The Acting EPA Regional Administrator, Alexis Strauss signed the following rule on December 15, 2016 and EPA 

is submitting it for publication in the Federal Register (FR). While we have taken steps to ensure the accuracy of this 

version of this rule, it is not the official version. Please refer to the official version in a forthcoming FR publication 

appearing on the Government Printing Office website, 

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=FR, and on www.regulations.gov in Docket 

Number EPA-R09-OAR-2016-0287.

6560-50-P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 52 and 81

[EPA-R09-OAR-2016-0287; FRL-]

Approval of Arizona Air Plan Revisions; Ajo and Morenci, Arizona; Second 10-Year 

Sulfur Dioxide Maintenance Plans and Technical Correction

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve the second 

ten-year maintenance plans for the Ajo and Morenci areas in Arizona for the 1971 National 

Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for sulfur dioxide (SO2), and to correct an error in the 

description of the Ajo, Arizona SO2 maintenance area in the Code of Federal Regulations. 

DATE: Any comments on this proposal must arrive by [Insert date 30 days after date of 

publication in the Federal Register].

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R09-OAR-2016-

0287 at http://www.regulations.gov, or via email to Wienke Tax, at tax.wienke@epa.gov. For 

comments submitted at Regulations.gov, follow the online instructions for submitting comments. 

Once submitted, comments cannot be removed or edited from Regulations.gov. For either 

manner of submission, the EPA may publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not 

submit electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business Information 

(CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions 

(audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is 
This document is a prepublication version signed by Acting EPA Regional Administrator Alexis Strauss on 

December 15, 2016. We have taken steps to ensure the accuracy of this version, but it is not the official version. 

considered the official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish to make. 

The EPA will generally not consider comments or comment contents located outside of the 

primary submission (i.e. on the web, cloud, or other file sharing system). For additional 

submission methods, please contact the person identified in the “FOR FURTHER 

INFORMATION CONTACT” section. For the full EPA public comment policy, information 

about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general guidance on making effective comments, 

please visit http://www2.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wienke Tax, EPA Region IX, (415) 947-

4192, tax.wienke@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, “we,” “us” and “our” 

refer to the EPA. This proposal addresses the second ten-year maintenance plans submitted by 

the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to address the 1971 SO2 NAAQS in the Ajo 

and Morenci maintenance areas, AZ. In the Rules and Regulations section of this Federal 

Register, we are approving these second ten-year maintenance plans in a direct final action 

without prior proposal because we believe these SIP revisions are not controversial. If we receive 

adverse comments, however, we will publish a timely withdrawal of the direct final rule and 

address the comments in subsequent action based on this proposed rule. If we receive adverse 

comment on a distinct provision of this rulemaking, i.e., our action regarding only one 

maintenance plan, we will publish a timely withdrawal in the Federal Register indicating which 

provisions we are withdrawing. The provisions that are not withdrawn, i.e., our approval of the 

other maintenance plan that is not the subject of an adverse comment, will become effective on 

the date set out above, notwithstanding adverse comment on the other maintenance plan.
This document is a prepublication version signed by Acting EPA Regional Administrator Alexis Strauss on 

December 15, 2016. We have taken steps to ensure the accuracy of this version, but it is not the official version. 

We do not plan to open a second comment period, so anyone interested in commenting 

should do so at this time. If we do not receive adverse comments, no further activity is 

planned. For further information, please see the direct final action.

______________________ ________________

Dated: Alexis Strauss,

Acting Regional Administrator,

Region IX.