Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 31 / Tuesday, February 15, 2011 / Notices 8735 

1The EPA’s initial overall plan for this review 

was presented in the Integrated Review Plan for the 

National Ambient Air Quality Standards for 

Nitrogen Dioxide and Sulfur Dioxide (EPA–452/R– 

08–006, December 2007). Documents related to the 

current review of the secondary NAAQS for oxides 

Continued 

ACTION: Notice of public hearing and 

extension of public comment period of 

draft NPDES general permits. 

SUMMARY: The Director of the Office of 

Ecosystem Protection, Environmental 

Protection Agency-Region 1 (EPA), 

issued a Notice of Availability of Draft 

NPDES general permits for discharges 

from small MS4s to certain waters of the 

Commonwealth of Massachusetts on 

November 4, 2010. A subsequent notice 

of a public hearing was published on 

November 29, 2011. Due to inclement 

weather, the public meeting and hearing 

for the Draft Massachusetts Interstate, 

Merrimack and South Coastal Small 

MS4 General Permit in Leominster, MA 

on January 12, 2011 were cancelled. 

EPA has rescheduled the hearing and 

extended the comment permit of the 

draft permits. 

Information on the draft permits, 

appendices and fact sheet is available at: 

http://www.epa.gov/ne/npdes/ 

stormwater/mimsc_sms4.html. 

DATES: The public comment period is 

now from the November 4, 2010 to 

March 11, 2011. Interested persons may 

submit comments on the draft general 

permit as part of the administrative 

record to the EPA–Region 1, at the 

address given below, no later than 

midnight March 11, 2011. The general 

permit shall be effective on the date 

specified in the Federal Register 

publication of the Notice of Availability 

of the final general permit. The final 

general permit will expire five years 

from the effective date. 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments by one of 

the following methods: 

• E-mail: Renahan.Kate@epa.gov. 

• Mail: Kate Renahan, US EPA– 

Region 1, Office of the Regional 

Administrator, 5 Post Office Square— 

Suite 100, Mail Code—ORA01–1, 

Boston, MA 02109–3912. 

No facsimiles (faxes) will be accepted. 

The draft permit is based on an 

administrative record available for 

public review at EPA–Region 1, Office 

of Ecosystem Protection, 5 Post Office 

Square—Suite 100, Boston, 

Massachusetts 02109–3912. The 

following SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

section sets forth principal facts and the 

significant factual, legal, and policy 

questions considered in the 

development of the draft permit. A 

reasonable fee may be charged for 

copying requests. 

Public Meeting Information: EPA– 

Region 1 will hold a public meeting to 

provide information about the draft 

general permit and its requirements. 

This public meeting will include a brief 

presentation on the draft general 

permits and a brief question and answer 

session. Written, but not oral, comments 

for the official draft permit record will 

be accepted at the public meeting. A 

Public meeting will be held at the 

following time and locations: 

Wednesday—March 9, 2011 

Leominster Public Library 

Community Room, 30 West Street, 

Leominster, MA 01453, 9:30 a.m.–10:30 

a.m. 

Public Hearing Information: 

Following the March 9, 2011 public 

meeting, a public hearing will be 

conducted in accordance with 40 CFR 

124.12 and will provide interested 

parties with the opportunity to provide 

written and/or oral comments for the 

official draft permit record. The public 

hearing will be held at the following 

time and location: 

Wednesday—March 9, 2011: 

Leominster Public Library 

Community Room, 30 West Street, 

Leominster, MA 01453, 11 a.m .–2 p.m. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Additional information concerning the 

draft permit may be obtained between 

the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday 

through Friday excluding holidays from: 

Kate Renahan, Office of the Regional 

Administrator, Environmental 

Protection Agency, 5 Post Office 

Square—Suite 100, Mail Code: ORA01– 

1, Boston, MA 02109–3912; telephone: 

617–918–1491; e-mail: 

Renahan.Kate@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Information about the proposed permits 

including background of the permit and 

summary of permit conditions was 

previously published on the November 

4, 2010 (75 FR 67960–67962). 

Dated: February 7, 2011. 

H. Curtis Spalding, 

Regional Administrator, Region 1. 

[FR Doc. 2011–3380 Filed 2–14–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[EPA–HQ–OAR–2007–1145; FRL–9266–9] 

Release of Final Document Related to 

the Review of the Secondary National 

Ambient Air Quality Standards for 

Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: The Office of Air Quality 

Planning and Standards (OAQPS) of 

EPA is announcing the availability of a 

document titled, Policy Assessment for 

the Review of the Secondary National 

Ambient Air Quality Standards for 

Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur (Policy 

Assessment). The Policy Assessment 

contains staff analyses of the scientific 

bases for alternative policy options for 

consideration by the Agency prior to 

rulemaking. 

DATES: This Policy Assessment was 

released to the public via the internet on 

February 4, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: The document will be 

available primarily via the Internet at 

the following Web site: http:// 

www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/ 

no2so2sec/cr_pa.html. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

questions related to this document, 

please contact Dr. Richard Scheffe, 

Office of Air Quality Planning and 

Standards (Mail code C304–02), U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, 

Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; email: scheffe.rich@epa.gov telephone: 

919–541–4650; fax: 919–541–2357. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Under section 108(a) of the Clean Air 

Act (CAA), the Administrator identifies 

and lists certain pollutants which ‘‘cause 

or contribute to air pollution which may 

reasonably be anticipated to endanger 

public health or welfare.’’ The EPA then 

issues air quality criteria for these listed 

pollutants, which are commonly 

referred to as ‘‘criteria pollutants.’’ The 

air quality criteria are to ‘‘accurately 

reflect the latest scientific knowledge 

useful in indicating the kind and extent 

of all identifiable effects on public 

health or welfare which may be 

expected from the presence of [a] 

pollutant in the ambient air, in varying 

quantities.’’ Under section 109 of the 

CAA, EPA establishes primary (healthbased) and secondary (welfare-based) 

national ambient air quality standards 

(NAAQS) for pollutants for which air 

quality criteria are issued. Section 

109(d) of the CAA requires periodic 

review and, if appropriate, revision of 

existing air quality criteria. The revised 

air quality criteria reflect advances in 

scientific knowledge on the effects of 

the pollutant on public health or 

welfare. The EPA is also required to 

periodically review and revise the 

NAAQS, if appropriate, based on the 

revised criteria. 

Presently, EPA is reviewing the 

secondary NAAQS for oxides of 

nitrogen and sulfur.1 The document 


jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
8736 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 31 / Tuesday, February 15, 2011 / Notices 

of nitrogen and sulfur are available at: http:// 

www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/no2so2sec/ 

index.html. 

2See http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/review.html 

for a copy of Administrator Jackson’s May 21, 2009, 

memorandum and for additional information on the 

NAAQS review process. 

1EPA has determined that the Greater 

Connecticut area has attained the 1997 8-hour 

ozone standard. See 75 FR 53219; August 31, 2010. 

EPA has not yet taken action regarding the 

Southwest Connecticut area. 

announced today, Policy Assessment for 

the Review of the Secondary National 

Ambient Air Quality Standards for 

Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur, contains 

staff analyses of the scientific bases for 

alternative policy options for 

consideration by the Agency prior to 

rulemaking. This document, which 

builds upon the historical ‘‘Staff Paper,’’ 

will serve to ‘‘bridge the gap’’ between 

the available scientific information and 

the judgments required of the 

Administrator in determining whether it 

is appropriate to retain or revise the 

standards.2 The current and potential 

alternative standards for oxides of 

nitrogen and sulfur are considered in 

terms of the basic elements of the 

NAAQS: indicator, averaging time, 

form, and level. The Policy Assessment 

builds upon information presented in 

the Integrated Science Assessment for 

Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur— 

Ecological Criteria: Final report (ISA, 

EPA EPA/600/R–08/082F, December 

2008) and the quantitative risk and 

exposure assessment document (REA)— 

Risk and Exposure Assessment for 

Review of the Secondary National 

Ambient Air Quality Standards for 

Oxides of Nitrogen and Oxides of Sulfur 

(EPA–452/R–09–008a and EPA–452/R– 

09–008b; September 2009). 

A first draft Policy Assessment (EPA– 

452/P–10–006) was released in March 

2010 to facilitate discussion with the 

Clean Air Scientific Advisory 

Committee (CASAC) at an April 1–2, 

2010 meeting on the overall structure, 

areas of focus, and level of detail to be 

included in the Policy Assessment (75 

FR 10479–10481, March 2010). 

CASAC’s comments on the first draft 

Policy Assessment encouraged the 

development of a document focused on 

the key policy-relevant issues that 

draws from and is not repetitive of 

information in the ISA and REA. These 

comments were considered in 

developing a second draft Policy 

Assessment (EPA 452/P–10–008, 

September 2010). The EPA presented an 

overview of the second draft Policy 

Assessment at a CASAC meeting on 

October 6–7, 2010 (75 FR 54871–54872). 

CASAC (EPA–CASAC–11–003) and 

public comments on the second draft 

Policy Assessment were considered by 

EPA staff in developing both the January 

14, 2011 version and this current 

version of the final Policy Assessment, 

which reflects final editing and 

formatting, and is available through the 

Agency’s Technology Transfer Network 

(TTN) Web site at http://www.epa.gov/ 

ttn/naaqs/standards/no2so2sec/ 

cr_pa.html. CASAC has requested a 

February 15–16, 2011, meeting to 

review EPA’s final Policy Assessment. 

Dated: February 9, 2011. 

Mary E. Henigin, 

Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning 

and Standards. 

[FR Doc. 2011–3382 Filed 2–14–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[EPA–R01–OAR–2008–0117; A–1–FRL– 

9267–1] 

Status of Motor Vehicle Budgets in 

Submitted State Implementation Plan 

for Transportation Conformity 

Purposes; Connecticut; Notice of 

Withdrawal of Adequacy of Motor 

Vehicle Emissions Budgets 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice of withdrawal of 

adequacy. 

SUMMARY: EPA is notifying the public 

that EPA has withdrawn its previous 

adequacy finding on the 2012 motor 

vehicle emission budgets (MVEBs) for 

Connecticut’s two 8-hour ozone 

nonattainment areas. EPA has 

withdrawn the adequacy finding 

because Connecticut Department of 

Environmental Protection (CT DEP) 

withdrew its 2012 motor vehicle 

emission budgets from its eight-hour 

ozone attainment demonstration SIP for 

both ozone nonattainment areas. As a 

result of our finding, Connecticut can 

not use these 2012 motor vehicle 

emission budgets for future conformity 

determinations. 

DATES: This finding is effective March 2, 

2011. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Donald O. Cooke, Environmental 

Scientist, Air Quality Planning Unit, 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 

EPA New England Regional Office, Five 

Post Office Square, Suite 100 (CAQ), 

Boston, MA 02109–3912, (617) 918– 

1668, cooke.donald@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. 

On February 1, 2008, Connecticut 

submitted 2008, 2009, and 2012 summer 

day volatile organic compound (VOC) 

and nitrogen oxides (NOx) MVEBs for 

the Connecticut portion of the New 

York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, 

NY–NJ–CT (Southwest Connecticut) 8- 

hour ozone nonattainment area and for 

the Greater Connecticut 8-hour ozone 

nonattainment area. These MVEBs were 

submitted to EPA as part of the 8-hour 

ozone attainment demonstrations and 

reasonable further progress plans for 

these areas. Although not required by 

the Clean Air Act or EPA regulation, 

Connecticut included the 2012 budgets 

in its ozone attainment demonstrations 

based on uncertainty as to whether 

attainment would be met by the 

applicable June 15, 2010 attainment 

date for the two nonattainment areas. 

EPA found Connecticut’s 2008, 2009, 

and 2012 MVEBs adequate for 

transportation conformity purposes. See 

73 FR 33428; June 12, 2008. 

On August 23, 2010, CT DEP 

withdrew the 2012 MVEBs from its 8- 

hour ozone attainment demonstration 

SIP for both ozone nonattainment areas. 

At that time, CT DEP also requested that 

EPA withdraw the adequacy findings for 

the 2012 MVEBs, since both ozone 

nonattainment areas have monitored air 

quality data demonstrating attainment 

of the 1997 8-hour ozone National 

Ambient Air Quality Standard, and the 

2012 MVEBs are no longer necessary to 

ensure attainment.1

Connecticut’s request to withdraw the 

2012 MVEBs was announced on EPA’s 

conformity Web site, and received no 

comments. (See http://www.epa.gov/ 

otaq/stateresources/transconf/ 

adequacy.htm. Once there, click on 

‘‘What SIP submissions are currently 

under EPA adequacy review?’’) 

On December 30, 2010, EPA sent a 

letter to the CT DEP withdrawing our 

previous adequacy finding on the 2012 

MVEBs for the Southwest Connecticut 

and the Greater Connecticut 8-hour 

ozone nonattainment areas. 

The 2012 MVEBs are withdrawn for 

transportation conformity purposes. 

However, the 2008 (reasonable further 

progress) MVEBs and the 2009 

(attainment) MVEBs that were 

previously deemed adequate, remain 

adequate for transportation conformity 

purposes. 

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401–7671 q. 


jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES