Adequacy Status of Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets for Transportation Conformity Purposes; CT

Deborah A. Szaro
Environmental Protection Agency
31 May 2017

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 103 (Wednesday, May 31, 2017)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 24859-24860]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-11222]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[EPA-R01-OAR-2017-0158; A-1-FRL-9961-72-Region 1]


Adequacy Status of Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets for 
Transportation Conformity Purposes; CT

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of adequacy.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is notifying the 
public that it has found that the 2017 motor vehicle emission budgets 
for the Greater Connecticut ozone nonattainment area for the 2008 
national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) for ozone are adequate 
for transportation conformity purposes. As a result of our finding, 
Connecticut must use these motor vehicle emissions budgets for future 
transportation conformity determinations. These budgets were contained 
in the January 17, 2017 attainment demonstration State Implementation 
Plan (SIP) for the Greater Connecticut ozone nonattainment area for the 
2008 ozone NAAQS.

DATES: This finding is effective June 15, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ariel Garcia, Air Quality Planning 
Unit, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Region 1 Regional 
Office, 5 Post Office Square, Suite 100 (mail code: OEP05-2), Boston, 
MA 02109-3912, telephone number (617) 918-1660, fax number (617) 918-
0660, email garcia.ariel@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Throughout this document whenever ``we,'' ``us,'' or ``our'' is 
used, we mean EPA.
    Today's action is simply an announcement of a finding that we have 
already made. EPA Region 1 sent a letter to the Connecticut Department 
of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) on March 20, 2017 
stating that the 2017 motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) for the 
Greater Connecticut nonattainment area for the 2008 ozone NAAQS are 
adequate. CT DEEP submitted the budgets on January 17, 2017, as part of 
its attainment demonstration SIP for the Greater Connecticut 
nonattainment area for the 2008 ozone NAAQS. This submittal was 
announced on EPA's conformity Web site, and received no comments. (See 
https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-transportation/adequacy-review-state-implementation-plan-sip-submissions-conformity. Once there, click 
on ``What SIP submissions are currently under EPA adequacy review?'')
    The 2017 MVEBs, in tons per summer day (tpsd), for volatile organic 
compounds (VOC) and oxides of nitrogen (NOX) for Greater 
Connecticut, are as follows:

 2017 Adequate Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets Greater Connecticut Area
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                                                             NOX (tpsd)
                                               VOC (tpsd)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Year 2017...................................         15.9          22.2
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    Transportation conformity is required by section 176(c) of the 
Clean Air Act. EPA's conformity rule requires that transportation 
plans, programs, and projects conform to state air quality 
implementation plans and establishes criteria and procedures for 
determining whether or not they do. Conformity to a SIP means that 
transportation activities will not produce new air quality violations, 
worsen existing violations, or delay timely attainment of the national 
ambient air quality standards.
    The criteria by which we determine whether a SIP's motor vehicle 
emissions budgets are adequate for transportation conformity purposes 
are outlined in 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). We have described our process for 
determining the adequacy of submitted SIP budgets in our July 1, 2004, 
conformity final rule preamble starting at 69 FR 40038, and we used the 
information in these resources while making our adequacy determination. 
Please note that an adequacy review is separate from EPA's completeness 
review, and it also should not be used to prejudge EPA's ultimate 
approval of the SIP. Even if we find a budget adequate, the SIP could 
later be disapproved.
    Connecticut's January 17, 2017 SIP revision also includes 2017 
MVEBs for the Connecticut portion of the New York-Northern New Jersey-
Long Island, NY-NJ-CT (Southwest Connecticut) nonattainment area for 
the 2008 ozone NAAQS. However, we are not able to evaluate the budgets 
for the Southwest Connecticut nonattainment area at this time since 
Connecticut DEEP has not yet submitted its reasonable further progress 
and attainment demonstration SIPs for this area. EPA will not take 
action, nor make an adequacy determination, on MVEBs for the 2008 ozone 
standard for the Southwest Connecticut nonattainment area, until a SIP 
revision meeting the requirements for reasonable further progress or an 
attainment demonstration is submitted for that nonattainment area.

[[Page 24860]]

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Carbon monoxide, 
Incorporation by reference, Intergovernmental relations, Lead, Nitrogen 
dioxide, Ozone, Particulate matter, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements, Sulfur oxides, Volatile organic compounds.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q.

    Dated: April 10, 2017.
Deborah A. Szaro,
Acting Regional Administrator, EPA New England.
[FR Doc. 2017-11222 Filed 5-30-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P