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 Environmental Protection Agency 40 CFR Part 52
[EPA-R06-OAR-2014-0871; FRL-9923-80-Region 6]
 AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
 ACTION: Final rule; notice of administrative change.
 SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making an administrative change to update the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to reflect a change made to the Texas State Implementation Plan (SIP) on November 3, 2014, as a result of EPA's concurrence on a substitute transportation control measure (TCM) for the Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) portion of the Texas SIP. On November 24, 2014, the State of Texas, through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), submitted a revision to the Texas SIP 
                        ( print page 11322)
                        requesting that EPA update its SIP to reflect a substitution of a TCM. The substitution was made pursuant to the TCM substitution provisions contained in Clean Air Act (CAA). EPA concurred on this substitution on November 3, 2014. In this administrative action, EPA is updating the non-regulatory provisions of the Texas SIP to reflect the substitution. In summary, the substitution was a replacement of environmental speed limits (ESLs) within the DFW 8-hour ozone nonattainment area with traffic signalization projects. EPA has determined that this action falls under the “good cause” exemption in the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) which, upon finding “good cause,” authorizes an agency to make an action effective immediately, thereby avoiding the 30-day delayed effective date otherwise provided for in the APA.
 DATES: This action is effective March 3, 2015.
 ADDRESSES: SIP materials which are incorporated by reference into 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 52 are available for inspection at the following location: Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6, 1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 700, Dallas, TX 75202. Publicly available materials are available either electronically in 
                        *www.regulations.gov*
                         or in hard copy at the Region 6 office. The Regional Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:30, excluding Federal holidays.
 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jeffrey Riley at (214) 665-8542 or via electronic mail at 
                        *riley.jeffrey@epa.gov.*


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 3, 2014, EPA issued a concurrence letter to TCEQ stating that the substitution of DFW area ESL TCMs with traffic signalization project TCMs met the CAA section 176(c)(8) requirements for substituting TCMs in an area's approved SIP. 
                    *See also*
                     EPA's Guidance for Implementing the CAA section 176(c)(8) Transportation Control Measure Substitution and Addition Provision contained in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users which was signed into law on August 10, 2005, dated January 2009. The DFW area ESLs were originally approved into the SIP as control measures on October 11, 2005 (70 FR 58978). On January 9, 2014, EPA approved re-categorization of the DFW area ESL control measures to TCMs, making the measures eligible for substitution under the provisions of CAA section 176(c)(8) (79 FR 1596). As a part of the concurrence process, the public was provided an opportunity to comment on the proposed TCM substitution. Public notice and comment was provided by the DFW metropolitan planning organization, the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), during Regional Transportation Council meetings held on July 14, 2014 and July 17, 2014. Public notice for these meetings was published in 20 DFW area newspapers and circulars. Through this concurrence process, EPA determined that the requirements of CAA section 176(c)(8) were met, including the requirement that the substitute measures achieve equivalent or greater emission reductions than the control measure to be replaced. Upon EPA's concurrence, the ESL substitution took effect as a matter of federal law. A copy of EPA's concurrence letter is included in the Docket for this action. This letter can be accessed at 
                    *www.regulations.gov*
                     using Docket ID No. EPA-R06-OAR-2014-0871. In accordance with the requirements for TCM substitution, on November 24, 2014, TCEQ submitted a request for EPA to update the DFW portion of the Texas SIP to reflect EPA's previous approval of the TCM substitution of the ESLs with the traffic signalization project TCMs in its SIP (the subject of this administrative change). Today, EPA is taking administrative action to update the non-regulatory provisions of the Texas SIP in 40 CFR 52.2270(e) to reflect EPA's concurrence on the substitution of a TCM for the conversion of ESLs to traffic signalization projects: Name of nonregulatory SIP provision
Applicable geographic or
                             nonattainment area
State submittal
                             date/effective dateDFW nine-county area ESL TCMs to traffic signalization TCMs. Affected counties are Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton, Parker, Johnson, Ellis, Kaufman, Rockwall
Dallas-Fort Worth
9/16/2010
 Under section 553 of the APA, an agency may find good cause where procedures are “impractical, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest.” The substitution was made through the process included in CAA section 176(c)(8). Effective immediately, today's action codifies provisions which are already in effect. The public had an opportunity to comment on this substitution during the public comment period prior to approval of the substitution. Immediate notice of this action in the 
                    **Federal Register**
                     benefits the public by providing the updated Texas SIP Compilation and “Identification of Plan” portion of the 
                    **Federal Register**
                    . Statutory and Executive Order Reviews A. General Requirements Under Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993), this administrative action is not a “significant regulatory action” and is therefore not subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget. This action is not subject to Executive Order 13211, “Actions Concerning Regulations That Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use” (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001) because it is not a significant regulatory action under Executive Order 12866. Because the Agency has made a “good cause” finding that this action is not subject to notice-and-comment requirements under the APA or any other statute as indicated in the 
                    **Supplementary Information**
                     section above, it is not subject to the regulatory flexibility provisions of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 
                    *et seq.*), or to sections 202 and 205 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4). In addition, this action does not significantly or uniquely affect small governments or impose a significant intergovernmental mandate, as described in sections 203 and 204 of UMRA. This administrative action also does not have a substantial direct effect on one or more Indian tribes, on the relationship between the federal government and Indian tribes, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities between the federal government and Indian tribes, as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9, 2000), nor will it have substantial direct effects on the states, on the relationship between the national government and the states, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government, as specified in Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999).
                    ( print page 11323) This administrative action also is not subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR19885, April 23, 1997), because it is not economically significant. This administrative action does not involve technical standards; thus the requirements of section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) do not apply. The administrative action also does not involve special consideration of environmental justice related issues as required by Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994). This administrative action does not impose an information collection burden under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 
                    *et seq.*). B. Submission to Congress and the Comptroller General The Congressional Review Act (CRA) (5 U.S.C. 801 
                    *et seq.*), as added by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, generally provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency promulgating the rule must submit a rule report, which includes a copy of the rule, to each House of the Congress and to the Comptroller General of the United States. Section 808 allows the issuing agency to make a rule effective sooner than otherwise provided by the CRA if the agency makes a good cause finding that notice and public procedure is impracticable, unnecessary or contrary to the public interest. Today's administrative action simply codifies a provision which is already in effect as a matter of law in Federal and approved state programs. 5 U.S.C. 808(2). These announced actions were effective upon EPA's concurrence. EPA will submit a report containing this action and other required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United States prior to publication of this action in the 
                    **Federal Register**
                    . This update to Texas' SIP Compilation is not a “major rule” as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2). List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52 Environmental protection
Air pollution control
Incorporation by reference
Nitrogen dioxide
Ozone
Volatile organic compounds
 Dated: February 19, 2015. Ron Curry, Regional Administrator, Region 6.
 40 CFR part 52 is amended as follows: PART 52—[AMENDED]
 1.The authority citation for part 52 continues to read as follows: Authority:
                        42 U.S.C. 7401 
                            *et seq.* Subpart SS—Texas
 2.In § 52.2270(e), the table titled “EPA Approved Nonregulatory Provisions and Quasi-Regulatory Measures in the Texas SIP” is amended by adding an entry at the end for “DFW nine-county area ESL TCM to traffic signalization TCMs”. The addition reads as follows: § 52.2270
  
 (e) * * * EPA-Approved Nonregulatory Provisions and Quasi-Regulatory Measures in the Texas SIP
Name of SIP provision
Applicable geographic or
                                     nonattainment area
State submittal/
                                     effective date
EPA approval date
Comments*         *         *         *         *         *         *DFW nine-county area ESL TCM to traffic signalization TCMs
Dallas-Fort Worth: Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton, Parker, Johnson, Ellis, Kaufman and Rockwall Counties
9/16/2010
1/9/2014, 79 FR 1596
DFW ESLs recategorized as TCM 1/9/2014, substituted withtraffic signalization TCMs 11/3/2014.


[FR Doc. 2015-04269 Filed 3-2-15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560-50-P