Adequacy Status of Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets for the New York Portion of the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT, 2008 8-Hour Ozone Nonattainment Area |
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Peter D. Lopez
Environmental Protection Agency
8 June 2018
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 111 (Friday, June 8, 2018)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 26597-26598]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12303]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[Docket No. EPA-R02-OAR-2018-0197; FRL-9978-07--Region 2]
Adequacy Status of Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets for the New
York Portion of the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT,
2008 8-Hour Ozone Nonattainment Area
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notification of adequacy.
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SUMMARY: In this document, the Environmental Protection Agency (``EPA''
or ``Agency'') is notifying the public that the Agency has found that
the 2017 motor vehicle emissions budgets (``budgets'') for volatile
organic compounds (``VOCs'') and nitrogen oxides (``NOX'')
submitted by the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation for the 2008 national ambient air quality standard
(``NAAQS'') for ozone are adequate for transportation conformity
purposes for the New York portions of the New York-Northern New Jersey-
Long Island, NY-NJ-CT 8-hour ozone nonattainment area. The
transportation conformity rule requires that the EPA
[[Page 26598]]
conduct a public process and make an affirmative decision on the
adequacy of these budgets before they can be used by metropolitan
planning organizations in conformity determinations. As a result of
this finding, upon the effective date of this notification of adequacy,
the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council must use these budgets
in future transportation conformity determinations. The budgets are
contained in New York's November 10, 2017, state implementation plan
submittal for the 2008 ozone NAAQS and are associated with the
reasonable further progress milestone demonstration.
DATES: This finding is effective June 25, 2018.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Hannah Greenberg, Environmental
Protection Agency Region 2, Air Programs Branch, 290 Broadway, 25th
Floor, New York, New York 10007-1866; (212) 637-3829,
greenberg.hannah@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, whenever ``we,''
``us,'' or ``our'' is used, we mean the EPA.
This document is simply an announcement of a finding that we have
already made. EPA Region 2 sent a letter to the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation on April 19, 2018, stating
that the 2017 motor vehicle emissions budgets (``budgets'') in the
submitted state implementation plan (``SIP'') for the 2008 national
ambient air quality standard for ozone for the New York portions of the
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 8-hour ozone nonattainment
area are adequate for transportation conformity purposes. These budgets
are associated with the SIP's reasonable further progress milestone
demonstration and must apply to future transportation conformity
determinations conducted by the New York Metropolitan Transportation
Council (``NYMTC'').
On November 10, 2017, the New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation submitted a SIP revision for the New York
portion of the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT, 2008
8-hour ozone nonattainment area. This revision to the SIP included 2017
summer day volatile organic compound (``VOC'') and nitrogen oxides
(``NOX'') motor vehicle emissions budgets associated with
the SIP's reasonable further progress demonstration. We announced
availability of the plan and related budgets on the EPA's
transportation conformity website on December 6, 2017, requesting
comments by January 5, 2018. We received no comments in response to the
adequacy review posting.
This finding will also be available at the EPA's conformity
website: https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-transportation/conformity-adequacy-review-region-2.
The motor vehicle emissions budgets are provided in Table 1 below.
Table 1--2017 Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets for NYMTC
[Tons per year]
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Year VOC NOX
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2017................................................ 65.69 117.21
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Transportation conformity is required by Clean Air Act section
176(c). The EPA's conformity rule requires that long-range
transportation plans, transportation improvement programs, and
transportation projects conform to a state's air quality SIP and
establishes the criteria and procedures for determining whether or not
they conform. Conformity to a SIP means that transportation activities
will not produce new air quality violations, worsen existing
violations, or delay timely attainment of the NAAQS.
The criteria the EPA uses to determine whether a SIP's motor
vehicle emission budgets are adequate for conformity purposes are
outlined in 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). We have further described our process
for determining the adequacy of submitted SIP budgets in 40 CFR
93.118(f), and we followed this rule in making our adequacy
determination. Please note that an adequacy review is separate from the
EPA's completeness review and should not be used to prejudge the EPA's
ultimate action on the SIP. Even if we find a budget adequate, the SIP
could later be disapproved.
Pursuant to 40 CFR 93.104(e), within 2 years of the effective date
of this document, NYMTC and the U.S. Department of Transportation will
need to demonstrate conformity to the new budgets. For demonstrating
conformity to the budgets in this plan, the on-road motor vehicle
emissions from implementation of the long-range transportation plan
should be projected consistently with the budgets in this plan.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401-7671 q.
Dated: April 30, 2018.
Peter D. Lopez,
Regional Administrator, Region 2.
[FR Doc. 2018-12303 Filed 6-7-18; 8:45 am]
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