule--the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) or
``Transport Rule''--to replace CAIR, EPA issued a limited disapproval
of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Tennessee's regional haze SIPs (and other states' regional
haze SIPs that relied similarly on CAIR) because EPA believed that full
approval of the SIP was not appropriate in light of the court's remand
of CAIR and the uncertain but limited remaining period of operation of
CAIR. EPA finalized a
[[Page 11807]]
limited approval of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee regional haze SIPs, indicating
that except for its reliance on CAIR, the SIP met CAA requirements for
the first planning period of the regional haze program. See Alabama:
July 28, 2012 (77 FR 38515); Georgia: July 28, 2012 (77 FR 38501);
Kentucky: March 30, 2012 (77 FR 19098); Mississippi: July 27, 2012 (77
FR 38191); North Carolina: July 27, 2012 (77 FR 38185); South Carolina:
July 28, 2012 (77 FR 38509) Tennessee: April 24, 2012 (77 FR 243392),
and November 27, 2012 (77 FR 70689).\2\ EPA also finalized a limited
Federal Implementation Plan for Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and
Tennessee, which merely substituted reliance on EPA's more recent
CSAPR's NOX and SO2 trading programs for EGUs for
the SIP's reliance on CAIR. See 77 FR 33642, June 7, 2012.
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\2\ Under CAA sections 301(a) and 110(k)(6) and EPA's long-
standing guidance, a limited approval results in approval of the
entire SIP submittal, even of those parts that are deficient and
prevent EPA from granting a full approval of the SIP revision.
Processing of State Implementation Plan (SIP) Revisions, EPA
Memorandum from John Calcagni, Director, Air Quality Management
Division, OAQPS, to Air Division Directors, EPA Regional Offices I-
X, September 7, 1992, (1992 Calcagni Memorandum) located at https://www.epa.gov/ttn/caaa/t1/memoranda/siproc.pdf.
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Since the above-described developments with regard to Alabama,
Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and
Tennessee's regional haze SIPs, the situation has changed. In August
2012, the D.C. Circuit issued a decision to vacate CSAPR. EME Homer
City Generation, 696 F.3d7 (D.C. Cir. 2012). In this decision, the
court ordered EPA to ``continue administering CAIR pending the
promulgation of a valid replacement.'' Thus, EPA has been ordered by
the court to develop a new rule, and to continue implementing CAIR in
the meantime, and the opinion makes clear that after promulgating that
new rule EPA must provide states an opportunity to draft and submit
SIPs to implement that rule. Implementation of CAIR thus cannot be
replaced until EPA has promulgated a final rule through a notice-and-
comment rulemaking process; states have had an opportunity to draft and
submit SIPs; EPA has reviewed the SIPs to determine if they can be
approved; and EPA has taken action on the SIPs, including promulgating
a Federal Implementation Plan, if appropriate.
At this time, the deadline for asking the Supreme Court to review
this decision has not passed, and the United States has made no
decision regarding whether to seek further appeal. Nonetheless, the EPA
intends to act in accordance with the holdings in the EME Homer City
Generation opinion. Based upon the direction provided in that opinion
for EPA to continue administering CAIR, the Agency believes that it is
appropriate to rely on CAIR emission reductions for now for purposes of
assessing the adequacy of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi,
North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee's infrastructure SIPs with
respect to prong 4 while a valid replacement rule is developed and
until implementation plans complying with any new rule are submitted by
the states and acted upon by EPA or until the court case is resolved in
a way that provides different direction regarding CAIR and CSAPR. In
addition, EPA believes that based on the court's decision on CSAPR it
would be appropriate to propose to rescind its limited disapproval of
Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina
and Tennessee's regional haze SIPs and propose a full approval,
however, EPA is not at this time proposing to change the limited
approval and limited disapproval of these states' regional haze SIPs.
EPA expects to propose an appropriate action regarding Alabama,
Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and
Tennessee's regional haze SIPs in a separate rulemaking.
As neither Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina and Tennessee nor EPA has taken any action to remove
CAIR from the Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina and Tennessee SIPs, CAIR remains part of the EPA-
approved SIP and can be considered in determining whether the SIP as a
whole meets the requirement of prong 4 of 110(a)(2)(D)(i). EPA is
proposing to approve the infrastructure SIP submission with respect to
prong 4 because Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee's regional haze SIPs which EPA
has given a limited approval in combination with its SIP provisions to
implement CAIR adequately prevent sources in Alabama, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee
from interfering with measures adopted by other states to protect
visibility during the first planning period. While EPA is not at this
time proposing to change the limited approval and limited disapproval
of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Tennessee's regional haze SIPs, EPA expects to propose an
appropriate action regarding Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi,
North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee's regional haze SIPs upon
final resolution of EME Homer City Generation v. EPA.
IV. Proposed Action
As described above, EPA is proposing to approve submissions from
Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina
and Tennessee to incorporate provisions into the States' implementation
plans to address prong 4 of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) of the CAA for both
the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. Specifically, EPA is
proposing to approve the States' prong 4 of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)
submissions because they are consistent with section 110 of the CAA.
V. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
Under the CAA, the Administrator is required to approve a SIP
submission that complies with the provisions of the Act and applicable
federal regulations. See 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a). Thus, in
reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of the CAA. Accordingly, this
proposed action merely approves 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);
[[Page 11808]]
Is not subject to requirements of Section 12(d) of the
National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272
note) because application of those requirements would be inconsistent
with the CAA; and
Does not provide EPA with the discretionary authority to
address, as appropriate, disproportionate human health or environmental
effects, using practicable and legally permissible methods, under
Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).
EPA has preliminarily determined that this proposed rule does not
have tribal implications as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR
67249, November 9, 2000), because the determination does not have
``substantial direct effects'' on an Indian Tribe as a result of this
action. With respect to today's proposed action as it relates to South
Carolina, EPA notes that the Catawba Indian Nation Reservation is
located within the South Carolina and pursuant to the Catawba Indian
Claims Settlement Act, S.C. Code Ann. 27-16-120, ``all state and local
environmental laws and regulations apply to the Catawba Indian Nation
and Reservation and are fully enforceable by all relevant state and
local agencies and authorities.'' Thus, the South Carolina SIP applies
to the Catawba Reservation, however, because today's proposed action is
not approving any specific rule into the South Carolina SIP, but rather
proposing that the State's already approved SIP meets certain CAA
requirements, EPA has preliminarily determined that there are no
substantial direct effects on the Catawba Indian Nation. EPA has also
preliminarily determined that these revisions will not impose any
substantial direct costs on tribal governments or preempt tribal law.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Intergovernmental relations, Nitrogen dioxide, Particulate
matter, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Volatile organic
compounds.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: February 7, 2013.
A. Stanley Meiburg,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4.
[FR Doc. 2013-03841 Filed 2-19-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P