Mr. Wayne Nastri RECEIVED

Regional AdministratorRegion 9 FEO 2 82006

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

75 Hawthorne Street Air vLsc,n AIR - San Francisco, California 94105 U.S. EPA, REGION 9

Dear Mr. Nastri:

The Air Resources Board (ARB) hereby submits to the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency (U.S. EPA) for approval the Sacramento Regional Nonattainment Area 8-Hour

Ozone Rate-Of-Progress Plan (Early Progress Plan) as a revision to the California State

Implementation Plan (SIP). The Early Progress Plan is needed to establish new

transportation conformity budgets for the Sacramento regior. The full attainment

demonstration SIP will be developed over the next year to meet the June 2007

deadline. As noted in our December 27, 2005 letter requesting parallel processing for

this plan, we ask that U.S. EPA make an expeditious finding on the adequacy of the

motor vehicle emission budgets that are needed to support a new transportation

conformity determination for the Sacramento region.

Backc round

The Sacramento region 8-hour ozone nonattainment area, classified as serious, covers

all or part of five local air districts: El Dorado County Air Quality Management District

(El Dorado County District), Feather River Air Quality Management District (Feather

River District), Placer County Air Pollution Control District (Placer County District),

Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (Sacramento District), and

Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District (Yolo-Solano District). Each of these air

agencies has approved the Early Progress Plan and associated environmental impact

report (EIR).

Each of the local air districts considered and approved the Early Progress Plan and EIR

at separate hearings between January 26 and February 9. The Early Progress Plan

was transmitted to ARB by the Sacramento District on February 9, 2006 for approval

and submittal to U.S. EPA.

The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption.

For a list ofsimple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our Website: htt://www.arb.ca.ov.

California Environmental Protection Agency

Printed on Recycled Paper
1. Progress Demonstration. The Early Progress Plan documents that, between

2002 and 2008, the Sacramento region nonattainment area will achieve an

18 percent reduction in ozone precursor emissions from adopted control

measures. The Early Progress Plan uses both nitrogen oxide (NOx) and volatile

organic compound (VOC) emission reductions to demonstrate compliance with the 18 percent emissions reduction requirement.

2. Amended 1994 ROP Plan. U.S. EPA guidance requires that an area have an

approved 15 percent VOC rate of progress (ROP) plan for 1990-1996 before an

area can use NOx emission reductions in addition to VOC emission reductions

for the 2002-2008 ROP. The Early Progress Plan contains an amendment to the

Sacramento region’s 1994 15 percent VOC ROP plan prepared for the 1-hour

ozone standard. The amendment documents that, between 1990 and 1996, the

Sacramento region nonattainment area achieved

a 15 percent reduction of VOC

emissions.

3. Transportation Conformity Budgets. The Early Progress Plan contains

revised transportation conformity emission budgets for 2008 that reflect adopted vehicle emission control regulations not included in the existing (1994) SIP and

budgets. It is important that metropolitan planning organizations in California be

able to use motor vehicle emissions budgets as soon as U.S. EPA finds them

adequate. Accordingly, we request that U.S. EPA structure its approval of the Early Progress Plan budgets to allow for their replacement when U.S. EPA finds

the subsequent budgets adequate. This is in keeping with past practice and is consistent with U.S. EPA rules as described in 93.118(e)(1) of the conformity regulation.

Contents

This package consists of five copies of the following:

1. February 9, 2006 letter from Mr. Larry Greene, Sacramento District Air Pollution

Control Officer, transmitting the following materials to ARB:

A. Sacramento Regional Nonattainment Area 8-Hour Ozone Rate-of-Progress Plan;

B. Resolutions from the El Dorado County, Feather River, Placer County, Sacramento, and Yolo-Solano District Boards adopting the Early Progress Plan;

C. Proofs of publication and Notice of Availability of the draft Early Progress Plan;
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2. Executive Order G-125-335 of the California Air Resources Board, approving the

Sacramento Regional Nonattainment Area 8-Hour Ozone Rate-of-Progress Plan.

3. SIP Completeness Checklist for the Early Progress Plan.

This submittal letter, ARB Executive Order, detailed information about the data and

methodologies used to develop the motor vehicle emission budgets, and links to the

Early Progress Plan are available at

httn://www.arb.ca.qov/rjlanninq/sip/sacrop05/sacron05.htm.

If you have any questions, please call Ms. Lynn Terry, Deputy Executive Officer, at

(916) 322-2739, or have your staff contact Mr. Kurt Karperos, Chief, Air Quality and

Transportation Planning Branch, at (916) 322-0285.

Sincerely,

/

&

C’herine Witherspoon;

Executive Officer

Enclosures

cc: See next page.
Air Pollution Control Officer

Placer County Air Pollution

Control District

11464 B Avenue

Auburn, California 95603

Mr. Mat Ehrhardt

Air Pollution Control Officer

Yolo-Solano Air Quality

Management District

1947 Galileo Court, Suite 103

Davis, California 95616

Mr. Lrry Greene

Air Pollution Control Officer

Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality

Management District

777 l2” Street, 3rd Floor

Sacramento, California 95814

Ms. Deborah Jordan, Director

Air Division, Region 9

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

75 Hawthorne Street

San Francisco, California 94105

Mr. Mike McKeever

Executive DirectorSacramento Area Council

of Governments

1415 L Street

Sacramento, California 95814

Continued next page.
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Air Pollution Control Officer

El Dorado County Air Quality

Management District

2850 Fairlane Court, Building C

Placerville, California 95667

Mr. David A. Valler, Jr.

Air Pollution Control Officer

Feather River Air Quality

Management District

938 14th Street

Marysville, California 95901

Ms. Lynn Terry

Air Resources Board

Mr. Kurt Karperos

Air Resources Board