Environmental Protection Agency May 15, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that the Agency has found that the ``baseline'' reasonable further progress motor vehicle emissions budgets for 8-hour ozone and PM2.5 in the 2007 South Coast State Implementation Plan (2007 South Coast SIP), as amended on April 30, 2008, are adequate for transportation conformity purposes. In this notice, EPA is also notifying the public that the Agency has found that the ``SIP-based'' motor vehicle emissions budgets for 8-hour ozone and PM2.5 in the amended 2007 South Coast SIP are inadequate for transportation conformity purposes. The 2007 South Coast SIP was submitted to EPA on November 28, 2007 by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as a revision to the California SIP, and includes reasonable further progress and attainment demonstrations for the 8-hour ozone and PM2.5 national ambient air quality standards. On February 1, 2008, CARB submitted supplemental technical information related to reasonable further progress for the 8-hour ozone NAAQS. The 2007 South Coast SIP was amended by a submittal dated April 30, 2008 that replaces the original motor vehicle emissions budgets for 8-hour ozone and PM2.5 and distinguishes between ``baseline'' budgets and ``SIP-based'' budgets. As a result of our findings, the Southern California Association of Governments and the U.S. Department of Transportation must use the South Coast 8-hour ozone and PM2.5 ``baseline'' motor vehicle emissions budgets, and cannot use the ``SIP-based'' budgets, in the amended 2007 South Coast SIP for future conformity determinations.