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Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee: Chattanooga; Particulate Matter 2002 Base Year Emissions Inventory
Feb 08, 2012 (Environmental Protection Agency Documents and Publications/ContentWorks via COMTEX) --
SUMMARY: EPA is taking direct final action to approve the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) 2002 base year emissions inventory portion of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the States of Alabama on July 31, 2009, Georgia on October 27, 2009, and Tennessee on October 15, 2009. The emissions inventory is part of the tri-state Chattanooga, Alabama-Georgia-Tennessee, (hereafter referred to as "the Chattanooga Area" or "Area"), PM2.5 attainment demonstrations that were submitted for the 1997 annual PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). This action is being taken pursuant to section 110 of the Clean Air Act (CAA).
DATES: This direct final rule is effective April 9, 2012 without further notice, unless EPA receives adverse comment by March 9, 2012. If EPA receives such comments, it will publish a timely withdrawal of the direct final rule in the Federal Register and inform the public that the rule will not take effect.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R04-OAR-2011-0084, by one of the following methods:
1. www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
2. Email: benjamin.lynorae@epa.gov.
3. Fax: (404) 562-9019.
4. Mail: "EPA-R04-OAR-2011-0084," Regulatory Development Section, Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960.
5. Hand Delivery or Courier: Lynorae Benjamin, Regulatory Development Section, Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Regional Office's normal hours of operation. The Regional Office's official hours of business are Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:30, excluding federal holidays.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-R04-OAR-2011-0084. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the public docket without change and may be made available online at www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit through www.regulations.gov or email, information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected. The www.regulations.gov Web site is an "anonymous access" system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an email comment directly to EPA without going through www.regulations.gov, your email address will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: All documents in the electronic docket are listed in the www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, i.e., CBI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically in www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the Regulatory Development Section, Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. EPA requests that if at all possible, you contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to schedule your inspection. The Regional Office's official hours of business are Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:30, excluding Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sean Lakeman, Regulatory Development Section, Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. The telephone number is (404) 562-9043. Mr. Lakeman can be reached via electronic mail at lakeman.sean@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
II. Analysis of State Submittals
III. Final Action
IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Background
On July 18, 1997 (62 FR 36852), EPA established an annual PM2.5 NAAQS at 15.0 micrograms per cubic meter ([mu]g/m3) based on a 3-year average of annual mean PM2.5 concentrations. On January 5, 2005 (70 FR 944), EPA published its air quality designations and classifications for the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS based upon air quality monitoring data for calendar years 2001-2003. These designations became effective on April 5, 2005. The Chattanooga Area (which is comprised of a portion of Jackson County in Alabama, Catoosa and Walker Counties in Georgia and Hamilton County in Tennessee) was designated nonattainment for the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS. See 40 CFR 81.311.
Designation of an area as nonattainment starts the process for a state to develop and submit to EPA a SIP under title 1, part D of the CAA. This SIP must include, among other elements, a demonstration of how the NAAQS will be attained in the nonattainment area as expeditiously as practicable but no later than the date required by the CAA. Under CAA section 172(b), a state has up to three years after an area's designation as nonattainment to submit its SIP to EPA. For the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS, these SIPs were due April 5, 2008. See 40 CFR 51.1002(a).
On July 31, 2009, October 27, 2009, and October 15, 2009, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee (respectively) submitted attainment demonstrations and associated reasonably available control measures (RACM), reasonable further progress (RFP) plans, contingency measures, a 2002 base year emissions inventory and other planning SIP revisions related to attainment of the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS in the Chattanooga Area. On May 31, 2011 (76 FR 31239), EPA determined that the Chattanooga Area attained the 1997 annual average PM2.5 NAAQS. The determination of attainment was based upon complete, quality-assured and certified ambient air monitoring data for the 2007-2009 period, showing that the Area had monitored attainment of the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS. The requirements for the Area to submit an attainment demonstration and associated RACM, RFP plan, contingency measures, and other planning SIP revisions related to attainment of the standard were suspended as a result of the determination of attainment, so long as the Area continues to attain the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS. See 40 CFR 51.1004(c).
On June 29, 2011, Georgia withdrew /1/ its Chattanooga attainment plan as allowed by 40 CFR 51.1004(c); however, such withdrawal does not suspend the emissions inventory requirement found in CAA section 172(c)(3). Section 172(c)(3) of the CAA requires submission and approval of a comprehensive, accurate, and current inventory of actual emissions. EPA is now approving the emissions inventory portion of the SIP revisions submitted on July 31, 2009, October 27, 2009 and October 15, 2009, by Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee (respectively), as required by section 172(c)(3).
FOOTNOTE 1 Per phone conversation between Lynorae Benjamin (EPA Region 4) and Jimmy Johnson (Georgia Department of Natural Resources) on October 17, 2011, the withdrawal notice did not include the emissions inventory portion of the submittal. END FOOTNOTE
II. Analysis of State Submittals
As discussed above, section 172(c)(3) of the CAA requires areas to submit a comprehensive, accurate and current inventory of actual emissions from all sources of the relevant pollutant or pollutants in such area. Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee selected 2002 as base year for their emissions inventory per 40 CFR 51.1008(b). Emissions contained in the Chattanooga emissions inventory cover the general source categories of point sources, non-road mobile sources, area sources, on-road mobile sources, and biogenic sources. A detailed discussion of the emissions inventory development can be found in Section 4 of the Alabama submittal, Appendix H of the Georgia submittal, and Appendix 4 of the Tennessee submittal. A summary is also provided below.
The tables below provide a summary of the annual 2002 emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and PM2.5.
--This is a summary of a Federal Register article originally published on the page number listed below--
Direct final rule.
CFR Part: "40 CFR Part 52"
Citation: "77 FR 6467"
Document Number: "EPA-R04-OAR-2011-0084-201167(a); FRL-9628-2"
Federal Register Page Number: "6467"
"Rules and Regulations"
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