Environmental Protection Agency March 20, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA is proposing to approve the attainment demonstration portion of the attainment plan submitted by the District of Columbia, the State of Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia as revisions to each of their State Implementation Plans (SIPs). These revisions demonstrate attainment of the 1997 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard (1997 ozone NAAQS) for the Washington, DC-MD-VA, moderate nonattainment area (the Washington Area) by the applicable attainment date of June 2010. EPA has determined that each of the three SIP revisions meet the applicable requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA). This action is being taken in accordance with the CAA.

EPA is proposing to approve, and in the alternative, conditionally approve in part, the State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision, submitted by the State of Tennessee, through the Department of Environment and Conservation, demonstrating that the State meets the requirements of sections 110(a)(1) and (2) of the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act) for the 2008 Lead national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). Section 110(a) of the CAA requires that each state adopt and submit a SIP for the implementation, maintenance, and enforcement of each NAAQS promulgated by EPA, which is commonly referred to as an ``infrastructure'' SIP. Tennessee certified that the Tennessee SIP contains provisions that ensure the 2008 Lead NAAQS is implemented, enforced, and maintained in Tennessee (hereafter referred to as an ``infrastructure submission''). EPA is proposing to conditionally approve portions of sections 110(a)(2)(C), 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II), and 110(a)(2)(J) related to prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) requirements, and a portion of section 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) of Tennessee's October 19, 2009, infrastructure submission. The current Tennessee SIP does not include provisions to comply with these requirements; however, Tennessee has committed to submit SIP revisions to address these deficiencies. EPA is also proposing, in the alternative, to approve the entire Tennessee SIP, including the sections described above, as meeting the applicable infrastructure requirements for the 2008 Lead NAAQS. Should Tennessee submit, and EPA approve, the necessary provisions to correct the identified infrastructure SIP deficiencies prior to EPA taking final action on the October 19, 2009, infrastructure submission, EPA anticipates finalizing full approval of the infrastructure SIP. If EPA does not approve these necessary provisions prior to taking final action on the October 19, 2009, infrastructure submission, EPA anticipates finalizing conditional approvals for those elements for which the Tennessee infrastructure SIP remains deficient.

In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that the Agency has found that the motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) for ozone for the years 2020 and 2025 in the Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan for the 1997 National Ozone Standard for San Diego County (December 2012) (``San Diego Ozone Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan'') are adequate for transportation conformity purposes. The San Diego Redesignation Request and Ozone Maintenance Plan was submitted to EPA on December 28, 2012 by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as a revision to the California State Implementation Plan (SIP) and includes a maintenance plan for the 1997 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard. As a result of our adequacy findings, the San Diego Association of Governments and the U.S. Department of Transportation must use the MVEBs for future conformity determinations.

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. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR which is abstracted below describes the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost.

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. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR which is abstracted below describes the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost.

EPA is revising the format for materials submitted by the State of Washington that are incorporated by reference (IBR) into the Washington State Implementation Plan (SIP). The regulations affected by this format change have all been previously submitted by the State of Washington and approved by EPA. This format revision will primarily affect the ``Identification of plan'' section, as well as the format of the SIP materials that will be available for public inspection at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center located at EPA Headquarters in Washington, DC, and the EPA Regional Office. EPA is also adding a table in the ``Identification of plan'' section which summarizes the approval actions that EPA has taken on the non-regulatory and quasi-regulatory portions of the Washington SIP.