Partial Approval and Partial Disapproval of Attainment Plan for the Idaho Portion of the Logan, Utah/Idaho PM2.5, 729-733 [2016-31643]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 2 / Wednesday, January 4, 2017 / Rules and Regulations
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[FR Doc. 2016–31508 Filed 1–3–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410–BE–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R10–OAR–2015–0067; FRL–9957–71–
Region 10]
Partial Approval and Partial
Disapproval of Attainment Plan for the
Idaho Portion of the Logan, Utah/Idaho
PM2.5 Nonattainment Area
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is taking final action on
portions of a state implementation plan
(SIP) submission from the State of
Idaho. The SIP submission addresses
attainment plan requirements for the
Idaho portion of the Logan, Utah-Idaho
nonattainment area (Logan UT–ID) for
the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 National
Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS). The Idaho Department of
Environmental Quality (IDEQ)
submitted the attainment plan to the
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Table of Contents
I. Background Information
II. Response to Comments
III. Final Action
IV. Consequences of a Disapproved SIP
V. Statutory and Executive Orders Review
I. Background Information
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY:
EPA on December 14, 2012 (2012 SIP
submission), and supplemented the
attainment plan on December 24, 2014
(2014 amendment). The EPA is
approving certain portions,
disapproving other portions, and
deferring action on the remaining
portions of the attainment plan.
DATES: This final rule is effective
February 3, 2017.
ADDRESSES: The EPA has established a
docket for this action under Docket ID
No. EPA–R10–OAR–2015–0067. All
documents in the docket are listed on
the https://www.regulations.gov Web
site. Although listed in the index, some
information may not be publicly
available, i.e., Confidential Business
Information or other information the
disclosure of which is restricted by
statute. Certain other material, such as
copyrighted material, is not placed on
the Internet and is publicly available
only in hard copy form. Publicly
available docket materials are available
at https://www.regulations.gov or at EPA
Region 10, Office of Air and Waste, 1200
Sixth Avenue, Seattle, Washington
98101. The EPA requests that you
contact the person listed in the FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to
schedule your inspection. The Regional
Office’s official hours of business are
Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:30,
excluding Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff
Hunt, Air Planning Unit, Office of Air
and Waste (OAW–150), Environmental
Protection Agency, Region 10, 1200
Sixth Ave, Suite 900, Seattle, WA
98101; telephone number: (206) 553–
0256; email address: hunt.jeff@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
On October 27, 2016, the EPA
proposed to approve certain portions
and disapprove other portions of Idaho’s
2012 SIP submission and 2014
amendment (81 FR 74741). An
explanation of the CAA requirements, a
detailed analysis of the submittals, and
the EPA’s reasons for proposing partial
approval and partial disapproval were
provided in the notice of proposed
rulemaking, and will not be restated
here. In this action, the EPA is
approving Idaho’s determination of
which pollutants must be evaluated for
control in the Idaho portion of the
Logan, UT–ID nonattainment area for
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729
purposes of the Moderate area plan for
the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. The
EPA is also approving Idaho’s
evaluation of, and imposition of,
reasonably available control measure
and reasonably available control
technology (RACM/RACT) level
controls on appropriate sources in the
Idaho portion of the nonattainment area.
The EPA is disapproving the Idaho
attainment plan with respect to the
contingency measure requirement.
Finally, the EPA is deferring action on
the submissions with respect to the
attainment demonstration, reasonable
further progress, quantitative milestone,
and motor vehicle emission budget
requirements to a future date.
With respect to the deferred Moderate
area plan elements the EPA notes that
on December 16, 2016, the Agency
published a proposed determination,
based on complete, quality-assured air
quality and certified monitoring data,
that the Logan UT–ID nonattainment
area failed to attain the 24-hour PM2.5
NAAQS by the applicable attainment
date (81 FR 91088). If the EPA finalizes
the determination that Logan UT–ID did
not attain, then the nonattainment area
will be reclassified from ‘‘Moderate’’ to
‘‘Serious’’ and Idaho will be required to
submit a Serious area attainment plan to
meet additional statutory requirements.
The EPA anticipates that Idaho may
elect to reevaluate and address the
deferred elements of the Moderate area
plan, as well as the contingency
measure requirements, in the context of
developing the Serious area attainment
plan.
The EPA received three sets of
comments on the proposed action that
pertain to portions of the 2012 SIP
submission and 2014 amendment that
are relevant to this final action. The EPA
is responding to those comments in this
notice. Comments that pertain to the
attainment demonstration, reasonable
further progress, quantitative milestone,
and motor vehicle emissions budget
requirements will be addressed when
the EPA takes final action on these plan
elements.
II. Response to Comments
Commenter 1, comment 1: A citizen
observed, ‘‘As I have traveled north out
of Logan toward Idaho I have noticed
that the inversion gets lighter. The PM2.5
that hangs thick and cloudy over Logan
turns to spidery, wispy clouds that just
reach across the mountains. They reach
and then disappear completely. I don’t
think the emissions and PM2.5 are
coming from cars in Franklin County
Idaho. I think that they are coming from
Logan and traveling up the valley into
Franklin County, Idaho.’’
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Response: The commenter’s
observation concerning the appearance
of air quality during inversions is
generally consistent with Idaho’s
monitoring data and air quality studies
for the area which show lower PM2.5
concentrations outside of the immediate
Logan area. Monitored levels of ambient
PM2.5 are typically higher in Utah than
in Idaho. For example, the measured
98th percentile of PM2.5 concentrations
at the Franklin, Idaho monitor in 2015
was 19 mg/m3. However, in the context
of the nonattainment area designations
that were finalized in 2009, the EPA
determined that emissions from sources
in Idaho, including not only cars but
also other area sources of emissions,
were contributing to violations of the
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS in the
Logan, UT–ID nonattainment area as
part of the CAA section 107(d)(1)(A)
designation process.1
Commenter 1, comment 2: The
commenter also stated, ‘‘Putting auto
emissions mandates in Franklin County,
Idaho will not help anything. It will
only add more financial issues to a rural
community. I don’t think it is necessary
for auto emissions to be put in place in
Franklin County, Idaho.’’
Response: As discussed in the
proposed rulemaking for this action, the
EPA proposed to agree with the IDEQ’s
determination that a Franklin County
inspection and maintenance (I&M)
program for motor vehicles was not a
reasonable control approach based on
factors including the cost of control and
economic feasibility (see pages 81 FR
74745–6). We are now finalizing that
determination. We also note that
existing federal motor vehicle emission
regulations and requirements are
having, and will continue to have,
significant emission reduction benefits
in this airshed (see section 5.3.8 of the
2012 SIP submittal).
Commenter 1, comment 3: The
commenter also stated, ‘‘I think that the
wood stove change-out and burn ban are
good things to have in place to help
reduce the carbon that is being put into
the air; however, I think there needs to
be more done in the Logan area to
reduce their emissions and I’m sure they
are working on it also. Logan is
continuing to get more people to ride
the bus.’’ The commenter then
elaborated on several suggested control
1 Technical Support Document for 2006 24-Hour
PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS) Designations, Chapter 4.0 ‘‘Technical
Analyses of Individual Nonattainment Areas’’
Section 4.10 ‘‘Region 10 Nonattainment Areas’’ Part
4.10.2 ‘‘EPA Technical Analysis for Idaho’’ (204_
supplementary material_EPA–HQ–OAR–2007–
0562–0439.pdf).
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strategies for Utah portion of the
nonattainment area.
Response: As discussed in our
proposed rulemaking, the EPA proposed
to approve the woodstove curtailment,
device restrictions, and burn ban control
measures for Franklin County, that are
already incorporated into the SIP, as
meeting the requirements of the CAA for
purposes of RACM/RACT level control
of appropriate sources in this area for
purposes of the 2006 24-hour PM2.5
NAAQS (see pages 81 FR 74746–7). The
EPA is finalizing this determination. To
the extent that the commenter has
additional suggestions for the Utah
portion of the Logan, UT–ID
nonattainment area, these suggestions
are outside the scope of this action
which is directed at the EPA’s review of
Idaho’s attainment plan.
Commenter 2, comment 1: Another
commenter noted, ‘‘We like the air the
way it is. Your meddling in these
situations is not welcome. Please do not
pursue these ridiculous ‘rules’ further.’’
Response: Under the CAA, states and
the EPA are required to take actions to
protect public health from air pollution.
Exposure to elevated levels of PM2.5
results in serious health impacts up to
and including premature death from
respiratory or cardiovascular diseases,
and is especially unhealthy for sensitive
populations such as children. Thus,
CAA section 189(a) requires states with
areas designated as Moderate
nonattainment for the 2006 24-hour
PM2.5 NAAQS to develop and submit a
plan to improve air quality to meet the
standards, including provisions to
assure implementation of RACM/RACT
level controls to reduce emissions.
Under CAA section 110(k) the EPA has
a mandatory duty to act on these state
SIP submissions. In evaluating and
acting upon Idaho’s attainment plan SIP
submission in this action, the EPA is
complying with its own duty under the
CAA.
State of Idaho, comment 1: On behalf
of the State of Idaho, the IDEQ
submitted several comments. The first
comment questions the basis of the
EPA’s December 14, 2009 decision to
include Franklin County as part of the
Logan UT–ID nonattainment area (74 FR
58688). The IDEQ states, ‘‘Upon review
of the plans submitted by both Idaho
and Utah it is readily apparent that
Idaho’s emission sources are truly de
minimis and the motor vehicle
commuter pattern is equal with respect
to the number of vehicles traveling from
Idaho to Utah and from Utah to Idaho.
Consequently, Idaho questions the
technical reasons for its inclusion in
this NAA, and the jurisdictional
authority issues have not only held the
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state of Idaho back from obtaining plan
approval, but also from obtaining a oneyear extension to demonstrate
compliance with the PM2.5 NAAQS. As
a result, DEQ intends to request that the
current NAA be split into two separate
PM2.5 NAAs, similar to the revision that
occurred in the Power-Bannock
Counties. 63 FR 59722.’’
Response: As noted by the
commenter, the determination to
designate Franklin County, Idaho as part
of the Logan UT–ID nonattainment area
was completed in December 2009 and is
outside the scope of this action which
is directed at the EPA’s review of
Idaho’s attainment plan SIP submission.
In addition, should Idaho submit a
petition to split the nonattainment area,
the EPA will review the technical merits
of the petition. However, such a review
is also outside the scope of this action.
State of Idaho, comment 2: The IDEQ
resubmitted its February 26, 2016
request for a one-year extension of the
Moderate area attainment date and
questions the EPA’s rationale for
determining that the area did not attain
by the attainment date, stating ‘‘DEQ
should not be punished for Utah’s acts
or omissions.’’
Response: The EPA has addressed
whether the Logan, UT–ID
nonattainment area attained the 2006
24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and the IDEQ’s
attainment date extension request in the
rulemaking Determinations of
Attainment by the Attainment Date,
Determinations of Failure to Attain by
the Attainment Date and
Reclassification for Certain
Nonattainment Areas for the 2006 24Hour Fine Particulate Matter National
Ambient Air Quality Standards (81 FR
91088, December 16, 2016). This
comment is thus outside the scope of
this action and the EPA is not restating
our rationale here.
State of Idaho, comment 3: The IDEQ
states, ‘‘It should also be noted that on
May 25, 2016, a Consent Decree was
filed in U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of California, Oakland
Division, wherein EPA committed to act
on the remaining items in Idaho’s Plan
by December 8, 2016. In the same
Decree EPA did not commit to act on
Utah’s NAA plan. EPA is treating the
two areas separately. Thus, not only
should the area be split in two NAA for
technical reasons, for planning
purposes, the area is on two very
separate tracts—with Idaho further
along.’’
Response: The EPA acknowledges
that the Consent Decree in the litigation
identified by the commenter did not
include any deadline for an attainment
plan submission from the State of Utah
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for the Utah portion of the Logan, UT–
ID nonattainment area. This is because
although the litigation at issue initially
included a claim that the EPA had failed
to act on such a SIP submission from
Utah, the State of Utah elected to
withdraw the SIP submission. Thus, at
the time of that Consent Decree, the EPA
did not have a mandatory duty to act on
the withdrawn Utah SIP submission.
Utah subsequently resubmitted an
attainment plan for the Utah portion of
the Logan, UT–ID nonattainment area
on December 16, 2014. The EPA is
currently evaluating that later SIP
submission in order to meet its statutory
obligations under CAA section 110(k).
State of Idaho, comment 4: The IDEQ
states, ‘‘DEQ, in good faith, complied
with all regulations and guidance in
place at the time of submittal for both
the original Plan in 2012 and the
amendment in 2014. Table 10 in the
2012 Plan submittal lists how DEQ
complied with each requirement at that
time. In the current proposed action, the
EPA is evaluating DEQ’ s submittal
against current regulations. Instead of
disapproving portions of Idaho’s Plan,
the EPA could request DEQ address
certain deficiencies due to the new
regulations and court decisions; as was
done to address the Court decision in
2013.’’ In particular, the IDEQ calls into
question the EPA’s proposed
disapproval of the attainment plan with
respect to the reasonable further
progress, quantitative milestones, and
contingency measure requirements.
Response: The EPA acknowledges the
difficulties the January 4, 2013, NRDC v.
EPA, D.C. Circuit Court decision (706
F.3d 428) and remand of the prior PM2.5
implementation rule presented for both
the EPA and Idaho. As noted by the
commenter, the EPA provided states
with additional time to withdraw and
resubmit, or to supplement, prior
attainment plan SIP submissions in
order to address any impacts that
resulted from the court’s decision. See,
Identification of Nonattainment
Classification and Deadlines for
Submission of State Implementation
Plan (SIP) Provisions for the 1997 Fine
Particle (PM2.5) National Ambient Air
Quality Standard (NAAQS) and 2006
PM2.5 NAAQS (79 FR 31566, June 2,
2014). The EPA appreciates the efforts
of Idaho to update its attainment plan in
the 2014 amendment. However, the EPA
is required by statute to evaluate the
attainment plan for compliance with
statutory and regulatory requirements,
and must do so consistent with the
requirements of the CAA, as interpreted
by the courts. The EPA will continue to
work with the IDEQ to meet the
statutory attainment plan requirements,
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such as the contingency measure
requirement addressed in this action. In
addition, the EPA recently promulgated
the 2016 PM2.5 Implementation Rule in
order to provide additional regulatory
certainty and guidance concerning
attainment plan requirements for the
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and future
PM2.5 NAAQS. See, Fine Particulate
Matter National Ambient Air Quality
Standards; State Implementation Plan
Requirements; Final Rule (81 FR 58010,
August 24, 2016).
State of Idaho, comment 5: The IDEQ
questions the EPA’s proposed
disapproval of the Idaho contingency
measures citing the EPA’s basis that the
emissions reductions were not precisely
quantified in terms of 1-year’s worth of
reasonable further progress (RFP). The
IDEQ also notes that while discussed in
the preamble of the 2016 PM2.5
Implementation Rule, the requirement
for 1-year’s worth of RFP is not cited in
the regulatory text of 40 CFR 51.1014.
Response: The EPA agrees that it did
not include regulatory text in the final
2016 PM2.5 Implementation Rule
imposing the requirement that
contingency measures reflect emissions
reductions comparable to 1-year’s worth
of RFP in the attainment plan at issue.
Nevertheless, this has been the EPA’s
guidance on the proper interpretation of
the statutory requirements of CAA
section 172(c)(9) for many years, and
remains so in the preamble to the 2016
PM2.5 Implementation Rule (see page 81
FR 58066). Because the contingency
measures in a Moderate area attainment
plan are intended to be available in the
event that the area fails to meet the RFP
requirement, the EPA has long
interpreted CAA section 172(c)(9) to
require control measures that would
result in emissions reductions
comparable to 1-year’s worth of RFP in
the area.
The EPA acknowledges the IDEQ’s
concern with the challenges to identify
and impose additional control measures
to meet the contingency measure
requirement in the Logan, UT–ID
nonattainment area. As discussed in the
proposal for this action, Franklin
County is a sparsely populated, rural
area with a unique emissions inventory.
Idaho estimated that over 75% of the
directly emitted PM2.5 comes from road
dust, using the EPA’s AP–42 road dust
emission estimation methodology (see
Appendix C of the 2012 SIP submittal).
Idaho calculated the remaining directly
emitted PM2.5 to be 13% residential
wood combustion, 6% on-road and nonroad mobile emissions, and 6% all other
remaining source categories. Also as
discussed in the proposal for this action,
Idaho estimated that the limiting PM2.5
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precursors from Franklin County,
nitrogen oxides (NOX) and volatile
organic compounds (VOC), come
primarily from motor vehicles, which
are expected to decline significantly due
to federal motor vehicle standards
already in place (see page 81 FR 74747).
In considering these emission sources,
the IDEQ established road sanding
agreements, woodstove curtailment
ordinances, and the woodstove changeout program. Because Idaho and Utah
modeled that the Logan UT–ID
nonattainment area would attain based
solely on the Utah control measures, the
IDEQ reasoned that anticipated
reductions from the Idaho control
measures (i.e., the road sanding
agreements, woodstove curtailment
ordinances, and the woodstove changeout program), were not otherwise relied
upon in the control strategy for the area.
As such, the IDEQ considered these
early implemented contingency
measures, as allowed under the EPA’s
longstanding guidance interpreting
section 172(c)(9) to allow this approach.
However, as discussed in the
proposed rulemaking, a recent decision
by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th
Circuit rejected the EPA’s interpretation
of CAA section 172(c)(9) to allow
already implemented control measures
to meet the contingency measure
requirements. Bahr v. EPA, No. 12–
72327 (Sept. 12, 2016). The Court
concluded that contingency measures
must be control measures that will take
effect at the time the area fails to meet
RFP or fails to attain by the applicable
attainment date, not before. Id.at 35–36.
The IDEQ road sanding agreements,
woodstove curtailment ordinances, and
the woodstove change-out program
which have already been implemented,
do not meet the standard for section
172(c)(9) contingency measures set out
by the Bahr decision which is
controlling for EPA actions on SIP
submissions from states located within
the jurisdiction of the 9th Circuit. For
this reason, the EPA is disapproving the
contingency measures in this final
action. Because the contingency
measures are invalid as early
implemented measures, the EPA is not
addressing whether they would
otherwise be approvable as contingency
measures at this time.
III. Final Action
The EPA is approving parts of Idaho’s
attainment plan for the Idaho portion of
the Logan, UT–ID nonattainment area
for the 2006 24-hour NAAQS PM2.5
NAAQS. In particular, the EPA is
approving Idaho’s determination of
which pollutants must be evaluated for
control in the Idaho portion of the
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Logan, UT–ID nonattainment area for
purposes of the Moderate area plan for
the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. The
EPA is also approving Idaho’s
evaluation of, and imposition of,
RACM/RACT level controls on
appropriate sources in the Idaho portion
of the area for this NAAQS. This
includes approval of Idaho’s woodstove
curtailment ordinances, burn ban,
heating device restrictions, and
woodstove change-out programs as
meeting the RACM/RACT requirements
in this area. The EPA is deferring action
on the submitted attainment plan with
respect to the Moderate area attainment
demonstration, RFP, quantitative
milestone, and motor vehicle emissions
budget requirements. Lastly, for the
reasons set forth in our proposed
rulemaking and discussed above, the
EPA has determined that the
contingency measures submitted as part
of Idaho’s 2012 SIP submittal and 2014
amendment do not meet CAA
requirements, as interpreted in the 9th
Circuit.
IV. Consequences of a Disapproved SIP
This section explains the
consequences of disapproval, in whole
or in part, of a SIP submission required
under the CAA. The Act provides for
the imposition of sanctions and the
promulgation of a federal
implementation plan (FIP) if a state fails
to submit, and the EPA approve, a plan
revision that corrects the deficiencies
identified by the EPA in its disapproval
of the initial SIP submission.
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The Act’s Provisions for Sanctions
Once the EPA finalizes disapproval of
a required SIP submission, such as an
attainment plan submission, or a
portion thereof, CAA section 179(a)
provides for the imposition of sanctions,
unless the deficiency is corrected within
18 months of the final rulemaking of
disapproval. The first sanction would
apply 18 months after the EPA
disapproves the SIP submission, or
portion thereof. Under the EPA’s
sanctions regulations at 40 CFR 52.31,
the first sanction imposed would be 2:1
offsets for sources subject to the new
source review requirements under
section 173 of the CAA. If the state has
still failed to submit a SIP submission
to correct the identified deficiencies for
which the EPA proposes full or
conditional approval 6 months after the
first sanction is imposed, the second
sanction will apply. The second
sanction is a prohibition on the
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approval or funding of certain highway
projects.2
Federal Implementation Plan Provisions
That Apply if a State Fails To Submit
an Approvable Plan
In addition to sanctions, once the EPA
finds that a state failed to submit the
required SIP revision, or finalizes
disapproval of the required SIP revision
or a portion thereof, the EPA must
promulgate a FIP no later than two years
from the date of the finding—if the
deficiency has not been corrected
within that time period.
Ramifications Regarding Transportation
Conformity
The proposal discussed conformity
freeze implications due to disapproval
of the control strategy SIP.3 This final
action only disapproves the contingency
measures. Section 93.120(a) of the
conformity rule is not triggered by
disapproval of contingency measures, so
the area is not subject to a conformity
freeze as discussed in the proposal.
V. Statutory and Executive Orders
Review
Under the CAA, the Administrator is
required to approve a SIP submission
that complies with the provisions of the
Act and applicable Federal regulations.
42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a).
Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions, the
EPA’s role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of
the CAA. Accordingly, this action
merely approves state law as meeting
Federal requirements and does not
impose additional requirements beyond
those imposed by state law. For that
reason, this action:
• Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory
action’’ subject to review by the Office
of Management and Budget under
Executive Orders 12866 (58 FR 51735,
October 4, 1993) and 13563 (76 FR 3821,
January 21, 2011);
• does not impose an information
collection burden under the provisions
of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
• is certified as not having a
significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities
under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5
U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
2 On April 1, 1996 the US Department of
Transportation published a notice in the Federal
Register describing the criteria to be used to
determine which highway projects can be funded
or approved during the time that the highway
sanction is imposed in an area. (See 61 FR 14363).
3 Control strategy SIP revisions as defined in the
transportation conformity rules include reasonable
further progress plans and attainment
demonstrations (40 CFR 93.101).
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• does not contain any unfunded
mandate or significantly or uniquely
affect small governments, as described
in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–4);
• does not have Federalism
implications as specified in Executive
Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10,
1999);
• is not an economically significant
regulatory action based on health or
safety risks subject to Executive Order
13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997);
• is not a significant regulatory action
subject to Executive Order 13211 (66 FR
28355, May 22, 2001);
• is not subject to requirements of
Section 12(d) of the National
Technology Transfer and Advancement
Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) because
application of those requirements would
be inconsistent with the CAA; and
• does not provide the EPA with the
discretionary authority to address, as
appropriate, disproportionate human
health or environmental effects, using
practicable and legally permissible
methods, under Executive Order 12898
(59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).
The SIP is not approved to apply on
any Indian reservation land in Idaho
and is also not approved to apply in any
other area where the EPA or an Indian
tribe has demonstrated that a tribe has
jurisdiction. In those areas of Indian
country, the rule does not have tribal
implications and will not impose
substantial direct costs on tribal
governments or preempt tribal law as
specified by Executive Order 13175 (65
FR 67249, November 9, 2000).
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. The EPA will
submit a report containing this action
and other required information to the
U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of
Representatives, and the Comptroller
General of the United States prior to
publication of the rule in the Federal
Register. A major rule cannot take effect
until 60 days after it is published in the
Federal Register. This action is not a
‘‘major rule’’ as defined by 5 U.S.C.
804(2).
Under section 307(b)(1) of the CAA,
petitions for judicial review of this
action must be filed in the United States
Court of Appeals for the appropriate
circuit by March 6, 2017. Filing a
petition for reconsideration by the
Administrator of this final rule does not
E:\FR\FM\04JAR1.SGM
04JAR1
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 2 / Wednesday, January 4, 2017 / Rules and Regulations
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 in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air
pollution control, Carbon monoxide,
Incorporation by reference,
Intergovernmental relations, Lead,
Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Particulate
matter, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Sulfur oxides, Volatile
organic compounds.
Dated: December 20, 2016.
Michelle L. Pirzadeh,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 10.
For the reasons set forth in the
preamble, 40 CFR part 52 is amended as
follows:
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Subpart N—Idaho
2. In § 52.670, the table in paragraph
(e) is amended by adding an entry at the
end of the table for ‘‘Fine Particulate
Matter Attainment Plan.’’
The addition reads as follows:
■
§ 52.670
PART 52—APPROVAL AND
PROMULGATION OF
IMPLEMENTATION PLANS
733
*
Identification of plan.
*
*
(e) * * *
*
*
1. The authority citation for Part 52
continues to read as follows:
■
EPA-APPROVED IDAHO NONREGULATORY PROVISIONS AND QUASI-REGULATORY MEASURES
Name of SIP provision
*
Fine Particulate Matter
Attainment Plan.
Applicable geographic
or nonattainment area
*
*
Franklin County, Logan
UT–ID PM2.5 Nonattainment Area.
State submittal
date
12/19/12;
12/24/14
EPA approval date
Comments
*
*
1/4/2017, [Insert Federal Register citation].
*
*
Approved: reasonably available control measures and reasonably available control technology requirements.
Disapproved: contingency measures.
Deferred: Moderate area attainment demonstration, reasonable further progress, quantitative
milestone, and year motor vehicle emissions
budget requirements.
[FR Doc. 2016–31643 Filed 1–3–17; 8:45 am]
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 4, 2017)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 729-733]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-31643]
=======================================================================
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA-R10-OAR-2015-0067; FRL-9957-71-Region 10]
Partial Approval and Partial Disapproval of Attainment Plan for
the Idaho Portion of the Logan, Utah/Idaho PM2.5 Nonattainment Area
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Final rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final
action on portions of a state implementation plan (SIP) submission from
the State of Idaho. The SIP submission addresses attainment plan
requirements for the Idaho portion of the Logan, Utah-Idaho
nonattainment area (Logan UT-ID) for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The Idaho Department of
Environmental Quality (IDEQ) submitted the attainment plan to the EPA
on December 14, 2012 (2012 SIP submission), and supplemented the
attainment plan on December 24, 2014 (2014 amendment). The EPA is
approving certain portions, disapproving other portions, and deferring
action on the remaining portions of the attainment plan.
DATES: This final rule is effective February 3, 2017.
ADDRESSES: The EPA has established a docket for this action under
Docket ID No. EPA-R10-OAR-2015-0067. All documents in the docket are
listed on the https://www.regulations.gov Web site. Although listed in
the index, some information may not be publicly available, i.e.,
Confidential Business Information or other information the disclosure
of which is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as
copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet and is publicly
available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials
are available at https://www.regulations.gov or at EPA Region 10, Office
of Air and Waste, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98101. The EPA
requests that you contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section to schedule your inspection. The Regional
Office's official hours of business are Monday through Friday, 8:30 to
4:30, excluding Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Hunt, Air Planning Unit, Office
of Air and Waste (OAW-150), Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10,
1200 Sixth Ave, Suite 900, Seattle, WA 98101; telephone number: (206)
553-0256; email address: hunt.jeff@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
I. Background Information
II. Response to Comments
III. Final Action
IV. Consequences of a Disapproved SIP
V. Statutory and Executive Orders Review
I. Background Information
On October 27, 2016, the EPA proposed to approve certain portions
and disapprove other portions of Idaho's 2012 SIP submission and 2014
amendment (81 FR 74741). An explanation of the CAA requirements, a
detailed analysis of the submittals, and the EPA's reasons for
proposing partial approval and partial disapproval were provided in the
notice of proposed rulemaking, and will not be restated here. In this
action, the EPA is approving Idaho's determination of which pollutants
must be evaluated for control in the Idaho portion of the Logan, UT-ID
nonattainment area for purposes of the Moderate area plan for the 2006
24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. The EPA is also approving Idaho's
evaluation of, and imposition of, reasonably available control measure
and reasonably available control technology (RACM/RACT) level controls
on appropriate sources in the Idaho portion of the nonattainment area.
The EPA is disapproving the Idaho attainment plan with respect to the
contingency measure requirement. Finally, the EPA is deferring action
on the submissions with respect to the attainment demonstration,
reasonable further progress, quantitative milestone, and motor vehicle
emission budget requirements to a future date.
With respect to the deferred Moderate area plan elements the EPA
notes that on December 16, 2016, the Agency published a proposed
determination, based on complete, quality-assured air quality and
certified monitoring data, that the Logan UT-ID nonattainment area
failed to attain the 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS by the applicable
attainment date (81 FR 91088). If the EPA finalizes the determination
that Logan UT-ID did not attain, then the nonattainment area will be
reclassified from ``Moderate'' to ``Serious'' and Idaho will be
required to submit a Serious area attainment plan to meet additional
statutory requirements. The EPA anticipates that Idaho may elect to
reevaluate and address the deferred elements of the Moderate area plan,
as well as the contingency measure requirements, in the context of
developing the Serious area attainment plan.
The EPA received three sets of comments on the proposed action that
pertain to portions of the 2012 SIP submission and 2014 amendment that
are relevant to this final action. The EPA is responding to those
comments in this notice. Comments that pertain to the attainment
demonstration, reasonable further progress, quantitative milestone, and
motor vehicle emissions budget requirements will be addressed when the
EPA takes final action on these plan elements.
II. Response to Comments
Commenter 1, comment 1: A citizen observed, ``As I have traveled
north out of Logan toward Idaho I have noticed that the inversion gets
lighter. The PM2.5 that hangs thick and cloudy over Logan
turns to spidery, wispy clouds that just reach across the mountains.
They reach and then disappear completely. I don't think the emissions
and PM2.5 are coming from cars in Franklin County Idaho. I
think that they are coming from Logan and traveling up the valley into
Franklin County, Idaho.''
[[Page 730]]
Response: The commenter's observation concerning the appearance of
air quality during inversions is generally consistent with Idaho's
monitoring data and air quality studies for the area which show lower
PM2.5 concentrations outside of the immediate Logan area.
Monitored levels of ambient PM2.5 are typically higher in
Utah than in Idaho. For example, the measured 98th percentile of
PM2.5 concentrations at the Franklin, Idaho monitor in 2015
was 19 [micro]g/m\3\. However, in the context of the nonattainment area
designations that were finalized in 2009, the EPA determined that
emissions from sources in Idaho, including not only cars but also other
area sources of emissions, were contributing to violations of the 2006
24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS in the Logan, UT-ID nonattainment area
as part of the CAA section 107(d)(1)(A) designation process.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Technical Support Document for 2006 24-Hour PM2.5
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) Designations, Chapter
4.0 ``Technical Analyses of Individual Nonattainment Areas'' Section
4.10 ``Region 10 Nonattainment Areas'' Part 4.10.2 ``EPA Technical
Analysis for Idaho'' (204_supplementary material_EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-
0562-0439.pdf).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commenter 1, comment 2: The commenter also stated, ``Putting auto
emissions mandates in Franklin County, Idaho will not help anything. It
will only add more financial issues to a rural community. I don't think
it is necessary for auto emissions to be put in place in Franklin
County, Idaho.''
Response: As discussed in the proposed rulemaking for this action,
the EPA proposed to agree with the IDEQ's determination that a Franklin
County inspection and maintenance (I&M) program for motor vehicles was
not a reasonable control approach based on factors including the cost
of control and economic feasibility (see pages 81 FR 74745-6). We are
now finalizing that determination. We also note that existing federal
motor vehicle emission regulations and requirements are having, and
will continue to have, significant emission reduction benefits in this
airshed (see section 5.3.8 of the 2012 SIP submittal).
Commenter 1, comment 3: The commenter also stated, ``I think that
the wood stove change-out and burn ban are good things to have in place
to help reduce the carbon that is being put into the air; however, I
think there needs to be more done in the Logan area to reduce their
emissions and I'm sure they are working on it also. Logan is continuing
to get more people to ride the bus.'' The commenter then elaborated on
several suggested control strategies for Utah portion of the
nonattainment area.
Response: As discussed in our proposed rulemaking, the EPA proposed
to approve the woodstove curtailment, device restrictions, and burn ban
control measures for Franklin County, that are already incorporated
into the SIP, as meeting the requirements of the CAA for purposes of
RACM/RACT level control of appropriate sources in this area for
purposes of the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS (see pages 81 FR
74746-7). The EPA is finalizing this determination. To the extent that
the commenter has additional suggestions for the Utah portion of the
Logan, UT-ID nonattainment area, these suggestions are outside the
scope of this action which is directed at the EPA's review of Idaho's
attainment plan.
Commenter 2, comment 1: Another commenter noted, ``We like the air
the way it is. Your meddling in these situations is not welcome. Please
do not pursue these ridiculous `rules' further.''
Response: Under the CAA, states and the EPA are required to take
actions to protect public health from air pollution. Exposure to
elevated levels of PM2.5 results in serious health impacts
up to and including premature death from respiratory or cardiovascular
diseases, and is especially unhealthy for sensitive populations such as
children. Thus, CAA section 189(a) requires states with areas
designated as Moderate nonattainment for the 2006 24-hour
PM2.5 NAAQS to develop and submit a plan to improve air
quality to meet the standards, including provisions to assure
implementation of RACM/RACT level controls to reduce emissions. Under
CAA section 110(k) the EPA has a mandatory duty to act on these state
SIP submissions. In evaluating and acting upon Idaho's attainment plan
SIP submission in this action, the EPA is complying with its own duty
under the CAA.
State of Idaho, comment 1: On behalf of the State of Idaho, the
IDEQ submitted several comments. The first comment questions the basis
of the EPA's December 14, 2009 decision to include Franklin County as
part of the Logan UT-ID nonattainment area (74 FR 58688). The IDEQ
states, ``Upon review of the plans submitted by both Idaho and Utah it
is readily apparent that Idaho's emission sources are truly de minimis
and the motor vehicle commuter pattern is equal with respect to the
number of vehicles traveling from Idaho to Utah and from Utah to Idaho.
Consequently, Idaho questions the technical reasons for its inclusion
in this NAA, and the jurisdictional authority issues have not only held
the state of Idaho back from obtaining plan approval, but also from
obtaining a one-year extension to demonstrate compliance with the
PM2.5 NAAQS. As a result, DEQ intends to request that the
current NAA be split into two separate PM2.5 NAAs, similar
to the revision that occurred in the Power-Bannock Counties. 63 FR
59722.''
Response: As noted by the commenter, the determination to designate
Franklin County, Idaho as part of the Logan UT-ID nonattainment area
was completed in December 2009 and is outside the scope of this action
which is directed at the EPA's review of Idaho's attainment plan SIP
submission. In addition, should Idaho submit a petition to split the
nonattainment area, the EPA will review the technical merits of the
petition. However, such a review is also outside the scope of this
action.
State of Idaho, comment 2: The IDEQ resubmitted its February 26,
2016 request for a one-year extension of the Moderate area attainment
date and questions the EPA's rationale for determining that the area
did not attain by the attainment date, stating ``DEQ should not be
punished for Utah's acts or omissions.''
Response: The EPA has addressed whether the Logan, UT-ID
nonattainment area attained the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and
the IDEQ's attainment date extension request in the rulemaking
Determinations of Attainment by the Attainment Date, Determinations of
Failure to Attain by the Attainment Date and Reclassification for
Certain Nonattainment Areas for the 2006 24-Hour Fine Particulate
Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards (81 FR 91088, December
16, 2016). This comment is thus outside the scope of this action and
the EPA is not restating our rationale here.
State of Idaho, comment 3: The IDEQ states, ``It should also be
noted that on May 25, 2016, a Consent Decree was filed in U.S. District
Court for the Northern District of California, Oakland Division,
wherein EPA committed to act on the remaining items in Idaho's Plan by
December 8, 2016. In the same Decree EPA did not commit to act on
Utah's NAA plan. EPA is treating the two areas separately. Thus, not
only should the area be split in two NAA for technical reasons, for
planning purposes, the area is on two very separate tracts--with Idaho
further along.''
Response: The EPA acknowledges that the Consent Decree in the
litigation identified by the commenter did not include any deadline for
an attainment plan submission from the State of Utah
[[Page 731]]
for the Utah portion of the Logan, UT-ID nonattainment area. This is
because although the litigation at issue initially included a claim
that the EPA had failed to act on such a SIP submission from Utah, the
State of Utah elected to withdraw the SIP submission. Thus, at the time
of that Consent Decree, the EPA did not have a mandatory duty to act on
the withdrawn Utah SIP submission. Utah subsequently resubmitted an
attainment plan for the Utah portion of the Logan, UT-ID nonattainment
area on December 16, 2014. The EPA is currently evaluating that later
SIP submission in order to meet its statutory obligations under CAA
section 110(k).
State of Idaho, comment 4: The IDEQ states, ``DEQ, in good faith,
complied with all regulations and guidance in place at the time of
submittal for both the original Plan in 2012 and the amendment in 2014.
Table 10 in the 2012 Plan submittal lists how DEQ complied with each
requirement at that time. In the current proposed action, the EPA is
evaluating DEQ' s submittal against current regulations. Instead of
disapproving portions of Idaho's Plan, the EPA could request DEQ
address certain deficiencies due to the new regulations and court
decisions; as was done to address the Court decision in 2013.'' In
particular, the IDEQ calls into question the EPA's proposed disapproval
of the attainment plan with respect to the reasonable further progress,
quantitative milestones, and contingency measure requirements.
Response: The EPA acknowledges the difficulties the January 4,
2013, NRDC v. EPA, D.C. Circuit Court decision (706 F.3d 428) and
remand of the prior PM2.5 implementation rule presented for
both the EPA and Idaho. As noted by the commenter, the EPA provided
states with additional time to withdraw and resubmit, or to supplement,
prior attainment plan SIP submissions in order to address any impacts
that resulted from the court's decision. See, Identification of
Nonattainment Classification and Deadlines for Submission of State
Implementation Plan (SIP) Provisions for the 1997 Fine Particle
(PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) and
2006 PM2.5 NAAQS (79 FR 31566, June 2, 2014). The EPA
appreciates the efforts of Idaho to update its attainment plan in the
2014 amendment. However, the EPA is required by statute to evaluate the
attainment plan for compliance with statutory and regulatory
requirements, and must do so consistent with the requirements of the
CAA, as interpreted by the courts. The EPA will continue to work with
the IDEQ to meet the statutory attainment plan requirements, such as
the contingency measure requirement addressed in this action. In
addition, the EPA recently promulgated the 2016 PM2.5
Implementation Rule in order to provide additional regulatory certainty
and guidance concerning attainment plan requirements for the 2006 24-
hour PM2.5 NAAQS and future PM2.5 NAAQS. See,
Fine Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards; State
Implementation Plan Requirements; Final Rule (81 FR 58010, August 24,
2016).
State of Idaho, comment 5: The IDEQ questions the EPA's proposed
disapproval of the Idaho contingency measures citing the EPA's basis
that the emissions reductions were not precisely quantified in terms of
1-year's worth of reasonable further progress (RFP). The IDEQ also
notes that while discussed in the preamble of the 2016 PM2.5
Implementation Rule, the requirement for 1-year's worth of RFP is not
cited in the regulatory text of 40 CFR 51.1014.
Response: The EPA agrees that it did not include regulatory text in
the final 2016 PM2.5 Implementation Rule imposing the
requirement that contingency measures reflect emissions reductions
comparable to 1-year's worth of RFP in the attainment plan at issue.
Nevertheless, this has been the EPA's guidance on the proper
interpretation of the statutory requirements of CAA section 172(c)(9)
for many years, and remains so in the preamble to the 2016
PM2.5 Implementation Rule (see page 81 FR 58066). Because
the contingency measures in a Moderate area attainment plan are
intended to be available in the event that the area fails to meet the
RFP requirement, the EPA has long interpreted CAA section 172(c)(9) to
require control measures that would result in emissions reductions
comparable to 1-year's worth of RFP in the area.
The EPA acknowledges the IDEQ's concern with the challenges to
identify and impose additional control measures to meet the contingency
measure requirement in the Logan, UT-ID nonattainment area. As
discussed in the proposal for this action, Franklin County is a
sparsely populated, rural area with a unique emissions inventory. Idaho
estimated that over 75% of the directly emitted PM2.5 comes
from road dust, using the EPA's AP-42 road dust emission estimation
methodology (see Appendix C of the 2012 SIP submittal). Idaho
calculated the remaining directly emitted PM2.5 to be 13%
residential wood combustion, 6% on-road and non-road mobile emissions,
and 6% all other remaining source categories. Also as discussed in the
proposal for this action, Idaho estimated that the limiting
PM2.5 precursors from Franklin County, nitrogen oxides
(NOX) and volatile organic compounds (VOC), come primarily
from motor vehicles, which are expected to decline significantly due to
federal motor vehicle standards already in place (see page 81 FR
74747). In considering these emission sources, the IDEQ established
road sanding agreements, woodstove curtailment ordinances, and the
woodstove change-out program. Because Idaho and Utah modeled that the
Logan UT-ID nonattainment area would attain based solely on the Utah
control measures, the IDEQ reasoned that anticipated reductions from
the Idaho control measures (i.e., the road sanding agreements,
woodstove curtailment ordinances, and the woodstove change-out
program), were not otherwise relied upon in the control strategy for
the area. As such, the IDEQ considered these early implemented
contingency measures, as allowed under the EPA's longstanding guidance
interpreting section 172(c)(9) to allow this approach.
However, as discussed in the proposed rulemaking, a recent decision
by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit rejected the EPA's
interpretation of CAA section 172(c)(9) to allow already implemented
control measures to meet the contingency measure requirements. Bahr v.
EPA, No. 12-72327 (Sept. 12, 2016). The Court concluded that
contingency measures must be control measures that will take effect at
the time the area fails to meet RFP or fails to attain by the
applicable attainment date, not before. Id.at 35-36. The IDEQ road
sanding agreements, woodstove curtailment ordinances, and the woodstove
change-out program which have already been implemented, do not meet the
standard for section 172(c)(9) contingency measures set out by the Bahr
decision which is controlling for EPA actions on SIP submissions from
states located within the jurisdiction of the 9th Circuit. For this
reason, the EPA is disapproving the contingency measures in this final
action. Because the contingency measures are invalid as early
implemented measures, the EPA is not addressing whether they would
otherwise be approvable as contingency measures at this time.
III. Final Action
The EPA is approving parts of Idaho's attainment plan for the Idaho
portion of the Logan, UT-ID nonattainment area for the 2006 24-hour
NAAQS PM2.5 NAAQS. In particular, the EPA is approving
Idaho's determination of which pollutants must be evaluated for control
in the Idaho portion of the
[[Page 732]]
Logan, UT-ID nonattainment area for purposes of the Moderate area plan
for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. The EPA is also approving
Idaho's evaluation of, and imposition of, RACM/RACT level controls on
appropriate sources in the Idaho portion of the area for this NAAQS.
This includes approval of Idaho's woodstove curtailment ordinances,
burn ban, heating device restrictions, and woodstove change-out
programs as meeting the RACM/RACT requirements in this area. The EPA is
deferring action on the submitted attainment plan with respect to the
Moderate area attainment demonstration, RFP, quantitative milestone,
and motor vehicle emissions budget requirements. Lastly, for the
reasons set forth in our proposed rulemaking and discussed above, the
EPA has determined that the contingency measures submitted as part of
Idaho's 2012 SIP submittal and 2014 amendment do not meet CAA
requirements, as interpreted in the 9th Circuit.
IV. Consequences of a Disapproved SIP
This section explains the consequences of disapproval, in whole or
in part, of a SIP submission required under the CAA. The Act provides
for the imposition of sanctions and the promulgation of a federal
implementation plan (FIP) if a state fails to submit, and the EPA
approve, a plan revision that corrects the deficiencies identified by
the EPA in its disapproval of the initial SIP submission.
The Act's Provisions for Sanctions
Once the EPA finalizes disapproval of a required SIP submission,
such as an attainment plan submission, or a portion thereof, CAA
section 179(a) provides for the imposition of sanctions, unless the
deficiency is corrected within 18 months of the final rulemaking of
disapproval. The first sanction would apply 18 months after the EPA
disapproves the SIP submission, or portion thereof. Under the EPA's
sanctions regulations at 40 CFR 52.31, the first sanction imposed would
be 2:1 offsets for sources subject to the new source review
requirements under section 173 of the CAA. If the state has still
failed to submit a SIP submission to correct the identified
deficiencies for which the EPA proposes full or conditional approval 6
months after the first sanction is imposed, the second sanction will
apply. The second sanction is a prohibition on the approval or funding
of certain highway projects.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ On April 1, 1996 the US Department of Transportation
published a notice in the Federal Register describing the criteria
to be used to determine which highway projects can be funded or
approved during the time that the highway sanction is imposed in an
area. (See 61 FR 14363).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal Implementation Plan Provisions That Apply if a State Fails To
Submit an Approvable Plan
In addition to sanctions, once the EPA finds that a state failed to
submit the required SIP revision, or finalizes disapproval of the
required SIP revision or a portion thereof, the EPA must promulgate a
FIP no later than two years from the date of the finding--if the
deficiency has not been corrected within that time period.
Ramifications Regarding Transportation Conformity
The proposal discussed conformity freeze implications due to
disapproval of the control strategy SIP.\3\ This final action only
disapproves the contingency measures. Section 93.120(a) of the
conformity rule is not triggered by disapproval of contingency
measures, so the area is not subject to a conformity freeze as
discussed in the proposal.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Control strategy SIP revisions as defined in the
transportation conformity rules include reasonable further progress
plans and attainment demonstrations (40 CFR 93.101).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
V. Statutory and Executive Orders Review
Under the CAA, the Administrator is required to approve a SIP
submission that complies with the provisions of the Act and applicable
Federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a). Thus, in
reviewing SIP submissions, the EPA's role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of the CAA. Accordingly, this
action merely approves state law as meeting Federal requirements and
does not impose additional requirements beyond those imposed by state
law. For that reason, this action:
Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' subject to
review by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Orders
12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993) and 13563 (76 FR 3821, January 21,
2011);
does not impose an information collection burden under the
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
is certified as not having a significant economic impact
on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
does not contain any unfunded mandate or significantly or
uniquely affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4);
does not have Federalism implications as specified in
Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999);
is not an economically significant regulatory action based
on health or safety risks subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR
19885, April 23, 1997);
is not a significant regulatory action subject to
Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001);
is not subject to requirements of Section 12(d) of the
National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272
note) because application of those requirements would be inconsistent
with the CAA; and
does not provide the EPA with the discretionary authority
to address, as appropriate, disproportionate human health or
environmental effects, using practicable and legally permissible
methods, under Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).
The SIP is not approved to apply on any Indian reservation land in
Idaho and is also not approved to apply in any other area where the EPA
or an Indian tribe has demonstrated that a tribe has jurisdiction. In
those areas of Indian country, the rule does not have tribal
implications and will not impose substantial direct costs on tribal
governments or preempt tribal law as specified by Executive Order 13175
(65 FR 67249, November 9, 2000).
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. The EPA will submit a report containing this action and
other required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of
Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United States prior
to publication of the rule in the Federal Register. A major rule cannot
take effect until 60 days after it is published in the Federal
Register. This action is not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C.
804(2).
Under section 307(b)(1) of the CAA, petitions for judicial review
of this action must be filed in the United States Court of Appeals for
the appropriate circuit by March 6, 2017. Filing a petition for
reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule does not
[[Page 733]]
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 in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Carbon monoxide,
Incorporation by reference, Intergovernmental relations, Lead, Nitrogen
dioxide, Ozone, Particulate matter, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Sulfur oxides, Volatile organic compounds.
Dated: December 20, 2016.
Michelle L. Pirzadeh,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 10.
For the reasons set forth in the preamble, 40 CFR part 52 is
amended as follows:
PART 52--APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS
0
1. The authority citation for Part 52 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Subpart N--Idaho
0
2. In Sec. 52.670, the table in paragraph (e) is amended by adding an
entry at the end of the table for ``Fine Particulate Matter Attainment
Plan.''
The addition reads as follows:
Sec. 52.670 Identification of plan.
* * * * *
(e) * * *
EPA-Approved Idaho Nonregulatory Provisions And Quasi-Regulatory Measures
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applicable
Name of SIP provision geographic or State EPA approval date Comments
nonattainment area submittal date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* * * * * * *
Fine Particulate Matter Franklin County, 12/19/12; 1/4/2017, [Insert Approved: reasonably
Attainment Plan. Logan UT-ID PM2.5 12/24/14 Federal Register available control
Nonattainment citation]. measures and
Area. reasonably available
control technology
requirements.
Disapproved:
contingency measures.
Deferred: Moderate area
attainment
demonstration,
reasonable further
progress, quantitative
milestone, and year
motor vehicle
emissions budget
requirements.
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[FR Doc. 2016-31643 Filed 1-3-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P