Air Plan Approval; West Virginia; 1997 8-Hour Ozone Standard Second Maintenance Plan for the Charleston, West Virginia Area Comprising Kanawha and Putnam Counties, 38816-38820 [2020-13453]
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Dated: June 11, 2020.
Regan A. Smith,
General Counsel and Associate Register of
Copyrights.
[FR Doc. 2020–12969 Filed 6–26–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1410–30–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R03–OAR–2020–0194; FRL 10010–69–
Region 3]
Air Plan Approval; West Virginia; 1997
8-Hour Ozone Standard Second
Maintenance Plan for the Charleston,
West Virginia Area Comprising
Kanawha and Putnam Counties
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a
state implementation plan (SIP) revision
submitted by the State of West Virginia.
This revision pertains to the West
Virginia Department of Environmental
Protection’s (WVDEP) plan for
maintaining the 1997 8-hour ozone
national ambient air quality standards
(NAAQS) for the Charleston Area
(comprising Kanawha and Putnam
Counties). This action is being taken
under the Clean Air Act (CAA).
DATES: Written comments must be
received on or before July 29, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket ID No. EPA–R03–
OAR–2020–0194 at https://
www.regulations.gov, or via email to
spielberger.susan@epa.gov. For
comments submitted at Regulations.gov,
follow the online instructions for
submitting comments. Once submitted,
comments cannot be edited or removed
from Regulations.gov. For either manner
of submission, EPA may publish any
comment received to its public docket.
Do not submit electronically any
information you consider to be
confidential business information (CBI)
or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Multimedia
submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be
accompanied by a written comment.
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SUMMARY:
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The written comment is considered the
official comment and should include
discussion of all points you wish to
make. EPA will generally not consider
comments or comment contents located
outside of the primary submission (i.e.,
on the web, cloud, or other file sharing
system). For additional submission
methods, please contact the person
identified in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section. For the
full EPA public comment policy,
information about CBI or multimedia
submissions, and general guidance on
making effective comments, please visit
https://www.epa.gov/dockets/
commenting-epa-dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Gregory Becoat, Planning &
Implementation Branch (3AD30), Air &
Radiation Division, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Region III, 1650
Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
19103. The telephone number is (215)
814–2036. Mr. Becoat can also be
reached via electronic mail at
becoat.gregory@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On
December 10, 2019, WVDEP submitted
a revision to the West Virginia SIP to
incorporate a plan for maintaining the
1997 ozone NAAQS through August 10,
2026, in accordance with CAA section
175A.
I. Background
In 1979, under section 109 of the
CAA, EPA established primary and
secondary NAAQS for ozone at 0.12
parts per million (ppm), averaged over
a 1-hour period. 44 FR 8202 (February
8, 1979). On July 18, 1997 (62 FR
38856),1 EPA revised the primary and
secondary NAAQS for ozone to set the
acceptable level of ozone in the ambient
air at 0.08 ppm, averaged over an 8-hour
period. EPA set the 8-hour ozone
NAAQS based on scientific evidence
demonstrating that ozone causes
adverse health effects at lower
concentrations and over longer periods
of time than was understood when the
pre-existing 1-hour ozone NAAQS was
set. Following promulgation of a new or
revised NAAQS, EPA is required by the
CAA to designate areas throughout the
nation as attaining or not attaining the
NAAQS. On April 30, 2004 (69 FR
23858), EPA designated the Charleston
1 In March 2008, EPA completed another review
of the primary and secondary ozone standards and
tightened them further by lowering the level for
both to 0.075 ppm. 73 FR 16436 (March 27, 2008).
Additionally, in October 2015, EPA completed a
review of the primary and secondary ozone
standards and tightened them by lowering the level
for both to 0.70 ppm. 80 FR 65292 (October 26,
2015).
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Area as nonattainment for the 1997 8-hr
ozone NAAQS.
Once a nonattainment area has three
years of complete and certified air
quality data that has been determined to
attain the NAAQS, and the area has met
the other criteria outlined in CAA
section 107(d)(3)(E),2 the state can
submit a request to EPA to redesignate
the area to attainment. Areas that have
been redesignated by EPA from
nonattainment to attainment are referred
to as ‘‘maintenance areas.’’ One of the
criteria for redesignation is to have an
approved maintenance plan under CAA
section 175A. The maintenance plan
must demonstrate that the area will
continue to maintain the standard for
the period extending 10 years after
redesignation, and it must contain such
additional measures as necessary to
ensure maintenance as well contingency
measures as necessary to assure that
violations of the standard will be
promptly corrected.
On July 11, 2006 (71 FR 39001,
effective August 10, 2006), EPA
approved a redesignation request (and
maintenance plan) from WVDEP for the
Charleston Area. In accordance with
section 175A(b), at the end of the eighth
year after the effective date of the
redesignation, the state must also
submit a second maintenance plan to
ensure ongoing maintenance of the
standard for an additional 10 years.
EPA’s final implementation rule for
the 2008 ozone NAAQS revoked the
1997 ozone NAAQS and provided that
one consequence of revocation was that
areas that had been redesignated to
attainment (i.e., maintenance areas) for
the 1997 NAAQS no longer needed to
submit second 10-year maintenance
plans under CAA section 175A(b).3
However, in South Coast Air Quality
Management District v. EPA 4 (South
Coast II), the United States Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia
(D.C. Circuit) vacated EPA’s
interpretation that, because of the
revocation of the 1997 ozone standard,
second maintenance plans were not
required for ‘‘orphan maintenance
areas,’’ (i.e., areas like Kanawha and
Putnam Counties) that had been
redesignated to attainment for the 1997
NAAQS and were designated attainment
for the 2008 ozone NAAQS. Thus, states
2 The requirements of CAA section 107(d)(3)(E)
include attainment of the NAAQS, full approval
under section 110(k) of the applicable SIP,
determination that improvement in air quality is a
result of permanent and enforceable reductions in
emissions, demonstration that the state has met all
applicable section 110 and part D requirements, and
a fully approved maintenance plan under CAA
section 175A.
3 See 80 FR 12315 (March 6, 2015).
4 882 F.3d 1138 (D.C. Cir. 2018).
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with these ‘‘orphan maintenance areas’’
under the 1997 ozone NAAQS must
submit maintenance plans for the
second maintenance period.
As previously discussed, CAA section
175A sets forth the criteria for adequate
maintenance plans. In addition, EPA
has published longstanding guidance
that provides further insight on the
content of an approvable maintenance
plan, explaining that a maintenance
plan should address five elements: (1)
An attainment emissions inventory; (2)
a maintenance demonstration; (3) a
commitment for continued air quality
monitoring; (4) a process for verification
of continued attainment; and (5) a
contingency plan. The Calcagni memo 5
provides that states may generally
demonstrate maintenance by either
performing air quality modeling to show
the future mix of sources and emission
rates will not cause a violation of the
NAAQS or by showing that future
emissions of a pollutant and its
precursors will not exceed the level of
emissions during a year when the area
was attaining the NAAQS (i.e.,
attainment year inventory). See Calcagni
Memo at 9. EPA further clarified in
three subsequent guidance memos
describing ‘‘limited maintenance plans’’
(LMPs) 6 that the requirements of CAA
section 175A could be met by
demonstrating that the area’s design
value 7 was well below the NAAQS and
that the historical stability of the area’s
air quality levels showed that the area
was unlikely to violate the NAAQS in
the future. Specifically, EPA believes
that if the most recent air quality design
value for the area is at a level that is
below 85% of the standard, or in this
case below 0.071 ppm, then EPA
considers the state to have met the
section 175A requirement for a
demonstration that the area will
maintain the NAAQS for the requisite
period. Accordingly, on December 10,
2019, WVDEP submitted a second
maintenance plan for the Charleston
Area, following EPA’s LMP guidance
and demonstrating that the area will
maintain the 1997 ozone NAAQS
through August 10, 2026, i.e., through
the end of the 20-year maintenance
period.
II. Summary of SIP Revision and EPA
Analysis
WVDEP’s December 10, 2019 SIP
submittal outlines a plan for continued
maintenance of the 1997 ozone NAAQS
which addresses the criteria set forth in
the Calcagni memo as follows.
A. Attainment Emissions Inventory
A state should develop a
comprehensive and accurate inventory
of actual emissions for an attainment
year which identifies the level of
emissions in the area which is sufficient
to maintain the NAAQS. The inventory
should be developed consistent with
EPA’s most recent guidance. For ozone,
the inventory should be based on
typical summer day’s emissions of
oxides of nitrogen (NOX) and volatile
organic compounds (VOC), the
precursors to ozone formation. In the
first maintenance plan for the
Charleston Area, WVDEP used 2004 for
the attainment year inventory, because
2004 was one of the years in the 2002–
2004 three-year period when the area
first attained the 1997 8-hour ozone
NAAQS. The Charleston Area continued
to monitor attainment of the 1997 8hour ozone NAAQS in 2014. Therefore,
the emissions inventory from 2014
represents emissions levels conducive
to continued attainment (i.e.,
maintenance) of the NAAQS. Thus,
WVDEP is using 2014 as representing
attainment level emissions for its
second maintenance plan. WVDEP used
2014 summer day emissions from EPA’s
2014 version 7.0 modeling platform as
the basis for the 2014 inventory
presented in Table 1.8
TABLE 1—2014 TYPICAL SUMMER DAY VOC AND NOX EMISSIONS
[tons/day] 9
Area
Source category
Kanawha County ..........................................................
Fire ................................................................................
Nonpoint .......................................................................
Nonroad ........................................................................
Onroad ..........................................................................
Point ..............................................................................
2.18
22.23
4.58
5.21
3.71
0.15
6.17
1.60
13.27
16.39
Subtotal .........................................................................
38
38
Fire ................................................................................
Nonpoint .......................................................................
Nonroad ........................................................................
Onroad ..........................................................................
Point ..............................................................................
0.00
4.65
0.62
1.27
0.62
0.00
2.18
0.47
3.24
10.93
Subtotal .................................................................
7
17
Totals .....................................................................
45
54
Putnam County .............................................................
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Charleston Area, WV ............................................
5 ‘‘Procedures for Processing Requests to
Redesignate Areas to Attainment,’’ Memorandum
from John Calcagni, Director, Air Quality
Management Division, September 4, 1992 (Calcagni
Memo).
6 See ‘‘Limited Maintenance Plan Option for
Nonclassifiable Ozone Nonattainment Areas’’ from
Sally L. Shaver, Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards (OAQPS), dated November 16, 1994;
‘‘Limited Maintenance Plan Option for
Nonclassifiable CO Nonattainment Areas’’ from
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Joseph Paisie, OAQPS, dated October 6, 1995; and
‘‘Limited Maintenance Plan Option for Moderate
PM10 Nonattainment Areas’’ from Lydia Wegman,
OAQPS, dated August 9, 2001.
7 The ozone design value for a monitoring site is
the 3-year average of the annual fourth-highest daily
maximum 8-hour average ozone concentrations.
The design value for an ozone nonattainment area
is the highest design value of any monitoring site
in the area.
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VOC
NOX
8 On April, 22, 2020, WVDEP submitted a
clarifying letter to EPA noting that the headings in
Table 4 of its submittal were inadvertently titled,
‘‘2014 Summertime Daily NOX Emissions (tpd)’’
instead of ‘‘2014 Summertime Daily VOC Emissions
(tpd).’’ EPA does not believe that this mislabeling
negatively impacts proposed approval of this SIP
revision.
9 Data in Table 1 of the preamble only includes
tons/day. See Tables 3 and 4 of WVDEP’s December
10, 2019 submittal for data in tons/year.
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The 2014 emissions inventory was
prepared by WVDEP and uploaded into
EPA’s Emissions Inventory System (EIS)
for inclusion in EPA’s National
Emission Inventory (NEI). The inventory
addresses four anthropogenic emission
source categories: Stationary (point)
sources, stationary nonpoint (area)
sources, nonroad mobile, and on-road
mobile sources. Point sources are
stationary sources that have the
potential to emit (PTE) more than 100
tons per year (tpy) of VOC, or more than
50 tpy of NOX, and which are required
to obtain an operating permit. Data are
collected for each source at a facility
and reported to WVDEP.
The fire emissions sector includes
emissions from agricultural burning,
prescribed fires, wildfires, and other
types of fires. The nonpoint emissions
sector includes emissions from
equipment, operations, and activities
that are numerous and in total have
significant emissions. Examples include
emissions from commercial and
consumer products, portable fuel
containers, home heating, repair and
refinishing operations, and crematories.
The non-road emissions sector includes
emissions from engines that are not
primarily used to propel transportation
equipment, such as generators, forklifts,
and marine pleasure craft. The on-road
emissions sector includes emissions
from engines used primarily to propel
equipment on highways and other
roads, including passenger vehicles,
motorcycles, and heavy-duty diesel
trucks. The point source sector includes
large industrial operations that are
relatively few in number but have large
emissions, such as kraft mills, electrical
generating units, and pharmaceutical
factories. On-road mobile emissions are
modelled by WVDEP using EPA’s Motor
Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES).
WVDEP generates nonroad mobile
source emissions data through the use of
EPA’s NONROAD2014a model. EPA
reviewed the supporting documentation
submitted by WVDEP 10 and proposes to
conclude that the plan’s inventory is
acceptable for the purposes of a
subsequent maintenance plan under
CAA section 175A(b).11
B. Maintenance Demonstration
In order to attain the 1997 ozone
NAAQS, the three-year average of the
fourth-highest daily average ozone
concentrations (design value, DV) at
each monitor within an area must not
exceed 0.08 ppm. Based on the
rounding convention described in 40
CFR part 50, appendix I, the standard is
attained if the DV is 0.084 or below.
CAA section 175A requires a
demonstration that the area will
continue to maintain the NAAQS
throughout the duration of the requisite
maintenance period. Consistent with the
prior guidance documents discussed
previously in this document, EPA
believes that if the most recent DV for
the area is well below the NAAQS (e.g.,
below 85%, or in this case below 0.071
ppm), the section 175A demonstration
requirement has been met, provided that
Prevention of Significant Deterioration
(PSD) requirements, any control
measures already in the SIP, and any
Federal measures remain in place
through the end of the second 10-year
maintenance period (absent a showing
consistent with section 110(l) that such
measures are not necessary to assure
maintenance).
For the purposes of demonstrating a
stable or improving air quality trend,
West Virginia used a weighted design
value of the most recent five design
values. The five most recent design
values available cover the 2012–2018
ambient air monitoring data. This
includes 3-year design values for 2012–
2014, 2013–2015, 2014–2016, 2015–
2017, and 2016–2018. Data from 2014,
2015, and 2016 was included in three
out of five design values. Table 2 shows
the most recent five years of ambient
ozone air quality 3-year design values.
These design values are from EPA’s Air
Quality System (AQS). The 7th column
is the 5-year weighted design value
calculated by West Virginia. This 5-year
weighted design value was calculated
by averaging all the 4th Max Ozone
values from the years 2012–2018. The
8th column is the 5-year design value
average calculated by EPA. The 5-year
design value average is calculated by
averaging the design values for 2012–
2014, 2013–2015, 2014–2016, 2015–
2017, and 2016–2018. Both the 5-year
weighted design value calculated by
West Virginia, and the 5-year design
value average calculated by EPA, for the
Charleston area, were calculated to be
0.067 ppm, which is below the 0.071
ppm threshold level and 79% of the
NAAQS. Table 2 shows that the most
recent five years of ambient ozone air
quality 3-year average DVs for the
Charleston Area continue to be below
85% of the 1997 ozone NAAQS. It
demonstrates that 8-hour ozone air
quality levels are significantly below the
level of the standard.
TABLE 2—CHARLESTON AREA 8-HOUR OZONE DESIGN VALUES IN PART PER MILLION
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[ppm]
Site
2012–2014
2013–2015
2014–2016
2015–2017
2016–2018
5-Year
weighted
5-Year design
value average
(ppm)
Projected
2023
Charleston, WV ..............
0.069
0.067
0.067
0.067
0.067
0.067
0.067
0.060
For the 2023 projections shown in
Table 2, EPA used a 2011-based air
quality modeling platform, which
includes emissions, meteorology, and
other inputs for 2011 as the base year
and emissions for 2023 as the future
analytic year base case. Specifically, the
modeling platform included a variety of
data that contained information
pertaining to the modeling domain and
simulation period. These include
gridded, hourly emissions estimates and
meteorological data, and boundary
concentrations. Separate emissions
inventories were prepared for the 2011
base year and the 2023 base case. All
other inputs (i.e., meteorological fields,
initial concentrations, and boundary
concentrations) were specified for the
2011 base year model application and
remained unchanged for the future-year
model simulations. The 2011 modeling
platform and projected 2023 emissions
were used to drive the 2011 base year
and 2023 future case air quality model
simulations. The 2023 projected DV for
the Charleston Area is 0.060 ppm, well
below the level of the 1997 8-hour
ozone NAAQS, 0.08 ppm. Therefore,
EPA proposes to determine that that
10 See Appendix C of WVDEP’s December 10,
2019 submittal.
11 The daily emissions data for 2014 typical
summer day VOC and NOX emissions in Table 1
were excerpted from: https://www.epa.gov/sites/
production/files/2018-11/ozone_1997_naaqs_
emiss_inv_data_nov_19_2018_0.xlsx (‘‘2014 2028
area emiss by sector’’ tab) posted at https://
www.epa.gov/ground-level-ozone-pollution/1997ozonenational-ambient-air-quality-standardsnaaqs-nonattainment.
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future violations of the NAAQS in this
area are unlikely.
The 2023 design value of 0.060 ppm
projected by EPA includes 2011
emissions from the Appalachian Power
Company—Kanawha River Plant (54–
039–00006), which was a contributor to
the 2011 base year emissions used to
develop the 2023 projections. This
facility was permanently shut down on
June 1, 2015 and Appalachian Power
Company officially withdrew their air
permits for the Kanawha River Plant.
Therefore, the elimination of
approximately 2,500 tons per year of
NOX emissions is expected to drive
projected design values even lower.
Other facility emission reductions are
expected to occur before 2023. With this
consideration, and based on EPA’s 2023
projection data source, the actual design
values for 2023 are expected to be lower
than what EPA has projected.12
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C. Continued Air Quality Monitoring
and Verification of Continued
Attainment
Once an area has been redesignated to
attainment, the state remains obligated
to maintain an air quality network in
accordance with 40 CFR part 58, in
order to verify the area’s attainment
status. In the December 10, 2019
submittal, West Virginia committed to
maintaining an appropriate air quality
monitoring network, in accordance with
40 CFR part 58. West Virginia will
continue to conduct ambient ozone air
quality monitoring in the area
throughout the term of the maintenance
plan to verify continued attainment
with the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS and
to protect any applicable PSD
increments. WVDEP states that air
quality measurements will be performed
in accordance with appropriate
regulations and guidance documents
along with EPA quality assurance
requirements, and monitoring
procedures will be determined in
accordance with 40 CFR part 58.
WVDEP commits to submitting qualityassured ozone data to EPA through the
AQS and ultimately certified by the
WVDEP. EPA has analyzed the
commitments in the plan and
determined that they meet the
requirements.
D. Contingency Plan
The contingency plan provisions are
designed to promptly correct or prevent
12 In June 2018, EPA issued a technical support
document (TSD) entitled, ‘‘Air Quality Modeling
Technical Support Document for the Updated 2023
Projected Ozone Design Values’’. This TSD
describes the air quality modeling EPA performed
to projected ozone design values at individual
monitoring sites to 2023.
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a violation of the NAAQS that might
occur after redesignation of an area to
attainment. Section 175A of the CAA
requires that a maintenance plan
include such contingency measures as
EPA deems necessary to assure that the
state will promptly correct a violation of
the NAAQS that occurs after
redesignation. The maintenance plan
should identify the contingency
measures to be adopted, a schedule and
procedure for adoption and
implementation of the contingency
measures, and a time limit for action by
the state. The state should also identify
specific indicators to be used to
determine when the contingency
measures need to be adopted and
implemented. The maintenance plan
must include a requirement that the
state will implement all pollution
control measures that were contained in
the SIP before redesignation of the area
to attainment. See section 175A(d) of
the CAA. WVDEP’s December 10, 2019
submittal outlines its adopted
permanent and Federally enforceable
control measures in order to regulate
emission growth. The Charleston Area’s
control measures include the permitting
regulations and PSD measures, which
will remain in effect through the
maintenance plan period. Air permits
issued will incorporate applicable PSD,
New Source Performance Standard, and
National Emission Standards for
Hazardous Air Pollutant requirements.
WVDEP’s December 10, 2019
submittal included the required
contingency plan, to be implemented in
the event of NAAQS violations in the
future. WVDEP has committed to
adopting and implementing one or more
of the following control measures
within three months after verification of
a monitored ozone standard violation in
the Charleston Area: (1) Extend the
applicability of the VOC reasonably
available control technology (RACT)
rule to include source categories
previously excluded (e.g., wastewater
treatment facilities); (2) revise
permitting requirements establishing
more stringent emissions control
measures and/or emissions offsets; (3)
implement NOX RACT requirements if
necessary; (4) develop regulations to
establish plant-wide emission caps; (5)
implement Stage II Vapor Recovery
regulations; (6) establish a program
focusing on increasing the public’s
understanding of air quality issues and
increasing support for actions to
improve the air quality; and (7) initiate
voluntary local control measures (e.g.,
bicycle/pedestrian measures, engine
idling reduction, partnership with
ground freight industry, increase
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38819
compliance with open burning
restrictions, and school bus engine
retrofit program).
If there is indeed a violation and the
DV exceeds the NAAQS, the
contingency plan will be ‘‘triggered,’’
based on the following schedule: (1)
Quality assurance procedures must
confirm the monitored violation within
45 days of occurrence; (2) a draft rule
would be developed by the WVDEP for
any regulation chosen, (3) WVDEP will
adopt the selected control measure(s) as
emergency rule(s) which will be
implemented within six months after
adoption and will file the rule(s) as
legislative rule(s) for permanent
authorization by the legislature; and (4)
for each voluntary measure selected, the
WVDEP will initiate program
development with local governments
within the area by the start of the
following ozone season.
Furthermore, if the triennial
inventories indicate emissions growth
in excess of 10% of the 2011 base-year
inventory or if a monitored ozone air
quality exceedance pattern indicates
that an ozone NAAQS violation may be
imminent, WVDEP will evaluate
existing control measures to ascertain if
additional regulatory revisions are
necessary to maintain the ozone
standards.
EPA finds that West Virginia’s
contingency measures, as well as the
commitment to continue implementing
any SIP requirements, satisfy the
pertinent requirements of section 175A.
Importantly, while EPA notes that West
Virginia’s contingency measures option
six (increasing public understanding)
and seven (voluntary local control
measures), are not enforceable measures
that standing alone are likely to lead to
reductions in emissions that could
promptly correct a violation of the
NAAQS, their inclusion among other
measures that meet that criterion, is
overall SIP-strengthening, and their
inclusion does not alter EPA’s proposal
to find the LMP is fully approvable.
E. Transportation Conformity
Transportation conformity is required
by section 176(c) of the CAA.
Conformity to a SIP means that
transportation activities will not
produce new air quality violations,
worsen existing violations, or delay
timely attainment of the NAAQS (CAA
176(c)(1)(B)). EPA’s conformity rule at
40 CFR part 93 requires that
transportation plans, programs and
projects conform to SIPs and establish
the criteria and procedures for
determining whether or not they
conform. The conformity rule generally
requires a demonstration that emissions
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from the Regional Transportation Plan
(RTP) and the Transportation
Improvement Program (TIP) are
consistent with the motor vehicle
emissions budget (MVEB) contained in
the control strategy SIP revision or
maintenance plan (40 CFR 93.101,
93.118, and 93.124). An MVEB is
defined as ‘‘that portion of the total
allowable emissions defined in the
submitted or approved control strategy
implementation plan revision or
maintenance plan for a certain date for
the purpose of meeting reasonable
further progress milestones or
demonstrating attainment or
maintenance of the NAAQS, for any
criteria pollutant or its precursors,
allocated to highway and transit vehicle
use and emissions (40 CFR 93.101).’’
Under the conformity rule, LMP areas
may demonstrate conformity without a
regional emission analysis (40 CFR
93.109(e)). However, because LMP areas
are still maintenance areas, certain
aspects of transportation conformity
determinations still will be required for
transportation plans, programs and
projects. Specifically, for such
determinations, RTPs, TIPs and
transportation projects still will have to
demonstrate that they are fiscally
constrained (40 CFR 93.108), meet the
criteria for consultation (40 CFR 93.105
and 40 CFR 93.112) and Transportation
Control Measure implementation in the
conformity rule provisions (40 CFR
93.113). Additionally, conformity
determinations for RTPs and TIPs must
be determined no less frequently than
every four years, and conformity of plan
and TIP amendments and transportation
projects is demonstrated in accordance
with the timing requirements specified
in 40 CFR 93.104. In addition, for
projects to be approved they must come
from a currently conforming RTP and
TIP (40 CFR 93.114 and 93.115). The
Charleston Area remains under the
obligation to meet the applicable
conformity requirements for the 1997 8hour ozone NAAQS.
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with PROPOSALS
III. Proposed Action
EPA’s review of WVDEP’s December
10, 2019 submittal indicates it meets
CAA section 175A and all applicable
CAA requirements. EPA is proposing to
approve the LMP for the 1997 8-hour
ozone NAAQS for the Charleston Area
(comprising Kanawha and Putnam
Counties), as a revision to the West
Virginia SIP. EPA is soliciting public
comments on the issues discussed in
this document. These comments will be
considered before taking final action.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:45 Jun 26, 2020
Jkt 250001
IV. Statutory and Executive Order
Reviews
Under the CAA, the Administrator is
required to approve a SIP submission
that complies with the provisions of the
CAA and applicable Federal regulations.
42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a).
Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions,
EPA’s role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of
the CAA. Accordingly, this action
merely approves state law as meeting
Federal requirements and does not
impose additional requirements beyond
those imposed by state law. For that
reason, this proposed 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);
• Is not an Executive Order 13771 (82
FR 9339, February 2, 2017) regulatory
action because SIP approvals are
exempted under Executive Order 12866.
• Does not impose an information
collection burden under the provisions
of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
• Is certified as not having a
significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities
under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5
U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
• Does not contain any unfunded
mandate or significantly or uniquely
affect small governments, as described
in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–4);
• Does not have Federalism
implications as specified in Executive
Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10,
1999);
• Is not an economically significant
regulatory action based on health or
safety risks subject to Executive Order
13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997);
• Is not a significant regulatory action
subject to Executive Order 13211 (66 FR
28355, May 22, 2001);
• Is not subject to requirements of
Section 12(d) of the National
Technology Transfer and Advancement
Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) because
application of those requirements would
be inconsistent with the CAA; and
• Does not provide EPA with the
discretionary authority to address, as
appropriate, disproportionate human
health or environmental effects, using
practicable and legally permissible
methods, under Executive Order 12898
(59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).
In addition, this proposed rule,
pertaining to West Virginia’s second
maintenance plan for Kanawha and
Putnam Counties, does not have tribal
PO 00000
Frm 00022
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
implications as specified by Executive
Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9,
2000), because the SIP is not approved
to apply in Indian country located in the
state, and EPA notes that it will not
impose substantial direct costs on tribal
governments or preempt tribal law.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air
pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone,
Volatile organic compounds.
Dated: June 16, 2020.
Cosmo Servidio,
Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. 2020–13453 Filed 6–26–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R03–OAR–2020–0195; FRL 10010–70–
Region 3]
Air Plan Approval; West Virginia; 1997
8-Hour Ozone Standard Second
Maintenance Plan for the West Virginia
Portion of the Steubenville-Weirton,
OH-WV Area Comprising Brooke and
Hancock Counties
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a
state implementation plan (SIP) revision
submitted by the State of West Virginia.
This revision pertains to the West
Virginia Department of Environmental
Protection’s (WVDEP) plan for
maintaining the 1997 8-hour ozone
national ambient air quality standards
(NAAQS) for the West Virginia portion
of the Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV
area (Weirton Area), comprising Brooke
and Hancock Counties. This action is
being taken under the Clean Air Act
(CAA).
SUMMARY:
Written comments must be
received on or before July 29, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket ID No. EPA–R03–
OAR–2020–0195 at https://
www.regulations.gov, or via email to
spielberger.susan@epa.gov. For
comments submitted at Regulations.gov,
follow the online instructions for
submitting comments. Once submitted,
comments cannot be edited or removed
from Regulations.gov. For either manner
of submission, EPA may publish any
comment received to its public docket.
Do not submit electronically any
DATES:
E:\FR\FM\29JNP1.SGM
29JNP1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 125 (Monday, June 29, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 38816-38820]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-13453]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA-R03-OAR-2020-0194; FRL 10010-69-Region 3]
Air Plan Approval; West Virginia; 1997 8-Hour Ozone Standard
Second Maintenance Plan for the Charleston, West Virginia Area
Comprising Kanawha and Putnam Counties
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to
approve a state implementation plan (SIP) revision submitted by the
State of West Virginia. This revision pertains to the West Virginia
Department of Environmental Protection's (WVDEP) plan for maintaining
the 1997 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS)
for the Charleston Area (comprising Kanawha and Putnam Counties). This
action is being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before July 29, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R03-
OAR-2020-0194 at https://www.regulations.gov, or via email to
[email protected]. For comments submitted at Regulations.gov,
follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Once submitted,
comments cannot be edited or removed from Regulations.gov. For either
manner of submission, EPA may publish any comment received to its
public docket. Do not submit electronically any information you
consider to be confidential business information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia
submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written
comment. The written comment is considered the official comment and
should include discussion of all points you wish to make. EPA will
generally not consider comments or comment contents located outside of
the primary submission (i.e., on the web, cloud, or other file sharing
system). For additional submission methods, please contact the person
identified in the For Further Information Contact section. For the full
EPA public comment policy, information about CBI or multimedia
submissions, and general guidance on making effective comments, please
visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory Becoat, Planning &
Implementation Branch (3AD30), Air & Radiation Division, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, 1650 Arch Street,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103. The telephone number is (215) 814-
2036. Mr. Becoat can also be reached via electronic mail at
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 10, 2019, WVDEP submitted a
revision to the West Virginia SIP to incorporate a plan for maintaining
the 1997 ozone NAAQS through August 10, 2026, in accordance with CAA
section 175A.
I. Background
In 1979, under section 109 of the CAA, EPA established primary and
secondary NAAQS for ozone at 0.12 parts per million (ppm), averaged
over a 1-hour period. 44 FR 8202 (February 8, 1979). On July 18, 1997
(62 FR 38856),\1\ EPA revised the primary and secondary NAAQS for ozone
to set the acceptable level of ozone in the ambient air at 0.08 ppm,
averaged over an 8-hour period. EPA set the 8-hour ozone NAAQS based on
scientific evidence demonstrating that ozone causes adverse health
effects at lower concentrations and over longer periods of time than
was understood when the pre-existing 1-hour ozone NAAQS was set.
Following promulgation of a new or revised NAAQS, EPA is required by
the CAA to designate areas throughout the nation as attaining or not
attaining the NAAQS. On April 30, 2004 (69 FR 23858), EPA designated
the Charleston Area as nonattainment for the 1997 8-hr ozone NAAQS.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ In March 2008, EPA completed another review of the primary
and secondary ozone standards and tightened them further by lowering
the level for both to 0.075 ppm. 73 FR 16436 (March 27, 2008).
Additionally, in October 2015, EPA completed a review of the primary
and secondary ozone standards and tightened them by lowering the
level for both to 0.70 ppm. 80 FR 65292 (October 26, 2015).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once a nonattainment area has three years of complete and certified
air quality data that has been determined to attain the NAAQS, and the
area has met the other criteria outlined in CAA section
107(d)(3)(E),\2\ the state can submit a request to EPA to redesignate
the area to attainment. Areas that have been redesignated by EPA from
nonattainment to attainment are referred to as ``maintenance areas.''
One of the criteria for redesignation is to have an approved
maintenance plan under CAA section 175A. The maintenance plan must
demonstrate that the area will continue to maintain the standard for
the period extending 10 years after redesignation, and it must contain
such additional measures as necessary to ensure maintenance as well
contingency measures as necessary to assure that violations of the
standard will be promptly corrected.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ The requirements of CAA section 107(d)(3)(E) include
attainment of the NAAQS, full approval under section 110(k) of the
applicable SIP, determination that improvement in air quality is a
result of permanent and enforceable reductions in emissions,
demonstration that the state has met all applicable section 110 and
part D requirements, and a fully approved maintenance plan under CAA
section 175A.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On July 11, 2006 (71 FR 39001, effective August 10, 2006), EPA
approved a redesignation request (and maintenance plan) from WVDEP for
the Charleston Area. In accordance with section 175A(b), at the end of
the eighth year after the effective date of the redesignation, the
state must also submit a second maintenance plan to ensure ongoing
maintenance of the standard for an additional 10 years.
EPA's final implementation rule for the 2008 ozone NAAQS revoked
the 1997 ozone NAAQS and provided that one consequence of revocation
was that areas that had been redesignated to attainment (i.e.,
maintenance areas) for the 1997 NAAQS no longer needed to submit second
10-year maintenance plans under CAA section 175A(b).\3\ However, in
South Coast Air Quality Management District v. EPA \4\ (South Coast
II), the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
(D.C. Circuit) vacated EPA's interpretation that, because of the
revocation of the 1997 ozone standard, second maintenance plans were
not required for ``orphan maintenance areas,'' (i.e., areas like
Kanawha and Putnam Counties) that had been redesignated to attainment
for the 1997 NAAQS and were designated attainment for the 2008 ozone
NAAQS. Thus, states
[[Page 38817]]
with these ``orphan maintenance areas'' under the 1997 ozone NAAQS must
submit maintenance plans for the second maintenance period.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ See 80 FR 12315 (March 6, 2015).
\4\ 882 F.3d 1138 (D.C. Cir. 2018).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
As previously discussed, CAA section 175A sets forth the criteria
for adequate maintenance plans. In addition, EPA has published
longstanding guidance that provides further insight on the content of
an approvable maintenance plan, explaining that a maintenance plan
should address five elements: (1) An attainment emissions inventory;
(2) a maintenance demonstration; (3) a commitment for continued air
quality monitoring; (4) a process for verification of continued
attainment; and (5) a contingency plan. The Calcagni memo \5\ provides
that states may generally demonstrate maintenance by either performing
air quality modeling to show the future mix of sources and emission
rates will not cause a violation of the NAAQS or by showing that future
emissions of a pollutant and its precursors will not exceed the level
of emissions during a year when the area was attaining the NAAQS (i.e.,
attainment year inventory). See Calcagni Memo at 9. EPA further
clarified in three subsequent guidance memos describing ``limited
maintenance plans'' (LMPs) \6\ that the requirements of CAA section
175A could be met by demonstrating that the area's design value \7\ was
well below the NAAQS and that the historical stability of the area's
air quality levels showed that the area was unlikely to violate the
NAAQS in the future. Specifically, EPA believes that if the most recent
air quality design value for the area is at a level that is below 85%
of the standard, or in this case below 0.071 ppm, then EPA considers
the state to have met the section 175A requirement for a demonstration
that the area will maintain the NAAQS for the requisite period.
Accordingly, on December 10, 2019, WVDEP submitted a second maintenance
plan for the Charleston Area, following EPA's LMP guidance and
demonstrating that the area will maintain the 1997 ozone NAAQS through
August 10, 2026, i.e., through the end of the 20-year maintenance
period.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ ``Procedures for Processing Requests to Redesignate Areas to
Attainment,'' Memorandum from John Calcagni, Director, Air Quality
Management Division, September 4, 1992 (Calcagni Memo).
\6\ See ``Limited Maintenance Plan Option for Nonclassifiable
Ozone Nonattainment Areas'' from Sally L. Shaver, Office of Air
Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS), dated November 16, 1994;
``Limited Maintenance Plan Option for Nonclassifiable CO
Nonattainment Areas'' from Joseph Paisie, OAQPS, dated October 6,
1995; and ``Limited Maintenance Plan Option for Moderate
PM10 Nonattainment Areas'' from Lydia Wegman, OAQPS,
dated August 9, 2001.
\7\ The ozone design value for a monitoring site is the 3-year
average of the annual fourth-highest daily maximum 8-hour average
ozone concentrations. The design value for an ozone nonattainment
area is the highest design value of any monitoring site in the area.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
II. Summary of SIP Revision and EPA Analysis
WVDEP's December 10, 2019 SIP submittal outlines a plan for
continued maintenance of the 1997 ozone NAAQS which addresses the
criteria set forth in the Calcagni memo as follows.
A. Attainment Emissions Inventory
A state should develop a comprehensive and accurate inventory of
actual emissions for an attainment year which identifies the level of
emissions in the area which is sufficient to maintain the NAAQS. The
inventory should be developed consistent with EPA's most recent
guidance. For ozone, the inventory should be based on typical summer
day's emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOX) and volatile
organic compounds (VOC), the precursors to ozone formation. In the
first maintenance plan for the Charleston Area, WVDEP used 2004 for the
attainment year inventory, because 2004 was one of the years in the
2002-2004 three-year period when the area first attained the 1997 8-
hour ozone NAAQS. The Charleston Area continued to monitor attainment
of the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS in 2014. Therefore, the emissions
inventory from 2014 represents emissions levels conducive to continued
attainment (i.e., maintenance) of the NAAQS. Thus, WVDEP is using 2014
as representing attainment level emissions for its second maintenance
plan. WVDEP used 2014 summer day emissions from EPA's 2014 version 7.0
modeling platform as the basis for the 2014 inventory presented in
Table 1.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ On April, 22, 2020, WVDEP submitted a clarifying letter to
EPA noting that the headings in Table 4 of its submittal were
inadvertently titled, ``2014 Summertime Daily NOX
Emissions (tpd)'' instead of ``2014 Summertime Daily VOC Emissions
(tpd).'' EPA does not believe that this mislabeling negatively
impacts proposed approval of this SIP revision.
\9\ Data in Table 1 of the preamble only includes tons/day. See
Tables 3 and 4 of WVDEP's December 10, 2019 submittal for data in
tons/year.
Table 1--2014 Typical Summer Day VOC and NOX Emissions
[tons/day] \9\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Area Source category VOC NOX
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kanawha County................................ Fire............................ 2.18 0.15
Nonpoint........................ 22.23 6.17
Nonroad......................... 4.58 1.60
Onroad.......................... 5.21 13.27
Point........................... 3.71 16.39
-------------------------------
Subtotal........................ 38 38
===============================
Putnam County................................. Fire............................ 0.00 0.00
Nonpoint........................ 4.65 2.18
Nonroad......................... 0.62 0.47
Onroad.......................... 1.27 3.24
Point........................... 0.62 10.93
-------------------------------
Subtotal..................... 7 17
===============================
Charleston Area, WV....................... Totals....................... 45 54
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 38818]]
The 2014 emissions inventory was prepared by WVDEP and uploaded
into EPA's Emissions Inventory System (EIS) for inclusion in EPA's
National Emission Inventory (NEI). The inventory addresses four
anthropogenic emission source categories: Stationary (point) sources,
stationary nonpoint (area) sources, nonroad mobile, and on-road mobile
sources. Point sources are stationary sources that have the potential
to emit (PTE) more than 100 tons per year (tpy) of VOC, or more than 50
tpy of NOX, and which are required to obtain an operating
permit. Data are collected for each source at a facility and reported
to WVDEP.
The fire emissions sector includes emissions from agricultural
burning, prescribed fires, wildfires, and other types of fires. The
nonpoint emissions sector includes emissions from equipment,
operations, and activities that are numerous and in total have
significant emissions. Examples include emissions from commercial and
consumer products, portable fuel containers, home heating, repair and
refinishing operations, and crematories. The non-road emissions sector
includes emissions from engines that are not primarily used to propel
transportation equipment, such as generators, forklifts, and marine
pleasure craft. The on-road emissions sector includes emissions from
engines used primarily to propel equipment on highways and other roads,
including passenger vehicles, motorcycles, and heavy-duty diesel
trucks. The point source sector includes large industrial operations
that are relatively few in number but have large emissions, such as
kraft mills, electrical generating units, and pharmaceutical factories.
On-road mobile emissions are modelled by WVDEP using EPA's Motor
Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES). WVDEP generates nonroad mobile
source emissions data through the use of EPA's NONROAD2014a model. EPA
reviewed the supporting documentation submitted by WVDEP \10\ and
proposes to conclude that the plan's inventory is acceptable for the
purposes of a subsequent maintenance plan under CAA section
175A(b).\11\
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\10\ See Appendix C of WVDEP's December 10, 2019 submittal.
\11\ The daily emissions data for 2014 typical summer day VOC
and NOX emissions in Table 1 were excerpted from: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-11/ozone_1997_naaqs_emiss_inv_data_nov_19_2018_0.xlsx (``2014 2028 area
emiss by sector'' tab) posted at https://www.epa.gov/ground-level-ozone-pollution/1997-ozonenational-ambient-air-quality-standards-naaqs-nonattainment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
B. Maintenance Demonstration
In order to attain the 1997 ozone NAAQS, the three-year average of
the fourth-highest daily average ozone concentrations (design value,
DV) at each monitor within an area must not exceed 0.08 ppm. Based on
the rounding convention described in 40 CFR part 50, appendix I, the
standard is attained if the DV is 0.084 or below. CAA section 175A
requires a demonstration that the area will continue to maintain the
NAAQS throughout the duration of the requisite maintenance period.
Consistent with the prior guidance documents discussed previously in
this document, EPA believes that if the most recent DV for the area is
well below the NAAQS (e.g., below 85%, or in this case below 0.071
ppm), the section 175A demonstration requirement has been met, provided
that Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements, any
control measures already in the SIP, and any Federal measures remain in
place through the end of the second 10-year maintenance period (absent
a showing consistent with section 110(l) that such measures are not
necessary to assure maintenance).
For the purposes of demonstrating a stable or improving air quality
trend, West Virginia used a weighted design value of the most recent
five design values. The five most recent design values available cover
the 2012-2018 ambient air monitoring data. This includes 3-year design
values for 2012-2014, 2013-2015, 2014-2016, 2015-2017, and 2016-2018.
Data from 2014, 2015, and 2016 was included in three out of five design
values. Table 2 shows the most recent five years of ambient ozone air
quality 3-year design values. These design values are from EPA's Air
Quality System (AQS). The 7th column is the 5-year weighted design
value calculated by West Virginia. This 5-year weighted design value
was calculated by averaging all the 4th Max Ozone values from the years
2012-2018. The 8th column is the 5-year design value average calculated
by EPA. The 5-year design value average is calculated by averaging the
design values for 2012-2014, 2013-2015, 2014-2016, 2015-2017, and 2016-
2018. Both the 5-year weighted design value calculated by West
Virginia, and the 5-year design value average calculated by EPA, for
the Charleston area, were calculated to be 0.067 ppm, which is below
the 0.071 ppm threshold level and 79% of the NAAQS. Table 2 shows that
the most recent five years of ambient ozone air quality 3-year average
DVs for the Charleston Area continue to be below 85% of the 1997 ozone
NAAQS. It demonstrates that 8-hour ozone air quality levels are
significantly below the level of the standard.
Table 2--Charleston Area 8-Hour Ozone Design Values in Part per Million
[ppm]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5-Year design
Site 2012-2014 2013-2015 2014-2016 2015-2017 2016-2018 5-Year weighted value average Projected 2023
(ppm)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charleston, WV...................... 0.069 0.067 0.067 0.067 0.067 0.067 0.067 0.060
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the 2023 projections shown in Table 2, EPA used a 2011-based
air quality modeling platform, which includes emissions, meteorology,
and other inputs for 2011 as the base year and emissions for 2023 as
the future analytic year base case. Specifically, the modeling platform
included a variety of data that contained information pertaining to the
modeling domain and simulation period. These include gridded, hourly
emissions estimates and meteorological data, and boundary
concentrations. Separate emissions inventories were prepared for the
2011 base year and the 2023 base case. All other inputs (i.e.,
meteorological fields, initial concentrations, and boundary
concentrations) were specified for the 2011 base year model application
and remained unchanged for the future-year model simulations. The 2011
modeling platform and projected 2023 emissions were used to drive the
2011 base year and 2023 future case air quality model simulations. The
2023 projected DV for the Charleston Area is 0.060 ppm, well below the
level of the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, 0.08 ppm. Therefore, EPA proposes
to determine that that
[[Page 38819]]
future violations of the NAAQS in this area are unlikely.
The 2023 design value of 0.060 ppm projected by EPA includes 2011
emissions from the Appalachian Power Company--Kanawha River Plant (54-
039-00006), which was a contributor to the 2011 base year emissions
used to develop the 2023 projections. This facility was permanently
shut down on June 1, 2015 and Appalachian Power Company officially
withdrew their air permits for the Kanawha River Plant. Therefore, the
elimination of approximately 2,500 tons per year of NOX
emissions is expected to drive projected design values even lower.
Other facility emission reductions are expected to occur before 2023.
With this consideration, and based on EPA's 2023 projection data
source, the actual design values for 2023 are expected to be lower than
what EPA has projected.\12\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\12\ In June 2018, EPA issued a technical support document (TSD)
entitled, ``Air Quality Modeling Technical Support Document for the
Updated 2023 Projected Ozone Design Values''. This TSD describes the
air quality modeling EPA performed to projected ozone design values
at individual monitoring sites to 2023.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
C. Continued Air Quality Monitoring and Verification of Continued
Attainment
Once an area has been redesignated to attainment, the state remains
obligated to maintain an air quality network in accordance with 40 CFR
part 58, in order to verify the area's attainment status. In the
December 10, 2019 submittal, West Virginia committed to maintaining an
appropriate air quality monitoring network, in accordance with 40 CFR
part 58. West Virginia will continue to conduct ambient ozone air
quality monitoring in the area throughout the term of the maintenance
plan to verify continued attainment with the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS
and to protect any applicable PSD increments. WVDEP states that air
quality measurements will be performed in accordance with appropriate
regulations and guidance documents along with EPA quality assurance
requirements, and monitoring procedures will be determined in
accordance with 40 CFR part 58. WVDEP commits to submitting quality-
assured ozone data to EPA through the AQS and ultimately certified by
the WVDEP. EPA has analyzed the commitments in the plan and determined
that they meet the requirements.
D. Contingency Plan
The contingency plan provisions are designed to promptly correct or
prevent a violation of the NAAQS that might occur after redesignation
of an area to attainment. Section 175A of the CAA requires that a
maintenance plan include such contingency measures as EPA deems
necessary to assure that the state will promptly correct a violation of
the NAAQS that occurs after redesignation. The maintenance plan should
identify the contingency measures to be adopted, a schedule and
procedure for adoption and implementation of the contingency measures,
and a time limit for action by the state. The state should also
identify specific indicators to be used to determine when the
contingency measures need to be adopted and implemented. The
maintenance plan must include a requirement that the state will
implement all pollution control measures that were contained in the SIP
before redesignation of the area to attainment. See section 175A(d) of
the CAA. WVDEP's December 10, 2019 submittal outlines its adopted
permanent and Federally enforceable control measures in order to
regulate emission growth. The Charleston Area's control measures
include the permitting regulations and PSD measures, which will remain
in effect through the maintenance plan period. Air permits issued will
incorporate applicable PSD, New Source Performance Standard, and
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutant requirements.
WVDEP's December 10, 2019 submittal included the required
contingency plan, to be implemented in the event of NAAQS violations in
the future. WVDEP has committed to adopting and implementing one or
more of the following control measures within three months after
verification of a monitored ozone standard violation in the Charleston
Area: (1) Extend the applicability of the VOC reasonably available
control technology (RACT) rule to include source categories previously
excluded (e.g., wastewater treatment facilities); (2) revise permitting
requirements establishing more stringent emissions control measures
and/or emissions offsets; (3) implement NOX RACT
requirements if necessary; (4) develop regulations to establish plant-
wide emission caps; (5) implement Stage II Vapor Recovery regulations;
(6) establish a program focusing on increasing the public's
understanding of air quality issues and increasing support for actions
to improve the air quality; and (7) initiate voluntary local control
measures (e.g., bicycle/pedestrian measures, engine idling reduction,
partnership with ground freight industry, increase compliance with open
burning restrictions, and school bus engine retrofit program).
If there is indeed a violation and the DV exceeds the NAAQS, the
contingency plan will be ``triggered,'' based on the following
schedule: (1) Quality assurance procedures must confirm the monitored
violation within 45 days of occurrence; (2) a draft rule would be
developed by the WVDEP for any regulation chosen, (3) WVDEP will adopt
the selected control measure(s) as emergency rule(s) which will be
implemented within six months after adoption and will file the rule(s)
as legislative rule(s) for permanent authorization by the legislature;
and (4) for each voluntary measure selected, the WVDEP will initiate
program development with local governments within the area by the start
of the following ozone season.
Furthermore, if the triennial inventories indicate emissions growth
in excess of 10% of the 2011 base-year inventory or if a monitored
ozone air quality exceedance pattern indicates that an ozone NAAQS
violation may be imminent, WVDEP will evaluate existing control
measures to ascertain if additional regulatory revisions are necessary
to maintain the ozone standards.
EPA finds that West Virginia's contingency measures, as well as the
commitment to continue implementing any SIP requirements, satisfy the
pertinent requirements of section 175A. Importantly, while EPA notes
that West Virginia's contingency measures option six (increasing public
understanding) and seven (voluntary local control measures), are not
enforceable measures that standing alone are likely to lead to
reductions in emissions that could promptly correct a violation of the
NAAQS, their inclusion among other measures that meet that criterion,
is overall SIP-strengthening, and their inclusion does not alter EPA's
proposal to find the LMP is fully approvable.
E. Transportation Conformity
Transportation conformity is required by section 176(c) of the CAA.
Conformity to a SIP means that transportation activities will not
produce new air quality violations, worsen existing violations, or
delay timely attainment of the NAAQS (CAA 176(c)(1)(B)). EPA's
conformity rule at 40 CFR part 93 requires that transportation plans,
programs and projects conform to SIPs and establish the criteria and
procedures for determining whether or not they conform. The conformity
rule generally requires a demonstration that emissions
[[Page 38820]]
from the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and the Transportation
Improvement Program (TIP) are consistent with the motor vehicle
emissions budget (MVEB) contained in the control strategy SIP revision
or maintenance plan (40 CFR 93.101, 93.118, and 93.124). An MVEB is
defined as ``that portion of the total allowable emissions defined in
the submitted or approved control strategy implementation plan revision
or maintenance plan for a certain date for the purpose of meeting
reasonable further progress milestones or demonstrating attainment or
maintenance of the NAAQS, for any criteria pollutant or its precursors,
allocated to highway and transit vehicle use and emissions (40 CFR
93.101).''
Under the conformity rule, LMP areas may demonstrate conformity
without a regional emission analysis (40 CFR 93.109(e)). However,
because LMP areas are still maintenance areas, certain aspects of
transportation conformity determinations still will be required for
transportation plans, programs and projects. Specifically, for such
determinations, RTPs, TIPs and transportation projects still will have
to demonstrate that they are fiscally constrained (40 CFR 93.108), meet
the criteria for consultation (40 CFR 93.105 and 40 CFR 93.112) and
Transportation Control Measure implementation in the conformity rule
provisions (40 CFR 93.113). Additionally, conformity determinations for
RTPs and TIPs must be determined no less frequently than every four
years, and conformity of plan and TIP amendments and transportation
projects is demonstrated in accordance with the timing requirements
specified in 40 CFR 93.104. In addition, for projects to be approved
they must come from a currently conforming RTP and TIP (40 CFR 93.114
and 93.115). The Charleston Area remains under the obligation to meet
the applicable conformity requirements for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS.
III. Proposed Action
EPA's review of WVDEP's December 10, 2019 submittal indicates it
meets CAA section 175A and all applicable CAA requirements. EPA is
proposing to approve the LMP for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS for the
Charleston Area (comprising Kanawha and Putnam Counties), as a revision
to the West Virginia SIP. EPA is soliciting public comments on the
issues discussed in this document. These comments will be considered
before taking final action.
IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
Under the CAA, the Administrator is required to approve a SIP
submission that complies with the provisions of the CAA and applicable
Federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a). Thus, in
reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of the CAA. Accordingly, this
action merely approves state law as meeting Federal requirements and
does not impose additional requirements beyond those imposed by state
law. For that reason, this proposed 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);
Is not an Executive Order 13771 (82 FR 9339, February 2,
2017) regulatory action because SIP approvals are exempted under
Executive Order 12866.
Does not impose an information collection burden under the
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
Is certified as not having a significant economic impact
on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
Does not contain any unfunded mandate or significantly or
uniquely affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4);
Does not have Federalism implications as specified in
Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999);
Is not an economically significant regulatory action based
on health or safety risks subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR
19885, April 23, 1997);
Is not a significant regulatory action subject to
Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001);
Is not subject to requirements of Section 12(d) of the
National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272
note) because application of those requirements would be inconsistent
with the CAA; and
Does not provide EPA with the discretionary authority to
address, as appropriate, disproportionate human health or environmental
effects, using practicable and legally permissible methods, under
Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).
In addition, this proposed rule, pertaining to West Virginia's
second maintenance plan for Kanawha and Putnam Counties, does not have
tribal implications as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249,
November 9, 2000), because the SIP is not approved to apply in Indian
country located in the state, and EPA notes that it will not impose
substantial direct costs on tribal governments or preempt tribal law.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Volatile organic compounds.
Dated: June 16, 2020.
Cosmo Servidio,
Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. 2020-13453 Filed 6-26-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
