Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 84 / Monday, May 2, 2011 / Notices 24475 

partners will need to demonstrate 

conformity to the new MVEB if the 

demonstration has not already been 

made, pursuant to 40 CFR 93.104(e). See 

73 FR 4419 (January 24, 2008). 

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq. 

Dated: April 18, 2011. 

A. Stanley Meiburg, 

Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4. 

[FR Doc. 2011–10564 Filed 4–29–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[EPA–R04–OAR–2009–1010; FRL–9301–2] 

Adequacy Status of the HickoryMorganton-Lenoir, North Carolina 1997 

Annual PM2.5 Maintenance Plan Motor 

Vehicle Emissions Budgets for 

Transportation Conformity Purposes 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice of Adequacy. 

SUMMARY: In this notice, EPA is 

notifying the public of its finding that 

the nitrogen oxides (NOX) motor vehicle 

emissions budgets (MVEBs) in the 

Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, North 

Carolina area (hereafter referred to as 

the ‘‘Hickory Area’’) maintenance plan 

for the 1997 annual PM2.5 standard, 

submitted on December 18, 2009, and 

supplemented on December 22, 2010, by 

the North Carolina Department of 

Environment and Natural Resources 

(NCDENR) are adequate for 

transportation conformity purposes. 

EPA is also making an insignificance 

finding for direct fine particulate (PM2.5) 

through the transportation conformity 

adequacy process for the Hickory Area. 

The Hickory Area is comprised of the 

entire county of Catawba in North 

Carolina. On March 2, 1999, the District 

of Columbia Circuit Court ruled that 

submitted state implementation plans 

(SIPs) cannot be used for transportation 

conformity determinations until EPA 

has affirmatively found them adequate. 

As a result of EPA’s finding, the Hickory 

Area must use the NOX MVEBs from the 

submitted maintenance plan and 

supplement for the Hickory Area for 

future conformity determinations. 

Additionally, as a result of this finding, 

the Hickory Area is not required to 

perform a regional emissions analysis 

for direct PM2.5 in future PM2.5

transportation conformity 

determinations for the 1997 annual 

PM2.5 standard. 

DATES: The adequacy finding for the 

NOX MVEBs and the insignificance 

finding for direct PM2.5 are effective 

May 17, 2011. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Dianna B. Smith, Environmental 

Scientist, U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, Region 4, Air Planning Branch, 

Air Quality Modeling and 

Transportation Section, 61 Forsyth 

Street, SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303. Ms. 

Smith can also be reached by telephone 

at (404) 562–9207, or via electronic mail 

at smith.dianna@epa.gov. The finding is 

available at EPA’s conformity Web site: 

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/transp.htm 

(once there, click on the ‘‘Transportation 

Conformity’’ text icon, then look for 

‘‘Adequacy Review of SIP 

Submissions’’). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Today’s 

notice is simply an announcement of 

findings that EPA has already made. 

EPA Region 4 sent a letter to NCDENR 

on February 3, 2011, stating that the 

2011 and 2021 NOX MVEBs in the 1997 

PM2.5 maintenance plan for Hickory, 

dated December 18, 2009, and 

supplemented on December 22, 2010, 

are adequate. The letter also states that 

direct PM2.5 is insignificant for the 

Hickory Area, therefore no regional 

emissions analysis is required. EPA 

posted the availability of the Hickory 

Area NOX MVEBs and insignificance 

demonstration on EPA’s Web site on 

November 23, 2010, as part of the 

adequacy process, for the purpose of 

soliciting comments. The comment 

period ran from November 23, through 

December 23, 2010. EPA’s findings have 

also been announced on EPA’s 

conformity Web site: http:// 

www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/ 

index.htm, (once there, click 

‘‘Transportation Conformity’’ text icon, 

then look for ‘‘Adequacy Review of SIP 

Submissions’’). The adequate NOX

MVEBs are provided in the following 

table: 

HICKORY AREA NOX MVEB 

[Kilograms/year] 

2011 2021 

Catawba County ....... 3,996,601 2,236,028 

Transportation conformity is required 

by section 176(c) of the Clean Air Act, 

as amended in 1990. EPA’s conformity 

rule, 40 Code of Federal Regulations 

(CFR) Part 93, requires that 

transportation plans, programs and 

projects conform to state air quality 

implementation plans and establishes 

the criteria and procedures for 

determining whether or not they do. 

Conformity to a SIP means that 

transportation activities will not 

produce new air quality violations, 

worsen existing violations, or delay 

timely attainment of the national 

ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). 

The criteria by which EPA determines 

whether a SIP’s MVEB is adequate for 

transportation conformity purposes are 

outlined in 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). 

Additionally, the criteria by which EPA 

determines whether a particular 

pollutant/precursor is an insignificant 

contributor to the air quality problem in 

an area can be found at 40 CFR 

93.109(m). Insignificance findings are 

based on a number of factors, including 

the percentage of motor vehicle 

emissions in context of the total SIP 

inventory, the current state of air quality 

as determined by monitoring data for 

that NAAQS, the absence of SIP motor 

vehicle control measures, and historical 

trends and future projections of the 

growth of motor vehicle emissions. 

EPA’s rationale for the allowance of 

insignificance findings can be found in 

the July 1, 2004, revision to the 

transportation conformity rule at 69 FR 

40004. Specifically, the rationale is 

explained on page 40061 under the 

subsection entitled ‘‘B. Areas With 

Insignificant Motor Vehicle Emissions.’’ 

Please note that an adequacy review is 

separate from EPA’s completeness 

review, and it also should not be used 

to prejudge EPA’s ultimate approval of 

the SIP. Even if EPA finds the MVEB 

adequate or makes an insignificance 

finding through the adequacy process, 

the Agency may later disapprove the 

SIP. 

Transportation partners should note 

this insignificance finding in future 

transportation conformity 

determinations. While this 

insignificance finding waives the 

requirements for regional emissions 

analyses for direct PM2.5 for the Hickory 

Area for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS, as 

mentioned above, it does not waive 

other conformity requirements for the 

1997 PM2.5 NAAQS for the Hickory 

Area, nor does it waive transportation 

conformity requirements for other 

pollutants/precursors for which the 

Area may be designated nonattainment 

or redesignated to attainment with a 

maintenance plan. 

EPA has described the process for 

determining the adequacy of submitted 

SIP MVEBs in a May 14, 1999, 

memorandum entitled ‘‘Conformity 

Guidance on Implementation of March 

2, 1999 Conformity Court Decision.’’ 

EPA has followed this guidance in 

making this adequacy determination. 

This guidance is incorporated into 

EPA’s July 1, 2004, final rulemaking 

entitled ‘‘Transportation Conformity 

Rule Amendments for the New 8-hour 

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24476 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 84 / Monday, May 2, 2011 / Notices 

Ozone and PM2.5 National Ambient Air 

Quality Standards and Miscellaneous 

Revisions for Existing Areas; 

Transportation Conformity Rule 

Amendments: Response to Court 

Decision and Additional Rule Changes’’ 

(69 FR 40004). 

Within 24 months from the effective 

date of this notice, the transportation 

partners will need to demonstrate 

conformity to the new NOX MVEBs if 

the demonstration has not already been 

made, pursuant to 40 CFR 93.104(e). See 

73 FR 4419 (January 24, 2008). 

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq. 

Dated: April 18, 2011. 

A. Stanley Meiburg, 

Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4. 

[FR Doc. 2011–10570 Filed 4–29–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[EPA–HQ–OAR–2006–0971; FRL–9200–7] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request; National Volatile 

Organic Compound Emission 

Standards for Aerosol Coatings 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document 

announces that EPA is planning to 

submit a request to renew an existing 

approved Information Collection 

Request (ICR) to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB). This 

ICR is scheduled to expire on September 

30, 2011. Before submitting the ICR to 

OMB for review and approval, EPA is 

soliciting comments on specific aspects 

of the proposed information collection 

as described below. 

DATES: Comments may be submitted on 

or before July 1, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

identified by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ– 

OAR–2006–0971 by one of the following 

methods: 

• http://www.regulations.gov: Follow 

the on-line instructions for submitting 

comments. 

• E-mail: a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov. 

• Fax: (202) 566–9744. 

• Mail: U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center 

(EPA/DC), Air and Radiation Docket 

Information Center, 1200 Pennsylvania 

Avenue, NW.; Mail Code: 28221T, 

Washington, DC 20460. 

• Hand Delivery: To send comments 

or documents through a courier service, 

the address to use is: EPA Docket 

Center, Public Reading Room, EPA 

West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution 

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20004. 

Such deliveries are accepted only 

during the Docket’s normal hours of 

operation—8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday 

through Friday. Special arrangements 

should be made for deliveries of boxed 

information. 

Instructions: Direct your comments to 

Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2006– 

0971. EPA’s policy is that all comments 

received will be included in the public 

docket without change and may be 

made available online at http:// 

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 information that you 

consider to be CBI or otherwise to be 

protected through http:// 

www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The 

http://www.regulations.gov Web site is 

an ‘‘anonymous access’’ system, which 

means we will not know your identity 

or contact information unless you 

provide it in the body of your comment. 

If you send an e-mail comment directly 

to us without going through http:// 

www.regulations.gov, your e-mail 

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 or any form of 

encryption and be free of any defects or 

viruses. For additional information 

about EPA public docket visit the EPA 

Docket Center homepage at http:// 

www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

J. Kaye Whitfield, Office of Air and 

Radiation, Office of Air Quality 

Planning and Standards, Mail Code 

E143–03, Research Triangle Park, North 

Carolina 27711; telephone number: 

(919) 541–2509; fax number: (919) 541– 

3470; e-mail address: 

whitfield.kaye@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

How can I access the docket and/or 

submit comments? 

The EPA has established a public 

docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. 

EPA–HQ–OAR–2006–0971 which is 

available either electronically at http:// 

www.regulations.gov, or in-person 

viewing at the Air Docket in the EPA 

Docket Center (EPA/DC), Public Reading 

Room, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 

Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, 

DC 20004. The EPA/DC Public Reading 

Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 

p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding 

legal holidays. The telephone for the 

Reading Room is 202–566–1744, and the 

telephone for the Air Docket is 202– 

566–1742. 

Use http://www.regulations.gov to 

obtain a copy of the draft collection of 

information, submit or view public 

comments, access the index listing of 

the contents of the docket, and to access 

those documents in the public docket 

that are available electronically. Once in 

the system, select ‘‘search,’’ then key in 

the docket ID number identified in this 

document. 

What information particularly interests 

EPA? 

Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 

the PRA, EPA specifically solicits 

comments and information to enable it 

to: 

(i) Evaluate whether the proposed 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the Agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; 

(ii) Evaluate the accuracy of the 

Agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

proposed collection of information, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; 

(iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and 

(iv) Minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including through the 

use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology, 

e.g., permitting electronic submission of 

responses. In particular, EPA is 

requesting comments from very small 

businesses (those that employ less than 

25) on examples of specific additional 

efforts that EPA could make to reduce 

the paperwork burden for very small 

businesses affected by this collection. 

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