Environmental Protection Agency February 9, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces three public teleconferences of a work group of the Chartered Science Advisory Board to discuss the President's FY 2013 Budget Request for the EPA Office of Research and Development.

The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office is requesting nominations of experts to be considered for service on an SAB Committee to make recommendations on EPA's Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards (STAA) for 2012-2015.

EPA is proposing to approve a request from Illinois to redesignate the Illinois portion of the Chicago-Gary-Lake County, Illinois-Indiana (IL-IN) ozone nonattainment area (the Greater Chicago area) to attainment of the 1997 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS or standard) because the request meets the statutory requirements for redesignation under the Clean Air Act (CAA). The Illinois portion of the Greater Chicago area includes Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties and portions of Grundy (Aux Sable and Goose Lake Townships) and Kendall (Oswego Township) Counties. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) submitted this request on July 23, 2009, and supplemented its request in a submittal on September 16, 2011. EPA is proposing to approve, as a revision of the Illinois State Implementation Plan (SIP), the State's plan for maintaining the 1997 8-hour ozone standard through 2025 in the Illinois portion of the Greater Chicago area. EPA is proposing to approve 2002 Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) and Nitrogen Oxides (NOX) emission inventories for the Illinois portion of the Greater Chicago area as a revision of the Illinois SIP because the emission inventories meet the requirements of section 182(a) of the CAA. Finally, EPA proposes to approve the State's 2008 and 2025 VOC and NOX Motor Vehicle Emission Budgets (MVEBs) for the Illinois portion of the Greater Chicago area.

EPA is proposing to partially approve and partially disapprove submittals from the state of Arkansas pursuant to the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) that address the infrastructure elements specified in the CAA section 110(a)(2), necessary to implement, maintain, and enforce the 1997 8-hour ozone and the 1997 and 2006 fine particulate matter (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS or standards). We are proposing to find that the current Arkansas State Implementation Plan (SIP) meets the following infrastructure elements for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS and the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS: 110(a)(2)(A), (B), (E), (F), (G), (H), (K), (L), (M), and portions of (C), (D)(ii) and (J). We are proposing to find that the current Arkansas SIP does not meet the infrastructure requirements for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS and the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS at 110(a)(2) for portions of (C), (D)(ii), and (J) because the EPA-approved SIP prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) program does not apply to greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting sources. We also are proposing to find that the current Arkansas SIP does not meet the infrastructure requirements for the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS at 110(a)(2) for portions of (C), (D)(ii), and (J) because Arkansas has not submitted the PSD SIP revision required by EPA's Implementation of the New Source Review (NSR) Program for Particulate Matter Less Than 2.5 Micrometers (73 FR 28321, May 16, 2008). Further, we are proposing to partially approve and partially disapprove the provisions of SIP submissions that emissions from sources in Arkansas do not interfere with measures required in the SIP of any other state under part C of the CAA to prevent significant deterioration of air quality, with regard to the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS and the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. The partial disapprovals herein are because Arkansas cannot issue permits for GHG emissions and because the State did not submit the required PM2.5 PSD SIP revision. Finally, for purposes of the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, EPA is proposing to approve SIP revisions that modify the Arkansas PSD SIP to include nitrogen oxides (NOX) as an ozone precursor. This action is being taken under section 110 and part C of the Act. Finally, EPA is also proposing to make a correction to the attainment status table in 40 CFR 81.304 to accurately reflect the redesignation date of Crittenden County, Arkansas to attainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone standard.