Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; West Virginia; Section 110(a)(2) Infrastructure Requirements for the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards, 19001-19009 [2014-07589]
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EPA-APPROVED INDIANA NONREGULATORY AND QUASI-REGULATORY PROVISIONS
Title
Indiana date
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Section 110(a)(2) Infrastructure
Requirements for the 2006
24-Hour PM2.5 NAAQS.
10/20/2009,
6/25/2012,
7/12/2012
5/22/2013
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3. Section 52.1891 is amended by
adding paragraph (d) to read as follows:
§ 52.1891 Section 110(a)(2) infrastructure
requirements.
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(d) Approval—In a June 7, 2013,
submission, Ohio certified that the state
has satisfied the infrastructure SIP
requirements of section 110(a)(2)(E)(ii)
for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS.
[FR Doc. 2014–07564 Filed 4–4–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R03–OAR–2013–0299; FRL–9909–09–
Region–3]
Approval and Promulgation of Air
Quality Implementation Plans; West
Virginia; Section 110(a)(2)
Infrastructure Requirements for the
2008 Ozone National Ambient Air
Quality Standards
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is approving a State
Implementation Plan (SIP) revision
submitted by the State of West Virginia
pursuant to the Clean Air Act (CAA).
Whenever new or revised National
Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS) are promulgated, the CAA
requires states to submit a plan for the
implementation, maintenance, and
enforcement of such NAAQS. The plan
is required to address basic program
elements, including, but not limited to
regulatory structure, monitoring,
modeling, legal authority, and adequate
resources necessary to assure attainment
and maintenance of the standards.
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SUMMARY:
14:32 Apr 04, 2014
Explanation
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7/10/2013, 78 FR 41311 ........
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This action addresses the following CAA elements:
110(a)(2)(A), (B), (C), (D)(i)(II), (D)(ii), (E), (F), (G), (H),
(J), (K), (L), and (M). We are finalizing approval of the
PSD source impact analysis requirements of section
110(a)(2)(C), (D)(i)(II), and (J), but are not finalizing action
on the visibility protection requirements of (D)(i)(II), and the
state board requirements of (E)(ii). We will address these
requirements in a separate action.
This action addresses the following CAA elements: State
board requirements of section 110(a)(2)(E)(ii).
4/7/2014, [INSERT PAGE
NUMBER WHERE THE
DOCUMENT BEGINS].
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These elements are referred to as
infrastructure requirements. The State of
West Virginia has made a submittal
addressing the infrastructure
requirements for the 2008 ozone
NAAQS.
DATES: This final rule is effective on
May 7, 2014.
ADDRESSES: EPA has established a
docket for this action under Docket ID
Number EPA–R03–OAR–2013–0299. All
documents in the docket are listed in
the www.regulations.gov Web site.
Although listed in the electronic docket,
some information is not publicly
available, i.e., confidential business
information (CBI) or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
Certain other material, such as
copyrighted material, is not placed on
the Internet and will be publicly
available only in hard copy form.
Publicly available docket materials are
available either electronically through
www.regulations.gov or in hard copy for
public inspection during normal
business hours at the Air Protection
Division, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Region III, 1650 Arch Street,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103.
Copies of the State submittal are
available at the West Virginia
Department of Environmental
Protection, Division of Air Quality, 601
57th Street SE., Charleston, West
Virginia 25304.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ellen Schmitt, (215) 814–5787, or by
email at schmitt.ellen@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Summary of SIP Revision
On February 17, 2012, the West
Virginia Department of Environmental
Protection (WV DEP) submitted a SIP
revision that addresses the
infrastructure elements specified in
section 110(a)(2) of the CAA, necessary
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to implement, maintain, and enforce the
2008 ozone NAAQS. On July 2, 2013 (78
FR 39650), EPA published a notice of
proposed rulemaking (NPR) for the State
of West Virginia proposing approval of
West Virginia’s submittal. In the NPR,
EPA proposed approval of the following
infrastructure elements: Section
110(a)(2)(A), (B), (C), (D), (E), (F), (G),
(H), (J), (K), (L), and (M), or portions
thereof. EPA has taken separate action
on the portions of section 110(a)(2)(C),
(D)(i)(II), and (J) as they relate to West
Virginia’s prevention of significant
deterioration (PSD) program and is
taking separate action on section
110(a)(2)(E)(ii) as it relates to section
128 (State Boards). West Virginia did
not submit section 110(a)(2)(I) which
pertains to the nonattainment
requirements of part D, Title I of the
CAA, since this element is not required
to be submitted by the 3-year
submission deadline of section
110(a)(1), and will be addressed in a
separate process. West Virginia also did
not include a component to address
section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) as it is not
required in accordance with the EME
Homer City decision from the United
States Court of Appeals for the District
of Columbia Circuit, until EPA has
defined a state’s contribution to
nonattainment or interference with
maintenance in another state. See EME
Homer City Generation, LP v. EPA, 696
F.3d 7 (D.C. Cir. 2012), cert. granted,
133 U.S. 2857 (2013). Unless the EME
Homer City decision is reversed or
otherwise modified by the Supreme
Court, states such as West Virginia are
not required to submit section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) SIPs until the EPA has
quantified their obligations under that
section. Therefore, a 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I)
submission from West Virginia is not
statutorily required at this time. As no
such submission was made by the State,
there is no 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) SIP pending
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before the EPA. Thus, in this
rulemaking notice, EPA is not taking
action with respect to 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I)
for the 2008 ozone NAAQS.
The rationale supporting EPA’s
proposed rulemaking action, including
the scope of infrastructure SIPs in
general, is explained in the NPR and the
technical support document (TSD)
accompanying the NPR and will not be
restated here. The TSD is available in
the docket for this rulemaking at
www.regulations.gov, Docket ID
Number EPA–R03–OAR–2013–0299.
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II. Public Comments and EPA’s
Responses
EPA received three sets of comments
on the July 2, 2013 proposed approval
of West Virginia’s 2008 ozone
infrastructure SIP. The commenters
include the State of Connecticut, the
State of Maryland, and the Sierra Club.
A full set of these comments is provided
in the docket for today’s final
rulemaking action. As both States and
the Sierra Club submitted comments
regarding the interstate transport of
pollution and the States did not
comment on other issues, a summary of
the comments dealing with transport
and EPA’s responses will be addressed
first followed by summaries of and
responses to the remainder of Sierra
Club’s comments.
A. ‘‘Interstate Transport’’ Comments
Comment 1: The State of Connecticut,
the State of Maryland, and the Sierra
Club (the commenters) assert that the
ability of downwind states to attain the
2008 ozone NAAQS is substantially
compromised by interstate transport of
pollution from upwind states. The
States comment that they have done
their share to reduce in-state emissions,
and EPA should ensure each state fully
addresses its contribution to any other
state’s ozone nonattainment. The
commenters state that section 110(a)(1)
of the CAA requires states like West
Virginia to submit, within three years of
promulgation of a new NAAQS, an
infrastructure SIP which provides for
implementation, maintenance, and
enforcement of such NAAQS within the
state. The commenters remark that West
Virginia was required to submit a
complete SIP that demonstrated
compliance with the good neighbor
provision of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of
the CAA. Maryland also states that EPA
must disapprove the infrastructure
submittal for element 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I)
as West Virginia made no submittal for
that element. Maryland also argues that
if EPA believes EME Homer City
prohibits it from disapproving the
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) portion of the West
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Virginia SIP before the state’s significant
contribution level is established, then
EPA should immediately promulgate
such a level. Sierra Club, in turn, states
that EPA must disapprove West
Virginia’s SIP submission for failure to
comply with 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I). Sierra
Club and Maryland both argue that EPA
cannot rely on the D.C. Circuit decision
in EME Homer City Generation v. EPA,
696 F.3d 7 (D.C. Cir. 2012) as an excuse
to ignore obligations established by the
Clean Air Act. Sierra Club suggests the
relevant language in EME Homer City is
dicta and that as this rulemaking action
would be appealed to the Fourth
Circuit, and EPA is under no obligation
to follow that dicta.
Connecticut and Sierra Club state that
EPA must make a finding under section
110(k) of the CAA that West Virginia
failed to submit the required SIP
elements to address section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of the CAA.
Connecticut states that under section
110(c)(1) of the CAA such a finding
creates a two year deadline for EPA to
promulgate a Federal Implementation
Plan (FIP). In addition, Connecticut and
Maryland state that the CAA does not
give EPA discretion to approve a SIP
without the good neighbor provision on
the grounds that EPA would take
separate action to address West
Virginia’s 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) obligations.
They assert that a FIP is the only
separate action available to EPA under
the CAA to address a state’s failure to
satisfy the requirements of
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I). Sierra Club states that
EPA must issue a FIP within two years
of disapproval of West Virginia’s SIP
under section 110(c)(1)(A) of the CAA.
Response 1: In this rulemaking action,
EPA is not taking any final action with
respect to the provisions in section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I)—the portion of the
good neighbor provision which
addresses emissions that significantly
contribute to nonattainment or interfere
with maintenance of the NAAQS in
another state. West Virginia did not
make a SIP submission to address the
requirements of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I)
and thus there is no such submission
upon which EPA could take action
under section 110(k) of the CAA. EPA
could not, as Maryland urges, act under
section 110(k) to disapprove a SIP
submission that has not been submitted
to EPA. In addition, EPA could not, at
this time, find that West Virginia has
failed to submit a required SIP element
for 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) as the D.C. Circuit
in EME Homer City has held no such
obligation to submit exists until EPA
defines a state’s obligations under
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I). EPA also disagrees
with the commenters that EPA cannot
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approve a SIP without the good
neighbor provision and believes there is
no basis for the contention that EPA
must issue a FIP within two years, as
EPA has neither disapproved, nor found
that West Virginia failed to submit a
required 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) SIP
submission.
EPA acknowledges the commenters’
concern that interstate transport of
ozone and ozone precursors from
upwind states to downwind states may
have adverse consequences on the
ability of downwind areas to attain the
NAAQS in a timely fashion. EPA also
agrees in general with the commenters
that each state should address its
contribution to another state’s
nonattainment and that section 110(a)(1)
of the CAA requires states like West
Virginia to submit, within three years of
promulgation of a new or revised
NAAQS, a plan which provides for
implementation, maintenance and
enforcement of such NAAQS within the
state. Similarly, EPA has interpreted the
CAA as providing that any finding by
EPA that a state has failed to make such
a submission would trigger an
obligation for EPA to promulgate a FIP
within two years if the state did not
submit and EPA approve a SIP to correct
the deficiency before EPA promulgates
a FIP. However, as discussed further in
this response, while EPA continues to
agree that the plain language of the
statute establishes these obligations,
unless the D.C. Circuit decision in EME
Homer City is reversed or modified by
the Supreme Court, EPA intends to act
in accordance with that opinion. In that
opinion, the D.C. Circuit held that a
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) SIP to address
emissions that significantly contribute
to nonattainment or interfere with
maintenance of the NAAQS in another
state is not due until EPA has defined
the state’s obligations under that section
of the CAA. Thus, at this time, West
Virginia has no obligation to make a
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) SIP submittal and EPA
has no obligation to issue a FIP.
As mentioned previously, EPA has
historically interpreted the CAA as
requiring states to submit SIPs
addressing the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of the CAA within
three years of the promulgation or
revision of a NAAQS. However, the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit clearly articulated in
its opinion in EME Homer City that SIPs
under section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of the
CAA are not due until EPA has defined
a state’s significant contribution to
nonattainment or interference with
maintenance in another state. See EME
Homer City, 696 F.3d 7. EPA has not yet
done this for the 2008 ozone NAAQS.
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While the Supreme Court has agreed to
review the EME Homer City decision,
the D.C. Circuit’s decision currently
remains in place. EPA intends to act in
accordance with the EME Homer City
opinion unless it is reversed or
otherwise modified by the Supreme
Court. Therefore, in this rulemaking
action, EPA is not taking any final
action with respect to the provisions in
section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I).1
EPA disagrees with the commenters’
argument that EPA cannot approve a SIP
without the good neighbor provision.
Section 110(k)(3) of the CAA authorizes
EPA to approve a plan in full,
disapprove it in full, or approve it in
part and disapprove it in part,
depending on the extent to which such
plan meets the requirements of the
CAA. This authority to approve state
SIP revisions in separable parts was
included in the 1990 Amendments to
the CAA to overrule a decision in the
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
holding that EPA could not approve
individual measures in a plan
submission without either approving or
disapproving the plan as a whole. See
S. Rep. No. 101–228, at 22, 1990
U.S.C.C.A.N. 3385, 3408 (discussing the
express overruling of Abramowitz v.
EPA, 832 F.2d 1071 (9th Cir. 1987)).
EPA further disagrees with
commenters’ suggestions that the
Agency need not follow the D.C. Circuit
opinion in EME Homer City. EPA
intends to act in accordance with the
D.C. Circuit opinion in EME Homer City
unless it is reversed or otherwise
modified by the Supreme Court. In
addition, because the EPA rule known
as the Cross State Air Pollution Rule
(CSAPR) reviewed by the court in EME
Homer City was designated by EPA as
a ‘‘nationally applicable’’ rule within
the meaning of CAA section 307(b)(1)
with petitions for review of CSAPR
required to be filed in the D.C. Circuit,
EPA accordingly believes the D.C.
Circuit’s decision in EME Homer City is
also nationally applicable. As such, EPA
1 On January 15, 2013, EPA published findings of
failure to submit with respect to the infrastructure
SIP requirements for the 2008 ozone NAAQS. See
78 FR 2882. In that rulemaking action, EPA
explained why it was not issuing any findings of
failure to submit with respect to section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I). Id. at 2884–85. In that rulemaking
action, EPA explained the opinion of the D.C.
Circuit in EME Homer City concluded that a ‘‘SIP
cannot be deemed to lack a required submission or
deemed deficient for failure to meet the
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) obligation until after EPA
quantifies the obligation.’’ See 78 FR at 2884–85;
see also EME Homer City, 696 F.3d at 32. Therefore,
under EME Homer City, states like West Virginia
have no obligation to make a SIP submission to
address section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) for the 2008 ozone
NAAQS until EPA has first defined the state’s
obligations.
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does not intend to take any actions,
even if they are only reviewable in
another federal Circuit Court of
Appeals, which are inconsistent with
the decision of the D.C. Circuit. EPA
also finds no basis for one commenter’s
suggestion that the relevant portion of
the D.C. Circuit opinion in EME Homer
City opinion is dicta.
EPA interprets its authority under
section 110(k)(3) of the CAA, as
affording EPA the discretion to approve
or conditionally approve individual
elements of West Virginia’s
infrastructure submission for the 2008
eight-hour ozone NAAQS, separate and
apart from any action with respect to the
requirements of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I)
of the CAA with respect to that NAAQS.
EPA views discrete infrastructure SIP
requirements, such as the requirements
of 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I), as severable from
the other infrastructure elements and
interprets section 110(k)(3) as allowing
it to act on individual severable
measures in a plan submission. In short,
EPA believes that even if West Virginia
had made a SIP submission for section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of the CAA, which it
has not, EPA would still have discretion
under section 110(k) of the CAA to act
upon the various individual elements of
the state’s infrastructure SIP
submission, separately or together, as
appropriate. The commenters raise no
compelling legal or environmental
rationale for an alternate interpretation.
EPA disagrees with the comment from
Connecticut and Maryland regarding
EPA’s statement indicating an intent to
take separate action on West Virginia’s
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) obligations and that a
FIP must be issued within two years. In
the rulemaking action which proposed
approval of portions of West Virginia’s
infrastructure SIP for the 2008 ozone
NAAQS, EPA stated that its proposed
action did not include any proposed
action on section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of the
CAA for West Virginia’s February 17,
2012 infrastructure SIP submission
because this element was not required
until EPA quantified the state’s
obligations pursuant to the EME Homer
City opinion. See (78 FR 39650, July 2,
2013). As EPA has neither disapproved,
nor found that West Virginia failed to
submit a required 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) SIP
submission, there is consequently no
basis for any contention that EPA must
issue a FIP within two years. Moreover,
the D.C. Circuit clearly held in EME
Homer City that even where EPA had
issued findings of failure to submit
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) SIPs and/or
disapproved such SIPs, EPA lacked
authority to promulgate FIPs under
110(c)(1) of the CAA where it had not
previously quantified states’ good
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neighbor obligations. EME Homer City,
696 F.3d at 31–37. And, as explained
earlier in this rulemaking action, EPA
intends to comply with that decision
unless it is reversed or otherwise
modified by the Supreme Court. See
also (78 FR 14681, 16843, March 7,
2013) (concluding that, under the D.C.
Circuit opinion in EME Homer City,
disapproval of a 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) SIP
submitted by Kentucky did not start a
FIP clock).
In sum, the concerns raised by the
commenters do not establish that it is
inappropriate or unreasonable for EPA
to approve the portions of West
Virginia’s February 17, 2012
infrastructure SIP submission for the
2008 ozone NAAQS. As discussed
above, EPA has no obligation to find
West Virginia failed to satisfy its good
neighbor obligations and no action is
required at this time. Moreover, EPA
notes that it is actively working with
state partners to assess next steps to
address air pollution that crosses state
boundaries and has begun work on a
rulemaking to address transported air
pollution affecting the ability of states in
the eastern half of the United States to
attain and maintain the 2008 ozone
NAAQS, including defining certain
states’ obligations under
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I). That rulemaking
action is separate from this SIP approval
action. It is also technically complex
and must comply with the rulemaking
requirements of section 307(d) of the
CAA.
B. Sierra Club Comments
Sierra Club makes several additional
comments which are provided in the
docket for today’s final rulemaking
action and summarized below with
EPA’s response to each.
Comment 2: Sierra Club contends that
EPA must disapprove West Virginia’s
2008 eight-hour ozone infrastructure SIP
revision with regard to the visibility
components of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II)
and (J) of the CAA since West Virginia’s
Regional Haze SIP relies on visibility
improvements from implementing the
Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). The
commenter asserts that CAIR is not
permanent and enforceable and they
reference litigation in the D.C. Circuit
related to CAIR. See North Carolina v.
EPA, 531 F.3d 896, on rehearing, 550
F.3d 1176 (D.C. Cir. 2008). The
commenter also cites to EPA statements
in rulemaking actions on SIPs, such as
attainment SIPs and maintenance SIPs,
where EPA stated CAIR reductions were
not permanent reductions. The
commenter states that EPA could not
rely on CAIR, even if permanent and
enforceable, to support its proposed
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approval of the visibility components in
section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) and (J) of the
CAA for West Virginia’s 2008 eight-hour
ozone infrastructure SIP revision. The
commenter asserts that the substitution
of CAIR for best available retrofit
technology (BART) for electric
generating units (EGUs) violates the
CAA including section 169A. The
commenter includes comments
challenging EPA’s prior rulemakings
that CAIR was ‘‘better than BART’’
because such exemption from BART
does not meet the requirements of CAA
section 169A(c) or 169A(b)(2)(A). The
commenter states that CAIR as a
substitute for BART for EGUs would
result in the EGU sources having less
stringent controls on emissions than
would result from application of sourceby-source BART.
Response 2: EPA disagrees with the
commenter that West Virginia’s
infrastructure SIP does not meet the
requirements for visibility protection in
section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) and (J) of the
CAA. As explained in detail in EPA’s
proposed rulemaking related to today’s
rulemaking action, EPA believes that in
light of the D.C. Circuit’s decision to
vacate CSAPR, also known as the
Transport Rule (see EME Homer City,
696 F.3d 7), and the court’s order for
EPA to ‘‘continue administering CAIR
pending the promulgation of a valid
replacement,’’ it is appropriate for EPA
to rely at this time on CAIR to support
approval of West Virginia’s 2008 eighthour ozone infrastructure revision,
including as it relates to visibility.
Based on the current direction from the
court to continue administering CAIR,
EPA believes that it is appropriate to
rely on CAIR emission reductions for
purposes of assessing the adequacy of
West Virginia’s infrastructure SIP
revision with respect to prong 4 of
section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) while a valid
replacement rule is developed and until
submissions complying with any such
new rule are submitted by the states and
acted upon by EPA or until the EME
Homer City case is resolved in a way
that provides different direction
regarding CAIR and CSAPR.
Furthermore, as neither the State of
West Virginia nor EPA has taken any
action to remove CAIR from the West
Virginia SIP, CAIR remains part of the
federally-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)(II). EPA is
taking final rulemaking action to
approve the infrastructure SIP
submission with respect to prong 4
because West Virginia’s Regional Haze
SIP, which EPA has approved (see (77
FR 16937, March 23, 2012)), in
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combination with its SIP provisions to
implement CAIR adequately prevents
sources in West Virginia from
interfering with measures adopted by
other states to protect visibility during
the first planning period as also
described in detail in the TSD which
accompanied the NPR.2
EPA disagrees with the commenter
that the CAA does not allow states to
rely on an alternative program such as
CAIR in lieu of source-specific BART.
EPA’s regulations allowing states to
adopt alternatives to BART that provide
for greater reasonable progress, and
EPA’s determination that states may rely
on CAIR to meet the BART
requirements, have been upheld by the
D.C. Circuit as meeting the requirements
of the CAA. In the first case challenging
the provisions in the regional haze rule
(40 CFR 51.308) allowing for states to
adopt alternative programs in lieu of
BART, the court affirmed our
interpretation of section 169A(b)(2) of
the CAA as allowing for alternatives to
BART where those alternatives will
result in greater reasonable progress
than BART. Center for Energy and
Economic Development v. EPA, 398
F.3d 653, 660 (D.C. Cir. 2005) (finding
reasonable the EPA’s interpretation of
section 169A(b)(2) of the CAA as
requiring BART only as necessary to
make reasonable progress). In the
second case, Utility Air Regulatory
Group v. EPA, 471 F.3d 1333 (D.C. Cir.
2006), the court specifically upheld our
determination that states could rely on
CAIR as an alternative program to BART
for EGUs in the CAIR-affected states.
The court concluded that the EPA’s twopronged test for determining whether an
alternative program achieves greater
reasonable progress was a reasonable
one and also agreed with EPA that
nothing in the CAA required the EPA to
‘‘impose a separate technology mandate
for sources whose emissions affect Class
I areas, rather than piggy-backing on
solutions devised under other statutory
categories, where such solutions meet
the statutory requirements.’’ Id. at 1340.
2 Under sections 301(a) and 110(k)(6) of the CAA
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.
Therefore, EPA believes it is appropriate to approve
West Virginia’s 2008 ozone NAAQS infrastructure
SIP for section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) as it meets the
requirements of that section despite the limited
approval status of West Virginia’s regional haze SIP.
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EPA also notes that CAIR has not been
‘‘vacated’’ as stated in Sierra Club’s
comment. As mentioned in EPA’s TSD,
CAIR was ultimately remanded by the
D.C. Circuit to EPA without vacatur, and
EPA continues to implement CAIR. EPA
further notes that all of the rulemaking
actions and proposed rulemaking
actions cited by the commenter which
discussed limited approvability of SIPs
or redesignations due to the status of
CAIR were issued by EPA prior to the
vacatur of CSAPR when EPA was
implementing CSAPR. Since the vacatur
of CSAPR in August 2012 and with
continued implementation of CAIR per
the direction of the DC Circuit in EME
Homer City, EPA has approved
redesignations of areas to attainment of
the 1997 fine particulate matter (PM2.5)
NAAQS in which states have relied on
CAIR as an enforceable measure. See 77
FR 76415, December 28, 2012
(redesignation of Huntingdon-Ashland,
West Virginia for 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS
which was proposed in 77 FR 68076,
November 15, 2012); 78 FR 59841,
September 30, 2013 (redesignation of
Wheeling, West Virginia for 1997 PM2.5
NAAQS which was proposed in 77 FR
73575, December 11, 2012); and 78 FR
56168, September 12, 2013
(redesignation of Parkersburg, West
Virginia for 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS which
was proposed in 77 FR 73560, December
11, 2012).
More fundamentally, we disagree
with the commenter that the adequacy
of the BART measures in the West
Virginia Regional Haze SIP is relevant to
the question of whether the State’s SIP
meets the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(D)(i) of the CAA with respect
to visibility. EPA interprets the visibility
provisions in this section of the CAA as
requiring states to include in their SIPs
measures to prohibit emissions that
would interfere with the reasonable
progress goals set to protect Class I areas
in other states. The regional haze rule
includes a similar requirement at 40
CFR 51.308(d)(3). We note that on
March 23, 2012, EPA determined that
West Virginia’s Regional Haze SIP
adequately prevents sources in West
Virginia from interfering with the
reasonable progress goals adopted by
other states to protect visibility during
the first planning period. See 77 FR
16937. See also 76 FR 41158, 41175–
41176 (proposing approval of West
Virginia Regional Haze SIP). As EPA’s
review of the West Virginia Regional
Haze SIP explains, the State relied on
CAIR to achieve significant reductions
in emissions to both meet the BART
requirements and to address impacts of
West Virginia on Class I areas in other
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states. The question of whether or not
CAIR satisfies the BART requirements
has no bearing on whether these
measures meet the requirements of
section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) of the CAA
with respect to visibility. We also note
that while the adequacy of the BART
provisions in the West Virginia Regional
Haze SIP is irrelevant to the question of
whether the plan meets the
requirements of section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) of the CAA, CAIR was
upheld as an alternative to BART in
accordance with the requirements of
Section 169A of the CAA by the DC
Circuit in Utility Air Regulatory Group
v. EPA.
In addition, with regard to the
visibility protection aspect of section
110(a)(2)(J), as discussed in the TSD
accompanying the NPR for this
rulemaking action, EPA stated that it
recognizes that states are subject to
visibility and regional haze program
requirements under part C of the CAA.
In the establishment of a new NAAQS
such as the 2008 ozone NAAQS,
however, the visibility and regional
haze program requirements under part C
of Title I of the CAA do not change and
there are no applicable visibility
obligations under part C ‘‘triggered’’
under section 110(a)(2)(J) when a new
NAAQS becomes effective. Therefore,
EPA appropriately proposed approval of
West Virginia’s 2008 ozone
infrastructure SIP revision for section
110(a)(2)(J). As discussed for section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) earlier in this
rulemaking action and in the TSD for
this rulemaking action, West Virginia
has submitted SIP revisions to satisfy
the requirements of part C of Title I of
the CAA.3
In summary, EPA believes that it
appropriately proposed approval of
West Virginia’s infrastructure SIP
revision for the 2008 ozone NAAQS for
the structural visibility protection
requirements in 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II).
Comment 3: Sierra Club states that
EPA must disapprove West Virginia’s
2008 eight-hour ozone infrastructure SIP
revision for elements 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II)
and (J) of the CAA because the
commenter asserts that West Virginia
had failed to submit a five-year progress
report on its implementation of West
Virginia’s Regional Haze SIP and also
because EPA had not yet approved West
Virginia’s five-year progress report for
regional haze. Sierra Club referenced a
July 18, 2008 SIP submittal from West
Virginia for regional haze as the basis
for determining when the five-year
3 The TSD is available in the docket for this
rulemaking at www.regulations.gov, Docket ID
Number EPA–R03–OAR–2013–0299.
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progress report for West Virginia was
due.
Response 3: EPA disagrees with the
commenter that West Virginia’s fiveyear progress report was not submitted
at the time EPA proposed to approve
West Virginia’s infrastructure SIP for the
2008 ozone NAAQS on July 2, 2013.
West Virginia submitted on April 30,
2013, as a SIP revision, its five-year
progress report of its approved regional
haze, to meet the progress report
requirements in 40 CFR 51.308(g). The
provisions under 40 CFR 51.308(g)
impose a regulatory requirement for an
evaluation of West Virginia’s progress
towards meeting its reasonable progress
goals for Class I Federal areas located
within West Virginia and in Class I
Federal areas outside West Virginia
which may be affected by emissions
from inside West Virginia. EPA found
West Virginia’s April 30, 2013 progress
report SIP submittal complete on June
13, 2013. EPA has taken action
proposing approval on the SIP revision.
See 79 FR 14460, March 14, 2014. EPA
disagrees with the commenter that
EPA’s approval of West Virginia’s fiveyear progress report is a required
structural element necessary before EPA
may approve West Virginia’s
infrastructure SIP for element
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II).
Nevertheless, from EPA’s review of
data provided by West Virginia in its
five-year progress report, including
EPA’s review of emissions data from
2008 through 2011 on West Virginia
EGUs from EPA’s Clean Air Markets
Division (CAMD) as provided by the
State, emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2),
the primary contributor to visibility
impairment in the Visibility
Improvement State and Tribal
Association of the Southeast (VISTAS)
region, have declined significantly in
the State since the West Virginia
Regional Haze SIP was submitted to
EPA on June 18, 2008. Specifically,
West Virginia’s five-year progress report
notes that in the EGU sector, EPA’s
CAMD data for 2010 and 2011 shows
EGU SO2 emissions in West Virginia are
significantly below even what was
predicted for 2018. EPA’s review of
visibility data from West Virginia in its
five-year progress report also shows
Class I areas impacted by sources within
West Virginia are all meeting or below
their reasonable progress goals. In
addition, based on EPA’s review of the
West Virginia five-year progress report,
EPA has no reason to question the
accuracy of West Virginia’s negative
declaration to EPA pursuant to 40 CFR
51.308(h) that no revision to West
Virginia’s Regional Haze SIP is needed
at this time to achieve established goals
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19005
for visibility improvement and
emissions reductions. Therefore, based
upon EPA’s review of the relevant
visibility data, emissions data, and
modeling results provided by West
Virginia in the five-year progress report
and upon the analysis provided in the
TSD which accompanied the NPR for
this rulemaking action, EPA continues
to believe that the State’s existing SIP
(including the Regional Haze SIP and
CAIR) contains adequate provisions
prohibiting sources from emitting
visibility impairing pollutants in
amounts which would interfere with
neighboring states’ SIP measures to
protect visibility.
Also, as stated previously, the
visibility and regional haze program
requirements under part C of Title I of
the CAA do not change with the
establishment of a new NAAQS such as
the 2008 ozone NAAQS, and there are
no applicable visibility obligations
under part C ‘‘triggered’’ by section
110(a)(2)(J) when a new NAAQS
becomes effective. Given this, West
Virginia was under no obligation to
address section 110(a)(2)(J) in its 2008
ozone infrastructure SIP.
Comment 4: Sierra Club contends that
EPA must disapprove West Virginia’s
infrastructure SIP revision because the
submittal relies on CAIR, considered by
Sierra Club as a stopgap measure, for
section 110(a)(2)(A) of the CAA, and
therefore fails to impose restrictions on
ozone sources and to ensure attainment
and maintenance of the 2008 NAAQS.
Sierra Club contends West Virginia
cannot rely upon CAIR as an
enforceable emissions limit for
110(a)(2)(A). In addition, Sierra Club
suggests that EPA’s statements are
dismissive of the 2008 ozone NAAQS
requiring any more than the less
stringent 1997 ozone NAAQS and states
that if states do not take any new actions
to satisfy the 2008 ozone NAAQS, the
2008 ozone NAAQS will not be met in
many areas and states will not attain
and maintain the NAAQS. Sierra Club
contends EPA must disapprove the West
Virginia infrastructure SIP for the 2008
ozone NAAQS because West Virginia
failed to adequately ensure attainment
and maintenance of the NAAQS.
Sierra Club also states in its
background comments that EPA may
approve an infrastructure SIP only if
EPA finds the SIP meets the
requirements of section 110(a)(2) of the
CAA and states such SIPs must include
emission limitations that result in
compliance with the NAAQS. Sierra
Club further states in background that
for a plan to be adequate, it must
demonstrate the measures, rules, and
regulations in the SIP are adequate to
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provide for timely attainment and
maintenance of the standard and cited
to 40 CFR 51.112 for support.
Response 4: EPA disagrees with the
commenter that West Virginia cannot
rely on CAIR for section 110(a)(2)(A) of
the CAA. As discussed previously and
as explained in detail in EPA’s proposed
rulemaking action related to today’s
rulemaking action, EPA believes that in
light of the DC Circuit’s decision to
vacate CSAPR (see EME Homer City, 696
F.3d 7), and the court’s order for EPA
to ‘‘continue administering CAIR
pending the promulgation of a valid
replacement,’’ it is appropriate for EPA
to rely at this time on CAIR to support
approval of West Virginia’s 2008 eighthour ozone infrastructure revision. EPA
has been ordered by the DC Circuit to
develop a new rule, and to continue
implementing CAIR in the meantime.
Unless the Supreme Court reverses or
otherwise modifies the DC Circuit’s
decision on CSAPR in EME Homer City,
EPA does not intend to act in a manner
inconsistent with the decision of the DC
Circuit. Based on the current direction
from the court to continue
administering CAIR, EPA believes that it
is appropriate for West Virginia to rely
on CAIR’s requirements and provisions
and is appropriate for EPA to consider
CAIR for purposes of assessing the
adequacy of West Virginia’s
infrastructure SIP revision with respect
to ensuring attainment and maintenance
of the 2008 NAAQS while a valid
replacement rule is developed and until
submissions complying with any such
new rule are submitted by the states and
acted upon by EPA or until the EME
Homer City case is resolved in a way
that provides different direction
regarding CAIR and CSAPR.
Furthermore, as neither the State of
West Virginia nor EPA has taken any
action to remove CAIR from the West
Virginia SIP, CAIR remains part of the
federally-approved SIP and can be
considered in determining whether the
SIP as a whole meets the requirement
for section 110(a)(2)(A) of the CAA. In
addition, EPA described in its TSD
accompanying the July 2, 2013 NPR
proposing approval of portions of the
West Virginia 2008 infrastructure SIP
for the 2008 ozone NAAQS how West
Virginia had adequate provisions in its
SIP, including, but not limited to,
regulations concerning control measures
for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile
organic compounds (VOC), such as
45CSR13, 45CSR14, 45CSR19, 45CSR21,
and 45CSR29, as enforceable emission
limitations and other control measures,
means, or techniques as necessary to
meet applicable requirements of the
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CAA.4 Therefore, EPA disagrees with
the commenter that EPA must
disapprove the West Virginia
infrastructure SIP submittal for element
110(a)(2)(A) as CAIR and the other
measures identified in the TSD for
110(a)(2)(A) are enforceable limitations
for meeting applicable requirements in
the CAA as EPA explained in detail in
the TSD.
EPA believes that section 110(a)(2)(A)
of the CAA is reasonably interpreted to
require states to submit SIPs that reflect
the first step in their planning for
attaining and maintaining a new or
revised NAAQS and that they contain
enforceable control measures and a
demonstration that the state has the
available tools and authority to develop
and implement plans to attain and
maintain the NAAQS. In light of the
structure of the CAA, EPA’s longstanding position regarding
infrastructure SIPs is that they are
general planning SIPs to ensure that the
state has adequate resources and
authority to implement a NAAQS in
general throughout the state and not
detailed attainment and maintenance
plans for each individual area of the
state.
EPA’s interpretation that
infrastructure SIPs are more general
planning SIPs is consistent with the
statute as understood in light of its
history and structure. When Congress
enacted the CAA in 1970, it did not
include provisions requiring states and
the EPA to label areas as attainment or
nonattainment. Rather, states were
required to include all areas of the state
in ‘‘air quality control regions’’ (AQCRs)
and section 110 set forth the core
substantive planning provisions for
these AQCRs. At that time, Congress
anticipated that states would be able to
address air pollution quickly pursuant
to the very general planning provisions
in section 110 and could bring all areas
into compliance with the NAAQS
within five years. Moreover, at that
time, section 110(a)(2)(A)(i) specified
that the section 110 plan provide for
‘‘attainment’’ of the NAAQS and section
110(a)(2)(B) specified that the plan must
include ‘‘emission limitations,
schedules, and timetables for
compliance with such limitations, and
such other measures as may be
4 The TSD is available at www.regulations.gov,
Docket ID Number EPA–R03–OAR–2013–0299.
While EPA’s TSD did not expressly reference CAIR
in the discussion of West Virginia’s measures
addressing 110(a)(2)(A), the omission by EPA was
inadvertent as the West Virginia ozone
infrastructure SIP submittal included CAIR amongst
other measures for section 110(a)(2)(A) and EPA’s
review included consideration of all the measures
West Virginia included in its submission, including
CAIR.
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necessary to insure attainment and
maintenance [of the NAAQS].’’ In 1977,
Congress recognized that the existing
structure was not sufficient and many
areas were still violating the NAAQS. At
that time, Congress for the first time
added provisions requiring states and
EPA to identify whether areas of the
state were violating the NAAQS (i.e.,
were nonattainment) or were meeting
the NAAQS (i.e., were attainment) and
established specific planning
requirements in section 172 for areas
not meeting the NAAQS. In 1990, many
areas still had air quality not meeting
the NAAQS and Congress again
amended the CAA and added yet
another layer of more prescriptive
planning requirements for each of the
NAAQS, with the primary provisions
for ozone in section 182. At that same
time, Congress modified section 110 to
remove references to the section 110 SIP
providing for attainment, including
removing pre-existing section
110(a)(2)(A) in its entirety and
renumbering subparagraph (B) as
section 110(a)(2)(A). Additionally,
Congress replaced the clause ‘‘as may be
necessary to insure attainment and
maintenance [of the NAAQS]’’ with ‘‘as
may be necessary or appropriate to meet
the applicable requirements of this
chapter.’’ Thus, the CAA has
significantly evolved in the more than
40 years since it was originally enacted.
While at one time section 110 of the
CAA did provide the only detailed SIP
planning provisions for states and
specified that such plans must provide
for attainment of the NAAQS, under the
structure of the current CAA, section
110 is only the initial stepping-stone in
the planning process for a specific
NAAQS. And, more detailed, laterenacted provisions govern the
substantive planning process, including
planning for attainment of the NAAQS.
EPA believes that the proper inquiry
at this juncture is whether the State has
met the basic structural SIP
requirements appropriate at the point in
time EPA is acting upon the submittal.
Moreover, as addressed in EPA’s
proposed approval for this rulemaking
action and mentioned earlier, West
Virginia submitted a list of existing
emission reduction measures in the SIP
that control emissions of VOCs and
NOx. West Virginia’s SIP revision
reflects several provisions that have the
ability to reduce ground level ozone and
its precursors. The West Virginia SIP
relies on measures and programs used to
implement previous ozone NAAQS.
Because there is no substantive
difference between the previous ozone
NAAQS and the more recent ozone
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NAAQS, other than the level of the
standard, the provisions relied on by
West Virginia will provide benefits for
the new NAAQS; in other words, the
measures reduce overall ground-level
ozone and its precursors and are not
limited to reducing ozone levels to meet
one specific NAAQS.
EPA asserts that section 110 of the
CAA is only one provision that is part
of the complicated structure governing
implementation of the NAAQS program
under the CAA, as amended in 1990,
and it must be interpreted in the context
of not only that structure, but also of the
historical evolution of that structure. In
light of the revisions to section 110
since 1970 and the later-promulgated
and more specific planning
requirements of the CAA, EPA
reasonably interprets the requirement in
section 110(a)(2)(A) of the CAA that the
plan provide for ‘‘implementation,
maintenance and enforcement’’ to mean
that the infrastructure SIP must contain
enforceable emission limits that will aid
in attaining and/or maintaining the
NAAQS and that the state demonstrate
that it has the necessary tools to
implement and enforce a NAAQS, such
as adequate state personnel and an
enforcement program. With regard to
the requirement for emission
limitations, EPA has interpreted this to
mean for purposes of section 110, that
the state may rely on measures already
in place to address the pollutant at issue
or any new control measures that the
state may choose to submit. As EPA
stated in ‘‘Guidance on Infrastructure
State Implementation Plan (SIP)
Elements under Clean Air Act Sections
110(a)(1) and 110(a)(2),’’ dated
September 13, 2013 (Infrastructure SIP
Guidance), ‘‘[t]he conceptual purpose of
an infrastructure SIP submission is to
assure that the air agency’s SIP contains
the necessary structural requirements
for the new or revised NAAQS, whether
by establishing that the SIP already
contains the necessary provisions, by
making a substantive SIP revision to
update the SIP, or both. Overall, the
infrastructure SIP submission process
provides an opportunity . . . to review
the basic structural requirements of the
air agency’s air quality management
program in light of each new or revised
NAAQS.’’ Infrastructure SIP Guidance
at p. 2.
The commenter’s reliance on 40 CFR
51.112 to support its argument that
infrastructure SIPs must contain
emission limits adequate to provide for
timely attainment and maintenance of
the standard is also not supported. As
an initial matter, EPA notes this
regulatory provision was initially
promulgated and ‘‘restructured and
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consolidated’’ prior to the CAA
Amendments of 1990, in which
Congress removed all references to
‘‘attainment’’ in section 110(a)(2)(A).
And, it is clear on its face that 40 CFR
51.112 applies to plans specifically
designed to attain the NAAQS. EPA
interprets these provisions to apply
when states are developing ‘‘control
strategy’’ SIPs such as the detailed
attainment and maintenance plans
required under other provisions of the
CAA, as amended in 1977 and again in
1990, such as section 175A and 182, and
not to infrastructure SIPs. In the
preamble to EPA’s 1986 action
‘‘restructuring and consolidating’’
provisions in part 51, EPA stated that
the new attainment demonstration
provisions in the 1977 Amendments to
the CAA were ‘‘beyond the scope’’ of
the rulemaking. See 51 FR 40656,
November 7, 1986. It is important to
note, however, that EPA’s action in 1986
was not to establish new substantive
planning requirements, but rather was
meant merely to consolidate and
restructure provisions that had
previously been promulgated. EPA
noted that it had already issued
guidance addressing the new ‘‘Part D’’
attainment planning obligations. Id.
Also, as to maintenance regulations,
EPA expressly stated that it was not
making any revisions other than to renumber those provisions. Id. at 40657.
Although EPA was explicit that it was
not establishing requirements
interpreting the provisions of new ‘‘part
D’’ of the CAA, it is clear that the
regulations being restructured and
consolidated in the 1986 action on part
51 were intended to address control
strategy plans. In the preamble, EPA
clearly stated that 40 CFR 51.112 was
replacing 40 CFR 51.13 (‘‘Control
strategy: SOX and PM (portion)’’), 51.14
(‘‘Control strategy: CO, HC, OX and NO2
(portion)’’), 51.80 (‘‘Demonstration of
attainment: Pb (portion)’’), and 51.82
(‘‘Air quality data (portion)’’). Id. at
40660. Thus, the present-day 40 CFR
51.112 contains consolidated provisions
that are focused on control strategy SIPs,
and an infrastructure SIP is not such a
plan.
Therefore, EPA finds 40 CFR 51.112
inapplicable to its analysis of the West
Virginia ozone infrastructure SIP. EPA
finds that CAIR and the other measures
identified in the TSD for this
rulemaking for section 110(a)(2)(A) of
the CAA are enforceable limitations and
measures for limiting emissions of NOX
and VOC for the 2008 ozone NAAQS.
Comment 5: Sierra Club contends that
EPA must disapprove West Virginia’s
infrastructure SIP revision because it
relies on the ‘‘vacated’’ rules, CAIR and
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19007
CSAPR, to meet section 110(a)(2)(F)
requirements that ensure source owners
and operators install, maintain, and
replace monitoring equipment and
provide periodic reporting.
Response 5: First, as EPA noted
earlier, CAIR has not been ‘‘vacated’’ as
stated in Sierra Club’s comment but was
ultimately remanded by the D.C. Circuit
to EPA without vacatur, and EPA
continues to implement CAIR.5 Further,
EPA notes that (as explained in detail
above) as EPA continues to administer
CAIR as directed by the D.C. Circuit,
EPA believes it is appropriate for West
Virginia’s infrastructure SIP to rely on
CAIR at this time until a new rule is
developed. Therefore, as CAIR is
enforceable and being implemented,
West Virginia can cite to a provision
related to CAIR for its submission for
addressing section 110(a)(2)(F)
requirements.
In addition, as discussed in EPA’s
TSD, West Virginia’s infrastructure SIP
submission for the 2008 ozone NAAQS
listed numerous SIP provisions
(including the provisions related to
CAIR as well as regulations 45CSR13,
45CSR14, and 45CSR19) to support that
the existing West Virginia SIP ensures
source owners and operators install,
maintain and replace monitoring
equipment, provide periodic reporting
and correlate reports with emission
standards under the CAA for section
110(a)(2)(F). EPA’s TSD addressed how
West Virginia’s statutory and regulatory
provisions provided for these
requirements and most of these
requirements are not related to CAIR.
While 45CSR39 and 45CSR40, which
are in the approved West Virginia SIP,
address interstate transport of PM2.5,
NOX, and ozone and are related to CAIR,
these SIP provisions (45CSR39 and
45CSR40) also contain reporting and
monitoring requirements (as are
required for 110(a)(2)(F)) including
references to federal provisions within
40 CFR part 75. Because EPA continues
to implement CAIR and because the
West Virginia SIP contains several
provisions itemized in the TSD for this
5 As discussed above, since the vacatur of CSAPR
in August 2012 and with continued implementation
of CAIR per the direction of the D.C. Circuit in EME
Homer City, EPA has approved redesignations of
areas to attainment of the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS in
which states have relied on CAIR as an enforceable
measure. See 77 FR 76415, December 28, 2012
(redesignation of Huntingdon-Ashland, West
Virginia for 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS which was
proposed in 77 FR 68076, November 15, 2012); 78
FR 59841, September 30, 2013 (redesignation of
Wheeling, West Virginia for 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS
which was proposed in 77 FR 73575, December 11,
2012); and 78 FR 56168, September 12, 2013
(redesignation of Parkersburg, West Virginia for
1997 PM2.5 NAAQS which was proposed in 77 FR
73560, December 11, 2012).
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rulemaking action addressing
monitoring and reporting requirements
for sources in West Virginia, EPA finds
the West Virginia infrastructure SIP for
the 2008 ozone NAAQS adequately
addressed section 110(a)(2)(F), and EPA
is taking final rulemaking action to
approve the infrastructure SIP
submission with respect to the
requirements of section 110(a)(2)(F) of
the CAA.
III. Final Action
EPA is approving the following
infrastructure elements or portions
thereof of West Virginia’s SIP revision:
Section 110(a)(2)(A), (B), (C), (D), (E),
(F), (G), (H), (J), (K), (L), and (M). EPA
has taken separate rulemaking action on
the portions of section 110(a)(2)(C),
(D)(i)(II), and (J) as they relate to West
Virginia’s PSD program and is taking
separate action on section
110(a)(2)(E)(ii) as it relates to section
128 (State Boards). This rulemaking
action does not include section
110(a)(2)(I) of the CAA which pertains
to the nonattainment requirements of
part D, Title I of the CAA, since this
element is not required to be submitted
by the 3-year submission deadline of
section 110(a)(1), and will be addressed
in a separate process. This rulemaking
action also does not include action on
section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I), because this
element, or portions thereof, is not
required to be submitted by a state until
the EPA has quantified a state’s
obligations. See EME Homer City, 696
F.3d 7.
IV. Statutory and Executive Order
Reviews
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A. General Requirements
Under the CAA, the Administrator is
required to approve a SIP submission
that complies with the provisions of the
CAA and applicable Federal regulations.
42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a).
Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions,
EPA’s role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of
the CAA. Accordingly, this action
merely approves state law as meeting
Federal requirements and does not
impose additional requirements beyond
those imposed by state law. For that
reason, this action:
• Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory
action’’ subject to review by the Office
of Management and Budget under
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14:32 Apr 04, 2014
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Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735,
October 4, 1993);
• does not impose an information
collection burden under the provisions
of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
• is certified as not having a
significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities
under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5
U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
• does not contain any unfunded
mandate or significantly or uniquely
affect small governments, as described
in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–4);
• does not have Federalism
implications as specified in Executive
Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10,
1999);
• is not an economically significant
regulatory action based on health or
safety risks subject to Executive Order
13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997);
• is not a significant regulatory action
subject to Executive Order 13211 (66 FR
28355, May 22, 2001);
• is not subject to requirements of
Section 12(d) of the National
Technology Transfer and Advancement
Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) because
application of those requirements would
be inconsistent with the CAA; and
• does not provide EPA with the
discretionary authority to address, as
appropriate, disproportionate human
health or environmental effects, using
practicable and legally permissible
methods, under Executive Order 12898
(59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).
In addition, this rule does not have
tribal implications as specified by
Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249,
November 9, 2000), because the SIP is
not approved to apply in Indian country
located in the state, and EPA notes that
it will not impose substantial direct
costs on tribal governments or preempt
tribal law.
B. Submission to Congress and the
Comptroller General
The Congressional Review Act, 5
U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the Small
Business Regulatory Enforcement
Fairness Act of 1996, generally provides
that before a rule may take effect, the
agency promulgating the rule must
submit a rule report, which includes a
copy of the rule, to each House of the
Congress and to the Comptroller General
of the United States. EPA will submit a
report containing this action and other
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Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
required information to the U.S. Senate,
the U.S. House of Representatives, and
the Comptroller General of the United
States prior to publication of the rule in
the Federal Register. A major rule
cannot take effect until 60 days after it
is published in the Federal Register.
This action is not a ‘‘major rule’’ as
defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2).
C. Petitions for Judicial Review
Under section 307(b)(1) of the CAA,
petitions for judicial review of this
action must be filed in the United States
Court of Appeals for the appropriate
circuit by June 6, 2014. Filing a petition
for reconsideration by the Administrator
of this final rule does not affect the
finality of this action for the purposes of
judicial review nor does it extend the
time within which a petition for judicial
review may be filed, and shall not
postpone the effectiveness of such rule
or action. This action, which satisfies
certain infrastructure requirements of
section 110(a)(2) of the CAA for the
2008 ozone NAAQS for the State of
West Virginia, may not be challenged
later in proceedings to enforce its
requirements. (See section 307(b)(2).)
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air
pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Ozone.
Dated: March 21, 2014.
W.C. Early,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region III.
40 CFR part 52 is amended as follows:
PART 52—APPROVAL AND
PROMULGATION OF
IMPLEMENTATION PLANS
1. The authority citation for part 52
continues to read as follows:
■
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Subpart XX—West Virginia
2. In § 52.2520, the table in paragraph
(e) is amended by revising the entry for
Section 110(a)(2) Infrastructure
Requirements for the 2008 8-Hour
Ozone NAAQS. The amendment reads
as follows:
■
§ 52.2520
*
Identification of plan.
*
*
(e) * * *
E:\FR\FM\07APR1.SGM
07APR1
*
*
19009
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 66 / Monday, April 7, 2014 / Rules and Regulations
Name of non-regulatory
SIP revision
Applicable
geographic area
State submittal
date
*
Section 110(a)(2) Infrastructure Requirements for the 2008 8Hour Ozone NAAQS.
*
Statewide ..........
*
8/31/11, 2/17/12
EPA approval date
2/17/12
*
*
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R03–OAR–2013–0413; FRL–9909–10–
Region 3]
Approval and Promulgation of Air
Quality Implementation Plans;
Pennsylvania; Infrastructure
Requirements for the 2008 Lead
National Ambient Air Quality
Standards
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is approving a State
Implementation Plan (SIP) revision
submitted by the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania pursuant to the Clean Air
Act (CAA). Whenever new or revised
national ambient air quality standards
(NAAQS) are promulgated, the CAA
requires states to submit a plan for the
implementation, maintenance, and
enforcement of the NAAQS. The plan is
required to address basic program
elements, including, but not limited to
regulatory structure, monitoring,
modeling, legal authority, and adequate
resources necessary to assure attainment
and maintenance of the standards.
These elements are referred to as
infrastructure requirements. The
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has
made a submittal addressing the
infrastructure requirements for the 2008
lead (Pb) NAAQS.
DATES: This final rule is effective on
May 7, 2014.
ADDRESSES: EPA has established a
docket for this action under Docket ID
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SUMMARY:
14:32 Apr 04, 2014
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*
4/7/2014 [Insert Federal
Register page number
where the document
begins and date].
*
[FR Doc. 2014–07589 Filed 4–4–14; 8:45 am]
VerDate Mar<15>2010
*
10/17/12, 77 FR 63736
Additional explanation
*
*
*
Approval of the following PSD-related elements or
portions thereof: 110(a)(2)(C), (D)(i)(II), and (J),
except taking no action on the definition of
‘‘regulated NSR pollutant’’ found at 45CSR14
section 2.66 only as it relates to the requirement to include condensable emissions of particulate matter in that definition. See
§ 52.2522(i).
This action addresses the following CAA elements, or portions thereof: 110(a)(2)(A), (B),
(C), (D), (E), (F), (G), (H), (J), (K), (L), and (M).
*
Number EPA–R03–OAR–2013–0413. All
documents in the docket are listed in
the www.regulations.gov Web site.
Although listed in the electronic docket,
some information is not publicly
available, i.e., confidential business
information (CBI) or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
Certain other material, such as
copyrighted material, is not placed on
the Internet and will be publicly
available only in hard copy form.
Publicly available docket materials are
available either electronically through
www.regulations.gov or in hard copy for
public inspection during normal
business hours at the Air Protection
Division, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Region III, 1650 Arch Street,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103.
Copies of the State submittal are
available at the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental
Protection, Bureau of Air Quality
Control, P.O. Box 8468, 400 Market
Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17105.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ruth Knapp, (215) 814–2191, or by
email at knapp.ruth@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Summary of SIP Revision
On July 16, 2013 (78 FR 42482), EPA
published a notice of proposed
rulemaking (NPR) for the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
proposing approval of Pennsylvania’s
September 24, 2012 SIP submittal to
satisfy several requirements of section
110(a)(2) of the CAA for the 2008 Pb
NAAQS. In the NPR, EPA proposed
approval of the following infrastructure
elements: Sections 110(a)(2)(A), (B), (C),
(D)(i)(I), (D)(i)(II), D(ii), (E)(i), (E)(iii),
(F), (G), (H), (J), (K), (L), and (M). The
NPR does not include section
110(a)(2)(I) which pertains to the
nonattainment planning requirements of
part D, Title I of the CAA, since this
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Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
*
*
element is not required to be submitted
by the 3-year submission deadline of
section 110(a)(1), and will be addressed
in a separate process. EPA is taking
separate action on the portion of
110(a)(2)(E)(ii) as it relates to CAA
section 128 (State Boards).
The rationale supporting EPA’s
proposed action, including the scope of
infrastructure SIPs in general, is
explained in the NPR and the technical
support document (TSD) accompanying
the NPR and will not be restated here.
The TSD is available online at
www.regulations.gov, Docket ID Number
EPA–R03–OAR–2013–0413. On August
20, 2013, EPA received public
comments on its July 16, 2013 NPR from
the Berks County Commissioners
(referred to herein as the commenter). A
summary of the comments submitted
and EPA’s responses are provided in
section II of this action.
II. Summary of Public Comments and
EPA Responses
Comment: The commenter has raised
several concerns related to lead
monitoring and permitting in Berks
County, Pennsylvania near the Exide
Technologies secondary lead smelter
facility (Exide). The commenter does
not believe that EPA should approve the
lead infrastructure SIP submitted by the
Commonwealth for the 2008 lead
NAAQS for several reasons, most of
which are related to the commenter’s
concerns about the adequacy of the lead
monitoring network and relate to the
commenter’s interpretation of the
requirements of section 110(a)(2)(B) of
the CAA.
First, the commenter contends that
the existing network being used by the
Commonwealth is not adequate and
does not meet applicable EPA guidance
(EPA–454/R–92–009) and 40 CFR part
58 Appendix D. Specifically, the
commenter contends that the two
E:\FR\FM\07APR1.SGM
07APR1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 66 (Monday, April 7, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 19001-19009]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-07589]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA-R03-OAR-2013-0299; FRL-9909-09-Region-3]
Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans;
West Virginia; Section 110(a)(2) Infrastructure Requirements for the
2008 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Final rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a State
Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of West
Virginia pursuant to the Clean Air Act (CAA). Whenever new or revised
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) are promulgated, the CAA
requires states to submit a plan for the implementation, maintenance,
and enforcement of such NAAQS. The plan is required to address basic
program elements, including, but not limited to regulatory structure,
monitoring, modeling, legal authority, and adequate resources necessary
to assure attainment and maintenance of the standards. These elements
are referred to as infrastructure requirements. The State of West
Virginia has made a submittal addressing the infrastructure
requirements for the 2008 ozone NAAQS.
DATES: This final rule is effective on May 7, 2014.
ADDRESSES: EPA has established a docket for this action under Docket ID
Number EPA-R03-OAR-2013-0299. All documents in the docket are listed in
the www.regulations.gov Web site. Although listed in the electronic
docket, some information is not publicly available, i.e., confidential
business information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted
material, is not placed on the Internet and will be publicly available
only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are
available either electronically through www.regulations.gov or in hard
copy for public inspection during normal business hours at the Air
Protection Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III,
1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103. Copies of the State
submittal are available at the West Virginia Department of
Environmental Protection, Division of Air Quality, 601 57th Street SE.,
Charleston, West Virginia 25304.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Schmitt, (215) 814-5787, or by
email at schmitt.ellen@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Summary of SIP Revision
On February 17, 2012, the West Virginia Department of Environmental
Protection (WV DEP) submitted a SIP revision that addresses the
infrastructure elements specified in section 110(a)(2) of the CAA,
necessary to implement, maintain, and enforce the 2008 ozone NAAQS. On
July 2, 2013 (78 FR 39650), EPA published a notice of proposed
rulemaking (NPR) for the State of West Virginia proposing approval of
West Virginia's submittal. In the NPR, EPA proposed approval of the
following infrastructure elements: Section 110(a)(2)(A), (B), (C), (D),
(E), (F), (G), (H), (J), (K), (L), and (M), or portions thereof. EPA
has taken separate action on the portions of section 110(a)(2)(C),
(D)(i)(II), and (J) as they relate to West Virginia's prevention of
significant deterioration (PSD) program and is taking separate action
on section 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) as it relates to section 128 (State
Boards). West Virginia did not submit section 110(a)(2)(I) which
pertains to the nonattainment requirements of part D, Title I of the
CAA, since this element is not required to be submitted by the 3-year
submission deadline of section 110(a)(1), and will be addressed in a
separate process. West Virginia also did not include a component to
address section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) as it is not required in accordance
with the EME Homer City decision from the United States Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, until EPA has defined a
state's contribution to nonattainment or interference with maintenance
in another state. See EME Homer City Generation, LP v. EPA, 696 F.3d 7
(D.C. Cir. 2012), cert. granted, 133 U.S. 2857 (2013). Unless the EME
Homer City decision is reversed or otherwise modified by the Supreme
Court, states such as West Virginia are not required to submit section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) SIPs until the EPA has quantified their obligations
under that section. Therefore, a 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) submission from
West Virginia is not statutorily required at this time. As no such
submission was made by the State, there is no 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) SIP
pending
[[Page 19002]]
before the EPA. Thus, in this rulemaking notice, EPA is not taking
action with respect to 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) for the 2008 ozone NAAQS.
The rationale supporting EPA's proposed rulemaking action,
including the scope of infrastructure SIPs in general, is explained in
the NPR and the technical support document (TSD) accompanying the NPR
and will not be restated here. The TSD is available in the docket for
this rulemaking at www.regulations.gov, Docket ID Number EPA-R03-OAR-
2013-0299.
II. Public Comments and EPA's Responses
EPA received three sets of comments on the July 2, 2013 proposed
approval of West Virginia's 2008 ozone infrastructure SIP. The
commenters include the State of Connecticut, the State of Maryland, and
the Sierra Club. A full set of these comments is provided in the docket
for today's final rulemaking action. As both States and the Sierra Club
submitted comments regarding the interstate transport of pollution and
the States did not comment on other issues, a summary of the comments
dealing with transport and EPA's responses will be addressed first
followed by summaries of and responses to the remainder of Sierra
Club's comments.
A. ``Interstate Transport'' Comments
Comment 1: The State of Connecticut, the State of Maryland, and the
Sierra Club (the commenters) assert that the ability of downwind states
to attain the 2008 ozone NAAQS is substantially compromised by
interstate transport of pollution from upwind states. The States
comment that they have done their share to reduce in-state emissions,
and EPA should ensure each state fully addresses its contribution to
any other state's ozone nonattainment. The commenters state that
section 110(a)(1) of the CAA requires states like West Virginia to
submit, within three years of promulgation of a new NAAQS, an
infrastructure SIP which provides for implementation, maintenance, and
enforcement of such NAAQS within the state. The commenters remark that
West Virginia was required to submit a complete SIP that demonstrated
compliance with the good neighbor provision of section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of the CAA. Maryland also states that EPA must
disapprove the infrastructure submittal for element 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I)
as West Virginia made no submittal for that element. Maryland also
argues that if EPA believes EME Homer City prohibits it from
disapproving the 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) portion of the West Virginia SIP
before the state's significant contribution level is established, then
EPA should immediately promulgate such a level. Sierra Club, in turn,
states that EPA must disapprove West Virginia's SIP submission for
failure to comply with 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I). Sierra Club and Maryland
both argue that EPA cannot rely on the D.C. Circuit decision in EME
Homer City Generation v. EPA, 696 F.3d 7 (D.C. Cir. 2012) as an excuse
to ignore obligations established by the Clean Air Act. Sierra Club
suggests the relevant language in EME Homer City is dicta and that as
this rulemaking action would be appealed to the Fourth Circuit, and EPA
is under no obligation to follow that dicta.
Connecticut and Sierra Club state that EPA must make a finding
under section 110(k) of the CAA that West Virginia failed to submit the
required SIP elements to address section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of the CAA.
Connecticut states that under section 110(c)(1) of the CAA such a
finding creates a two year deadline for EPA to promulgate a Federal
Implementation Plan (FIP). In addition, Connecticut and Maryland state
that the CAA does not give EPA discretion to approve a SIP without the
good neighbor provision on the grounds that EPA would take separate
action to address West Virginia's 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) obligations. They
assert that a FIP is the only separate action available to EPA under
the CAA to address a state's failure to satisfy the requirements of
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I). Sierra Club states that EPA must issue a FIP within
two years of disapproval of West Virginia's SIP under section
110(c)(1)(A) of the CAA.
Response 1: In this rulemaking action, EPA is not taking any final
action with respect to the provisions in section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I)--
the portion of the good neighbor provision which addresses emissions
that significantly contribute to nonattainment or interfere with
maintenance of the NAAQS in another state. West Virginia did not make a
SIP submission to address the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) and thus there is no such submission upon which EPA
could take action under section 110(k) of the CAA. EPA could not, as
Maryland urges, act under section 110(k) to disapprove a SIP submission
that has not been submitted to EPA. In addition, EPA could not, at this
time, find that West Virginia has failed to submit a required SIP
element for 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) as the D.C. Circuit in EME Homer City
has held no such obligation to submit exists until EPA defines a
state's obligations under 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I). EPA also disagrees with
the commenters that EPA cannot approve a SIP without the good neighbor
provision and believes there is no basis for the contention that EPA
must issue a FIP within two years, as EPA has neither disapproved, nor
found that West Virginia failed to submit a required 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I)
SIP submission.
EPA acknowledges the commenters' concern that interstate transport
of ozone and ozone precursors from upwind states to downwind states may
have adverse consequences on the ability of downwind areas to attain
the NAAQS in a timely fashion. EPA also agrees in general with the
commenters that each state should address its contribution to another
state's nonattainment and that section 110(a)(1) of the CAA requires
states like West Virginia to submit, within three years of promulgation
of a new or revised NAAQS, a plan which provides for implementation,
maintenance and enforcement of such NAAQS within the state. Similarly,
EPA has interpreted the CAA as providing that any finding by EPA that a
state has failed to make such a submission would trigger an obligation
for EPA to promulgate a FIP within two years if the state did not
submit and EPA approve a SIP to correct the deficiency before EPA
promulgates a FIP. However, as discussed further in this response,
while EPA continues to agree that the plain language of the statute
establishes these obligations, unless the D.C. Circuit decision in EME
Homer City is reversed or modified by the Supreme Court, EPA intends to
act in accordance with that opinion. In that opinion, the D.C. Circuit
held that a 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) SIP to address emissions that
significantly contribute to nonattainment or interfere with maintenance
of the NAAQS in another state is not due until EPA has defined the
state's obligations under that section of the CAA. Thus, at this time,
West Virginia has no obligation to make a 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) SIP
submittal and EPA has no obligation to issue a FIP.
As mentioned previously, EPA has historically interpreted the CAA
as requiring states to submit SIPs addressing the requirements of
section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of the CAA within three years of the
promulgation or revision of a NAAQS. However, the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia Circuit clearly articulated in its opinion
in EME Homer City that SIPs under section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of the CAA
are not due until EPA has defined a state's significant contribution to
nonattainment or interference with maintenance in another state. See
EME Homer City, 696 F.3d 7. EPA has not yet done this for the 2008
ozone NAAQS.
[[Page 19003]]
While the Supreme Court has agreed to review the EME Homer City
decision, the D.C. Circuit's decision currently remains in place. EPA
intends to act in accordance with the EME Homer City opinion unless it
is reversed or otherwise modified by the Supreme Court. Therefore, in
this rulemaking action, EPA is not taking any final action with respect
to the provisions in section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I).\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ On January 15, 2013, EPA published findings of failure to
submit with respect to the infrastructure SIP requirements for the
2008 ozone NAAQS. See 78 FR 2882. In that rulemaking action, EPA
explained why it was not issuing any findings of failure to submit
with respect to section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I). Id. at 2884-85. In that
rulemaking action, EPA explained the opinion of the D.C. Circuit in
EME Homer City concluded that a ``SIP cannot be deemed to lack a
required submission or deemed deficient for failure to meet the
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) obligation until after EPA quantifies the
obligation.'' See 78 FR at 2884-85; see also EME Homer City, 696
F.3d at 32. Therefore, under EME Homer City, states like West
Virginia have no obligation to make a SIP submission to address
section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) for the 2008 ozone NAAQS until EPA has
first defined the state's obligations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPA disagrees with the commenters' argument that EPA cannot approve
a SIP without the good neighbor provision. Section 110(k)(3) of the CAA
authorizes EPA to approve a plan in full, disapprove it in full, or
approve it in part and disapprove it in part, depending on the extent
to which such plan meets the requirements of the CAA. This authority to
approve state SIP revisions in separable parts was included in the 1990
Amendments to the CAA to overrule a decision in the Court of Appeals
for the Ninth Circuit holding that EPA could not approve individual
measures in a plan submission without either approving or disapproving
the plan as a whole. See S. Rep. No. 101-228, at 22, 1990 U.S.C.C.A.N.
3385, 3408 (discussing the express overruling of Abramowitz v. EPA, 832
F.2d 1071 (9th Cir. 1987)).
EPA further disagrees with commenters' suggestions that the Agency
need not follow the D.C. Circuit opinion in EME Homer City. EPA intends
to act in accordance with the D.C. Circuit opinion in EME Homer City
unless it is reversed or otherwise modified by the Supreme Court. In
addition, because the EPA rule known as the Cross State Air Pollution
Rule (CSAPR) reviewed by the court in EME Homer City was designated by
EPA as a ``nationally applicable'' rule within the meaning of CAA
section 307(b)(1) with petitions for review of CSAPR required to be
filed in the D.C. Circuit, EPA accordingly believes the D.C. Circuit's
decision in EME Homer City is also nationally applicable. As such, EPA
does not intend to take any actions, even if they are only reviewable
in another federal Circuit Court of Appeals, which are inconsistent
with the decision of the D.C. Circuit. EPA also finds no basis for one
commenter's suggestion that the relevant portion of the D.C. Circuit
opinion in EME Homer City opinion is dicta.
EPA interprets its authority under section 110(k)(3) of the CAA, as
affording EPA the discretion to approve or conditionally approve
individual elements of West Virginia's infrastructure submission for
the 2008 eight-hour ozone NAAQS, separate and apart from any action
with respect to the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of the
CAA with respect to that NAAQS. EPA views discrete infrastructure SIP
requirements, such as the requirements of 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I), as
severable from the other infrastructure elements and interprets section
110(k)(3) as allowing it to act on individual severable measures in a
plan submission. In short, EPA believes that even if West Virginia had
made a SIP submission for section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of the CAA, which
it has not, EPA would still have discretion under section 110(k) of the
CAA to act upon the various individual elements of the state's
infrastructure SIP submission, separately or together, as appropriate.
The commenters raise no compelling legal or environmental rationale for
an alternate interpretation.
EPA disagrees with the comment from Connecticut and Maryland
regarding EPA's statement indicating an intent to take separate action
on West Virginia's 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) obligations and that a FIP must
be issued within two years. In the rulemaking action which proposed
approval of portions of West Virginia's infrastructure SIP for the 2008
ozone NAAQS, EPA stated that its proposed action did not include any
proposed action on section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) of the CAA for West
Virginia's February 17, 2012 infrastructure SIP submission because this
element was not required until EPA quantified the state's obligations
pursuant to the EME Homer City opinion. See (78 FR 39650, July 2,
2013). As EPA has neither disapproved, nor found that West Virginia
failed to submit a required 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) SIP submission, there is
consequently no basis for any contention that EPA must issue a FIP
within two years. Moreover, the D.C. Circuit clearly held in EME Homer
City that even where EPA had issued findings of failure to submit
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) SIPs and/or disapproved such SIPs, EPA lacked
authority to promulgate FIPs under 110(c)(1) of the CAA where it had
not previously quantified states' good neighbor obligations. EME Homer
City, 696 F.3d at 31-37. And, as explained earlier in this rulemaking
action, EPA intends to comply with that decision unless it is reversed
or otherwise modified by the Supreme Court. See also (78 FR 14681,
16843, March 7, 2013) (concluding that, under the D.C. Circuit opinion
in EME Homer City, disapproval of a 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) SIP submitted by
Kentucky did not start a FIP clock).
In sum, the concerns raised by the commenters do not establish that
it is inappropriate or unreasonable for EPA to approve the portions of
West Virginia's February 17, 2012 infrastructure SIP submission for the
2008 ozone NAAQS. As discussed above, EPA has no obligation to find
West Virginia failed to satisfy its good neighbor obligations and no
action is required at this time. Moreover, EPA notes that it is
actively working with state partners to assess next steps to address
air pollution that crosses state boundaries and has begun work on a
rulemaking to address transported air pollution affecting the ability
of states in the eastern half of the United States to attain and
maintain the 2008 ozone NAAQS, including defining certain states'
obligations under 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I). That rulemaking action is
separate from this SIP approval action. It is also technically complex
and must comply with the rulemaking requirements of section 307(d) of
the CAA.
B. Sierra Club Comments
Sierra Club makes several additional comments which are provided in
the docket for today's final rulemaking action and summarized below
with EPA's response to each.
Comment 2: Sierra Club contends that EPA must disapprove West
Virginia's 2008 eight-hour ozone infrastructure SIP revision with
regard to the visibility components of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) and
(J) of the CAA since West Virginia's Regional Haze SIP relies on
visibility improvements from implementing the Clean Air Interstate Rule
(CAIR). The commenter asserts that CAIR is not permanent and
enforceable and they reference litigation in the D.C. Circuit related
to CAIR. See North Carolina v. EPA, 531 F.3d 896, on rehearing, 550
F.3d 1176 (D.C. Cir. 2008). The commenter also cites to EPA statements
in rulemaking actions on SIPs, such as attainment SIPs and maintenance
SIPs, where EPA stated CAIR reductions were not permanent reductions.
The commenter states that EPA could not rely on CAIR, even if permanent
and enforceable, to support its proposed
[[Page 19004]]
approval of the visibility components in section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II)
and (J) of the CAA for West Virginia's 2008 eight-hour ozone
infrastructure SIP revision. The commenter asserts that the
substitution of CAIR for best available retrofit technology (BART) for
electric generating units (EGUs) violates the CAA including section
169A. The commenter includes comments challenging EPA's prior
rulemakings that CAIR was ``better than BART'' because such exemption
from BART does not meet the requirements of CAA section 169A(c) or
169A(b)(2)(A). The commenter states that CAIR as a substitute for BART
for EGUs would result in the EGU sources having less stringent controls
on emissions than would result from application of source-by-source
BART.
Response 2: EPA disagrees with the commenter that West Virginia's
infrastructure SIP does not meet the requirements for visibility
protection in section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) and (J) of the CAA. As
explained in detail in EPA's proposed rulemaking related to today's
rulemaking action, EPA believes that in light of the D.C. Circuit's
decision to vacate CSAPR, also known as the Transport Rule (see EME
Homer City, 696 F.3d 7), and the court's order for EPA to ``continue
administering CAIR pending the promulgation of a valid replacement,''
it is appropriate for EPA to rely at this time on CAIR to support
approval of West Virginia's 2008 eight-hour ozone infrastructure
revision, including as it relates to visibility. Based on the current
direction from the court to continue administering CAIR, EPA believes
that it is appropriate to rely on CAIR emission reductions for purposes
of assessing the adequacy of West Virginia's infrastructure SIP
revision with respect to prong 4 of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) while a
valid replacement rule is developed and until submissions complying
with any such new rule are submitted by the states and acted upon by
EPA or until the EME Homer City case is resolved in a way that provides
different direction regarding CAIR and CSAPR.
Furthermore, as neither the State of West Virginia nor EPA has
taken any action to remove CAIR from the West Virginia SIP, CAIR
remains part of the federally-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)(II). EPA is taking final rulemaking action to
approve the infrastructure SIP submission with respect to prong 4
because West Virginia's Regional Haze SIP, which EPA has approved (see
(77 FR 16937, March 23, 2012)), in combination with its SIP provisions
to implement CAIR adequately prevents sources in West Virginia from
interfering with measures adopted by other states to protect visibility
during the first planning period as also described in detail in the TSD
which accompanied the NPR.\2\
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\2\ Under sections 301(a) and 110(k)(6) of the CAA 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. Therefore, EPA
believes it is appropriate to approve West Virginia's 2008 ozone
NAAQS infrastructure SIP for section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) as it meets
the requirements of that section despite the limited approval status
of West Virginia's regional haze SIP.
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EPA disagrees with the commenter that the CAA does not allow states
to rely on an alternative program such as CAIR in lieu of source-
specific BART. EPA's regulations allowing states to adopt alternatives
to BART that provide for greater reasonable progress, and EPA's
determination that states may rely on CAIR to meet the BART
requirements, have been upheld by the D.C. Circuit as meeting the
requirements of the CAA. In the first case challenging the provisions
in the regional haze rule (40 CFR 51.308) allowing for states to adopt
alternative programs in lieu of BART, the court affirmed our
interpretation of section 169A(b)(2) of the CAA as allowing for
alternatives to BART where those alternatives will result in greater
reasonable progress than BART. Center for Energy and Economic
Development v. EPA, 398 F.3d 653, 660 (D.C. Cir. 2005) (finding
reasonable the EPA's interpretation of section 169A(b)(2) of the CAA as
requiring BART only as necessary to make reasonable progress). In the
second case, Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA, 471 F.3d 1333 (D.C.
Cir. 2006), the court specifically upheld our determination that states
could rely on CAIR as an alternative program to BART for EGUs in the
CAIR-affected states. The court concluded that the EPA's two-pronged
test for determining whether an alternative program achieves greater
reasonable progress was a reasonable one and also agreed with EPA that
nothing in the CAA required the EPA to ``impose a separate technology
mandate for sources whose emissions affect Class I areas, rather than
piggy-backing on solutions devised under other statutory categories,
where such solutions meet the statutory requirements.'' Id. at 1340.
EPA also notes that CAIR has not been ``vacated'' as stated in
Sierra Club's comment. As mentioned in EPA's TSD, CAIR was ultimately
remanded by the D.C. Circuit to EPA without vacatur, and EPA continues
to implement CAIR. EPA further notes that all of the rulemaking actions
and proposed rulemaking actions cited by the commenter which discussed
limited approvability of SIPs or redesignations due to the status of
CAIR were issued by EPA prior to the vacatur of CSAPR when EPA was
implementing CSAPR. Since the vacatur of CSAPR in August 2012 and with
continued implementation of CAIR per the direction of the DC Circuit in
EME Homer City, EPA has approved redesignations of areas to attainment
of the 1997 fine particulate matter (PM2.5) NAAQS in which
states have relied on CAIR as an enforceable measure. See 77 FR 76415,
December 28, 2012 (redesignation of Huntingdon-Ashland, West Virginia
for 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS which was proposed in 77 FR 68076,
November 15, 2012); 78 FR 59841, September 30, 2013 (redesignation of
Wheeling, West Virginia for 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS which was
proposed in 77 FR 73575, December 11, 2012); and 78 FR 56168, September
12, 2013 (redesignation of Parkersburg, West Virginia for 1997
PM2.5 NAAQS which was proposed in 77 FR 73560, December 11,
2012).
More fundamentally, we disagree with the commenter that the
adequacy of the BART measures in the West Virginia Regional Haze SIP is
relevant to the question of whether the State's SIP meets the
requirements of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) of the CAA with respect to
visibility. EPA interprets the visibility provisions in this section of
the CAA as requiring states to include in their SIPs measures to
prohibit emissions that would interfere with the reasonable progress
goals set to protect Class I areas in other states. The regional haze
rule includes a similar requirement at 40 CFR 51.308(d)(3). We note
that on March 23, 2012, EPA determined that West Virginia's Regional
Haze SIP adequately prevents sources in West Virginia from interfering
with the reasonable progress goals adopted by other states to protect
visibility during the first planning period. See 77 FR 16937. See also
76 FR 41158, 41175-41176 (proposing approval of West Virginia Regional
Haze SIP). As EPA's review of the West Virginia Regional Haze SIP
explains, the State relied on CAIR to achieve significant reductions in
emissions to both meet the BART requirements and to address impacts of
West Virginia on Class I areas in other
[[Page 19005]]
states. The question of whether or not CAIR satisfies the BART
requirements has no bearing on whether these measures meet the
requirements of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) of the CAA with respect to
visibility. We also note that while the adequacy of the BART provisions
in the West Virginia Regional Haze SIP is irrelevant to the question of
whether the plan meets the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II)
of the CAA, CAIR was upheld as an alternative to BART in accordance
with the requirements of Section 169A of the CAA by the DC Circuit in
Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA.
In addition, with regard to the visibility protection aspect of
section 110(a)(2)(J), as discussed in the TSD accompanying the NPR for
this rulemaking action, EPA stated that it recognizes that states are
subject to visibility and regional haze program requirements under part
C of the CAA. In the establishment of a new NAAQS such as the 2008
ozone NAAQS, however, the visibility and regional haze program
requirements under part C of Title I of the CAA do not change and there
are no applicable visibility obligations under part C ``triggered''
under section 110(a)(2)(J) when a new NAAQS becomes effective.
Therefore, EPA appropriately proposed approval of West Virginia's 2008
ozone infrastructure SIP revision for section 110(a)(2)(J). As
discussed for section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) earlier in this rulemaking
action and in the TSD for this rulemaking action, West Virginia has
submitted SIP revisions to satisfy the requirements of part C of Title
I of the CAA.\3\
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\3\ The TSD is available in the docket for this rulemaking at
www.regulations.gov, Docket ID Number EPA-R03-OAR-2013-0299.
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In summary, EPA believes that it appropriately proposed approval of
West Virginia's infrastructure SIP revision for the 2008 ozone NAAQS
for the structural visibility protection requirements in
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II).
Comment 3: Sierra Club states that EPA must disapprove West
Virginia's 2008 eight-hour ozone infrastructure SIP revision for
elements 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) and (J) of the CAA because the commenter
asserts that West Virginia had failed to submit a five-year progress
report on its implementation of West Virginia's Regional Haze SIP and
also because EPA had not yet approved West Virginia's five-year
progress report for regional haze. Sierra Club referenced a July 18,
2008 SIP submittal from West Virginia for regional haze as the basis
for determining when the five-year progress report for West Virginia
was due.
Response 3: EPA disagrees with the commenter that West Virginia's
five-year progress report was not submitted at the time EPA proposed to
approve West Virginia's infrastructure SIP for the 2008 ozone NAAQS on
July 2, 2013. West Virginia submitted on April 30, 2013, as a SIP
revision, its five-year progress report of its approved regional haze,
to meet the progress report requirements in 40 CFR 51.308(g). The
provisions under 40 CFR 51.308(g) impose a regulatory requirement for
an evaluation of West Virginia's progress towards meeting its
reasonable progress goals for Class I Federal areas located within West
Virginia and in Class I Federal areas outside West Virginia which may
be affected by emissions from inside West Virginia. EPA found West
Virginia's April 30, 2013 progress report SIP submittal complete on
June 13, 2013. EPA has taken action proposing approval on the SIP
revision. See 79 FR 14460, March 14, 2014. EPA disagrees with the
commenter that EPA's approval of West Virginia's five-year progress
report is a required structural element necessary before EPA may
approve West Virginia's infrastructure SIP for element
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II).
Nevertheless, from EPA's review of data provided by West Virginia
in its five-year progress report, including EPA's review of emissions
data from 2008 through 2011 on West Virginia EGUs from EPA's Clean Air
Markets Division (CAMD) as provided by the State, emissions of sulfur
dioxide (SO2), the primary contributor to visibility
impairment in the Visibility Improvement State and Tribal Association
of the Southeast (VISTAS) region, have declined significantly in the
State since the West Virginia Regional Haze SIP was submitted to EPA on
June 18, 2008. Specifically, West Virginia's five-year progress report
notes that in the EGU sector, EPA's CAMD data for 2010 and 2011 shows
EGU SO2 emissions in West Virginia are significantly below
even what was predicted for 2018. EPA's review of visibility data from
West Virginia in its five-year progress report also shows Class I areas
impacted by sources within West Virginia are all meeting or below their
reasonable progress goals. In addition, based on EPA's review of the
West Virginia five-year progress report, EPA has no reason to question
the accuracy of West Virginia's negative declaration to EPA pursuant to
40 CFR 51.308(h) that no revision to West Virginia's Regional Haze SIP
is needed at this time to achieve established goals for visibility
improvement and emissions reductions. Therefore, based upon EPA's
review of the relevant visibility data, emissions data, and modeling
results provided by West Virginia in the five-year progress report and
upon the analysis provided in the TSD which accompanied the NPR for
this rulemaking action, EPA continues to believe that the State's
existing SIP (including the Regional Haze SIP and CAIR) contains
adequate provisions prohibiting sources from emitting visibility
impairing pollutants in amounts which would interfere with neighboring
states' SIP measures to protect visibility.
Also, as stated previously, the visibility and regional haze
program requirements under part C of Title I of the CAA do not change
with the establishment of a new NAAQS such as the 2008 ozone NAAQS, and
there are no applicable visibility obligations under part C
``triggered'' by section 110(a)(2)(J) when a new NAAQS becomes
effective. Given this, West Virginia was under no obligation to address
section 110(a)(2)(J) in its 2008 ozone infrastructure SIP.
Comment 4: Sierra Club contends that EPA must disapprove West
Virginia's infrastructure SIP revision because the submittal relies on
CAIR, considered by Sierra Club as a stopgap measure, for section
110(a)(2)(A) of the CAA, and therefore fails to impose restrictions on
ozone sources and to ensure attainment and maintenance of the 2008
NAAQS. Sierra Club contends West Virginia cannot rely upon CAIR as an
enforceable emissions limit for 110(a)(2)(A). In addition, Sierra Club
suggests that EPA's statements are dismissive of the 2008 ozone NAAQS
requiring any more than the less stringent 1997 ozone NAAQS and states
that if states do not take any new actions to satisfy the 2008 ozone
NAAQS, the 2008 ozone NAAQS will not be met in many areas and states
will not attain and maintain the NAAQS. Sierra Club contends EPA must
disapprove the West Virginia infrastructure SIP for the 2008 ozone
NAAQS because West Virginia failed to adequately ensure attainment and
maintenance of the NAAQS.
Sierra Club also states in its background comments that EPA may
approve an infrastructure SIP only if EPA finds the SIP meets the
requirements of section 110(a)(2) of the CAA and states such SIPs must
include emission limitations that result in compliance with the NAAQS.
Sierra Club further states in background that for a plan to be
adequate, it must demonstrate the measures, rules, and regulations in
the SIP are adequate to
[[Page 19006]]
provide for timely attainment and maintenance of the standard and cited
to 40 CFR 51.112 for support.
Response 4: EPA disagrees with the commenter that West Virginia
cannot rely on CAIR for section 110(a)(2)(A) of the CAA. As discussed
previously and as explained in detail in EPA's proposed rulemaking
action related to today's rulemaking action, EPA believes that in light
of the DC Circuit's decision to vacate CSAPR (see EME Homer City, 696
F.3d 7), and the court's order for EPA to ``continue administering CAIR
pending the promulgation of a valid replacement,'' it is appropriate
for EPA to rely at this time on CAIR to support approval of West
Virginia's 2008 eight-hour ozone infrastructure revision. EPA has been
ordered by the DC Circuit to develop a new rule, and to continue
implementing CAIR in the meantime. Unless the Supreme Court reverses or
otherwise modifies the DC Circuit's decision on CSAPR in EME Homer
City, EPA does not intend to act in a manner inconsistent with the
decision of the DC Circuit. Based on the current direction from the
court to continue administering CAIR, EPA believes that it is
appropriate for West Virginia to rely on CAIR's requirements and
provisions and is appropriate for EPA to consider CAIR for purposes of
assessing the adequacy of West Virginia's infrastructure SIP revision
with respect to ensuring attainment and maintenance of the 2008 NAAQS
while a valid replacement rule is developed and until submissions
complying with any such new rule are submitted by the states and acted
upon by EPA or until the EME Homer City case is resolved in a way that
provides different direction regarding CAIR and CSAPR.
Furthermore, as neither the State of West Virginia nor EPA has
taken any action to remove CAIR from the West Virginia SIP, CAIR
remains part of the federally-approved SIP and can be considered in
determining whether the SIP as a whole meets the requirement for
section 110(a)(2)(A) of the CAA. In addition, EPA described in its TSD
accompanying the July 2, 2013 NPR proposing approval of portions of the
West Virginia 2008 infrastructure SIP for the 2008 ozone NAAQS how West
Virginia had adequate provisions in its SIP, including, but not limited
to, regulations concerning control measures for nitrogen oxides (NOx)
and volatile organic compounds (VOC), such as 45CSR13, 45CSR14,
45CSR19, 45CSR21, and 45CSR29, as enforceable emission limitations and
other control measures, means, or techniques as necessary to meet
applicable requirements of the CAA.\4\ Therefore, EPA disagrees with
the commenter that EPA must disapprove the West Virginia infrastructure
SIP submittal for element 110(a)(2)(A) as CAIR and the other measures
identified in the TSD for 110(a)(2)(A) are enforceable limitations for
meeting applicable requirements in the CAA as EPA explained in detail
in the TSD.
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\4\ The TSD is available at www.regulations.gov, Docket ID
Number EPA-R03-OAR-2013-0299. While EPA's TSD did not expressly
reference CAIR in the discussion of West Virginia's measures
addressing 110(a)(2)(A), the omission by EPA was inadvertent as the
West Virginia ozone infrastructure SIP submittal included CAIR
amongst other measures for section 110(a)(2)(A) and EPA's review
included consideration of all the measures West Virginia included in
its submission, including CAIR.
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EPA believes that section 110(a)(2)(A) of the CAA is reasonably
interpreted to require states to submit SIPs that reflect the first
step in their planning for attaining and maintaining a new or revised
NAAQS and that they contain enforceable control measures and a
demonstration that the state has the available tools and authority to
develop and implement plans to attain and maintain the NAAQS. In light
of the structure of the CAA, EPA's long-standing position regarding
infrastructure SIPs is that they are general planning SIPs to ensure
that the state has adequate resources and authority to implement a
NAAQS in general throughout the state and not detailed attainment and
maintenance plans for each individual area of the state.
EPA's interpretation that infrastructure SIPs are more general
planning SIPs is consistent with the statute as understood in light of
its history and structure. When Congress enacted the CAA in 1970, it
did not include provisions requiring states and the EPA to label areas
as attainment or nonattainment. Rather, states were required to include
all areas of the state in ``air quality control regions'' (AQCRs) and
section 110 set forth the core substantive planning provisions for
these AQCRs. At that time, Congress anticipated that states would be
able to address air pollution quickly pursuant to the very general
planning provisions in section 110 and could bring all areas into
compliance with the NAAQS within five years. Moreover, at that time,
section 110(a)(2)(A)(i) specified that the section 110 plan provide for
``attainment'' of the NAAQS and section 110(a)(2)(B) specified that the
plan must include ``emission limitations, schedules, and timetables for
compliance with such limitations, and such other measures as may be
necessary to insure attainment and maintenance [of the NAAQS].'' In
1977, Congress recognized that the existing structure was not
sufficient and many areas were still violating the NAAQS. At that time,
Congress for the first time added provisions requiring states and EPA
to identify whether areas of the state were violating the NAAQS (i.e.,
were nonattainment) or were meeting the NAAQS (i.e., were attainment)
and established specific planning requirements in section 172 for areas
not meeting the NAAQS. In 1990, many areas still had air quality not
meeting the NAAQS and Congress again amended the CAA and added yet
another layer of more prescriptive planning requirements for each of
the NAAQS, with the primary provisions for ozone in section 182. At
that same time, Congress modified section 110 to remove references to
the section 110 SIP providing for attainment, including removing pre-
existing section 110(a)(2)(A) in its entirety and renumbering
subparagraph (B) as section 110(a)(2)(A). Additionally, Congress
replaced the clause ``as may be necessary to insure attainment and
maintenance [of the NAAQS]'' with ``as may be necessary or appropriate
to meet the applicable requirements of this chapter.'' Thus, the CAA
has significantly evolved in the more than 40 years since it was
originally enacted. While at one time section 110 of the CAA did
provide the only detailed SIP planning provisions for states and
specified that such plans must provide for attainment of the NAAQS,
under the structure of the current CAA, section 110 is only the initial
stepping-stone in the planning process for a specific NAAQS. And, more
detailed, later-enacted provisions govern the substantive planning
process, including planning for attainment of the NAAQS.
EPA believes that the proper inquiry at this juncture is whether
the State has met the basic structural SIP requirements appropriate at
the point in time EPA is acting upon the submittal. Moreover, as
addressed in EPA's proposed approval for this rulemaking action and
mentioned earlier, West Virginia submitted a list of existing emission
reduction measures in the SIP that control emissions of VOCs and NOx.
West Virginia's SIP revision reflects several provisions that have the
ability to reduce ground level ozone and its precursors. The West
Virginia SIP relies on measures and programs used to implement previous
ozone NAAQS. Because there is no substantive difference between the
previous ozone NAAQS and the more recent ozone
[[Page 19007]]
NAAQS, other than the level of the standard, the provisions relied on
by West Virginia will provide benefits for the new NAAQS; in other
words, the measures reduce overall ground-level ozone and its
precursors and are not limited to reducing ozone levels to meet one
specific NAAQS.
EPA asserts that section 110 of the CAA is only one provision that
is part of the complicated structure governing implementation of the
NAAQS program under the CAA, as amended in 1990, and it must be
interpreted in the context of not only that structure, but also of the
historical evolution of that structure. In light of the revisions to
section 110 since 1970 and the later-promulgated and more specific
planning requirements of the CAA, EPA reasonably interprets the
requirement in section 110(a)(2)(A) of the CAA that the plan provide
for ``implementation, maintenance and enforcement'' to mean that the
infrastructure SIP must contain enforceable emission limits that will
aid in attaining and/or maintaining the NAAQS and that the state
demonstrate that it has the necessary tools to implement and enforce a
NAAQS, such as adequate state personnel and an enforcement program.
With regard to the requirement for emission limitations, EPA has
interpreted this to mean for purposes of section 110, that the state
may rely on measures already in place to address the pollutant at issue
or any new control measures that the state may choose to submit. As EPA
stated in ``Guidance on Infrastructure State Implementation Plan (SIP)
Elements under Clean Air Act Sections 110(a)(1) and 110(a)(2),'' dated
September 13, 2013 (Infrastructure SIP Guidance), ``[t]he conceptual
purpose of an infrastructure SIP submission is to assure that the air
agency's SIP contains the necessary structural requirements for the new
or revised NAAQS, whether by establishing that the SIP already contains
the necessary provisions, by making a substantive SIP revision to
update the SIP, or both. Overall, the infrastructure SIP submission
process provides an opportunity . . . to review the basic structural
requirements of the air agency's air quality management program in
light of each new or revised NAAQS.'' Infrastructure SIP Guidance at p.
2.
The commenter's reliance on 40 CFR 51.112 to support its argument
that infrastructure SIPs must contain emission limits adequate to
provide for timely attainment and maintenance of the standard is also
not supported. As an initial matter, EPA notes this regulatory
provision was initially promulgated and ``restructured and
consolidated'' prior to the CAA Amendments of 1990, in which Congress
removed all references to ``attainment'' in section 110(a)(2)(A). And,
it is clear on its face that 40 CFR 51.112 applies to plans
specifically designed to attain the NAAQS. EPA interprets these
provisions to apply when states are developing ``control strategy''
SIPs such as the detailed attainment and maintenance plans required
under other provisions of the CAA, as amended in 1977 and again in
1990, such as section 175A and 182, and not to infrastructure SIPs. In
the preamble to EPA's 1986 action ``restructuring and consolidating''
provisions in part 51, EPA stated that the new attainment demonstration
provisions in the 1977 Amendments to the CAA were ``beyond the scope''
of the rulemaking. See 51 FR 40656, November 7, 1986. It is important
to note, however, that EPA's action in 1986 was not to establish new
substantive planning requirements, but rather was meant merely to
consolidate and restructure provisions that had previously been
promulgated. EPA noted that it had already issued guidance addressing
the new ``Part D'' attainment planning obligations. Id. Also, as to
maintenance regulations, EPA expressly stated that it was not making
any revisions other than to re-number those provisions. Id. at 40657.
Although EPA was explicit that it was not establishing requirements
interpreting the provisions of new ``part D'' of the CAA, it is clear
that the regulations being restructured and consolidated in the 1986
action on part 51 were intended to address control strategy plans. In
the preamble, EPA clearly stated that 40 CFR 51.112 was replacing 40
CFR 51.13 (``Control strategy: SOX and PM (portion)''),
51.14 (``Control strategy: CO, HC, OX and NO2
(portion)''), 51.80 (``Demonstration of attainment: Pb (portion)''),
and 51.82 (``Air quality data (portion)''). Id. at 40660. Thus, the
present-day 40 CFR 51.112 contains consolidated provisions that are
focused on control strategy SIPs, and an infrastructure SIP is not such
a plan.
Therefore, EPA finds 40 CFR 51.112 inapplicable to its analysis of
the West Virginia ozone infrastructure SIP. EPA finds that CAIR and the
other measures identified in the TSD for this rulemaking for section
110(a)(2)(A) of the CAA are enforceable limitations and measures for
limiting emissions of NOX and VOC for the 2008 ozone NAAQS.
Comment 5: Sierra Club contends that EPA must disapprove West
Virginia's infrastructure SIP revision because it relies on the
``vacated'' rules, CAIR and CSAPR, to meet section 110(a)(2)(F)
requirements that ensure source owners and operators install, maintain,
and replace monitoring equipment and provide periodic reporting.
Response 5: First, as EPA noted earlier, CAIR has not been
``vacated'' as stated in Sierra Club's comment but was ultimately
remanded by the D.C. Circuit to EPA without vacatur, and EPA continues
to implement CAIR.\5\ Further, EPA notes that (as explained in detail
above) as EPA continues to administer CAIR as directed by the D.C.
Circuit, EPA believes it is appropriate for West Virginia's
infrastructure SIP to rely on CAIR at this time until a new rule is
developed. Therefore, as CAIR is enforceable and being implemented,
West Virginia can cite to a provision related to CAIR for its
submission for addressing section 110(a)(2)(F) requirements.
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\5\ As discussed above, since the vacatur of CSAPR in August
2012 and with continued implementation of CAIR per the direction of
the D.C. Circuit in EME Homer City, EPA has approved redesignations
of areas to attainment of the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS in which
states have relied on CAIR as an enforceable measure. See 77 FR
76415, December 28, 2012 (redesignation of Huntingdon-Ashland, West
Virginia for 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS which was proposed in 77 FR
68076, November 15, 2012); 78 FR 59841, September 30, 2013
(redesignation of Wheeling, West Virginia for 1997 PM2.5
NAAQS which was proposed in 77 FR 73575, December 11, 2012); and 78
FR 56168, September 12, 2013 (redesignation of Parkersburg, West
Virginia for 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS which was proposed in 77 FR
73560, December 11, 2012).
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In addition, as discussed in EPA's TSD, West Virginia's
infrastructure SIP submission for the 2008 ozone NAAQS listed numerous
SIP provisions (including the provisions related to CAIR as well as
regulations 45CSR13, 45CSR14, and 45CSR19) to support that the existing
West Virginia SIP ensures source owners and operators install, maintain
and replace monitoring equipment, provide periodic reporting and
correlate reports with emission standards under the CAA for section
110(a)(2)(F). EPA's TSD addressed how West Virginia's statutory and
regulatory provisions provided for these requirements and most of these
requirements are not related to CAIR. While 45CSR39 and 45CSR40, which
are in the approved West Virginia SIP, address interstate transport of
PM2.5, NOX, and ozone and are related to CAIR,
these SIP provisions (45CSR39 and 45CSR40) also contain reporting and
monitoring requirements (as are required for 110(a)(2)(F)) including
references to federal provisions within 40 CFR part 75. Because EPA
continues to implement CAIR and because the West Virginia SIP contains
several provisions itemized in the TSD for this
[[Page 19008]]
rulemaking action addressing monitoring and reporting requirements for
sources in West Virginia, EPA finds the West Virginia infrastructure
SIP for the 2008 ozone NAAQS adequately addressed section 110(a)(2)(F),
and EPA is taking final rulemaking action to approve the infrastructure
SIP submission with respect to the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(F)
of the CAA.
III. Final Action
EPA is approving the following infrastructure elements or portions
thereof of West Virginia's SIP revision: Section 110(a)(2)(A), (B),
(C), (D), (E), (F), (G), (H), (J), (K), (L), and (M). EPA has taken
separate rulemaking action on the portions of section 110(a)(2)(C),
(D)(i)(II), and (J) as they relate to West Virginia's PSD program and
is taking separate action on section 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) as it relates to
section 128 (State Boards). This rulemaking action does not include
section 110(a)(2)(I) of the CAA which pertains to the nonattainment
requirements of part D, Title I of the CAA, since this element is not
required to be submitted by the 3-year submission deadline of section
110(a)(1), and will be addressed in a separate process. This rulemaking
action also does not include action on section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I),
because this element, or portions thereof, is not required to be
submitted by a state until the EPA has quantified a state's
obligations. See EME Homer City, 696 F.3d 7.
IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
A. General Requirements
Under the CAA, the Administrator is required to approve a SIP
submission that complies with the provisions of the CAA and applicable
Federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a). Thus, in
reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of the CAA. Accordingly, this
action merely approves state law as meeting Federal requirements and
does not impose additional requirements beyond those imposed by state
law. For that reason, this action:
Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' subject to
review by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Order
12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993);
does not impose an information collection burden under the
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
is certified as not having a significant economic impact
on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
does not contain any unfunded mandate or significantly or
uniquely affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4);
does not have Federalism implications as specified in
Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999);
is not an economically significant regulatory action based
on health or safety risks subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR
19885, April 23, 1997);
is not a significant regulatory action subject to
Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001);
is not subject to requirements of Section 12(d) of the
National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272
note) because application of those requirements would be inconsistent
with the CAA; and
does not provide EPA with the discretionary authority to
address, as appropriate, disproportionate human health or environmental
effects, using practicable and legally permissible methods, under
Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).
In addition, this rule does not have tribal implications as
specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9, 2000),
because the SIP is not approved to apply in Indian country located in
the state, and EPA notes that it will not impose substantial direct
costs on tribal governments or preempt tribal law.
B. Submission to Congress and the Comptroller General
The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, generally
provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency promulgating
the rule must submit a rule report, which includes a copy of the rule,
to each House of the Congress and to the Comptroller General of the
United States. EPA will submit a report containing this action and
other required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of
Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United States prior
to publication of the rule in the Federal Register. A major rule cannot
take effect until 60 days after it is published in the Federal
Register. This action is not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C.
804(2).
C. Petitions for Judicial Review
Under section 307(b)(1) of the CAA, petitions for judicial review
of this action must be filed in the United States Court of Appeals for
the appropriate circuit by June 6, 2014. Filing a petition for
reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule does not affect
the finality of this action for the purposes of judicial review nor
does it extend the time within which a petition for judicial review may
be filed, and shall not postpone the effectiveness of such rule or
action. This action, which satisfies certain infrastructure
requirements of section 110(a)(2) of the CAA for the 2008 ozone NAAQS
for the State of West Virginia, may not be challenged later in
proceedings to enforce its requirements. (See section 307(b)(2).)
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Ozone.
Dated: March 21, 2014.
W.C. Early,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region III.
40 CFR part 52 is amended as follows:
PART 52--APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS
0
1. The authority citation for part 52 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Subpart XX--West Virginia
0
2. In Sec. 52.2520, the table in paragraph (e) is amended by revising
the entry for Section 110(a)(2) Infrastructure Requirements for the
2008 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS. The amendment reads as follows:
Sec. 52.2520 Identification of plan.
* * * * *
(e) * * *
[[Page 19009]]
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Name of non-regulatory SIP Applicable geographic State submittal EPA approval Additional
revision area date date explanation
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* * * * * * *
Section 110(a)(2) Statewide............ 8/31/11, 2/17/12 10/17/12, 77 FR Approval of the
Infrastructure Requirements 63736. following PSD-
for the 2008 8-Hour Ozone related elements or
NAAQS. portions thereof:
110(a)(2)(C),
(D)(i)(II), and (J),
except taking no
action on the
definition of
``regulated NSR
pollutant'' found at
45CSR14 section 2.66
only as it relates
to the requirement
to include
condensable
emissions of
particulate matter
in that definition.
See Sec.
52.2522(i).
2/17/12 4/7/2014 [Insert This action addresses
Federal the following CAA
Register page elements, or
number where portions thereof:
the document 110(a)(2)(A), (B),
begins and (C), (D), (E), (F),
date]. (G), (H), (J), (K),
(L), and (M).
* * * * * * *
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[FR Doc. 2014-07589 Filed 4-4-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P