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### NO! 8.1993. dCF!%t# GEbERALcowsa

~

SUBJECT: Requirements for Reduced RVP 

### in State ~afntmnanca 

### Plans

TO: William 

### L. Macbowell, Chief Regulation Development Section 

# -

'Air

### and Radiation Division, 

### Region S 

## .. % 

## .:- FROM: Michaal Rorowitz 

# w. Officr of General Counsel Air an$ Radiation 

### Division
-----

- 

### his memorandum is 

### ih response to thememorandun that 

### yau sent to Jan Tierney, Paul Argycopolous and 

### myself regarding the - likalihood that thr U.S. Environmental Protection whey (EPA) would approve a statamaintenance plan for a particular.ozone nonattainment 

### area where the state requires that 

### gasoline and alcohol related fuels 

### sold in the area 

### have a lover volatility

(ReidVapor 

### Pressure

# - RVP) than 

### is reyuired under federal 

### Clean h 

### Air Act regulations. 

### This issue arose because the Ohio * Environmental ProtectionAgency (OEPA) 

### has announced 

### its intention to request that the Dayton moderate ozone nonatta-ent area be redesignated as attainment. The redesignation requert.'~ 10-year maintenance plan, a8 currently drafted, 

### r-bag the 

### us. of fuels 

### with RVP of 7.8 psi or lower. This 

### requirement is

### more stringent than the 9.0

### psi federal RVP 

### standard that 

### fs 

### in effect for tht Dayton areal 

### governments are generally preempted 

### under section 21 

### of 

### MeClean ~ir Act (CAA)from 

### requiring a d 

### for gasoline 

### and alcohol fuels than that

Section 2ll(c) (4) forbids 

### any state except adopting or enforcing 

### any control or prohibition respecting say characteristic or component of 

### a fuel for 

### purpoms of motor vehicle control 

### if EPA 

### has pramulgated 

### a control 

### or prohibition applicable to 

### such characteristic 

### or component 

### under clta section 211(c) 

### (I), unless the stata 

### control 

### or prohibition 

### is \ identicax 

### to EPArsregulations, As the federal RVP stand* vere pramalgated unde srction 2ll(c)(l) 

### (aswell as rrction 211m)). the general prohibition applies to state RVP controls.However, 

### an exception to 

### the 

### general 

### prohibition on state - and 

### local govuments exists Under CAA section 

### 2ll(c) (4)(C)

# . A ' state

### may implament 

### a more stringent RVP requirement 

### if an - 

### applicable state 

### implcmcntationplan (SIP) for the stateprwides for such fuel 

### cantral. EPA may 

### approve 

### such a SIP 

### provision where EPA finds 

### that the state

### control is necessary to achieve the

### national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS), i'n 

### this case, 

### for ozone- The EPA has approved 

### SIP provisions 

### for 'IZVP 

### controls 

### in,several instances where states have 

### shown that such 

### conttols 

### were necessary 

### to achieve attaidt

### in ozone nonattahent 

### ,areas. 

### In addition, EPA hai, on 

### occasion, approved 

### plans



### .

## . providing 

### for statewide

### RVP control in attainmemt and 

### nonattainment areas where the state demonstrated that the 

### statewide RVP 

### control was 

### necessaryto

### achievu the NUQS 

### in

. nonattaiment areas within

### tha stata and/or in nmigkboring states. 

# aEPA approval of 

### Revisions to

### the stat* .implementationplans for ozona 

### for Pew York (54 FR 26030,aiBaxae 21, 1989) 

### and New Jersey (54 'PR25572, me 16, 1989). All 

# .- prev5ous SXP approvals'were premised 

### on a showing that 

### the RVP,' reduction 

### was necessary to achieve the orom -6 

### inanieb: 

# - that was currently not 

### in attainment-

.. 

### In Ule Ohio 

### situation. hwevcr, your memorandum indicates



### that,the Dayton area bas alreqdy achieved attainment

### without the 

### use of the lower RVP standard. OEPA

### wishes to 

### implement the 

### lovestandard 

### not to achieve-the 

### ozone NAAQS, 

### but 

### merely 

### to provide 

### an missions 

### growthmargin to

### facilitata econoolic 

### growth while maintaining tha NAAQS 

### in Dayton. Thera 

### is 

### considerable question as to whethe EFA 

### can approve a 

### rtate maintenance plan that includes a requirement for Lou RVP 

### garolina in an area that 

### has already reachad 

### attainment without the lower RVP standard.- The language of 

### rootion tli(cr) (4)' 

### rtates 

### that EPA Cah approve SIP6 

### containing a fuel

### provision different fram the 

### comparable 

### fdaralprbviaion only uhare 

### the SIP provision in necessary 

### to devq coarpliancu

### with

### a -9.

. Section 

### 211(c) (4) 

### does 

### not state that EFA 

### can appro- such 

### a provision 

### if it 

### ,isnecsssary 

### to 

### compliancq.vith the NAAQS, 

### The word aehievaaent 

### (orthe synonymeus word

### attainnent) 

### refers to the 

### raaching of 

### a goal that

### would 

### occur ata spacific moment 

### in tiru, 

### EfaMamnce,hwevu, 

### is an ongoing procar8 that 

### ent has 

### occurred. The

### general usage of the



# , Micater

### that 

### rehiwesnent cannot be 

### intenance. ections of the Clean

### Air Act use,phrases ' likeWachirvr and 

### maintaina the EMQSor mhpl-nt and

### maintaina the WQS, hdicating that Congrrro under~toodthat mahtellanC8 and acbicrvmmt were not synonyinous and that Conqrrcs - s~ciffcally identified maintenan- vhere 

### it intended 

### to include 

### maintemamce. For examplr, section 110 of 

### the Act contains several refercncls to Misplamentation, maintenance and -

zoo@

### enforcementm of the NAAQS'standards Section 110

### (a)(2)

### (D)

### (i)(I) distinguishes between coatribution intarfercmcm 

### with maintenance. 

### In section 110(a) (2)(D) of 

### tha 

### Clean Air Act, 

### prior tothe Act Amendnents 

### of 1990, 

### requirad 

### any SIP to 

### contain necessary to assurr that

### national 

### are achieved and maintainedmU ActAmendments of 1990 refers 

### NAAQS. -or, 

### thm CAA, as 

### that specifically 

### clear that Conqresr 

### was attaixnuent and maintenance.

. 

### . . ,. 

### included a ref 

### it 

### wished to allov requirements 

### are I 

### It 

### is, however, 

### possibla &at exclusion of 

### aafn ance 

# P -3 unde section 2ll(c)(4)(C) vas 

### unin entional. mere isno c ear statemant

### front Congrass 

### in the that thmy intentionalay such 

### provisions wrre legislative 

### history limited 

### tha _-lanquageof In addi+ion, when wasreplaced 

### by

1 - In fact, Congress be substanaally



### in the aaendreentb: while 

### the House 

### - nachieved.* 8 

### discussion

House reps* 

### or 

### in at laart some

lava XtVP 

### fuel and it intends to implement several other controlmeasures 

### to maintain the.standard. You state that a maintenance plan could be -pared without assuming the use 

### of low-RVP fuel, Given these facts, EPA could notapprove Dayton's maintenance plan if it included 

### a requirement for low-RvP fuel. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that ETA vauld approve Dayton's maintenan-



## . SIP if it includes a provision to lover the standard for fuel volatility bclow the federal standard. detcrmfqation does 

### not apply to 

### a situation

### where a former nonattaiment area has achieved NMQS cowpliance

### with tho help of a preexisting (andpreapprovd) requirement for low RV9 gasoline and includes the low RVP

### requirement in 

### itsmaintenance 

### plan- Where-EPA appraves a state japlementation

### plan that includes a lower RVp standard 

### to 

### achieve campliance 

### in'a nonattainment area, and vhere 

### suchnonattaiment area ' subsequently attains the NAAQS with

### the help of the 

### lover RVP standard, EPA vould not be requked to-reconsider

### the lwu 

### RVP

. 

# --st: dard 

### in acting on the 

### redesignation request. EPA ha-sady 

### - ap?. =ved

### the state 

### RVP 

### standard as 

### being 

### necessary to 

### achieve 2. attainment and 

### the continuation of 

### the standard 

### in a 

### ma 

### tenmc'e 

# is plan does not compromise the initial detcrtrrination. 

### In act, the ' * . - 

### maintenance,planprovision oi the 

### CAA, section 175A, requlru SIP measures 

### to be included as impleaented maintenance meaaurrs 

### or, 

# - -ata minimum, to be included 

### in tho staterscontingency 

### plan for

the.,area.



### - In addition, where RVP is not 

### a areasure in the existing SIP, the state may be able to include 

### the lov 

### IIVP 

### reguiremant as a cantingency measure 

### in its 

### redesignationrequest. The maintenance plan containing 

### such 

### a contingency

### measure vould 

### need I to include several thingswith respect 

### to such a contingency measure- First, 

### in themaintenance plan, 

### the state would need 

### to 1 provide that if tha former nonattainment 

### area ever fell back into nonattainment, 

### the stateveuld 

### submit 

### a request to EPA 

### to find, under section 2ll(c) (4)(C), that 

### the RVP requiremwt 

### is necessary for the area to achieve the ozone NAAQS, Second, since 

### thr implementation of 

### a 

### laver RVP vauld 

### rely upon EPArsdetermination 

### of whether itvas 

### necessary to adeve

### attainment, the 

### &ate would 

### need 

### toprwicle 

### far the possibility that a 

### lwer RaP Could not be implemented. To do so, the statewould need to provide for a backup

### measure 

### in the

### maintenance plan- The 

### maintmurce 

### inelude a cdtmen

### to adapt, as an alternative -

measure, measures identified 

### by EPA a8 denial of the 

### state8srequest 

### for a lwer 

### RVP

stat. 

### chooses to adopt measures 6pecified 

### by vided several options 

### for aoceptable measurrrr, 

### the state

### must adopt 

### the requisite

### number of 

### these 

### measures as 

### is necessary 

### to again achieve the standard- The state

### would need 

### to icclude a schedule 

### for submittal of the section 2U(c)(4) (C) re*---& to EPA and- a schedule for 

### final adoption and kletion of s lower RVP standakd, or the bae-up measure, oz 

### the alternativa.neasures; 

### The sohedule would need to be tiad

toog

# - to the triggering event 

### -forthe contingency

### measure, not EPA~S action on the 21l(c)(4)[C) 

### request.
The folloving isan example of hwthis psocsss 

### would 

### work. Upon the specified triggering ovuk (e.g., Violation of tha standard) the state would 

### submit the 2ll(c)(4)(C) 

### roquest to 

### Em within the 

### specified tiae

### frame. The request 

### u,ald 

### have 

### to. include the information 

### required for showing of nmceC8ity. (Therequest should note the 

### reasons why the 

### backup measura is 

### unreasonable or impracticable.) 

### The EPA ,woulddetermine 

### as expeditiously 

### aspracticablewhether the lower RVP standard was necessary to achieve compliande.



### ...

### IS FA determines 

### that 

### the 

### lower standard is necessary, &.me 

### lower RVP 

### standard 

### would need 

### to b. implemented inthe Dayton 

### area within 

### the t&e 

### fraae specifLed 

### in the maintenance plan, However, if &PA datermined that the lower RVP 

### standard is not necusary becaumr other reasonable and 

### practicablm umsuro~ utlat, 

### than +hr 

### rt.tm,y-ould have to implement the 

### 0th- 

### measures fdontifiad by EPA 

### as practicable toachiavm thmstandard or 

### hplaaont tho identified 

### back-up in t3rr timespocifiad in

# we maht.llance plan-. -&hGXy, if EPA was 

### unable tohe a 

### final section 2ll(c) (4)(C) . 

### . determination before Metimeidentified 

### in the

### maintenance plan for 

### implementation of a 

### contingency

### measure to 

### promptly correct the 

### violation, the state would need to implement the back-up 

### measure at that time,

. I hope this 

### inforbation ia helpful 

### inproviding your ' response to OEPA- If -youhave- any.furtber&estians, please call 

# - me at (202) 260-8883,