Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2018 / Proposed Rules 651 

In addition, EPA is providing 

advanced notice of proposed approval 

of Missouri’s 2008 base year emissions 

inventory in accordance with section 

172(c)(3) of the CAA. If finalized, 

approval of the redesignation request 

would change the official designation of 

St. Louis area for the 1997 annual PM2.5

NAAQS, found at 40 CFR part 81, from 

nonattainment to attainment. 

Dated: December 15, 2017. 

James B. Gulliford, 

Regional Administrator, Region 7. 

[FR Doc. 2018–00037 Filed 1–4–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

40 CFR Part 81 

[EPA–HQ–OAR–2017–0548; FRL–9972–84– 

OAR] 

EPA Responses to Certain State 

Designation Recommendations for the 

2015 Ozone National Ambient Air 

Quality Standards: Notice of 

Availability and Public Comment 

Period 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notification of availability and 

public comment period. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA) has posted on our public 

electronic docket and internet website 

responses to certain state and tribal area 

designation recommendations for the 

2015 Ozone National Ambient Air 

Quality Standards (NAAQS) (2015 

Ozone NAAQS). These responses 

include our intended designations for 

the affected areas. The EPA invites the 

public to review and provide input on 

our intended designations during the 

comment period specified in the DATES

section. The EPA sent its responses 

directly to the states and tribes on or 

about December 20, 2017. The EPA 

intends to make final designation 

determinations for the areas of the 

country addressed by these responses 

no earlier than 120 days from the date 

the EPA notified states and tribes of the 

agency’s intended designations. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before February 5, 2018. Please refer 

to SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for 

additional information on the comment 

period. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

identified by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ– 

OAR–2017–0548, at http://

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Once submitted, comments cannot be 

edited or removed from regulations.gov. 

The EPA may publish any comment 

received to our public docket. Do not 

submit electronically any information 

you consider to be Confidential 

Business Information (CBI) or other 

information whose disclosure is 

restricted by statute. Multimedia 

submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be 

accompanied by a written comment. 

The written comment is considered the 

official comment and should include 

discussion of all points you wish to 

make. The EPA will generally not 

consider comments or comment 

contents located outside of the primary 

submission (i.e., on the Web, Cloud, or 

other file sharing system). For 

additional submission methods, the full 

EPA public comment policy, 

information about CBI or multimedia 

submissions, and general guidance on 

making effective comments, please visit 

https://www2.epa.gov/dockets/ 

commenting-epa-dockets. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

general questions concerning this 

action, please contact Denise Scott, U.S. 

EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning and 

Standards, Air Quality Policy Division, 

C539–01, Research Triangle Park, NC 

27709, telephone (919) 541–4280, email 

at scott.denise@epa.gov. The EPA 

contacts listed at the beginning of the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION can answer 

questions regarding areas in a particular 

EPA Regional office. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Regional Office Contacts: 

Region I—Richard Burkhart (617) 918– 

1664 

Region II—Omar Hammad (212) 637– 

3347 

Region III—Maria Pino (215) 814–2181 

Region IV—Jane Spann (404) 562–9029 

Region V—Kathleen D’Agostino (312) 

886–1767 

Region VI—Carrie Paige (214) 665–6521 

Region VII—Lachala Kemp (913) 551– 

7214 

Region VIII—Chris Dresser (303) 312– 

6385 

Region IX—Laura Lawrence (415) 972– 

3407 

Region X—Karl Pepple (206) 553–1778 

The public may inspect the 

recommendations from the states and 

tribes, our recent letters notifying the 

affected states and tribes of our intended 

designations, and area-specific technical 

support information at the following 

locations: 

Regional offices States 

Dave Conroy, Chief, Air Programs Branch, EPA New England, 1 Congress Street, Suite 1100, Boston, MA 02114–2023, (617) 918–1661.Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, 

and Vermont. 

Richard Ruvo, Chief, Air Programs Branch, EPA Region II, 290 Broadway, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10007–1866, (212) 637–4014.New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands. 

Cynthia H. Stahl, Acting Associate Director, Office of Air Program Planning, EPA Region III, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103– 

2187, (215) 814–2180.

Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and 

West Virginia. 

R. Scott Davis, Chief, Air Planning Branch, EPA Region IV, Sam Nunn 

Atlanta Federal Center, 61 Forsyth Street SW, 12th Floor, Atlanta, 

GA 30303, (404) 562–9127.

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, 

South Carolina, and Tennessee. 

John Mooney, Chief, Air Programs Branch, EPA Region V, 77 West 

Jackson Street, Chicago, IL 60604, (312) 886–6043.

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. 

Alan Shar, Acting Chief, Air Planning Section, EPA Region VI, 1445 

Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX 75202, (214) 665–6691.

Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. 

Mike Jay, Chief, Air Programs Branch, EPA Region VII, 11201 Renner 

Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66129, (913) 551–7460.

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. 

Monica Morales, Air Program Director, EPA Region VIII, 1595 

Wynkoop Street, Denver, CO 80202–1129, (303) 312–6936.

Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. 

Doris Lo, Air Planning Office, EPA Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, 

San Francisco, CA 94105, (415) 972–3959.

American Samoa, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, Northern 

Mariana Islands, Navajo Nation, and the Hopi Tribe. 


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652 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2018 / Proposed Rules 

1Note that the EPA completed the area 

designations for the U.S. territories of American 

Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto 

Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the November 

6, 2017, designations action. 

Regional offices States 

Debra Suzuki, Manager, State and Tribal Air Programs, EPA Region X, 

Office of Air, Waste, and Toxics, Mail Code OAQ–107, 1200 Sixth 

Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, (206) 553–0985.

Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. 

The information can also be reviewed 

online at https://www.epa.gov/ozonedesignations and in the public docket 

for these ozone designations at https:// 

www.regulations.gov under Docket ID 

No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2017–0548. 

I. What is the purpose of this action? 

The purpose of this notice of 

availability is to solicit input from 

interested parties other than states and 

tribes on the EPA’s recent responses to 

the state and tribal designation 

recommendations for the 2015 Ozone 

NAAQS. These responses, and their 

supporting technical analyses, can be 

found at https://www.epa.gov/ozonedesignations and in the public docket 

for these ozone designations at https:// 

www.regulations.gov under Docket ID 

No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2017–0548. 

On October 1, 2015, the EPA 

Administrator signed a notice of final 

rulemaking that revised the primary and 

secondary ozone NAAQS (80 FR 65292; 

October 26, 2015). The EPA established 

the revised primary and secondary 

ozone NAAQS at 0.070 parts per million 

(ppm). The 2015 Ozone NAAQS are met 

at an ambient air quality monitoring site 

when the 3-year average of the annual 

fourth highest daily maximum 8-hour 

average ozone concentration (i.e., the 

design value) is less than or equal to 

0.070 ppm. The revised standards will 

improve public health protection, 

particularly for at-risk groups including 

children, older adults, people of all ages 

who have lung diseases such as asthma, 

and people who are active outdoors, 

especially outdoor workers. They also 

will improve the health of trees, plants 

and ecosystems. 

After the EPA promulgates a new or 

revised NAAQS, the Clean Air Act 

(CAA) requires the EPA to designate all 

areas of the country as either 

‘‘Nonattainment,’’ ‘‘Attainment,’’ or 

‘‘Unclassifiable,’’ for that NAAQS. The 

process for these initial designations is 

contained in CAA section 107(d)(1) (42 

U.S.C. 7407). After promulgation of a 

new or revised NAAQS, each governor 

or tribal leader has an opportunity to 

recommend air quality designations, 

including the appropriate boundaries 

for Nonattainment areas, to the EPA. 

The EPA considers these 

recommendations as part of its duty to 

promulgate the formal area designations 

and boundaries for the new or revised 

NAAQS. By no later than 120 days prior 

to promulgating designations, the EPA 

is required to notify states, territories, 

and tribes, as appropriate, of any 

intended modifications to an area 

designation or boundary 

recommendation that the EPA deems 

necessary. 

On November 6, 2017, the EPA 

established initial air quality 

designations for most areas in the 

United States, including most areas of 

Indian country, for the 2015 primary 

and secondary ozone NAAQS 82 FR 

54232, November 16, 2017). In that 

action, the EPA designated 2,646 

counties, including Indian country 

located in those counties, two separate 

areas of Indian country, and five 

territories as Attainment/Unclassifiable 

and three counties as Unclassifiable. 

This current action provides the 

EPA’s intended designation of all 

remaining undesignated areas. On or 

about December 20, 2017, consistent 

with section 107(d)(1)(b)(ii) of the CAA, 

the EPA notified affected states and 

tribes of the remaining recommended 

designations.1 While the EPA is in 

agreement with the recommendations 

for most areas, the EPA indicated that in 

some instances it intended to modify a 

state or tribal recommends. States and 

tribes have the opportunity during the 

120-day process to provide additional 

information for the EPA to consider in 

making the final designation decisions. 

We stand ready to assist and hope to 

resolve any differences regarding the 

proper designation for all remaining 

areas within the 120-day process 

provided by the CAA. 

Once designations take effect, they 

govern what subsequent regulatory 

actions states, tribes, and the EPA must 

take in order to improve or preserve air 

quality in each area. 

II. Instructions for Submitting Public 

Comments and Internet Website for 

Rulemaking Information 

A. Invitation To Comment 

The purpose of this notice is to solicit 

input from interested parties, other than 

the states and tribes to which we have 

sent notification letters, on the EPA’s 

recent responses to the designation 

recommendations for the 2015 Ozone 

NAAQS. These responses, and their 

supporting technical analyses, can be 

found at https://www.epa.gov/ozonedesignations and in the public docket 

for these ozone designations at Docket 

ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2017–0548. The 

EPA Docket Office can be contacted at 

(202) 566–1744, and is located at EPA 

Docket Center Reading Room, WJC West 

Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution 

Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004. 

The hours of operation at the EPA 

Docket Center are 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., 

Monday–Friday. 

CAA section 107(d)(1) provides a 

process for air quality designations that 

involves recommendations by states, 

territories, and tribes to the EPA and 

responses from the EPA to those parties, 

prior to the EPA promulgating final area 

designations and boundaries. The EPA 

is not required under the CAA section 

107(d)(1) to seek public comment 

during the designation process, but we 

are electing to do so for these areas with 

respect to the 2015 Ozone NAAQS in 

order to gather additional information 

for the EPA to consider before making 

final designations for the specific areas 

addressed in the EPA’s recent letters to 

states and tribes. The EPA invites public 

input on our responses to states and 

tribes regarding these areas during the 

30-day comment period provided in this 

notice. In order to receive full 

consideration, input from the public 

must be submitted to the docket by 

February 5, 2018. This notice and 

opportunity for public comment does 

not affect any rights or obligations of 

any state, or tribe, or of the EPA, which 

might otherwise exist pursuant to the 

CAA section 107(d). 

Please refer to the ADDRESSES section 

in this document for specific 

instructions on submitting comments 

and locating relevant public documents. 

In establishing Nonattainment area 

boundaries for a particular area, CAA 

section 107(d)(1)(A) requires the EPA to 

include within the boundaries both the 

area that does not meet the standard and 

any nearby area contributing to ambient 

air quality in the area that does not meet 

the NAAQS. We are particularly 

interested in receiving comments, 

supported by relevant information 

addressing the section 107(d)(1)(A) 

criteria, if you believe that a specific 

geographic area should not be 

categorized as Nonattainment, or if you 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2018 / Proposed Rules 653 

believe that an area the EPA had 

indicated that it intends to designate as 

Attainment/Unclassifiable or 

Unclassifiable should in fact be 

categorized Nonattainment based on the 

presence of a violating monitor in the 

area or based on contribution to ambient 

air quality in a nearby areas. Please be 

as specific as possible in supporting 

your views. 

• Describe any assumptions and 

provide any technical information and/ 

or data that you used. 

• Provide specific examples to 

illustrate your concerns, and suggest 

alternatives. 

• Explain your views as clearly as 

possible. 

• Provide your input by the comment 

period deadline identified. 

The EPA intends to complete 

designations for all of the areas 

addressed in the responses to the states 

and tribes no later than April 30, 2018. 

This would complete the designation 

process for the 2015 Ozone NAAQS. 

B. What should I consider as I prepare 

my comments for the EPA? 

1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit CBI 

information to the EPA through https:// 

www.regulations.gov or email. Clearly 

mark the part or all of the information 

that you claim to be CBI. For CBI in a 

disk or CD ROM that you mail to the 

EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD 

ROM as CBI and then identify 

electronically within the disk or CD 

ROM the specific information that is 

claimed as CBI. In addition to one 

complete version of the comment that 

includes information claimed as CBI, a 

copy of the comment that does not 

contain the information claimed as CBI 

must be submitted for inclusion in the 

public docket. Information so marked 

will not be disclosed except in 

accordance with procedures set forth in 

40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 

part 2. Send or deliver information 

identified as CBI only to the following 

address: Tiffany Purifoy, OAQPS CBI 

Officer, U.S. EPA, Office of Air Quality 

Planning and Standards, Mail Code 

C404–02, Research Triangle Park, NC 

27711, telephone (919) 541–0878, email 

at purifoy.tiffany@epa.gov, Attention 

Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2017– 

0548. 

2. Tips for Preparing Your Comments. 

When submitting comments, remember 

to: 

• Identify the rulemaking by docket 

number and other identifying 

information (subject heading, Federal 

Register date and page number). 

• Follow directions. 

• Explain why you agree or disagree; 

suggest alternatives and substitute 

language for your requested changes. 

C. Where can I find additional 

information for this rulemaking? 

The EPA has also established a 

website for this rulemaking at https://

www.epa.gov/ozone-designations. The 

website includes the state, territorial 

and tribal recommendations, the EPA’s 

intended area designations, information 

supporting the EPA’s preliminary 

designation decisions, the EPA’s 

designation guidance for the 2015 

Ozone NAAQS as well as the 

rulemaking actions and other related 

information that the public may find 

useful. 

Dated: December 21, 2017. 

Peter Tsirigotis, 

Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning 

and Standards. 

[FR Doc. 2018–00024 Filed 1–4–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 


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