Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans and Designation of Areas for Air Quality Planning Purposes; State of Arizona; Redesignation of Phoenix-Mesa Area to Attainment for the 1997 8-Hour Ozone Standard, 55645-55653 [2014-22029]
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Article 4. Burning Regulations
Rule 1. Open Burning 1
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02/10/2001
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Open burning approval; criteria and conditions.
Open burning; approval revocation.
Open burning approval; delegation of authority.
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Incinerators .............................
Portable incinerators (Repealed).
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11/30/2004, 69 FR 69531.
11/30/2004, 69 FR 69531.
11/30/2004, 69 FR 69531.
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1 EPA is approving Rule 1 for the counties of Adams, Allen, Bartholomew, Benton, Blackford, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Clinton,
Crawford, Daviess Dearborn, Decatur, De Kalb, Delaware, Dubois, Elkhart, Fayette, Fountain, Franklin, Fulton, Gibson, Grant, Greene, Hamilton,
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[FR Doc. 2014–22049 Filed 9–16–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Parts 52 and 81
[EPA–R09–OAR–2013–0686; FRL 9916–12–
Region 9]
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Approval and Promulgation of
Implementation Plans and Designation
of Areas for Air Quality Planning
Purposes; State of Arizona;
Redesignation of Phoenix-Mesa Area
to Attainment for the 1997 8-Hour
Ozone Standard
Environmental Protection
Agency.
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:
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This final rule is effective on
October 17, 2014.
DATES:
EPA has established a
docket for this action: Docket ID No.
EPA–R09–OAR–2013–0686. Generally,
documents in the docket for this action
are available electronically at
www.regulations.gov and in hard copy
at EPA Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street,
ADDRESSES:
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is approving, as a revision
to the Arizona state implementation
plan, a request from the Arizona
SUMMARY:
Department of Environmental Quality to
redesignate the Phoenix-Mesa ozone
nonattainment area to attainment of the
1997 8-hour ozone National Ambient
Air Quality Standard (NAAQS or
‘‘standard’’) because the request meets
the statutory requirements for
redesignation under the Clean Air Act.
EPA is also approving the State’s plan
for maintaining the 1997 ozone standard
in the Phoenix-Mesa area for 10 years
beyond redesignation, and the
inventories and related motor vehicle
emissions budgets within the plan,
because they meet the applicable
requirements for such plans and
budgets.
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San Francisco, California. While all
documents in the docket are listed at
www.regulations.gov, some information
may be publicly available only at the
hard copy location (e.g., copyrighted
material, large maps), and some may not
be publicly available in either location
(e.g., Confidential Business
Information). To inspect the hard copy
materials, please schedule an
appointment during normal business
hours with the contact listed in the FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ginger Vagenas, Air Planning Office
(AIR–2), U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Region IX, (415) 972–3964,
vagenas.ginger@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Throughout this document, ‘‘we,’’ ‘‘us,’’
or ‘‘our’’ refer to EPA.
Table of Contents
I. Summary of Proposed Action
A. Determination That the Area Has
Attained the Applicable NAAQS
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B. Determination That the Area Has a Fully
Approved SIP Meeting Requirements
Applicable for Purposes of Redesignation
Under Section 110 and Part D
C. Determination That the Improvement in
Air Quality in the Area Is Due to
Permanent and Enforceable Emissions
Reductions
D. Approval of the Maintenance Plan for
the Area Under CAA Section 175A
II. Responses to Comments on the Proposed
Rule
III. Final Action
IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
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I. Summary of Proposed Action
On March 26, 2014 (79 FR 16734), we
proposed to take several related actions.
First, under Clean Air Act (CAA or
‘‘Act’’) section 110(k)(3), EPA proposed
to approve a March 23, 2009 submittal
from the Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality (ADEQ) of the
Maricopa Association of Governments’
(MAG’s) plan titled ‘‘MAG Eight-Hour
Ozone Redesignation Request and
Maintenance Plan for the Maricopa
Nonattainment Area,’’ (February 2009)
(‘‘Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan’’)
as a revision to the Arizona state
implementation plan (SIP).1
In connection with the Eight-Hour
Ozone Maintenance Plan, EPA proposed
to find that the maintenance
demonstration showing that the area
will continue to attain the 1997 8-hour
ozone NAAQS 2 for 10 years beyond
redesignation (i.e., through 2025) and
the contingency provisions meet all
applicable requirements for
maintenance plans and related
contingency provisions in CAA section
175A. EPA also proposed to find
adequate and approve the motor vehicle
emissions budgets (MVEBs) in the EightHour Ozone Maintenance Plan because
we found that they meet the applicable
transportation conformity requirements
under 40 CFR 93.118(e).
Second, under CAA section
107(d)(3)(D), EPA proposed to approve
ADEQ’s request that accompanied the
submittal of the maintenance plan to
redesignate the Phoenix-Mesa 8-hour
ozone nonattainment area to attainment
for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. We
did so based on our proposed approval
of the Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance
Plan, and our conclusion that the area
has met the criteria for redesignation
1 The Phoenix-Mesa 8-hour ozone nonattainment
area is sometimes referred to as the Maricopa
nonattainment area. The precise boundaries of the
area are found at 40 CFR 81.303.
2 The 1997 8-hour ozone standard is 0.08 parts
per million (ppm) averaged over an 8-hour time
frame. Ground-level ozone is an oxidant that is
formed from photochemical reactions in the
atmosphere between volatile organic compounds
(VOC) and oxides of nitrogen (NOX) in the presence
of sunlight.
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under CAA section 107(d)(3)(E). Our
conclusion was based on our
determination that the area has attained
the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, that
relevant portions of the Arizona SIP are
fully approved, that the improvement in
air quality is due to permanent and
enforceable reductions in emissions,
and that Arizona has met all the section
110 and part D requirements of the CAA
that are applicable to the Phoenix-Mesa
8-hour ozone nonattainment area for
purposes of redesignation.
For the purposes of this final rule, we
have summarized the basis for our
findings in connection with the
proposed approvals of the Eight-Hour
Ozone Maintenance Plan and
redesignation request. For a more
detailed explanation as well as
background information concerning the
1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, the CAA
requirements for redesignation, and the
ozone planning history of the PhoenixMesa area, please see our March 26,
2014, proposed rule.
A. Determination That the Area Has
Attained the Applicable NAAQS
Prior to redesignating an area to
attainment, CAA section 107(d)(3)(E)(i)
requires that we determine that the area
has attained the NAAQS. For our
proposed rule, consistent with the
requirements contained in 40 CFR part
50, EPA reviewed the ozone ambient air
monitoring data for the monitoring
period from 2010 through 2012, as
recorded in the EPA Air Quality System
(AQS) database, and determined, based
on the complete, quality-assured, and
certified data for 2010–2012, that the
Phoenix-Mesa 8-hour ozone
nonattainment area has attained the
1997 8-hour ozone standard because the
design value 3 is less than 0.084 ppm.4
We also reviewed preliminary data from
2013 and found that it was consistent
with continued attainment of the
standard in the Phoenix-Mesa area. See
pages 16737–16739 of our March 26,
2014 proposed rule.
In the proposed rule, we anticipated
that by the time we took final action,
data for year 2013 would be certified,
and that preliminary data for a portion
of year 2014 would be available. In
3 The design value for the 8-hour standard is the
three-year average of the annual fourth-highest
daily maximum 8-hour ozone concentration at the
worst-case monitoring site in the area. When the
design value is less than or equal to 0.084 ppm
(based on the rounding convention in 40 CFR part
50, appendix I) at each monitoring site within the
area, the area is meeting the 1997 8-hour ozone
NAAQS.
4 Our proposed rule also includes a table (at page
16743, table 2) that shows that design values have
been consistent with attainment of the 1997 ozone
standard since the 2005–2007 period.
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anticipation of the newly certified and
available data, we also indicated that, in
our final action, we would update our
attainment determination for the
Phoenix-Mesa area based on complete,
certified data for 2011–2013 and would
review preliminary data for 2014. As
expected, the relevant certifications
have been submitted,5 and based on
review of complete, certified data for
2011–2013, we find that the 8-hour
ozone design value for 2011–2013 for
the Phoenix-Mesa area is 0.081 parts per
million (ppm) based on the data from
the monitoring site (North Phoenix)
recording the highest design value
among the various monitoring sites
within the nonattainment area. Like the
design value for 2010–2012 documented
in the proposed rule, the design value
for 2011–2013 is below 0.084 ppm, and
is, thus, consistent with attainment of
the 1997 ozone NAAQS. Preliminary
data for 2014 are also consistent with
continued attainment.
B. Determination That the Area Has a
Fully Approved SIP Meeting
Requirements Applicable for Purposes
of Redesignation Under Section 110 and
Part D
Sections 107(d)(3)(E)(ii) and (v) of the
CAA require EPA to determine that the
area has a fully approved applicable SIP
under section 110(k) that meets all
applicable requirements under section
110 and part D for the purposes of
redesignation. For the reasons
summarized below, we find that the
Phoenix-Mesa area has a fully approved
applicable SIP under section 110(k) that
meets all applicable requirements under
section 110 and part D for the purposes
of redesignation. See pages 16739–
16741 of our March 26, 2014 proposed
rule.
With respect to section 110 of the
CAA (General SIP Requirements), we
conclude that the Phoenix-Mesa portion
of the approved SIP, which includes
rules pertaining to areas and sources
under the jurisdiction of ADEQ, the
Maricopa County Air Quality
Department (MCAQD), and the Pinal
County Air Quality Control District
(PCAQCD), meet all SIP requirements
for the Phoenix-Mesa area that are
applicable for purposes of
redesignation. Our conclusion in this
regard is based on our review of the
Phoenix-Mesa portion of the Arizona
SIP.
5 See letters from Michael Sundblom, Air Quality
Director, Pinal County Air Quality Control District,
dated April 21, 2014; Eric C. Massey, Director, Air
Quality Division, ADEQ, dated May 30, 2014; and
Dennis Dickerson, Acting Director, Maricopa
County Air Quality Department, dated June 3, 2014.
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With respect to part D (of title I of the
CAA), we reviewed the Phoenix-Mesa
portion of the Arizona SIP for
compliance with applicable
requirements for nonattainment areas
under both subparts 1 and 2.6 First, we
note that EPA previously approved the
Eight-Hour Attainment Plan for the
Phoenix-Mesa area based upon the
determination that it met all applicable
requirements for such plans under
subpart 1 of part D, title 1 of the CAA
for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS (77
FR 35285, June 13, 2012), including the
requirements for an emissions
inventory, for contingency measures,
and for demonstrations of
implementation of reasonably available
control measures, of reasonable further
progress, and of attainment by the
applicable attainment date. As to the
other applicable subpart 1 requirements,
we find that:
• Arizona has met the nonattainment
applicable New Source Review (NSR)
requirements for the Phoenix-Mesa
eight-hour ozone nonattainment area
because rules meeting the fundamental
nonattainment NSR requirements for
ozone nonattainment areas are approved
in the Arizona SIP; and
• The requirements for transportation
conformity SIPs under section 176(c) do
not apply for the purposes of a
redesignation request under section
107(d)(3) because state conformity rules
are still required after redesignation and
federal conformity rules apply where
state rules have not been approved.7
With respect to the requirements
associated with subpart 2, we noted that
the Phoenix-Mesa 8-hour ozone
nonattainment area was initially
designated nonattainment under subpart
1 of the CAA, but was classified as
marginal nonattainment for the 1997 8hour ozone standard under subpart 2 of
part D of the CAA in May 2012,8 i.e.,
after Arizona’s submittal of the
redesignation request. Under EPA’s
longstanding policy of evaluating
requirements in accordance with the
requirements due at the time a
redesignation request is submitted, and
in consideration of the inequity of
applying retroactively any requirements
that might in the future be applied, we
determined that the additional
requirements for marginal
nonattainment areas do not apply to the
6 Subpart
1 contains general, less prescriptive
requirements for all nonattainment areas of any
pollutant, including ozone, governed by a NAAQS.
Subpart 2 contains additional, more specific
requirements for ozone nonattainment areas
classified under subpart 2.
7 See Wall v. EPA, 265 F.3d 426, 439 (6th Cir.
2001) upholding this interpretation.
8 77 FR 28424, May 14, 2012.
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Phoenix-Mesa 8-hour ozone
nonattainment area for the purposes of
redesignation.
C. Determination that the Improvement
in Air Quality in the Area Is Due to
Permanent and Enforceable Emissions
Reductions
Section 107(d)(3)(E)(iii) precludes
redesignation of a nonattainment area to
attainment unless EPA determines that
the improvement in air quality is due to
permanent and enforceable reductions
in emissions resulting from
implementation of the applicable SIP
and applicable federal air pollution
control regulations and other permanent
and enforceable regulations. Based on
our review of the control measures that
provided for attainment of the nowrevoked one-hour ozone NAAQS in the
Phoenix metropolitan area and the
additional control measures adopted
and approved for attainment of the 1997
8-hour ozone standard, and based on
our consideration of other factors such
as weather patterns and economic
activity,9 we find that the improvement
in air quality in the Phoenix-Mesa area
is the result of permanent and
enforceable emissions reductions from a
combination of numerous EPAapproved State and local stationary
source and mobile source control
measures, along with federal motor
vehicle and nonroad control programs.
See pages 16741–16742 of our March
26, 2014 proposed rule.
D. Approval of the Maintenance Plan for
the Area Under CAA Section 175A
Section 107(d)(3)(E)(iv) precludes
EPA from redesignating an area from
nonattainment to attainment unless EPA
has fully approved a plan for
maintaining compliance with the
NAAQS. The required elements of a
maintenance plan for areas seeking
redesignation from nonattainment to
attainment are set forth in CAA section
175A. As explained in the proposed
rule, we interpret this section of the Act
to require, in general, the following core
elements: attainment inventory,
maintenance demonstration, monitoring
network, verification of continued
attainment, and contingency plan.
Based on our review and evaluation of
the Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance
Plan, we conclude that it contains the
9 Specifically, we reviewed temperature data to
determine if unusual meteorological conditions
could have played a significant role in attaining the
1997 ozone standard in the Phoenix-Mesa area and
determined that unusually favorable meteorology
did not play a significant role. We also discussed
the economic slowdown affecting the Phoenix-Mesa
area starting in 2008 but noted that the downward
trend in ozone concentrations had already been
established well before that time.
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55647
core elements and meets the
requirements of CAA section 175A. See
pages 16742–16748 of our proposed
rule. Our conclusion was based on the
following findings:
• The base year emissions inventory
for 2005 is comprehensive, the methods
and assumptions used by MAG to
develop the 2005 emission inventory are
reasonable, and the inventory
reasonably estimates actual ozone
season emissions in an attainment year.
Moreover, we found that the 2005
emissions inventories reflect the latest
planning assumptions and emissions
models available at the time the plan
was developed, and provide a
comprehensive and reasonably accurate
basis upon which to forecast ozone
precursor emissions for years 2019 and
2025;
• MAG’s photochemical modeling
adequately demonstrates maintenance
for at least 10 years after redesignation
to attainment;
• The Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance
plan indicates that ADEQ and MCAQD
will continue to operate an appropriate
air quality monitoring network to verify
the continued attainment of the 1997 8hour ozone NAAQS;
• The continued operation of an
ozone monitoring network and the
requirement that MCAQD, with input
from ADEQ, Arizona DOT, and MAG,
must inventory emissions sources and
report to EPA on a periodic basis 10 are
sufficient for the purpose of verifying
continued attainment; and
• The contingency provisions of the
Ozone Maintenance Plan identify
specific contingency measures,11
contain tracking and triggering
mechanisms to determine when
contingency measures are needed,
contain a sufficient description of the
process of recommending and
implementing contingency measures,
and contain specific timelines for
action, and will, therefore, be adequate
to ensure prompt correction of a
violation and comply with the
contingency-related requirements under
CAA section 175A(d).
Lastly, we find adequate and are
approving the motor vehicle emissions
budgets (MVEBs) contained in the EightHour Ozone Maintenance Plan because
10 See 40 CFR part 51, subpart A (‘‘Air Emissions
Reporting Requirements’’).
11 The Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan
includes both specific contingency measures (such
as the Gross Polluter Option for I/M Program
Waivers, Increased Waiver Repair Limit Options,
and Federal Heavy Duty Diesel Vehicle Emissions
Standards, among others) that have already been
adopted and are being implemented early, and a
mechanism to trigger the adoption of additional
measures as needed. See pages 3–21 and 3–22 of the
Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan.
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we find that they meet the
transportation conformity adequacy
requirements under 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4)
and (5). Specifically, we find that,
among other things, the MVEBs, when
considered with emissions from all
other sources, would be consistent with
maintenance of the 1997 8-hour ozone
NAAQS in the Phoenix-Mesa area for
ten years beyond redesignation.
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II. Responses to Comments on the
Proposed Rule
EPA’s March 26, 2014 proposed rule
provided a 30-day public comment
period. During this period, we received
two comment letters. One comment
letter was from a member of the public
who supports EPA’s proposed actions.
The other letter, from Sierra Club,
opposes the proposed actions. A
summary of Sierra Club’s comments and
EPA’s responses are provided below.
Comment: The Sierra Club contends
that EPA must disapprove the State of
Arizona’s redesignation request for the
Phoenix-Mesa 1997 8-hour ozone
nonattainment area because the
inclusion of State and Maricopa County
rules in the Arizona SIP that provide an
affirmative defense potentially
applicable to violations due to excess
emissions that occur during startup,
shutdown, and malfunction (‘‘SSM
events’’) prevents EPA from determining
that all applicable Clean Air Act
requirements under section 107(d)(3)(E)
for redesignations have been met.
Specifically, Sierra Club contends that
the affirmative defense provisions in the
Arizona SIP prevent EPA from
determining:
• That the improvement in air quality
is due to enforceable reductions as
required under section 107(d)(3)(E)(iii)
because the affirmative defense
provisions applicable during SSM
events make emission reductions
unenforceable;
• that the maintenance plan
demonstrates maintenance of the
NAAQS as required under sections
107(d)(3)(E)(iv) and 175A(a) when
emissions can increase above the
emission inventory and allowable levels
during SSM events; and
• that the State has met all
requirements applicable to the area
under section 110 and part D as
required under sections 107(d)(3)(E)(v)
and 110(a)(2)(A) because the emission
limits in the SIP, at least during SSM
events, are not enforceable because of
the affirmative defense provisions.
In support of this claim, the Sierra
Club notes that EPA has found in other
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actions 12 that illegal SSM provisions
related to emissions during SSM events
constituted grounds for denying
redesignation requests. Moreover, the
Sierra Club notes that EPA has proposed
a SIP call for both the State and
Maricopa County affirmative defense
provisions applicable during startup
and shutdown events based on a finding
that such provisions are inconsistent
with the CAA. Sierra Club also cites a
recent D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
decision (Natural Resources Defense
Council v. EPA, No. 10–1371 (D.C. Cir.,
Apr. 18, 2014—‘‘Cement Kiln
Decision’’),13 as standing for the
principle that affirmative defense
provisions, even those applicable only
during malfunctions, are inconsistent
with the requirements of the Clean Air
Act because such provisions purport to
alter or eliminate the jurisdiction of
federal courts to assess penalties for
violation in contravention of sections
113 and 304. Lastly, Sierra Club
includes a recent District Court opinion
as an example of a citizen enforcement
action undermined by the presence in a
SIP of affirmative defense provisions
applicable during malfunction events.14
Response: EPA does not agree that the
affirmative defense provisions in the
State and Maricopa County portions of
the Arizona SIP provide a basis for
disapproving the redesignation request
for the Phoenix-Mesa nonattainment
area for the 1997 8-hour ozone standard
for the reasons set forth below.
The CAA sets forth the general criteria
for redesignation of an area from
nonattainment to attainment in section
107(d)(3)(E). These criteria include a
determination by EPA that the area has
attained the relevant standard [section
107(d)(3)(E)(i)] and that EPA has fully
approved the applicable
implementation plan for the area for
purposes of redesignation [section
107(d)(3)(E)(ii) and (v)]. EPA must also
determine that the improvement in air
12 The commenter cites two Federal Register
documents: a proposed disapproval of
redesignation requests and maintenance plans for
Salt Lake County, Utah County, and Ogden City,
Utah PM10 nonattainment areas (74 FR 62717,
December 1, 2009), and a final rule requiring Utah
to revise SSM provisions in its SIP (76 FR 21639,
April 18, 2011).
13 The Cement Kiln Decision involved a challenge
to EPA’s National Emission Standards for
Hazardous Air Pollutants for the Portland Cement
Manufacturing Industry and Standards of
Performance for Portland Cement Plants, 78 FR
10006 (February 12, 2013), in which EPA included
an affirmative defense to civil penalties for
violations of emissions standards that result from
unavoidable malfunctions. In the Cement Kiln
Decision, the Court vacated the portion of the 2013
rule pertaining to the affirmative defense.
14 Sierra Club v. Energy Future Holdings Corp.,
No. W–12–cv–108, W.D. Tex., memorandum
opinion and order filed March 28, 2014.
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quality is due to reductions that are
permanent and enforceable [section
107(d)(3)(E)(iii)], and that the EPA has
fully approved a maintenance plan for
the area under section 175A [section
107(d)(3)(E)(iv)]. EPA addressed all
these criteria in the proposal to
redesignate the Phoenix-Mesa area to
attainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone
area. The commenter alleges that EPA’s
analysis is flawed because inclusion of
the affirmative defense in the SIP makes
the Agency’s determination under
redesignation criteria at CAA section
107(d)(3)(E)(iii), (iv), and (v) invalid.
As EPA stated in its proposed rule,
CAA SIP requirements that are not
linked with a particular nonattainment
area’s designation and classification,
including certain section 110
requirements, are not ‘‘applicable’’ for
purposes of evaluating compliance with
the specific redesignation criteria in
CAA sections 107(d)(3)(E)(ii) and (v). 79
FR at 16739, FN 22. EPA maintains this
interpretation because these
requirements remain applicable after an
area is redesignated to attainment. For at
least the past 15 years, EPA has applied
this interpretation with respect to
requirements to which a state will be
subject after the area is redesignated.
See, e.g., 73 FR 22307, 22312–22313
(April 25, 2008) (proposed redesignation
of San Joaquin Valley; EPA concluded
that section 110(a)(2)(D) transport
requirements are not applicable under
section 110(d)(3)(E)(v) because they
‘‘continue to apply to a state regardless
of the designation of any one particular
area in the state’’); 62 FR 24826, 24829–
24830 (May 7, 1997) (redesignation of
Reading, Pennsylvania, Area; EPA
concluded that the additional controls
required by section 184 were not
‘‘applicable’’ for purposes of section
107(d)(3)(E) because ‘‘they remain in
force regardless of the area’s
redesignation status’’). Courts reviewing
EPA’s interpretation of ‘‘applicable’’ in
the context of requirements applicable
for redesignation have agreed with the
Agency. See Sierra Club v. EPA, 375
F.3d 537 (7th Cir. 2004) and Wall v.
EPA, 265 F.3d 426, 438 (6th Cir. 2001).
With respect to the affirmative defense
provisions in the Arizona SIP,
redesignation of the area to attainment
will in no way relieve the State and
Maricopa County of their
responsibilities to remove the
affirmative defense provisions from the
SIP, if EPA later takes action to require
correction of the Arizona SIP with
respect to the affirmative defense
provisions.15 Because we conclude that
15 EPA has proposed, under CAA section
110(k)(5), to find a number of SIPs, including the
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the affirmative defense provisions are
not applicable requirements for
purposes of this redesignation action,
the existence of the affirmative defense
provisions in the SIP does not
undermine our conclusion that the
redesignation criteria under section
107(d)(3)(E)(ii) and (v) have been met.
The affirmative defense provisions at
issue provide an affirmative defense to
monetary penalties for violations due to
excess emissions for certain categories
of stationary sources during qualifying
SSM events.16 The Sierra Club
maintains that the inclusion of these
provisions in the SIP renders the
emissions limits in the nonattainment
SIP and maintenance plan that are
subject to the affirmative defense
provision unenforceable, thus
undermining the Agency’s conclusion
that the improvement in air quality is
due to permanent and enforceable
reductions in emissions as required
under section 107(d)(3)(E)(iii), and the
conclusion that the maintenance plan
will ensure maintenance of the NAAQS
prospectively as required under section
107(d)(3)(E)(iv). The Sierra Club did not
explain the precise basis for its claim
that potential assertion of the
affirmative defenses at issue would
render the existing EPA approved SIP
inconsistent with the criteria under
section 107(d)(3)(E)(iii) and (iv), and
thus, in effect, invites EPA to determine
that the existence in the SIP of
affirmative defense provisions, without
regard to the types of sources relied
upon for attainment and maintenance,
per se means that EPA may not make a
positive determination with respect to
the redesignation criteria under CAA
sections 107(d)(3)(E)(iii) and (iv). We do
not believe that the redesignation
criteria must be interpreted so narrowly,
but may be interpreted to account for
the larger planning context in a given
area.
As noted above, the affirmative
defense provisions in the Arizona SIP
purport to allow sources to avoid
monetary penalties for violations of an
Arizona SIP, substantially inadequate to meet CAA
requirements because the SIP provides an
affirmative defense for excess emissions during
certain SSM events. See 78 FR 12460, at 12533–
12536 (February 22, 2013).
16 EPA approved the State’s SSM affirmative
defense rules prior to designating the Phoenix-Mesa
Area non-attainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone
standard. See [Arizona Administrative Code (AAC)
R18–2–310 (‘‘Affirmative Defenses for Excess
Emissions Due to Malfunctions, Startup, and
Shutdown’’)] at 66 FR 48087 (September 18, 2001)
and Maricopa County’s SSM affirmative defense
rule [Maricopa County Rule 140 (‘‘Excess
Emissions’’) at 67 FR 54957 (August 27, 2002). At
the time EPA approved the affirmative defense
provisions as a part of the SIP, the Agency believed
them to be consistent with CAA requirements.
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applicable emissions limit under certain
limited circumstances, but those
provisions do not prohibit the state,
EPA or citizens from seeking injunctive
relief to force a source that is violating
the applicable SIP emission limitations
to take steps to address the noncompliance. Penalties are not the only
means to address exceedances of a SIP
emission limitation, even though the
possibility or threat of penalties
provides deterrence against violations
and may cause a source to agree more
readily to correct a problem
prospectively. The continued
availability of injunctive relief supports
EPA’s contention that the emissions
limits in the SIP are sufficiently
enforceable for purposes of
redesignation, even though EPA now
believes that such affirmative defense
provisions in SIPs are not consistent
with the CAA and must be revised.
Second, attainment of the 1997 ozone
standard in the Phoenix-Mesa area and
maintenance of the standard through
2025 primarily rely upon emission
limits on mobile and area sources to
which the affirmative defense
provisions in the Arizona SIP do not
apply. For example, all of the specific
control measures relied upon by the
state for numeric credit for attainment
and maintenance planning purposes,
with very minor exceptions, apply to
mobile and area sources. See figures ES–
3 and ES–4 on pages ES–4 and ES–5 in
the approved Eight-Hour Ozone Plan for
the Maricopa Nonattainment Area (June
2007); and figures ES–2 and ES–3 on
pages ES–5 and ES–6 in the Eight-Hour
Ozone Maintenance Plan. These control
measures relate to nonroad equipment
standards, fuel formulations, and
inspection and maintenance (I/M)
requirements rather than stationary
source controls.
This is not to say that controls on
stationary source are not an important
part of the overall ozone control strategy
in the Phoenix-Mesa area. Rather, the
point is that the extent to which
individual stationary sources, which
might assert an affirmative defense for
an SSM event that would likely have
occurred even in the absence of an
affirmative defense, can affect regional
ozone concentrations in the PhoenixMesa area is likely limited. For instance,
based on the emissions inventory for
this area, the highest-emitting
individual stationary sources in the
Phoenix-Mesa area emit approximately
0.80 metric tons per day (mtpd) of VOC
and 2.55 mtpd of NOX based on the
individual facility data for 2005
compiled in appendix A, exhibit 1 of
the Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance
Plan. Such emissions constitute
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approximately 0.12% and 0.94% of the
overall regional inventory for VOC and
NOX, respectively.
Moreover, overall point source 17
emissions in the Phoenix-Mesa area
constitute only 1.7% and 4.0% of VOC
and NOX emissions, respectively, based
on the 2005 inventories presented on
pages ES–8 and ES–9 of the Eight-Hour
Ozone Maintenance Plan. These values
underscore the importance of mobile
and area (and biogenic) sources, to
which the affirmative defense
provisions do not apply, to the regional
inventory, and by extension, to regional
ozone concentrations. The current
design value for the Phoenix-Mesa area,
meanwhile, which is equal to the
projected design value, is 0.081 ppm,
five percent below the applicable
NAAQS. Thus, the hypothetical
potential for any one individual point
source, or even small subset of such
sources, to cause a violation of the 1997
ozone standard in the Phoenix-Mesa
area due to higher emissions that would
likely have occurred in the absence of
the affirmative defense provisions, is
quite low. For these reasons, we
conclude that the affirmative defense
provisions in the Arizona SIP do not
make the emission limits relied upon for
attainment and maintenance
unenforceable for the purposes of CAA
section 107(d)(3)(E)(iii) and (iv) or
otherwise undermine EPA’s approval,
finalized herein, of the Eight-Hour
Ozone Maintenance Plan and related
grant of ADEQ’s redesignation request
for the Phoenix-Mesa area for the 1997
ozone standard.
Sierra Club also contends that EPA
has previously found in other actions
that illegal SSM provisions constitute
grounds for denying redesignation
requests and references EPA’s December
1, 2009 proposed disapproval of Utah’s
redesignation requests for Salt Lake
County, Utah County, and Ogden City
PM10 nonattainment areas (74 FR
62717). However, this aspect of the
proposed disapproval, which was one of
many deficiencies identified by EPA,
was based on the state’s inclusion in the
submittal of new SIP revisions that
would provide blanket exemptions from
compliance with emission standards
during SSM events. In the redesignation
at issue here, the state did not seek to
create new SIP provisions that are
inconsistent with CAA requirements as
part of its redesignation request or
17 The Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan
defines ‘‘point sources’’ as stationary sources that
emit 25 (English) tons per year or more of carbon
monoxide, 10 tons per year or more of ozone
precursors, or 5 tons or more of PM10 or ammonia
compounds. See page 11 of appendix A, exhibit 1
of the Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan.
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maintenance plan, and the already
existing affirmative defense provisions
do not purport to preclude all potential
forms of enforcement, or to provide a
blanket exemption from compliance.
A more analogous action by EPA is
the Agency’s final redesignation of the
Ohio portion of the Huntington-Ashland
(OH–WV–KY) nonattainment area to
attainment for the fine particulate
matter standard (PM2.5) standard. See 77
FR 76883 (December 31, 2012). In
response to comments challenging the
proposed redesignation due to the
presence of certain SSM provisions in
the Ohio SIP, EPA concluded that the
SSM provisions in the Ohio SIP did not
provide a basis for disapproving the
redesignation request. Id., at 76891,
76892. In so concluding, EPA noted that
the SSM provisions and related SIP
limits at issue in that state were
approved into the SIP and thus were
permanent and enforceable for the
purposes of meeting the criteria for
redesignation, and that EPA had other
statutory mechanisms for addressing
any problems associated with the SSM
measures. EPA emphasizes that the
redesignation of the area to attainment
does not relieve Arizona of the
responsibility to remove legally
deficient SIP provisions either
independently or pursuant to a SIP call.
To the contrary, EPA maintains that it
may determine that the affirmative
defense provisions are contrary to CAA
requirements and take action to require
correction of those provisions even after
the area has been redesignated to
attainment. This interpretation is
consistent with prior redesignation
actions. See Southwestern Pennsylvania
Growth Alliance v. EPA, 114 F.3d 984
(6th Cir. 1998) (Redesignation of
Cleveland-Akron-Lorain area
determined valid even though the
Agency subsequently proposed a SIP
call to require Ohio and other states to
revise their SIPs to mitigate ozone
transport to other states).
As of this time, the State’s and
Maricopa County’s affirmative defense
provisions are part of the approved SIP,
and EPA is not required to re-evaluate
the validity of previously approved SIP
provisions as part of this
redesignation.18 If approved SIP
provisions are separately determined to
be deficient, EPA is able to evaluate
18 See September 4, 1992 memorandum entitled
‘‘Procedures for Processing Requests to Redesignate
Areas to Attainment,’’ from John Calcagni, Director,
Air Quality Management Division, EPA Office of
Air Quality Planning and Standards, at page 3;
Southwestern Pennsylvania Growth Alliance v.
Browner, 144 F.3d, 984, 989–990 (6th Cir. 1998);
Wall v. EPA, 265 F.3d 426 (6th Cir. 2001); 68 FR
25418, 25426, May 12, 2003.
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those concerns in the appropriate
context, and can, if necessary, issue a
‘‘SIP call,’’ which triggers a requirement
for states to submit a corrective SIP
revision.
EPA acknowledges that we are
currently evaluating a petition that
pertains to EPA’s SSM Policy that
interprets the requirements of the CAA
with respect to the proper treatment of
excess emissions during SSM events in
SIP provisions. As part of that process,
EPA is separately evaluating the issue of
whether states have authority to create,
and EPA has authority to approve, any
affirmative defense provisions in SIPs.
On June 30, 2011, Sierra Club filed a
‘‘Petition to Find Inadequate and
Correct Several State Implementation
Plans under Section 110 of the Clean
Air Act Due to Startup, Shutdown,
Malfunction, and/or Maintenance
Provisions.’’ The petition includes
interrelated requests concerning the
treatment of excess emissions in state
rules by sources during periods of SSM.
On February 22, 2013, EPA proposed to
grant in part and deny in part the
request in the petition to rescind its
policy interpreting the CAA to allow
states to have appropriately drawn SIP
provisions that provide affirmative
defenses to monetary penalties for
violations during periods of SSM (78 FR
12460). EPA also proposed either to
grant or to deny the petition with
respect to the specific existing SIP
provisions related to SSM events in
each of the 39 states identified by the
Sierra Club as inconsistent with the
CAA. In this context, EPA has proposed
to grant the petition with respect to both
the State’s and Maricopa County’s
affirmative defense provisions for
startup and shutdown periods, and to
deny the petition with respect to the
arguments concerning the agencies’
affirmative defense provisions for
periods of malfunction. Under EPA’s
February 2013 proposal, a schedule has
been proposed for states to submit
corrective SIP revisions.
The Sierra Club also argues that the
Cement Kiln Decision, issued by the
D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on April
18, 2014, prevents EPA from approving
any affirmative defense provisions in
SIPs because they are inconsistent with
CAA provisions relevant to citizen
enforcement under sections 113 and
304. In the decision, the D.C. Circuit
vacated affirmative defense provisions
applicable to violations due to
unavoidable malfunctions provided in
EPA’s standard for emissions from
Portland cement plants.19 The court
concluded that sections 113 and 304
preclude EPA from creating such
affirmative defense provision in its own
regulations because it would purport to
alter or eliminate the jurisdiction of
federal courts to assess civil penalties
for violations of CAA requirements. EPA
is currently analyzing this opinion and
is evaluating its impact on our
interpretation of the CAA regarding the
permissibility of affirmative defenses in
SIP provisions, including those
applicable to malfunctions. In the event
that EPA determines that no affirmative
defense provisions are permissible in
SIPs, the Agency will have the authority
and discretion to require the states to
remove deficient provisions from the
SIPs pursuant to section 110(k)(5). EPA
maintains that this concern is better
addressed through the exercise of that
authority, than through its authority to
redesignate areas that otherwise attain
the NAAQS and meet the requirements
of section 107(d)(3), consistent with
EPA’s long standing approach to
evaluating requests for redesignation to
attainment.
In conclusion, with regard to the
redesignation of the Phoenix-Mesa area,
Arizona has a fully approved SIP. The
provisions that the Sierra Club objects to
do not preclude EPA’s determination
that the emissions reductions that have
provided for attainment and that will
provide for maintenance of the 1997 8hour ozone standard in the PhoenixMesa area are permanent and
enforceable, as those terms are meant in
section 107(d)(3) of the CAA, or that the
state has met all applicable
requirements under section 110 and part
D for the purposes of redesignation. In
addition, the area has attained the 1997
8-hour ozone standard since 2007, and
has demonstrated it can maintain
compliance with the standard for at
least 10 years after redesignation to
attainment. EPA notes, moreover, that it
is approving contingency provisions
under section 175A(d) as part of the
area’s maintenance plan. The
contingency element of the maintenance
plan provides assurance that the area
can promptly correct a violation that
might occur after redesignation. Finally,
EPA is addressing the affirmative
defense provisions in the Arizona SIP in
separate action or actions, and
redesignation of the area to attainment
will in no way relieve the State and
Maricopa County of their
responsibilities to remove the
affirmative defense provisions from the
SIP, if EPA later takes final action to
19 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air
Pollutants for the Portland Cement Manufacturing
Industry and Standards of Performance for Portland
Cement Plants, 78 FR 10006 (February 12, 2013).
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require such revisions to the Arizona
SIP.
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III. Final Action
Under CAA section 110(k)(3), and for
the reasons provided above and in the
proposed rule, EPA is approving
ADEQ’s submittal dated March 23, 2009
of the MAG Eight-Hour Ozone
Redesignation Request and
Maintenance Plan for the Maricopa
Nonattainment Area (February 2009)
(‘‘Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone
Maintenance Plan’’) as a revision to the
Arizona SIP. In connection with the
Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone
Maintenance Plan, EPA finds that the
maintenance demonstration showing
how the area will continue to attain the
1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS for 10 years
beyond redesignation (i.e., through
2025) and the contingency provisions
meet all applicable requirements for
maintenance plans and related
contingency provisions in CAA section
175A.
EPA is also finding adequate and
approving the motor vehicle emissions
budgets (MVEBs) from the Eight-Hour
Ozone Maintenance Plan for
transportation conformity purposes
because we find that they meet the
applicable transportation conformity
requirements under 40 CFR 93.118(e).
The MVEBs are 43.8 metric tons per day
(mtpd) of VOC and 101.8 mtpd of NOX.
They include a 10% safety margin, and
correspond to the peak episode day
(Thursday) in June 2025 that was used
to model maintenance of the 1997 8hour ozone NAAQS in the PhoenixMesa area in the Eight-Hour Ozone
Maintenance Plan.
These new MVEBs become effective
on the date of publication of this final
rule in the Federal Register (see 40 CFR
93.118(f)(2)) and must be used by U.S.
Department of Transportation and the
Maricopa Association of Governments
for future transportation conformity
analyses for the Phoenix-Mesa area with
applicable horizon years after 2024. The
existing 2008 VOC and NOX MVEBs
established in MAG’s approved EightHour Ozone Attainment Plan also
remain in effect. On-road motor vehicle
emissions in any required analysis years
up to and including 2024 cannot exceed
levels established by those previouslyapproved MVEBs.
Second, under CAA section
107(d)(3)(D), we are approving ADEQ’s
request, which accompanied the
submittal of the maintenance plan, to
redesignate the Phoenix-Mesa 8-hour
ozone nonattainment area to attainment
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for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS.20
We are doing so based on our
conclusion that the area has met the five
criteria for redesignation under CAA
section 107(d)(3)(E). Our conclusion in
this regard is in turn based on our
determination that the area has attained
the 1997 ozone NAAQS; that relevant
portions of the Arizona SIP are fully
approved; that the improvement in air
quality is due to permanent and
enforceable reductions in emissions;
that Arizona has met all requirements
applicable to the Phoenix-Mesa area
with respect to section 110 and part D
of the CAA; and that the area has a fully
approved maintenance plan meeting the
requirements of CAA section 175A (i.e.,
the Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan
approved herein).
IV. Statutory and Executive Order
Reviews
Under the CAA, redesignation of an
area to attainment under section
107(d)(3)(E) and the accompanying
approval of a maintenance plan as a SIP
revision under section 110(k)(3) are
actions that affect the status of a
geographical area and do not impose
any additional regulatory requirements
on sources beyond those imposed by
State law. Redesignation to attainment
does not in and of itself create any new
requirements, but rather results in the
applicability of requirements contained
in the CAA for areas that have been
redesignated to attainment. Moreover,
the Administrator is required to approve
a SIP submission that complies with the
provisions of the Act and applicable
federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k);
40 CFR 52.02(a). Thus, in reviewing SIP
submissions, EPA’s role is to approve
State choices, provided that they meet
the criteria of the Clean Air Act.
Accordingly, these actions merely
approve a State plan and redesignation
request as meeting federal requirements
and do not impose additional
requirements beyond those imposed by
state law. For these reasons, these
actions:
• Are 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);
• Do not impose an information
collection burden under the provisions
20 As noted in our proposed rule at 79 FR 16736,
EPA has lowered the 8-hour ozone standard to
0.075 ppm (the 2008 8-hour ozone standard), and
has designated the Phoenix-Mesa area as marginal
nonattainment for the 2008 8-hour ozone standard.
Today’s action redesignates the Phoenix-Mesa area
as attainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone standard
only. The Phoenix-Mesa area remains
nonattainment for the more stringent 2008 8-hour
ozone standard until redesignated for that standard.
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55651
of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
• Are 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.);
• Do 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);
• Do not have Federalism
implications as specified in Executive
Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10,
1999);
• Are not an economically significant
regulatory action based on health or
safety risks subject to Executive Order
13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997);
• Are not a significant regulatory
action subject to Executive Order 13211
(66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001);
• Are 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
• Do not provide EPA with the
discretionary authority to address
disproportionate human health or
environmental effects with practical,
appropriate, 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. Nonetheless, in accordance
with EPA’s 2011 Policy on Consultation
and Coordination with Tribes, EPA has
discussed the actions with the three
Tribes located within the Phoenix-Mesa
8-hour ozone nonattainment area: The
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, the Salt
River-Pima Maricopa Indian
Community, and the Tohono O’odham
Nation.
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
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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).
Under section 307(b)(1) of the Clean
Air Act, petitions for judicial review of
this action must be filed in the United
States Court of Appeals for the
appropriate circuit by November 17,
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 may not be
challenged later in proceedings to
enforce its requirements (see section
307(b)(2)).
(1) MAG Eight-Hour Ozone
Redesignation Request and
Maintenance Plan for the Maricopa
Nonattainment Area (February 2009),
adopted by the Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality on March 23,
2009, excluding the appendices.
*
*
*
*
*
40 CFR Part 81
Environmental protection, Air
pollution control, National parks,
Wilderness areas.
Dated: August 20, 2014.
Jared Blumenfeld,
Regional Administrator, Region IX.
Chapter I, title 40 of the Code of
Federal Regulations is amended as
follows:
PART 81—DESIGNATION OF AREAS
FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING
PURPOSES
PART 52—APPROVAL AND
PROMULGATION OF
IMPLEMENTATION PLANS
3. The authority citation for part 81
continues to read as follows:
■
1. The authority citation for part 52
continues to read as follows:
■
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
4. Section 81.303 is amended by:
a. Removing the table heading
‘‘Arizona—Ozone (Arizona–1997 8Hour Ozone NAAQS (Primary and
Secondary)’’ and adding in its place
‘‘Arizona–1997 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS
(Primary and Secondary)’’; and
■ b. In the newly headed table
‘‘Arizona–1997 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS
(Primary and Secondary),’’ under
‘‘Phoenix-Mesa, AZ:’’ revising the
entries for ‘‘Maricopa County (part)’’
and ‘‘Pinal County (part)’’.
The revision reads as follows:
■
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
■
Subpart D—Arizona
2. Section 52.120 is amended by
adding paragraph (c)(160) to read as
follows:
■
List of Subjects
§ 52.120
40 CFR Part 52
Identification of plan.
*
*
*
*
*
(c) * * *
(160) The following plan was
submitted on March 23, 2009, by the
Governor’s designee.
(i) [Reserved]
(ii) Additional materials.
(A) Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality.
Environmental protection, Air
pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Intergovernmental relations,
Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements, Volatile
organic compounds.
§ 81.303
*
Arizona.
*
*
*
*
ARIZONA–1997 8-HOUR OZONE NAAQS
[Primary and Secondary]
Designation a
Category/
classification
Designated area
Date 1
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Phoenix-Mesa, AZ:
Maricopa County (part) .....................................................................................
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ARIZONA–1997 8-HOUR OZONE NAAQS—Continued
[Primary and Secondary]
Designation a
Category/
classification
Designated area
Date 1
T1N, R1E (except that portion in Indian Country); T1N, R2E; T1N, R3E;
T1N, R4E; T1N, R5E; T1N, R6E; T1N, R7E; T1N, R1W; T1N, R2W; T1N,
R3W; T1N, R4W; T1N, R5W; T1N, R6W; T2N, R1E; T2N, R2E; T2N,
R3E; T2N, R4E; T2N, R5E, T2N, R6E; T2N, R7E; T2N, R8E; T2N, R9E;
T2N, R10E; T2N, R11E; T2N, R12E (except that portion in Gila County);
T2N, R13E (except that portion in Gila County); T2N, R1W; T2N, R2W;
T2N, R3W; T2N, R4W; T2N, R5W; T2N, R6W; T2N, R7W; T3N, R1E;
T3N, R2E; T3N, R3E; T3N, R4E; T3N, R5E; T3N, R6E; T3N, R7E; T3N,
R8E; T3N, R9E; T3N, R10E (except that portion in Gila County); T3N,
R11E (except that portion in Gila County); T3N, R12E (except that portion
in Gila County); T3N, R1W; T3N, R2W; T3N, R3W; T3N, R4W; T3N,
R5W; T3N, R6W; T4N, R1E; T4N, R2E; T4N, R3E; T4N, R4E; T4N, R5E;
T4N, R6E; T4N, R7E; T4N, R8E; T4N, R9E; T4N, R10E (except that portion in Gila County); T4N, R11E (except that portion in Gila County); T4N,
R12E (except that portion in Gila County); T4N, R1W; T4N, R2W; T4N,
R3W; T4N, R4W; T4N, R5W; T4N, R6W; T5N, R1E; T5N, R2E; T5N,
R3E; T5N, R4E; T5N, R5E; T5N, R6E; T5N, R7E; T5N, R8E; T5N, R9E
(except that portion in Gila County); T5N, R10E (except that portion in
Gila County); T5N, R1W; T5N, R2W; T5N, R3W; T5N, R4W; T5N, R5W;
T6N, R1E (except that portion in Yavapai County); T6N, R2E; T6N, R3E;
T6N, R4E; T6N, R5E; T6N, R6E; T6N, R7E; T6N, R8E; T6N, R9E (except
that portion in Gila County); T6N, R10E (except that portion in Gila County); T6N, R1W (except that portion in Yavapai County); T6N, R2W; T6N,
R3W; T6N, R4W; T6N, R5W; T7N, R1E (except that portion in Yavapai
County); T7N, R2E; (except that portion in Yavapai County); T7N, R3E;
T7N, R4E; T7N, R5E; T7N, R6E; T7N, R7E; T7N, R8E; T7N, R9E (except
that portion in Gila County); T7N, R1W (except that portion in Yavapai
County); T7N, R2W (except that portion in Yavapai County); T8N, R2E
(except that portion in Yavapai County); T8N, R3E (except that portion in
Yavapai County); T8N, R4E (except that portion in Yavapai County); T8N,
R5E (except that portion in Yavapai County); T8N, R6E (except that portion in Yavapai County); T8N, R7E (except that portion in Yavapai County); T8N, R8E (except that portion in Yavapai and Gila Counties); T8N,
R9E (except that portion in Yavapai and Gila Counties); T1S, R1E (except
that portion in Indian Country); T1S, R2E (except that portion in Pinal
County and in Indian Country); T1S, R3E; T1S, R4E; T1S, R5E; T1S,
R6E; T1S, R7E; T1S, R1W; T1S, R2W; T1S, R3W; T1S, R4W; T1S,
R5W; T1S, R6W; T2S, R1E (except that portion in Indian Country); T2S,
R5E; T2S, R6E; T2S, R7E; T2S, R1W; T2S, R2W; T2S, R3W; T2S, R4W;
T2S, R5W; T3S, R1E; T3S, R1W; T3S, R2W; T3S, R3W; T3S, R4W;
T3S, R5W; T4S, 1E; T4S, R1W; T4S, R2W; T4S, R3W; T4S, R4W; T4S,
R5W.
Pinal County (part) ...................................................................................................
Apache Junction: T1N, R8E; T1S, R8E (Sections 1 through 12)
*
*
*
10/17/2014
*
Date 1
Type
Type
Attainment.
*
*
*
a Includes
Indian Country located in each county or area, except as otherwise specified.
1 This date is June 15, 2004, unless otherwise noted.
*
*
*
*
*
[FR Doc. 2014–22029 Filed 9–16–14; 8:45 am]
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
40 CFR Part 180
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with RULES
[EPA–HQ–OPP–2014–0324; FRL–9915–81]
Butanedioic Acid, 2-methylene-,
Polymer With 2,5-fuandione, Sodium
and Ammonium Salts, Hydrogen
Peroxide-Initiated; Tolerance
Exemption
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:27 Sep 16, 2014
Jkt 232001
PO 00000
Frm 00051
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
This regulation establishes an
exemption from the requirement of a
tolerance for residues of butanedioic
acid, 2-methylene-, polymer with 2,5furandione, sodium and ammonium
salts, hydrogen peroxide-initiated when
used as an inert ingredient in a pesticide
formulation. Technology Sciences
Group Inc. on behalf of Specialty
Fertilizer Products LLC. submitted a
petition to EPA under the Federal Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA)
requesting an exemption from the
requirement of a tolerance. This
regulation eliminates the need to
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\17SER1.SGM
17SER1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 180 (Wednesday, September 17, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 55645-55653]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22029]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Parts 52 and 81
[EPA-R09-OAR-2013-0686; FRL 9916-12-Region 9]
Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans and Designation
of Areas for Air Quality Planning Purposes; State of Arizona;
Redesignation of Phoenix-Mesa Area to Attainment for the 1997 8-Hour
Ozone Standard
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving, as a
revision to the Arizona state implementation plan, a request from the
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to redesignate the Phoenix-
Mesa ozone nonattainment area to attainment of the 1997 8-hour ozone
National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS or ``standard'') because
the request meets the statutory requirements for redesignation under
the Clean Air Act. EPA is also approving the State's plan for
maintaining the 1997 ozone standard in the Phoenix-Mesa area for 10
years beyond redesignation, and the inventories and related motor
vehicle emissions budgets within the plan, because they meet the
applicable requirements for such plans and budgets.
DATES: This final rule is effective on October 17, 2014.
ADDRESSES: EPA has established a docket for this action: Docket ID No.
EPA-R09-OAR-2013-0686. Generally, documents in the docket for this
action are available electronically at www.regulations.gov and in hard
copy at EPA Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California.
While all documents in the docket are listed at www.regulations.gov,
some information may be publicly available only at the hard copy
location (e.g., copyrighted material, large maps), and some may not be
publicly available in either location (e.g., Confidential Business
Information). To inspect the hard copy materials, please schedule an
appointment during normal business hours with the contact listed in the
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ginger Vagenas, Air Planning Office
(AIR-2), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, (415) 972-
3964, vagenas.ginger@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, ``we,'' ``us,'' or
``our'' refer to EPA.
Table of Contents
I. Summary of Proposed Action
A. Determination That the Area Has Attained the Applicable NAAQS
[[Page 55646]]
B. Determination That the Area Has a Fully Approved SIP Meeting
Requirements Applicable for Purposes of Redesignation Under Section
110 and Part D
C. Determination That the Improvement in Air Quality in the Area
Is Due to Permanent and Enforceable Emissions Reductions
D. Approval of the Maintenance Plan for the Area Under CAA
Section 175A
II. Responses to Comments on the Proposed Rule
III. Final Action
IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Summary of Proposed Action
On March 26, 2014 (79 FR 16734), we proposed to take several
related actions. First, under Clean Air Act (CAA or ``Act'') section
110(k)(3), EPA proposed to approve a March 23, 2009 submittal from the
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) of the Maricopa
Association of Governments' (MAG's) plan titled ``MAG Eight-Hour Ozone
Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan for the Maricopa
Nonattainment Area,'' (February 2009) (``Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance
Plan'') as a revision to the Arizona state implementation plan
(SIP).\1\
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\1\ The Phoenix-Mesa 8-hour ozone nonattainment area is
sometimes referred to as the Maricopa nonattainment area. The
precise boundaries of the area are found at 40 CFR 81.303.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In connection with the Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan, EPA
proposed to find that the maintenance demonstration showing that the
area will continue to attain the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS \2\ for 10
years beyond redesignation (i.e., through 2025) and the contingency
provisions meet all applicable requirements for maintenance plans and
related contingency provisions in CAA section 175A. EPA also proposed
to find adequate and approve the motor vehicle emissions budgets
(MVEBs) in the Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan because we found that
they meet the applicable transportation conformity requirements under
40 CFR 93.118(e).
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\2\ The 1997 8-hour ozone standard is 0.08 parts per million
(ppm) averaged over an 8-hour time frame. Ground-level ozone is an
oxidant that is formed from photochemical reactions in the
atmosphere between volatile organic compounds (VOC) and oxides of
nitrogen (NOX) in the presence of sunlight.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Second, under CAA section 107(d)(3)(D), EPA proposed to approve
ADEQ's request that accompanied the submittal of the maintenance plan
to redesignate the Phoenix-Mesa 8-hour ozone nonattainment area to
attainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. We did so based on our
proposed approval of the Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan, and our
conclusion that the area has met the criteria for redesignation under
CAA section 107(d)(3)(E). Our conclusion was based on our determination
that the area has attained the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, that relevant
portions of the Arizona SIP are fully approved, that the improvement in
air quality is due to permanent and enforceable reductions in
emissions, and that Arizona has met all the section 110 and part D
requirements of the CAA that are applicable to the Phoenix-Mesa 8-hour
ozone nonattainment area for purposes of redesignation.
For the purposes of this final rule, we have summarized the basis
for our findings in connection with the proposed approvals of the
Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan and redesignation request. For a more
detailed explanation as well as background information concerning the
1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, the CAA requirements for redesignation, and
the ozone planning history of the Phoenix-Mesa area, please see our
March 26, 2014, proposed rule.
A. Determination That the Area Has Attained the Applicable NAAQS
Prior to redesignating an area to attainment, CAA section
107(d)(3)(E)(i) requires that we determine that the area has attained
the NAAQS. For our proposed rule, consistent with the requirements
contained in 40 CFR part 50, EPA reviewed the ozone ambient air
monitoring data for the monitoring period from 2010 through 2012, as
recorded in the EPA Air Quality System (AQS) database, and determined,
based on the complete, quality-assured, and certified data for 2010-
2012, that the Phoenix-Mesa 8-hour ozone nonattainment area has
attained the 1997 8-hour ozone standard because the design value \3\ is
less than 0.084 ppm.\4\ We also reviewed preliminary data from 2013 and
found that it was consistent with continued attainment of the standard
in the Phoenix-Mesa area. See pages 16737-16739 of our March 26, 2014
proposed rule.
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\3\ The design value for the 8-hour standard is the three-year
average of the annual fourth-highest daily maximum 8-hour ozone
concentration at the worst-case monitoring site in the area. When
the design value is less than or equal to 0.084 ppm (based on the
rounding convention in 40 CFR part 50, appendix I) at each
monitoring site within the area, the area is meeting the 1997 8-hour
ozone NAAQS.
\4\ Our proposed rule also includes a table (at page 16743,
table 2) that shows that design values have been consistent with
attainment of the 1997 ozone standard since the 2005-2007 period.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the proposed rule, we anticipated that by the time we took final
action, data for year 2013 would be certified, and that preliminary
data for a portion of year 2014 would be available. In anticipation of
the newly certified and available data, we also indicated that, in our
final action, we would update our attainment determination for the
Phoenix-Mesa area based on complete, certified data for 2011-2013 and
would review preliminary data for 2014. As expected, the relevant
certifications have been submitted,\5\ and based on review of complete,
certified data for 2011-2013, we find that the 8-hour ozone design
value for 2011-2013 for the Phoenix-Mesa area is 0.081 parts per
million (ppm) based on the data from the monitoring site (North
Phoenix) recording the highest design value among the various
monitoring sites within the nonattainment area. Like the design value
for 2010-2012 documented in the proposed rule, the design value for
2011-2013 is below 0.084 ppm, and is, thus, consistent with attainment
of the 1997 ozone NAAQS. Preliminary data for 2014 are also consistent
with continued attainment.
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\5\ See letters from Michael Sundblom, Air Quality Director,
Pinal County Air Quality Control District, dated April 21, 2014;
Eric C. Massey, Director, Air Quality Division, ADEQ, dated May 30,
2014; and Dennis Dickerson, Acting Director, Maricopa County Air
Quality Department, dated June 3, 2014.
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B. Determination That the Area Has a Fully Approved SIP Meeting
Requirements Applicable for Purposes of Redesignation Under Section 110
and Part D
Sections 107(d)(3)(E)(ii) and (v) of the CAA require EPA to
determine that the area has a fully approved applicable SIP under
section 110(k) that meets all applicable requirements under section 110
and part D for the purposes of redesignation. For the reasons
summarized below, we find that the Phoenix-Mesa area has a fully
approved applicable SIP under section 110(k) that meets all applicable
requirements under section 110 and part D for the purposes of
redesignation. See pages 16739-16741 of our March 26, 2014 proposed
rule.
With respect to section 110 of the CAA (General SIP Requirements),
we conclude that the Phoenix-Mesa portion of the approved SIP, which
includes rules pertaining to areas and sources under the jurisdiction
of ADEQ, the Maricopa County Air Quality Department (MCAQD), and the
Pinal County Air Quality Control District (PCAQCD), meet all SIP
requirements for the Phoenix-Mesa area that are applicable for purposes
of redesignation. Our conclusion in this regard is based on our review
of the Phoenix-Mesa portion of the Arizona SIP.
[[Page 55647]]
With respect to part D (of title I of the CAA), we reviewed the
Phoenix-Mesa portion of the Arizona SIP for compliance with applicable
requirements for nonattainment areas under both subparts 1 and 2.\6\
First, we note that EPA previously approved the Eight-Hour Attainment
Plan for the Phoenix-Mesa area based upon the determination that it met
all applicable requirements for such plans under subpart 1 of part D,
title 1 of the CAA for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS (77 FR 35285, June
13, 2012), including the requirements for an emissions inventory, for
contingency measures, and for demonstrations of implementation of
reasonably available control measures, of reasonable further progress,
and of attainment by the applicable attainment date. As to the other
applicable subpart 1 requirements, we find that:
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\6\ Subpart 1 contains general, less prescriptive requirements
for all nonattainment areas of any pollutant, including ozone,
governed by a NAAQS. Subpart 2 contains additional, more specific
requirements for ozone nonattainment areas classified under subpart
2.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arizona has met the nonattainment applicable New Source
Review (NSR) requirements for the Phoenix-Mesa eight-hour ozone
nonattainment area because rules meeting the fundamental nonattainment
NSR requirements for ozone nonattainment areas are approved in the
Arizona SIP; and
The requirements for transportation conformity SIPs under
section 176(c) do not apply for the purposes of a redesignation request
under section 107(d)(3) because state conformity rules are still
required after redesignation and federal conformity rules apply where
state rules have not been approved.\7\
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\7\ See Wall v. EPA, 265 F.3d 426, 439 (6th Cir. 2001) upholding
this interpretation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
With respect to the requirements associated with subpart 2, we
noted that the Phoenix-Mesa 8-hour ozone nonattainment area was
initially designated nonattainment under subpart 1 of the CAA, but was
classified as marginal nonattainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone standard
under subpart 2 of part D of the CAA in May 2012,\8\ i.e., after
Arizona's submittal of the redesignation request. Under EPA's
longstanding policy of evaluating requirements in accordance with the
requirements due at the time a redesignation request is submitted, and
in consideration of the inequity of applying retroactively any
requirements that might in the future be applied, we determined that
the additional requirements for marginal nonattainment areas do not
apply to the Phoenix-Mesa 8-hour ozone nonattainment area for the
purposes of redesignation.
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\8\ 77 FR 28424, May 14, 2012.
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C. Determination that the Improvement in Air Quality in the Area Is Due
to Permanent and Enforceable Emissions Reductions
Section 107(d)(3)(E)(iii) precludes redesignation of a
nonattainment area to attainment unless EPA determines that the
improvement in air quality is due to permanent and enforceable
reductions in emissions resulting from implementation of the applicable
SIP and applicable federal air pollution control regulations and other
permanent and enforceable regulations. Based on our review of the
control measures that provided for attainment of the now-revoked one-
hour ozone NAAQS in the Phoenix metropolitan area and the additional
control measures adopted and approved for attainment of the 1997 8-hour
ozone standard, and based on our consideration of other factors such as
weather patterns and economic activity,\9\ we find that the improvement
in air quality in the Phoenix-Mesa area is the result of permanent and
enforceable emissions reductions from a combination of numerous EPA-
approved State and local stationary source and mobile source control
measures, along with federal motor vehicle and nonroad control
programs. See pages 16741-16742 of our March 26, 2014 proposed rule.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ Specifically, we reviewed temperature data to determine if
unusual meteorological conditions could have played a significant
role in attaining the 1997 ozone standard in the Phoenix-Mesa area
and determined that unusually favorable meteorology did not play a
significant role. We also discussed the economic slowdown affecting
the Phoenix-Mesa area starting in 2008 but noted that the downward
trend in ozone concentrations had already been established well
before that time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
D. Approval of the Maintenance Plan for the Area Under CAA Section 175A
Section 107(d)(3)(E)(iv) precludes EPA from redesignating an area
from nonattainment to attainment unless EPA has fully approved a plan
for maintaining compliance with the NAAQS. The required elements of a
maintenance plan for areas seeking redesignation from nonattainment to
attainment are set forth in CAA section 175A. As explained in the
proposed rule, we interpret this section of the Act to require, in
general, the following core elements: attainment inventory, maintenance
demonstration, monitoring network, verification of continued
attainment, and contingency plan.
Based on our review and evaluation of the Eight-Hour Ozone
Maintenance Plan, we conclude that it contains the core elements and
meets the requirements of CAA section 175A. See pages 16742-16748 of
our proposed rule. Our conclusion was based on the following findings:
The base year emissions inventory for 2005 is
comprehensive, the methods and assumptions used by MAG to develop the
2005 emission inventory are reasonable, and the inventory reasonably
estimates actual ozone season emissions in an attainment year.
Moreover, we found that the 2005 emissions inventories reflect the
latest planning assumptions and emissions models available at the time
the plan was developed, and provide a comprehensive and reasonably
accurate basis upon which to forecast ozone precursor emissions for
years 2019 and 2025;
MAG's photochemical modeling adequately demonstrates
maintenance for at least 10 years after redesignation to attainment;
The Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance plan indicates that ADEQ
and MCAQD will continue to operate an appropriate air quality
monitoring network to verify the continued attainment of the 1997 8-
hour ozone NAAQS;
The continued operation of an ozone monitoring network and
the requirement that MCAQD, with input from ADEQ, Arizona DOT, and MAG,
must inventory emissions sources and report to EPA on a periodic basis
\10\ are sufficient for the purpose of verifying continued attainment;
and
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ See 40 CFR part 51, subpart A (``Air Emissions Reporting
Requirements'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The contingency provisions of the Ozone Maintenance Plan
identify specific contingency measures,\11\ contain tracking and
triggering mechanisms to determine when contingency measures are
needed, contain a sufficient description of the process of recommending
and implementing contingency measures, and contain specific timelines
for action, and will, therefore, be adequate to ensure prompt
correction of a violation and comply with the contingency-related
requirements under CAA section 175A(d).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ The Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan includes both
specific contingency measures (such as the Gross Polluter Option for
I/M Program Waivers, Increased Waiver Repair Limit Options, and
Federal Heavy Duty Diesel Vehicle Emissions Standards, among others)
that have already been adopted and are being implemented early, and
a mechanism to trigger the adoption of additional measures as
needed. See pages 3-21 and 3-22 of the Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance
Plan.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lastly, we find adequate and are approving the motor vehicle
emissions budgets (MVEBs) contained in the Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance
Plan because
[[Page 55648]]
we find that they meet the transportation conformity adequacy
requirements under 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4) and (5). Specifically, we find
that, among other things, the MVEBs, when considered with emissions
from all other sources, would be consistent with maintenance of the
1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS in the Phoenix-Mesa area for ten years beyond
redesignation.
II. Responses to Comments on the Proposed Rule
EPA's March 26, 2014 proposed rule provided a 30-day public comment
period. During this period, we received two comment letters. One
comment letter was from a member of the public who supports EPA's
proposed actions. The other letter, from Sierra Club, opposes the
proposed actions. A summary of Sierra Club's comments and EPA's
responses are provided below.
Comment: The Sierra Club contends that EPA must disapprove the
State of Arizona's redesignation request for the Phoenix-Mesa 1997 8-
hour ozone nonattainment area because the inclusion of State and
Maricopa County rules in the Arizona SIP that provide an affirmative
defense potentially applicable to violations due to excess emissions
that occur during startup, shutdown, and malfunction (``SSM events'')
prevents EPA from determining that all applicable Clean Air Act
requirements under section 107(d)(3)(E) for redesignations have been
met. Specifically, Sierra Club contends that the affirmative defense
provisions in the Arizona SIP prevent EPA from determining:
That the improvement in air quality is due to enforceable
reductions as required under section 107(d)(3)(E)(iii) because the
affirmative defense provisions applicable during SSM events make
emission reductions unenforceable;
that the maintenance plan demonstrates maintenance of the
NAAQS as required under sections 107(d)(3)(E)(iv) and 175A(a) when
emissions can increase above the emission inventory and allowable
levels during SSM events; and
that the State has met all requirements applicable to the
area under section 110 and part D as required under sections
107(d)(3)(E)(v) and 110(a)(2)(A) because the emission limits in the
SIP, at least during SSM events, are not enforceable because of the
affirmative defense provisions.
In support of this claim, the Sierra Club notes that EPA has found
in other actions \12\ that illegal SSM provisions related to emissions
during SSM events constituted grounds for denying redesignation
requests. Moreover, the Sierra Club notes that EPA has proposed a SIP
call for both the State and Maricopa County affirmative defense
provisions applicable during startup and shutdown events based on a
finding that such provisions are inconsistent with the CAA. Sierra Club
also cites a recent D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decision (Natural
Resources Defense Council v. EPA, No. 10-1371 (D.C. Cir., Apr. 18,
2014--``Cement Kiln Decision''),\13\ as standing for the principle that
affirmative defense provisions, even those applicable only during
malfunctions, are inconsistent with the requirements of the Clean Air
Act because such provisions purport to alter or eliminate the
jurisdiction of federal courts to assess penalties for violation in
contravention of sections 113 and 304. Lastly, Sierra Club includes a
recent District Court opinion as an example of a citizen enforcement
action undermined by the presence in a SIP of affirmative defense
provisions applicable during malfunction events.\14\
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\12\ The commenter cites two Federal Register documents: a
proposed disapproval of redesignation requests and maintenance plans
for Salt Lake County, Utah County, and Ogden City, Utah
PM10 nonattainment areas (74 FR 62717, December 1, 2009),
and a final rule requiring Utah to revise SSM provisions in its SIP
(76 FR 21639, April 18, 2011).
\13\ The Cement Kiln Decision involved a challenge to EPA's
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for the
Portland Cement Manufacturing Industry and Standards of Performance
for Portland Cement Plants, 78 FR 10006 (February 12, 2013), in
which EPA included an affirmative defense to civil penalties for
violations of emissions standards that result from unavoidable
malfunctions. In the Cement Kiln Decision, the Court vacated the
portion of the 2013 rule pertaining to the affirmative defense.
\14\ Sierra Club v. Energy Future Holdings Corp., No. W-12-cv-
108, W.D. Tex., memorandum opinion and order filed March 28, 2014.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Response: EPA does not agree that the affirmative defense
provisions in the State and Maricopa County portions of the Arizona SIP
provide a basis for disapproving the redesignation request for the
Phoenix-Mesa nonattainment area for the 1997 8-hour ozone standard for
the reasons set forth below.
The CAA sets forth the general criteria for redesignation of an
area from nonattainment to attainment in section 107(d)(3)(E). These
criteria include a determination by EPA that the area has attained the
relevant standard [section 107(d)(3)(E)(i)] and that EPA has fully
approved the applicable implementation plan for the area for purposes
of redesignation [section 107(d)(3)(E)(ii) and (v)]. EPA must also
determine that the improvement in air quality is due to reductions that
are permanent and enforceable [section 107(d)(3)(E)(iii)], and that the
EPA has fully approved a maintenance plan for the area under section
175A [section 107(d)(3)(E)(iv)]. EPA addressed all these criteria in
the proposal to redesignate the Phoenix-Mesa area to attainment for the
1997 8-hour ozone area. The commenter alleges that EPA's analysis is
flawed because inclusion of the affirmative defense in the SIP makes
the Agency's determination under redesignation criteria at CAA section
107(d)(3)(E)(iii), (iv), and (v) invalid.
As EPA stated in its proposed rule, CAA SIP requirements that are
not linked with a particular nonattainment area's designation and
classification, including certain section 110 requirements, are not
``applicable'' for purposes of evaluating compliance with the specific
redesignation criteria in CAA sections 107(d)(3)(E)(ii) and (v). 79 FR
at 16739, FN 22. EPA maintains this interpretation because these
requirements remain applicable after an area is redesignated to
attainment. For at least the past 15 years, EPA has applied this
interpretation with respect to requirements to which a state will be
subject after the area is redesignated. See, e.g., 73 FR 22307, 22312-
22313 (April 25, 2008) (proposed redesignation of San Joaquin Valley;
EPA concluded that section 110(a)(2)(D) transport requirements are not
applicable under section 110(d)(3)(E)(v) because they ``continue to
apply to a state regardless of the designation of any one particular
area in the state''); 62 FR 24826, 24829-24830 (May 7, 1997)
(redesignation of Reading, Pennsylvania, Area; EPA concluded that the
additional controls required by section 184 were not ``applicable'' for
purposes of section 107(d)(3)(E) because ``they remain in force
regardless of the area's redesignation status''). Courts reviewing
EPA's interpretation of ``applicable'' in the context of requirements
applicable for redesignation have agreed with the Agency. See Sierra
Club v. EPA, 375 F.3d 537 (7th Cir. 2004) and Wall v. EPA, 265 F.3d
426, 438 (6th Cir. 2001). With respect to the affirmative defense
provisions in the Arizona SIP, redesignation of the area to attainment
will in no way relieve the State and Maricopa County of their
responsibilities to remove the affirmative defense provisions from the
SIP, if EPA later takes action to require correction of the Arizona SIP
with respect to the affirmative defense provisions.\15\ Because we
conclude that
[[Page 55649]]
the affirmative defense provisions are not applicable requirements for
purposes of this redesignation action, the existence of the affirmative
defense provisions in the SIP does not undermine our conclusion that
the redesignation criteria under section 107(d)(3)(E)(ii) and (v) have
been met.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\15\ EPA has proposed, under CAA section 110(k)(5), to find a
number of SIPs, including the Arizona SIP, substantially inadequate
to meet CAA requirements because the SIP provides an affirmative
defense for excess emissions during certain SSM events. See 78 FR
12460, at 12533-12536 (February 22, 2013).
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The affirmative defense provisions at issue provide an affirmative
defense to monetary penalties for violations due to excess emissions
for certain categories of stationary sources during qualifying SSM
events.\16\ The Sierra Club maintains that the inclusion of these
provisions in the SIP renders the emissions limits in the nonattainment
SIP and maintenance plan that are subject to the affirmative defense
provision unenforceable, thus undermining the Agency's conclusion that
the improvement in air quality is due to permanent and enforceable
reductions in emissions as required under section 107(d)(3)(E)(iii),
and the conclusion that the maintenance plan will ensure maintenance of
the NAAQS prospectively as required under section 107(d)(3)(E)(iv). The
Sierra Club did not explain the precise basis for its claim that
potential assertion of the affirmative defenses at issue would render
the existing EPA approved SIP inconsistent with the criteria under
section 107(d)(3)(E)(iii) and (iv), and thus, in effect, invites EPA to
determine that the existence in the SIP of affirmative defense
provisions, without regard to the types of sources relied upon for
attainment and maintenance, per se means that EPA may not make a
positive determination with respect to the redesignation criteria under
CAA sections 107(d)(3)(E)(iii) and (iv). We do not believe that the
redesignation criteria must be interpreted so narrowly, but may be
interpreted to account for the larger planning context in a given area.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\16\ EPA approved the State's SSM affirmative defense rules
prior to designating the Phoenix-Mesa Area non-attainment for the
1997 8-hour ozone standard. See [Arizona Administrative Code (AAC)
R18-2-310 (``Affirmative Defenses for Excess Emissions Due to
Malfunctions, Startup, and Shutdown'')] at 66 FR 48087 (September
18, 2001) and Maricopa County's SSM affirmative defense rule
[Maricopa County Rule 140 (``Excess Emissions'') at 67 FR 54957
(August 27, 2002). At the time EPA approved the affirmative defense
provisions as a part of the SIP, the Agency believed them to be
consistent with CAA requirements.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
As noted above, the affirmative defense provisions in the Arizona
SIP purport to allow sources to avoid monetary penalties for violations
of an applicable emissions limit under certain limited circumstances,
but those provisions do not prohibit the state, EPA or citizens from
seeking injunctive relief to force a source that is violating the
applicable SIP emission limitations to take steps to address the non-
compliance. Penalties are not the only means to address exceedances of
a SIP emission limitation, even though the possibility or threat of
penalties provides deterrence against violations and may cause a source
to agree more readily to correct a problem prospectively. The continued
availability of injunctive relief supports EPA's contention that the
emissions limits in the SIP are sufficiently enforceable for purposes
of redesignation, even though EPA now believes that such affirmative
defense provisions in SIPs are not consistent with the CAA and must be
revised.
Second, attainment of the 1997 ozone standard in the Phoenix-Mesa
area and maintenance of the standard through 2025 primarily rely upon
emission limits on mobile and area sources to which the affirmative
defense provisions in the Arizona SIP do not apply. For example, all of
the specific control measures relied upon by the state for numeric
credit for attainment and maintenance planning purposes, with very
minor exceptions, apply to mobile and area sources. See figures ES-3
and ES-4 on pages ES-4 and ES-5 in the approved Eight-Hour Ozone Plan
for the Maricopa Nonattainment Area (June 2007); and figures ES-2 and
ES-3 on pages ES-5 and ES-6 in the Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan.
These control measures relate to nonroad equipment standards, fuel
formulations, and inspection and maintenance (I/M) requirements rather
than stationary source controls.
This is not to say that controls on stationary source are not an
important part of the overall ozone control strategy in the Phoenix-
Mesa area. Rather, the point is that the extent to which individual
stationary sources, which might assert an affirmative defense for an
SSM event that would likely have occurred even in the absence of an
affirmative defense, can affect regional ozone concentrations in the
Phoenix-Mesa area is likely limited. For instance, based on the
emissions inventory for this area, the highest-emitting individual
stationary sources in the Phoenix-Mesa area emit approximately 0.80
metric tons per day (mtpd) of VOC and 2.55 mtpd of NOX based
on the individual facility data for 2005 compiled in appendix A,
exhibit 1 of the Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan. Such emissions
constitute approximately 0.12% and 0.94% of the overall regional
inventory for VOC and NOX, respectively.
Moreover, overall point source \17\ emissions in the Phoenix-Mesa
area constitute only 1.7% and 4.0% of VOC and NOX emissions,
respectively, based on the 2005 inventories presented on pages ES-8 and
ES-9 of the Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan. These values underscore
the importance of mobile and area (and biogenic) sources, to which the
affirmative defense provisions do not apply, to the regional inventory,
and by extension, to regional ozone concentrations. The current design
value for the Phoenix-Mesa area, meanwhile, which is equal to the
projected design value, is 0.081 ppm, five percent below the applicable
NAAQS. Thus, the hypothetical potential for any one individual point
source, or even small subset of such sources, to cause a violation of
the 1997 ozone standard in the Phoenix-Mesa area due to higher
emissions that would likely have occurred in the absence of the
affirmative defense provisions, is quite low. For these reasons, we
conclude that the affirmative defense provisions in the Arizona SIP do
not make the emission limits relied upon for attainment and maintenance
unenforceable for the purposes of CAA section 107(d)(3)(E)(iii) and
(iv) or otherwise undermine EPA's approval, finalized herein, of the
Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan and related grant of ADEQ's
redesignation request for the Phoenix-Mesa area for the 1997 ozone
standard.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\17\ The Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan defines ``point
sources'' as stationary sources that emit 25 (English) tons per year
or more of carbon monoxide, 10 tons per year or more of ozone
precursors, or 5 tons or more of PM10 or ammonia
compounds. See page 11 of appendix A, exhibit 1 of the Eight-Hour
Ozone Maintenance Plan.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sierra Club also contends that EPA has previously found in other
actions that illegal SSM provisions constitute grounds for denying
redesignation requests and references EPA's December 1, 2009 proposed
disapproval of Utah's redesignation requests for Salt Lake County, Utah
County, and Ogden City PM10 nonattainment areas (74 FR
62717). However, this aspect of the proposed disapproval, which was one
of many deficiencies identified by EPA, was based on the state's
inclusion in the submittal of new SIP revisions that would provide
blanket exemptions from compliance with emission standards during SSM
events. In the redesignation at issue here, the state did not seek to
create new SIP provisions that are inconsistent with CAA requirements
as part of its redesignation request or
[[Page 55650]]
maintenance plan, and the already existing affirmative defense
provisions do not purport to preclude all potential forms of
enforcement, or to provide a blanket exemption from compliance.
A more analogous action by EPA is the Agency's final redesignation
of the Ohio portion of the Huntington-Ashland (OH-WV-KY) nonattainment
area to attainment for the fine particulate matter standard
(PM2.5) standard. See 77 FR 76883 (December 31, 2012). In
response to comments challenging the proposed redesignation due to the
presence of certain SSM provisions in the Ohio SIP, EPA concluded that
the SSM provisions in the Ohio SIP did not provide a basis for
disapproving the redesignation request. Id., at 76891, 76892. In so
concluding, EPA noted that the SSM provisions and related SIP limits at
issue in that state were approved into the SIP and thus were permanent
and enforceable for the purposes of meeting the criteria for
redesignation, and that EPA had other statutory mechanisms for
addressing any problems associated with the SSM measures. EPA
emphasizes that the redesignation of the area to attainment does not
relieve Arizona of the responsibility to remove legally deficient SIP
provisions either independently or pursuant to a SIP call. To the
contrary, EPA maintains that it may determine that the affirmative
defense provisions are contrary to CAA requirements and take action to
require correction of those provisions even after the area has been
redesignated to attainment. This interpretation is consistent with
prior redesignation actions. See Southwestern Pennsylvania Growth
Alliance v. EPA, 114 F.3d 984 (6th Cir. 1998) (Redesignation of
Cleveland-Akron-Lorain area determined valid even though the Agency
subsequently proposed a SIP call to require Ohio and other states to
revise their SIPs to mitigate ozone transport to other states).
As of this time, the State's and Maricopa County's affirmative
defense provisions are part of the approved SIP, and EPA is not
required to re-evaluate the validity of previously approved SIP
provisions as part of this redesignation.\18\ If approved SIP
provisions are separately determined to be deficient, EPA is able to
evaluate those concerns in the appropriate context, and can, if
necessary, issue a ``SIP call,'' which triggers a requirement for
states to submit a corrective SIP revision.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\18\ See September 4, 1992 memorandum entitled ``Procedures for
Processing Requests to Redesignate Areas to Attainment,'' from John
Calcagni, Director, Air Quality Management Division, EPA Office of
Air Quality Planning and Standards, at page 3; Southwestern
Pennsylvania Growth Alliance v. Browner, 144 F.3d, 984, 989-990 (6th
Cir. 1998); Wall v. EPA, 265 F.3d 426 (6th Cir. 2001); 68 FR 25418,
25426, May 12, 2003.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPA acknowledges that we are currently evaluating a petition that
pertains to EPA's SSM Policy that interprets the requirements of the
CAA with respect to the proper treatment of excess emissions during SSM
events in SIP provisions. As part of that process, EPA is separately
evaluating the issue of whether states have authority to create, and
EPA has authority to approve, any affirmative defense provisions in
SIPs. On June 30, 2011, Sierra Club filed a ``Petition to Find
Inadequate and Correct Several State Implementation Plans under Section
110 of the Clean Air Act Due to Startup, Shutdown, Malfunction, and/or
Maintenance Provisions.'' The petition includes interrelated requests
concerning the treatment of excess emissions in state rules by sources
during periods of SSM. On February 22, 2013, EPA proposed to grant in
part and deny in part the request in the petition to rescind its policy
interpreting the CAA to allow states to have appropriately drawn SIP
provisions that provide affirmative defenses to monetary penalties for
violations during periods of SSM (78 FR 12460). EPA also proposed
either to grant or to deny the petition with respect to the specific
existing SIP provisions related to SSM events in each of the 39 states
identified by the Sierra Club as inconsistent with the CAA. In this
context, EPA has proposed to grant the petition with respect to both
the State's and Maricopa County's affirmative defense provisions for
startup and shutdown periods, and to deny the petition with respect to
the arguments concerning the agencies' affirmative defense provisions
for periods of malfunction. Under EPA's February 2013 proposal, a
schedule has been proposed for states to submit corrective SIP
revisions.
The Sierra Club also argues that the Cement Kiln Decision, issued
by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on April 18, 2014, prevents EPA
from approving any affirmative defense provisions in SIPs because they
are inconsistent with CAA provisions relevant to citizen enforcement
under sections 113 and 304. In the decision, the D.C. Circuit vacated
affirmative defense provisions applicable to violations due to
unavoidable malfunctions provided in EPA's standard for emissions from
Portland cement plants.\19\ The court concluded that sections 113 and
304 preclude EPA from creating such affirmative defense provision in
its own regulations because it would purport to alter or eliminate the
jurisdiction of federal courts to assess civil penalties for violations
of CAA requirements. EPA is currently analyzing this opinion and is
evaluating its impact on our interpretation of the CAA regarding the
permissibility of affirmative defenses in SIP provisions, including
those applicable to malfunctions. In the event that EPA determines that
no affirmative defense provisions are permissible in SIPs, the Agency
will have the authority and discretion to require the states to remove
deficient provisions from the SIPs pursuant to section 110(k)(5). EPA
maintains that this concern is better addressed through the exercise of
that authority, than through its authority to redesignate areas that
otherwise attain the NAAQS and meet the requirements of section
107(d)(3), consistent with EPA's long standing approach to evaluating
requests for redesignation to attainment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\19\ National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants
for the Portland Cement Manufacturing Industry and Standards of
Performance for Portland Cement Plants, 78 FR 10006 (February 12,
2013).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In conclusion, with regard to the redesignation of the Phoenix-Mesa
area, Arizona has a fully approved SIP. The provisions that the Sierra
Club objects to do not preclude EPA's determination that the emissions
reductions that have provided for attainment and that will provide for
maintenance of the 1997 8-hour ozone standard in the Phoenix-Mesa area
are permanent and enforceable, as those terms are meant in section
107(d)(3) of the CAA, or that the state has met all applicable
requirements under section 110 and part D for the purposes of
redesignation. In addition, the area has attained the 1997 8-hour ozone
standard since 2007, and has demonstrated it can maintain compliance
with the standard for at least 10 years after redesignation to
attainment. EPA notes, moreover, that it is approving contingency
provisions under section 175A(d) as part of the area's maintenance
plan. The contingency element of the maintenance plan provides
assurance that the area can promptly correct a violation that might
occur after redesignation. Finally, EPA is addressing the affirmative
defense provisions in the Arizona SIP in separate action or actions,
and redesignation of the area to attainment will in no way relieve the
State and Maricopa County of their responsibilities to remove the
affirmative defense provisions from the SIP, if EPA later takes final
action to
[[Page 55651]]
require such revisions to the Arizona SIP.
III. Final Action
Under CAA section 110(k)(3), and for the reasons provided above and
in the proposed rule, EPA is approving ADEQ's submittal dated March 23,
2009 of the MAG Eight-Hour Ozone Redesignation Request and Maintenance
Plan for the Maricopa Nonattainment Area (February 2009) (``Phoenix-
Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan'') as a revision to the Arizona
SIP. In connection with the Phoenix-Mesa Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance
Plan, EPA finds that the maintenance demonstration showing how the area
will continue to attain the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS for 10 years beyond
redesignation (i.e., through 2025) and the contingency provisions meet
all applicable requirements for maintenance plans and related
contingency provisions in CAA section 175A.
EPA is also finding adequate and approving the motor vehicle
emissions budgets (MVEBs) from the Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan
for transportation conformity purposes because we find that they meet
the applicable transportation conformity requirements under 40 CFR
93.118(e). The MVEBs are 43.8 metric tons per day (mtpd) of VOC and
101.8 mtpd of NOX. They include a 10% safety margin, and
correspond to the peak episode day (Thursday) in June 2025 that was
used to model maintenance of the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS in the
Phoenix-Mesa area in the Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan.
These new MVEBs become effective on the date of publication of this
final rule in the Federal Register (see 40 CFR 93.118(f)(2)) and must
be used by U.S. Department of Transportation and the Maricopa
Association of Governments for future transportation conformity
analyses for the Phoenix-Mesa area with applicable horizon years after
2024. The existing 2008 VOC and NOX MVEBs established in
MAG's approved Eight-Hour Ozone Attainment Plan also remain in effect.
On-road motor vehicle emissions in any required analysis years up to
and including 2024 cannot exceed levels established by those
previously-approved MVEBs.
Second, under CAA section 107(d)(3)(D), we are approving ADEQ's
request, which accompanied the submittal of the maintenance plan, to
redesignate the Phoenix-Mesa 8-hour ozone nonattainment area to
attainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS.\20\ We are doing so based
on our conclusion that the area has met the five criteria for
redesignation under CAA section 107(d)(3)(E). Our conclusion in this
regard is in turn based on our determination that the area has attained
the 1997 ozone NAAQS; that relevant portions of the Arizona SIP are
fully approved; that the improvement in air quality is due to permanent
and enforceable reductions in emissions; that Arizona has met all
requirements applicable to the Phoenix-Mesa area with respect to
section 110 and part D of the CAA; and that the area has a fully
approved maintenance plan meeting the requirements of CAA section 175A
(i.e., the Eight-Hour Ozone Maintenance Plan approved herein).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\20\ As noted in our proposed rule at 79 FR 16736, EPA has
lowered the 8-hour ozone standard to 0.075 ppm (the 2008 8-hour
ozone standard), and has designated the Phoenix-Mesa area as
marginal nonattainment for the 2008 8-hour ozone standard. Today's
action redesignates the Phoenix-Mesa area as attainment for the 1997
8-hour ozone standard only. The Phoenix-Mesa area remains
nonattainment for the more stringent 2008 8-hour ozone standard
until redesignated for that standard.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
Under the CAA, redesignation of an area to attainment under section
107(d)(3)(E) and the accompanying approval of a maintenance plan as a
SIP revision under section 110(k)(3) are actions that affect the status
of a geographical area and do not impose any additional regulatory
requirements on sources beyond those imposed by State law.
Redesignation to attainment does not in and of itself create any new
requirements, but rather results in the applicability of requirements
contained in the CAA for areas that have been redesignated to
attainment. Moreover, the Administrator is required to approve a SIP
submission that complies with the provisions of the Act and applicable
federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a). Thus, in
reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve State choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of the Clean Air Act. Accordingly,
these actions merely approve a State plan and redesignation request as
meeting federal requirements and do not impose additional requirements
beyond those imposed by state law. For these reasons, these actions:
Are 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);
Do not impose an information collection burden under the
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
Are 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.);
Do 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);
Do not have Federalism implications as specified in
Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999);
Are not an economically significant regulatory action
based on health or safety risks subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR
19885, April 23, 1997);
Are not a significant regulatory action subject to
Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001);
Are 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
Do not provide EPA with the discretionary authority to
address disproportionate human health or environmental effects with
practical, appropriate, 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. Nonetheless, in
accordance with EPA's 2011 Policy on Consultation and Coordination with
Tribes, EPA has discussed the actions with the three Tribes located
within the Phoenix-Mesa 8-hour ozone nonattainment area: The Fort
McDowell Yavapai Nation, the Salt River-Pima Maricopa Indian Community,
and the Tohono O'odham Nation.
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
[[Page 55652]]
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).
Under section 307(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act, petitions for
judicial review of this action must be filed in the United States Court
of Appeals for the appropriate circuit by November 17, 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 may not be challenged later in
proceedings to enforce its requirements (see section 307(b)(2)).
List of Subjects
40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Intergovernmental relations, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone,
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Volatile organic compounds.
40 CFR Part 81
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, National parks,
Wilderness areas.
Dated: August 20, 2014.
Jared Blumenfeld,
Regional Administrator, Region IX.
Chapter I, title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations 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 D--Arizona
0
2. Section 52.120 is amended by adding paragraph (c)(160) to read as
follows:
Sec. 52.120 Identification of plan.
* * * * *
(c) * * *
(160) The following plan was submitted on March 23, 2009, by the
Governor's designee.
(i) [Reserved]
(ii) Additional materials.
(A) Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
(1) MAG Eight-Hour Ozone Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan
for the Maricopa Nonattainment Area (February 2009), adopted by the
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality on March 23, 2009,
excluding the appendices.
* * * * *
PART 81--DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES
0
3. The authority citation for part 81 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
0
4. Section 81.303 is amended by:
0
a. Removing the table heading ``Arizona--Ozone (Arizona-1997 8-Hour
Ozone NAAQS (Primary and Secondary)'' and adding in its place
``Arizona-1997 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS (Primary and Secondary)''; and
0
b. In the newly headed table ``Arizona-1997 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS (Primary
and Secondary),'' under ``Phoenix-Mesa, AZ:'' revising the entries for
``Maricopa County (part)'' and ``Pinal County (part)''.
The revision reads as follows:
Sec. 81.303 Arizona.
* * * * *
Arizona-1997 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS
[Primary and Secondary]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Designation \a\ Category/ classification
Designated area -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date \1\ Type Date \1\ Type
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ:
Maricopa County (part).............. 10/17/2014 Attainment........
[[Page 55653]]
T1N, R1E (except that portion in
Indian Country); T1N, R2E; T1N,
R3E; T1N, R4E; T1N, R5E; T1N, R6E;
T1N, R7E; T1N, R1W; T1N, R2W; T1N,
R3W; T1N, R4W; T1N, R5W; T1N, R6W;
T2N, R1E; T2N, R2E; T2N, R3E; T2N,
R4E; T2N, R5E, T2N, R6E; T2N, R7E;
T2N, R8E; T2N, R9E; T2N, R10E; T2N,
R11E; T2N, R12E (except that
portion in Gila County); T2N, R13E
(except that portion in Gila
County); T2N, R1W; T2N, R2W; T2N,
R3W; T2N, R4W; T2N, R5W; T2N, R6W;
T2N, R7W; T3N, R1E; T3N, R2E; T3N,
R3E; T3N, R4E; T3N, R5E; T3N, R6E;
T3N, R7E; T3N, R8E; T3N, R9E; T3N,
R10E (except that portion in Gila
County); T3N, R11E (except that
portion in Gila County); T3N, R12E
(except that portion in Gila
County); T3N, R1W; T3N, R2W; T3N,
R3W; T3N, R4W; T3N, R5W; T3N, R6W;
T4N, R1E; T4N, R2E; T4N, R3E; T4N,
R4E; T4N, R5E; T4N, R6E; T4N, R7E;
T4N, R8E; T4N, R9E; T4N, R10E
(except that portion in Gila
County); T4N, R11E (except that
portion in Gila County); T4N, R12E
(except that portion in Gila
County); T4N, R1W; T4N, R2W; T4N,
R3W; T4N, R4W; T4N, R5W; T4N, R6W;
T5N, R1E; T5N, R2E; T5N, R3E; T5N,
R4E; T5N, R5E; T5N, R6E; T5N, R7E;
T5N, R8E; T5N, R9E (except that
portion in Gila County); T5N, R10E
(except that portion in Gila
County); T5N, R1W; T5N, R2W; T5N,
R3W; T5N, R4W; T5N, R5W; T6N, R1E
(except that portion in Yavapai
County); T6N, R2E; T6N, R3E; T6N,
R4E; T6N, R5E; T6N, R6E; T6N, R7E;
T6N, R8E; T6N, R9E (except that
portion in Gila County); T6N, R10E
(except that portion in Gila
County); T6N, R1W (except that
portion in Yavapai County); T6N,
R2W; T6N, R3W; T6N, R4W; T6N, R5W;
T7N, R1E (except that portion in
Yavapai County); T7N, R2E; (except
that portion in Yavapai County);
T7N, R3E; T7N, R4E; T7N, R5E; T7N,
R6E; T7N, R7E; T7N, R8E; T7N, R9E
(except that portion in Gila
County); T7N, R1W (except that
portion in Yavapai County); T7N,
R2W (except that portion in Yavapai
County); T8N, R2E (except that
portion in Yavapai County); T8N,
R3E (except that portion in Yavapai
County); T8N, R4E (except that
portion in Yavapai County); T8N,
R5E (except that portion in Yavapai
County); T8N, R6E (except that
portion in Yavapai County); T8N,
R7E (except that portion in Yavapai
County); T8N, R8E (except that
portion in Yavapai and Gila
Counties); T8N, R9E (except that
portion in Yavapai and Gila
Counties); T1S, R1E (except that
portion in Indian Country); T1S,
R2E (except that portion in Pinal
County and in Indian Country); T1S,
R3E; T1S, R4E; T1S, R5E; T1S, R6E;
T1S, R7E; T1S, R1W; T1S, R2W; T1S,
R3W; T1S, R4W; T1S, R5W; T1S, R6W;
T2S, R1E (except that portion in
Indian Country); T2S, R5E; T2S,
R6E; T2S, R7E; T2S, R1W; T2S, R2W;
T2S, R3W; T2S, R4W; T2S, R5W; T3S,
R1E; T3S, R1W; T3S, R2W; T3S, R3W;
T3S, R4W; T3S, R5W; T4S, 1E; T4S,
R1W; T4S, R2W; T4S, R3W; T4S, R4W;
T4S, R5W.
Pinal County (part)..................... 10/17/2014 Attainment........
Apache Junction: T1N, R8E; T1S, R8E
(Sections 1 through 12)
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\a\ Includes Indian Country located in each county or area, except as otherwise specified.
\1\ This date is June 15, 2004, unless otherwise noted.
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[FR Doc. 2014-22029 Filed 9-16-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P