Environmental Protection Agency November 20, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Pressed Wood Manufacturing Industry Survey; ICR No. 2328.01, OMB No. 2070-TBD. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of the information collection activity and its expected burden and costs.

EPA is making determinations that three areas designated nonattainment for the 1997 fine particulate (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) have attained the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. These are the Martinsburg-Hagerstown, WV-MD nonattainment area; the Parkersburg-Marietta, WV-OH nonattainment area; and the Wheeling, WV-OH nonattainment area. These determinations are based upon complete, quality assured, quality controlled, and certified ambient air monitoring data that show that these areas have monitored attainment of the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS during the 2006-2008 monitoring period. Currently available monitoring data for 2009 are consistent with continued attainment of the standard. The intended effect of these actions is to finalize these attainment determinations for these areas. With these final determinations, the requirements for States to submit for these areas an attainment demonstration, associated reasonably available control measures, a reasonable further progress plan, contingency measures, and other planning State Implementation Plans (SIPs) related to attainment of the standard are suspended for so long as the areas continue to meet the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA's determinations that these areas have attained the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS are not equivalent to the redesignation of the areas to attainment. These actions do not constitute redesignations to attainment under section 107(d)(3) of the Clean Air Act (CAA), because we do not yet have an approved maintenance plan for these areas as required under that section and section 175A of the CAA, nor a determination that these areas have met the other requirements for redesignation. The designation status of these areas remains nonattainment for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS until such time as EPA determines that these areas meet the CAA requirements for redesignation to attainment.

EPA is proposing to approve a request submitted by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management on September 25, 2009, to revise the Indiana State Implementation Plan (SIP). The submission revises the Indiana Administrative Code (IAC) by amending and updating the definition of ``References to Code of Federal Regulations,'' to refer to the 2008 edition.

EPA proposes to approve the State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Commonwealth of Virginia for Transportation Conformity regulations. In the Final Rules section of this Federal Register, EPA is approving the State's SIP submittal as a direct final rule without prior proposal because the Agency views this as a noncontroversial submittal and anticipates no adverse comments. A detailed rationale for the approval is set forth in the direct final rule. If no adverse comments are received in response to this action, no further activity is contemplated. If EPA receives adverse comments, the direct final rule will be withdrawn and all public comments