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[Federal Register: January 26, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 16)]
[Notices]               
[Page 4064]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26ja10-51]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-R05-OAR-2008-0682; FRL-9106-4]

 
Adequacy Status of the Steubenville, OH and the Canton, OH 
Submitted Annual Fine Particulate Matter Attainment Demonstration for 
Transportation Conformity Purposes

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of adequacy.

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SUMMARY: In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that we have found 
that the motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) for fine particulate 
matter (PM2.5) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) as a 
precursor to fine particulate matter in Steubenville, Ohio (Jefferson 
County) and Canton, Ohio (Stark County) are adequate for use in 
transportation conformity determinations. Ohio submitted the 
Steubenville and Canton area budgets with the attainment demonstration 
submittal initially on July 16, 2008, and subsequently submitted the 
public hearing results on December 5, 2008. As a result of our finding, 
the Steubenville, Ohio area (Jefferson County) and the Canton, Ohio 
area (Stark County) must use the MVEBs from the submitted 
PM2.5 attainment demonstration plan for future 
transportation conformity determinations.

DATES: This finding is effective February 10, 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Morris, Environmental 
Scientist, Criteria Pollutant Section (AR-18J), Air Programs Branch, 
Air and Radiation Division, United States Environmental Protection 
Agency, Region 5, 77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604, 
(312) 353-8656, morris.patricia@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, whenever ``we'', 
``us'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.

Background

    Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that we have 
already made. On December 7, 2009, EPA Region 5 sent a letter to the 
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency stating that the 2009 MVEBs for 
the Steubenville area, and also for the Canton area, which were 
submitted with the state's PM2.5 attainment demonstration, 
are adequate. Receipt of these MVEBs was announced on EPA's 
transportation conformity website, and no comments were submitted. The 
finding is available at EPA's conformity web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm.
    The adequate 2009 MVEBs, in tons per year (tpy), for 
PM2.5 and NOX for the Steubenville area and the 
Canton area are as follows:

                  Steubenville (Jefferson County), Ohio
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                                          PM2.5 (tpy)       NOX (tpy)
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2009..................................           19.80          1208.81
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                       Canton (Stark County), Ohio
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                                          PM2.5 (tpy)       NOX (tpy)
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2009..................................           88.38          5103.36
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    Transportation conformity is required by section 176(c) of the 
Clean Air Act. EPA's conformity rule 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 conform. Conformity to a State 
Implementation Plan (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.
    The criteria by which we determine whether a SIP's motor vehicle 
emission budgets are adequate for transportation conformity purposes 
are outlined in 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). We have described our process for 
determining the adequacy of submitted SIP budgets in our July 1, 2004, 
preamble starting at 69 FR 40038, and we used the information in these 
resources while making our adequacy determination. 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 we find a budget adequate, the SIP could later be disapproved.
    The finding and the response to comments are available at EPA's 
transportation conformity web site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm.

    Authority:  42 U.S.C. 7401-7671 q.

    Dated: January 13, 2010.
Walter W. Kovalick Jr.,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.
[FR Doc. 2010-1461 Filed 1-25-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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