NJ DEPARTMENT of ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION

DIVISION OF AIR QUALITY

BUREAU OF AIR QUALITY PLANNING

Notice of SIP Revision Proposals 

Proposed revisions to New Jersey’s State Implementation Plan covering, 1) the Federal Clean 

Air Act infrastructure requirements, and 2) the update of the early transportation conformity 

budgets for Mercer County

Take notice that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (Department) is 

proposing two revisions to New Jersey’s State Implementation Plan (SIP). The first revision 

addresses the requirements under 42 U.S.C. § 7410, Section 110(a)(1) and (2) of the Clean Air 

Act, for the 1997 8-Hour Ozone and the 1997 Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) National Ambient 

Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The second revision updates the initial early transportation 

conformity budgets for PM2.5 to incorporate the latest planning assumptions. The previously

submitted budgets were approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency

(USEPA) on July 10, 2006.

Section 110(a) of the Clean Air Act requires states to submit an implementation plan to the 

USEPA Administrator that demonstrates the states’ ability to implement, maintain, and enforce 

the NAAQS. These elements were compiled and submitted separately in what is referred to as an 

“Infrastructure” SIP. Most of these requirements have already been addressed in past SIP 

revisions or through regulations. This SIP revision complies with the infrastructure requirements 

for the 1997 8-Hour Ozone and the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS.

In the recent 8-Hour Ozone Attainment Demonstration SIP, the Department updated the planning 

assumptions that were used in the SIP development and in the transportation conformity 

analyses. The distribution of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) between vehicle types was updated 

to reflect a greater fraction of the total VMT should be attributed to the heaviest class of diesel 

trucks. When the updated VMT/vehicle type mix is used, the predicted emissions of direct PM2.5

and annual NOx increase. The higher predictions result in values that are significantly higher 

than the initial early PM2.5 budgets. The amount of the budget exceedance for Mercer County is 

much greater than the emission reductions that could be achieved by changes to transportation 

projects by 2009. Therefore, a revision of the early budget for Mercer County is needed. These 

revised transportation budgets are needed by the Metropolitan Planning Organization (Delaware 

Valley Regional Planning Commission) by the Spring of 2008 to enable them to demonstrate 

conformity of their Transportation Improvement Program with the SIP. If the USEPA is unable 

to approve these budgets in time, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission will not 

be able to maintain their regular schedule of revisions to their Transportation Improvement 

Program.

Copies of the Department’s proposal are available from the Department’s web site at 

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/baqp, the Department’s Public Information Center at 401 E. State 
Street in Trenton, the Department’s Regional Enforcement Offices, and a number of public 

libraries throughout the State. For more information on obtaining copies, please contact:

Ms. Willa Williams

NJDEP Air Quality Planning

401 E. State Street, 7th Floor

P.O. Box 418

Trenton, NJ 08625-0418

phone: (609) 292-6722

fax: (609) 633-6198

willa.williams@dep.state.nj.us

A public hearing concerning the Department’s proposed SIP revisions is scheduled as follows:

Monday, January 28, 2008 at 10:00 a.m.

The NJDEP Building, Public Hearing Room (1st Floor)

401 East State Street

Trenton, New Jersey

This hearing is being held in accordance with the provisions of Section 110(a)(1) and (2) of the 

Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. § 7410. Written comments may be submitted by close of business 

January 31, 2008, to:

NJ Department of Environmental Protection

Alice Previte, Esq.

Attn: DEP Docket # 31-07-12

Office of Legal Affairs

P.O. Box 402

Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0402