ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTA L PROTECTION AGENCY

Notice of Public Comment Period for State Implementation Plan (SIP) Submittals for the Chicago and Metro-East Ozone Nonattainment Areas and the Chicago PM 2.5 Nonattainment Area

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Il linois EPA) Bureau of Air is accepting public comments on proposed revisions of the Maintenan ce Plans related to the 1997 8-hour ozone and

PM 2.5 National Ambient Air Quality St andards (NAAQS) and the associated draft motor vehicle emissions budgets. The Maintenance Plans contai n the State’s plans for maintaining the 8-hour
ozone and PM 2.5 NAAQS for at least 10 years after the U.S. EPA redesignates the areas to
attainment.

The Illinois EPA will accept written comments on th e revisions to the Maintenance Plans. The written comments must be postmarked by August 8, 2011, unless a Public Hearing is requested. Comments and requests for hearing should be mailed to:

Dean Studer, Hearing Officer
Illinois EPA 1021 North Grand Avenue, East
P.O. Box 19276 Springfield, Illinois 62794-9276 telephone number: 217/558-8280 or TDD: 217/782-9143.

If a timely request for a Public Hearing is received by August 11, 2011, a hearing will be held on August 18, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. in the Sangamo Ro om at the Illinois EPA’s Headquarters at 1021 N. Grand Ave. East, Springfield, Illinois, and the written public comment period will be extended to September 16, 2011.

The Public Hearing will be cancelled unless a written request for a Public Hearing is received by the Illinois EPA by U.S. Mail, carrier mail, or hand delivered by August 11,
2011. Verification or cancellation of the Publ ic Hearing will be posted on August 12, 2011 on
Illinois EPA’s website at: http://www.epa.state.i l.us/public-notices/

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Copies of these draft SIP submittals may be vi ewed by the public during regular business hours (Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m, excep t for State holidays) at the Illinois EPA’s Headquarters at 1021 North Grand Avenue East, Springfield, Illinois, as well as on Illinois EPA’s website at http://www.epa.state.il.us. No wa lk-in requests for copies of this material will be accommodated, unless advance notice is prov ided. Requests and public inquiries, including
verification or cancellation of the Public Hearing, should be di rected to Dean Studer, the Illinois EPA’s Hearing Officer, at the addr ess and phone number listed above.

If a hearing request is received, th e hearing will be held in accorda nce with the provisions of the Illinois EPA’s “Procedures for Informational and Qu asi-Legislative Public Hearings,” set forth at 35 Ill. Adm. Code 164. Any questions about the h earing procedures, requests for copies of thehearing rules, or requests for speci al need interpreters should be directed to the Hearing Officer at the address above. Requests for special n eeds interpreters must be made by August 11, 2011.

Illinois EPA is proposing to revise the Maintena nce Plans to extend the maintenance period until 2025, and to establish new moto r vehicle emissions budgets for the years 2008 and 2025 for the nonattainment areas. When final, the Illinoi s EPA will submit the revised Maintenance Plans and the motor vehicle emissions budgets to th e U.S. EPA as SIP revisions to meet the requirements of the federal Clean Air Act (CAA). The hearing will satisfy the requirements of Section 110(l) of the CAA (42. U.S.C. 7401(l) (public notice for SIP submittals)).

On May 26, 2010, the Illinois EPA submitted a Maintenance Plan for the Metro-East
nonattainment area to the United States Envi ronmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and requested that U.S. EPA redesign ate the Metro-East nona ttainment area to a ttainment of the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. Similarly, on July 23, 2009, the Illinois EPA submitted a Maintenance Plan for the Chicago nonattainment area to the U.S. EPA and requested that U.S. EPA redesignate the Chicago nonattainment area to attainment of the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. Finally, on October 15, 2010, the Illinois EPA subm itted a Maintenance Plan for the Chicago nonattainment area to the U.S. EPA and request ed that U.S. EPA redesignate the Chicago
nonattainment area to attainment of the 1997 PM 2.5 NAAQS. U.S. EPA is expected to act on the redesignation requests conc urrently with its final actions on the revised Maintenance Plans.