32850 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 118 / Wednesday, June 23, 2021 / Proposed Rules 

1The North Carolina portion of the Charlotte 

Maintenance Area for the 2008 ozone NAAQS is 

comprised of the following counties: Mecklenburg 

in its entirety and portions of Cabarrus, Gaston, 

Iredell, Lincoln, Rowan, and Union counties. See 

section II.B. for more detail. 

in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 

of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–4); 

• Does not have federalism 

implications as specified in Executive 

Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 

1999); 

• Is not an economically significant 

regulatory action based on health or 

safety risks subject to Executive Order 

13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997); 

• Is not a significant regulatory action 

subject to Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 

28355, May 22, 2001); 

• Is not subject to requirements of 

Section 12(d) of the National 

Technology Transfer and Advancement 

Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) because 

application of those requirements would 

be inconsistent with the Clean Air Act; 

and 

• Does not provide the EPA with the 

discretionary authority to address 

disproportionate human health or 

environmental effects with practical, 

appropriate, and legally permissible 

methods under Executive Order 12898 

(59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994). 

In addition, the SIP is not approved 

to apply on any Indian reservation land 

or in any other area where the EPA or 

an Indian tribe has demonstrated that a 

tribe has jurisdiction. In those areas of 

Indian country, the proposed rule does 

not have tribal implications and will not 

impose substantial direct costs on tribal 

governments or preempt tribal law as 

specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 

FR 67249, November 9, 2000). 

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52 

Environmental protection, Air 

pollution control, Carbon monoxide, 

Incorporation by reference, 

Intergovernmental relations, Lead, 

Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Particulate 

matter, Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements, Sulfur dioxide. 

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq. 

Dated: June 10, 2021. 

Deborah Jordan, 

Acting Regional Administrator, Region IX. 

[FR Doc. 2021–12923 Filed 6–22–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

40 CFR Part 52 

[EPA–R04–OAR–2020–0515; FRL–10024– 

72–Region 4] 

Air Plan Approval; North Carolina; 

Revision to Approved Motor Vehicle 

Emissions Budgets 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a 

revision to the North Carolina State 

Implementation Plan (SIP), submitted to 

EPA on July 16, 2020, by the State of 

North Carolina, through the North 

Carolina Department of Environment 

and Natural Resources, Division of Air 

Quality (NCDAQ) for the purpose of 

allocating a portion of the available 

2026 safety margin in the 2008 8-hour 

Ozone Maintenance Plan to the 2026 

nitrogen oxides (NOX) and volatile 

organic compounds (VOC) motor 

vehicle emissions budgets (‘‘MVEBs’’ or 

‘‘budgets’’) for the North Carolina 

portion of the Charlotte-Rock Hill, NCSC bi-state Area (hereinafter referred to 

as the ‘‘North Carolina portion of the 

Charlotte Maintenance Area’’) to 

account for uncertainty associated with 

the mobile emissions model and 

unanticipated growth in vehicle miles 

traveled for the North Carolina portion 

of the Charlotte Maintenance Area. This 

SIP revision also revises the 2026 

MVEBs which are used for 

transportation conformity. NCDAQ’s 

July 16, 2020 submission supplements 

the revised 2008 8-hour Ozone 

Maintenance Plan submitted by NCDAQ 

on July 25, 2018, and approved by EPA 

on September 11, 2019. EPA is 

proposing to approve North Carolina’s 

July 16, 2020 SIP revision and deem the 

MVEBs adequate for transportation 

conformity purposes because they meet 

all the statutory and regulatory 

requirements. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before July 23, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

identified by Docket ID No. EPA–R04– 

OAR–2020–0515 at 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Once submitted, comments cannot be 

edited or removed from Regulations.gov. 

EPA may publish any comment received 

to its 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. 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 

www2.epa.gov/dockets/commentingepa-dockets. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Dianna Myers, Air Regulatory 

Management Section, Air Planning and 

Implementation Branch, Air and 

Radiation Division, U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth 

Street SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960. 

The telephone number is (404) 562– 

9207. Ms. Myers can also be reached via 

electronic mail at myers.dianna@

epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. What action is EPA proposing? 

EPA is proposing to approve 

NCDAQ’s July 16, 2020, SIP revision to 

allocate a portion of the available safety 

margin to revise the 2026 NOX and VOC 

budgets for the North Carolina portion 

of Charlotte 2008 8-hour Ozone 

Maintenance Area 1 for transportation 

conformity purposes. NCDAQ requested 

approval of the July 16, 2020 SIP 

revision in order to account for 

unanticipated changes in the travel 

demand model, such as unanticipated 

growth in vehicle miles traveled, 

changes and uncertainty in vehicle mix 

assumptions, and uncertainty associated 

with mobile emissions modeling. 

If EPA finalizes this proposed 

approval, the revised 2026 budgets from 

NCDAQ’s July 16, 2020, SIP revision 

will replace the existing budgets in the 

State’s 2008 8-hour Ozone Maintenance 

Plan revision approved on September 

11, 2019. See 84 FR 47889. If approved, 

these newly revised 2026 budgets must 

be used in future transportation 

conformity analyses for the Area 

according to the transportation 

conformity rule. See 40 CFR 93.118. 

Therefore, the September 11, 2019, 

approved budgets would no longer be 

applicable for transportation conformity 

purposes. 

In the State’s submission, all 

emissions inventories (on-road, point, 

area, and nonroad) from NCDAQ’s 

September 11, 2019, SIP revision remain 

the same. The submission only allocates 

a portion of the available safety margin 

to the 2026 NOX and VOC MVEBs. 

Therefore, EPA is proposing to conclude 

that North Carolina’s July 16, 2020, SIP 

revision continues to demonstrate 


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2There are currently six ozone monitors located 

throughout the North Carolina portion of the 

Charlotte Maintenance Area and one monitor 

located in York County, South Carolina. The 

current design value for the Charlotte Maintenance 

Area is 70 parts per billion. 

3 In California, a different on-road emissions 

model, EMFAC, is used for regulatory purposes 

instead of MOVES. 

4On January 7, 2021 (86 FR 1106), EPA 

announced the availability of the MOVES3 for 

official purposes outside of California. MOVES3 is 

the state of the science emission modeling system 

that incorporates the latest emissions data and 

estimates emissions from mobile sources at the 

national, county, and project level for criteria air 

pollutants, greenhouse gases, and air toxics. While 

MOVES3 is available for use in SIPs and 

transportation conformity analyses outside of 

California, states and local agencies that had 

completed a SIP revision with MOVES2014 at the 

time of the release of MOVES3 could continue to 

rely on MOVES2014 for that SIP submittal. NCDAQ 

completed and submitted the SIP revision that is 

the subject of this proposed action on July 16, 2020, 

before MOVES3 was released. 

maintenance for the Charlotte 

Maintenance Area. 

II. What is the background for this 

action? 

A. SIP Budgets and Transportation 

Conformity 

Under the CAA, states are required to 

submit, at various times, control strategy 

SIP revisions and maintenance plans for 

nonattainment and maintenance areas 

for a given NAAQS. These emission 

control strategy SIP revisions (e.g., 

reasonable further progress and 

attainment demonstration SIP revisions) 

and maintenance plans include budgets 

of on-road mobile source emissions for 

criteria pollutants and/or their 

precursors to address pollution from 

cars, trucks, and other on-road vehicles. 

The MVEBs are the portion of the total 

allowable emissions that are allocated to 

on-road vehicle use that, together with 

emissions from other sources in the 

area, will provide for attainment or 

maintenance. The MVEBs serve as a 

ceiling on emissions from an area’s 

planned transportation system. 

Under section 176(c) of the CAA, 

transportation plans, transportation 

improvement programs (TIPs), and 

transportation projects must ‘‘conform’’ 

to (i.e., be consistent with) the SIP 

before they can be adopted or approved. 

Conformity to the SIP means that 

transportation activities will not cause 

new air quality violations, worsen 

existing air quality violations, or delay 

timely attainment of the NAAQS or an 

interim milestone. The transportation 

conformity regulations can be found at 

40 CFR parts 51 and 93. 

Before budgets can be used in 

conformity determinations, EPA must 

affirmatively find the budgets adequate. 

However, adequate budgets do not 

supersede approved budgets for the 

same CAA purpose. If the submitted SIP 

budgets are meant to replace budgets for 

the same CAA purpose and year(s) 

addressed by a previously approved SIP 

revision, as is the case with this SIP, 

EPA can approve the revised SIP and 

budgets and also affirm that the budgets 

are adequate at the same time. Once 

EPA approves the SIP with the 

submitted budgets, the revised budgets 

must be used by state and Federal 

agencies in determining whether 

transportation activities conform to the 

SIP as required by section 176(c) of the 

CAA. EPA’s substantive criteria for 

determining the adequacy of budgets are 

set out in 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). 

B. Prior Approval of Budgets 

Effective July 20, 2012, EPA 

designated the Charlotte-Rock Hill, NCSC Area as Marginal nonattainment for 

the 2008 8-hour ozone national ambient 

air quality standard (hereinafter referred 

to as NAAQS or standard). The North 

Carolina portion of the Charlotte 2008 

Maintenance Area includes 

Mecklenburg in its entirety and portions 

of Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, 

Rowan, and Union counties. The 

Charlotte Maintenance Area also 

includes a portion of York County 

located in Rock Hill, South Carolina. 

See 77 FR 30088. The North Carolina 

portion of the Charlotte Maintenance 

Area is comprised of three metropolitan 

planning organizations (MPOs): The 

Charlotte Regional Transportation 

Planning Organization (CRTPO) which 

covers Iredell, Mecklenburg, and Union 

counties; the Cabarrus-Rowan 

Metropolitan Planning Organization 

(CRMPO) which covers Cabarrus and 

Rowan counties; and the GastonCleveland-Lincoln Metropolitan 

Planning Organization (GCLMPO) 

which covers Gaston, Cleveland, and 

Lincoln counties. Although Cleveland 

County is included in the GCLMPO 

planning boundary, it was not included 

in the North Carolina portion of the 

Charlotte Maintenance Area. Each MPO 

has its own budget referred to as a ‘‘subarea budget.’’ The York County, South 

Carolina portion of this maintenance 

area has a separate MPO and budgets. 

The South Carolina portion of the 

maintenance area implements 

transportation conformity independent 

of the North Carolina portion. 

EPA approved the redesignation 

request and maintenance plan for North 

Carolina’s portion of the Charlotte 2008 

8-hour ozone Area on July 28, 2015 (80 

FR 44873) with 2014 and 2026 NOX and 

VOC sub-area MVEBs.2 On August 17, 

2015 (80 FR 49164), EPA approved 

North Carolina’s section 110(l) 

noninterference demonstration 

requesting relaxation of the Federal Reid 

Vapor Pressure from 7.8 pounds per 

square inch (psi) to 9.0 psi and a 

revision to the 2026 NOX and VOC subarea MVEBs for Mecklenburg and 

Gaston Counties only. See 80 FR 44868. 

Subsequently, on July 25, 2018, 

NCDAQ submitted a revision to the 

Charlotte 2008 8-hour ozone 

maintenance plan to update the 

emissions forecast and MVEBs for 2026 

to account for the small increase in NOX

and VOC emissions associated with the 

change in vehicle model year coverage 

due to changes in the state of North 

Carolina’s inspection and maintenance 

(I/M) program. On September 11, 2019 

(84 FR 47889), EPA approved NCDAQ’s 

July 25, 2018 SIP revision related to 

North Carolina’s I/M Program. The 

September 11, 2019, SIP approval 

updated the on-road mobile source 

inventory and revised the 2026 sub-area 

VOC and NOX budgets for Cabarrus and 

Rowan counties. The revised 2026 

MVEBs became effective on October 11, 

2019. 

C. MOVES Emissions Model 

The Motor Vehicle Emissions 

Simulator (MOVES) model is designed 

by EPA to estimate air pollution 

emissions from mobile sources. MOVES 

can be used to estimate exhaust and 

evaporative emissions as well as brake 

and tire wear emissions from all types 

of on-road vehicles for any part of the 

country, except California.3

MOVES2014 and its subsequent minor 

updates, MOVES2014a and 

MOVES2014b, added the capability to 

estimate exhaust and evaporative 

emissions from most types of nonroad 

equipment. North Carolina’s July 16, 

2020 SIP submittal contains mobile 

source emissions estimates using 

MOVES2014 with local inputs data to 

more accurately represent local vehicle 

fleets and emissions characteristics.4 See 

MOVES2014, MOVES2014a, and 

MOVES2014b Technical Guidance: 

Using MOVES to Prepare Emission 

Inventories for State Implementation 

Plans and Transportation Conformity, 

EPA–420–B–18–039, August 2018, 

available at https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ 

ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=P100V7EY.txt. 

III. What is EPA’s analysis of North 

Carolina’s submittal? 

EPA’s analysis involves an emissions 

comparison between the current SIPapproved MVEBs and the MVEBs that 

North Carolina has requested EPA 

approve in the July 16, 2020 SIP 

submittal. Section III.A. provides 

information regarding the current SIPVerDate Sep<11>2014 16:39 Jun 22, 2021 Jkt 253001 PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\23JNP1.SGM 23JNP1

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5As discussed above, if EPA approves NCDAQ’s 

July 16, 2020 SIP submittal, all emissions 

inventories (on-road, point, area, and nonroad) from 

NCDAQ’s September 11, 2019, SIP revision remain 

the same, while a portion of the safety margin will 

be allocated to the MVEBs. 

approved MVEBs and inventories, while 

sections III.B. and III.C. contain 

information and analysis regarding the 

proposed revisions to the MVEBs and 

safety margin, respectively. Section 

III.D. contains EPA’s proposed analysis 

of the adequacy of North Carolina’s 

revised MVEBs pursuant to 40 CFR 

93.118(e)(4). 

As discussed further below, EPA’s 

analysis of North Carolina’s July 16, 

2020 SIP submittal indicates that 

maintenance will continue to be 

demonstrated after allocation of a 

portion of the safety margin to the 

MVEBs because the total level of 

emissions from all source categories 

remains equal to or less than the 

attainment level of emissions. Thus, 

EPA is proposing to approve North 

Carolina’s July 16, 2020 SIP submittal. 

A. Maintenance Demonstration and 

Emissions Inventory 

This section contains information 

regarding the previous and current SIPapproved MVEBs and inventories. The 

inventories are provided for illustrative 

purposes only, as in this action, EPA is 

not proposing any changes the 

inventories.5

As discussed above, EPA originally 

approved NCDAQ’s 2008 8-hour ozone 

maintenance SIP for the North Carolina 

portion of the Charlotte Maintenance 

Area on July 28, 2015, with the 

following inventories for NOX and VOC 

emissions: Base year actual emissions 

inventories for 2014; projected, future, 

interim year inventories for 2015, 2018, 

and 2022; and projected final year 

emission inventory for 2026. On 

September 11, 2019 (84 FR 47889), EPA 

approved NCDAQ’s July 25, 2018 SIP, 

which revised the MVEBs and the 

inventories; these remain the current 

SIP-approved MVEBs and inventories. 

Maintenance for the Charlotte 

Maintenance Area is demonstrated 

when the emissions in the final year of 

the maintenance plan (‘‘maintenance 

year’’) are less than the baseline 

attainment year. In the current SIPapproved inventories, the baseline year 

is 2014 and the maintenance year is 

2026. See 80 FR 29250. As shown in 

Table 1, for NOX, emissions for all years 

(interim years and maintenance year) 

are under the baseline of 130.18 tons per 

summer day (tons/day); in the 

maintenance year of 2026, emissions are 

projected to be 60.28 tons/day. 

Additionally, as shown in Table 2, for 

VOC, emissions for all years (interim 

years and maintenance year) are under 

the baseline of 113.12 tons/day; in the 

maintenance year of 2026, emissions are 

projected to be 95.99 tons/day. The 

downward trend in NOX and VOC 

emissions is shown in Table 3 below. 

TABLE 1—TOTAL MAN-MADE NOX EMISSIONS FOR NORTH CAROLINA PORTION OF THE CHARLOTTE MAINTENANCE AREA

[tons/day] 

County 2014 2015 2018 2022 2026 

Cabarrus * ............................................................................ 11.49 10.73 6.78 5.44 4.44 

Gaston * ................................................................................ 27.89 27.62 12.03 6.41 7.87 

Iredell * ................................................................................. 6.86 6.49 5.41 4.68 4.16 

Lincoln * ................................................................................ 4.36 4.71 6.41 4.29 2.34 

Mecklenburg ......................................................................... 56.71 52.97 39.16 33.52 31.33 

Rowan * ................................................................................ 11.74 11.31 8.28 7.01 6.10 

Union * .................................................................................. 11.13 10.36 6.63 5.09 4.05 

Total .............................................................................. 130.18 124.19 84.69 66.44 60.28 

* Emissions for the portion of the county included in the maintenance area. 

TABLE 2—TOTAL MAN-MADE VOC EMISSIONS FOR NORTH CAROLINA PORTION OF THE CHARLOTTE MAINTENANCE AREA

[tons/day] 

County 2014 2015 2018 2022 2026 

Cabarrus * ............................................................................ 11.50 11.27 9.51 9.23 9.02 

Gaston * ................................................................................ 12.96 12.74 11.53 10.94 10.74 

Iredell * ................................................................................. 6.33 6.22 5.29 5.11 4.97 

Lincoln * ................................................................................ 6.55 6.47 4.81 4.66 4.51 

Mecklenburg ......................................................................... 50.10 49.16 45.31 44.47 43.99 

Rowan * ................................................................................ 12.59 12.38 12.47 12.19 12.32 

Union * .................................................................................. 13.09 12.85 10.91 10.68 10.45 

Total .............................................................................. 113.12 111.09 99.82 97.28 95.99 

* Emissions for the portion of the county included in the maintenance area. 

TABLE 3—MAINTENANCE DEMONSTRATION FOR NORTH CAROLINA PORTION OF THE CHARLOTTE MAINTENANCE AREA

Year 

NOX

(tons/summer 

day) 

VOC 

(tons/summer 

day) 

2014 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 130.18 113.12 

2015 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 124.19 111.09 

2018 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 84.69 99.82 

2022 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 66.44 97.28 


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TABLE 3—MAINTENANCE DEMONSTRATION FOR NORTH CAROLINA PORTION OF THE CHARLOTTE MAINTENANCE AREA— 

Continued 

Year 

NOX

(tons/summer 

day) 

VOC 

(tons/summer 

day) 

2026 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 60.28 95.99 

Reduction in emissions from 2014 to 2026 ............................................................................................................. 69.90 17.13 

The following table provides the NOX

and VOC on-road mobile emissions 

inventory for the 2014 (base year) and 

2026 (maintenance year) for the 2008 8- 

hour ozone NAAQS for the North 

Carolina portion of the Charlotte 

Maintenance Area. The emissions are 

expressed in tons/day and in kg/day 

because the MVEBs are expressed in 

kilograms per day kg/day. The 

MOVES2014 output emissions values 

were rounded to the nearest kg/day and 

were divided by 907.1847 to convert 

them to units of tons/day. The resulting 

values in tons/day were rounded to two 

decimal places. 

TABLE 4—ON-ROAD MOBILE SOURCE NOX AND VOC SUMMER DAY EMISSIONS IN 2014 AND 2026 FOR THE NORTH

CAROLINA PORTION OF THE CHARLOTTE MAINTENANCE AREA

County 

2014 NOX 2014 VOC 2026 NOX 2026 VOC 

tons/day kg/day tons/day kg/day tons/day kg/day tons/day kg/day 

Cabarrus * ........................ 6.60 5,989 4.15 3,765 2.00 1,810 2.19 1,982 

Gaston ** .......................... 8.11 7,357 4.61 4,179 2.12 1,924 1.86 1,689 

Iredell * ............................. 3.36 3,045 1.95 1,768 1.00 903 0.88 801 

Lincoln * ............................ 3.00 2,723 1.91 1,737 0.83 757 0.86 779 

Mecklenburg ** ................. 26.99 24,488 14.40 13,060 7.17 6,501 6.98 6,334 

Rowan * ............................ 6.42 5,825 3.76 3,408 1.73 1,571 1.53 1,389 

Union * .............................. 5.67 5,146 3.54 3,210 1.62 1,466 1.68 1,520 

Total .......................... 60.15 54,572 34.32 31,127 16.47 14,932 15.98 14,494 

* Emissions for the portion of the county included in the maintenance area. 

** The 2014 base year NOX and VOC emissions for Gaston and Mecklenburg counties have been revised slightly to correct a transcription 

error in the original maintenance plan. 

A safety margin is the difference 

between the attainment level of 

emissions from all source categories 

(i.e., point, area, on-road and nonroad) 

(2014 in this case) and the projected 

level of emissions from all source 

categories in the maintenance year 

(2026 in this case). The State may 

choose to allocate some of the safety 

margin to the MVEBs, for transportation 

conformity purposes, so long as the total 

level of emissions from all source 

categories remains equal to or less than 

the attainment level of emissions. North 

Carolina previously chose to allocate a 

portion of its NOX and VOC safety 

margin to the MVEBs for the entire 

North Carolina portion of the Charlotte 

Maintenance Area for the year 2026. See 

84 FR 22774 (May 20, 2019) and 84 FR 

47889 (Sept. 11, 2019). The current SIPapproved safety margins, percent 

increase allocated to the 2026 NOX and 

VOC MVEBs from the safety margin for 

each county, and resulting subarea 

MVEBs in the North Carolina portion of 

the Charlotte Maintenance Area are 

listed in Tables 5 through 9 below. 

TABLE 5—CURRENT SAFETY MARGINS FOR NORTH CAROLINA PORTION OF THE CHARLOTTE MAINTENANCE AREA

Year 

NOX

(tons/summer 

day) 

VOC 

(tons/summer 

day) 

2014 ......................................................................................................................................................................... N/A N/A 

2015 ......................................................................................................................................................................... ¥5.99 ¥2.03 

2018 ......................................................................................................................................................................... ¥45.49 ¥13.30 

2022 ......................................................................................................................................................................... ¥63.74 ¥15.84 

2026 ......................................................................................................................................................................... ¥66.60 ¥13.92 

TABLE 6—CURRENT PERCENT INCREASE TO THE 2026 MOBILE VEHICLE EMISSIONS BUDGET

County 2026 

Cabarrus .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 25 

Gaston ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 20 

Iredell ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 

Lincoln .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 22 

Mecklenburg ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 17 

Rowan .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 25 


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6As with the original SIP approved on July 15, 

2015, and the last revision approved on September 

11, 2019, NCDAQ utilized a five-step approach for 

determining a factor to use to calculate the amount 

of safety margin to apply to the MVEBs for 2026. 

See Appendix A of the submittal for more detailed 

information. 

7The proposed changes to the safety margins are 

discussed in section III.C., below. 

TABLE 6—CURRENT PERCENT INCREASE TO THE 2026 MOBILE VEHICLE EMISSIONS BUDGET—Continued 

County 2026 

Union .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20 

TABLE 7—CABARRUS ROWAN METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION (CRMPO) MVEBS IN 2014 AND 2026 

[kg/day] * 

2014 NOX 2014 VOC 2026 NOX 2026 VOC 

Base On-road Emissions ................................................................................. 11,814 7,173 3,381 3,371

Safety margin allocated to MVEB ................................................................... ........................ ........................ 846 843 

Conformity MVEB ............................................................................................ 11,814 7,173 4,227 4,214 

* Includes the portion of Cabarrus and Rowan Counties in the maintenance area. 

TABLE 8—GASTON-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION (GCLMPO) MVEBS IN 2014 AND

2026 

[kg/day] * 

2014 NOX 2014 VOC 2026 NOX 2026 VOC 

Base On-road Emissions ................................................................................. 10,079 5,916 2,681 2,468

Safety margin allocated to MVEB ................................................................... ........................ ........................ 551 510 

Conformity MVEB ............................................................................................ 10,079 5,916 3,232 2,978 

* Includes the portion of Gaston and Lincoln counties in the maintenance area. Although Cleveland County is included in the MPO, it is not included in the Charlotte ozone maintenance area. 

TABLE 9—CHARLOTTE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING ORGANIZATION (CRTPO)—ROCKY RIVER RURAL

PLANNING ORGANIZATION (RRRPO) MVEBS IN 2014 AND 2026 

[kg/day] * 

2014 NOX 2014 VOC 2026 NOX 2026 VOC 

Base On-road Emissions ................................................................................. 32,679 18,038 8,870 8,655 

Safety margin allocated to MVEB ................................................................... ........................ ........................ 1,596 1,557 

Conformity MVEB ............................................................................................ 32,679 18,038 10,466 10,212 

*Includes all of Mecklenburg County and a portion of Iredell and Union Counties in the maintenance area. 

B. Revised MVEBs 

In the July 16, 2020 SIP revision, 

North Carolina requested that EPA 

approve revisions to the MVEBs for the 

North Carolina portion of the Charlotte 

2008 Ozone Maintenance Area by 

allocating a portion of the remaining 

safety margin to the MVEBs.6 7 The 

MVEB revisions are proposed to 

accommodate recent updates to the 

travel demand model impacting vehicle 

miles traveled, changes and uncertainty 

in vehicle mix assumptions, and 

uncertainty associated with mobile 

modeling in the North Carolina portion 

of the Charlotte Maintenance Area. The 

cumulative percent increases— 

including both the current SIP-approved 

percent increases as shown in Table 6, 

above, as well as the proposed 20 

percent increase applied to all 

counties—to the MVEBs for the North 

Carolina counties in the Charlotte 2008 

Ozone Maintenance Area are listed in 

the Table 10 below. 

TABLE 10—PROPOSED PERCENT INCREASE TO THE 2026 MOBILE VEHICLE EMISSIONS BUDGET

County 2026 

Cabarrus .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 45 

Gaston ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 40 

Iredell ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 42 

Lincoln .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 42 

Mecklenburg ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 37 

Rowan .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 45 

Union .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 40 


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8The amount of the safety margin is a cumulative 

total of the current safety margin allocations (shown 

in Tables 5 through 7) and the proposed safety 

margin allocations (shown in Tables 11 through 13). 

The following tables provide the 

proposed updated NOX and VOC subarea MVEBs with the proposed safety 

margin allocations in kg/day for 

transportation conformity purposes for 

2026 (2014 is only shown for 

illustration because no changes are 

being made to the MVEBs for that year). 

The amount of the proposed safety 

margin allocation includes the current 

SIP-approved safety margin allocations 

referenced in the tables above as well as 

the proposed percentages in values. 

TABLE 11—CABARRUS ROWAN METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION (CRMPO) MVEBS IN 2014 AND 2026 

[kg/day] * 

2014 NOX 2014 VOC 2026 NOX 2026 VOC 

Base On-road Emissions ................................................................................. 11,814 7,173 3,381 3,371

Safety margin allocated to MVEB ................................................................... ........................ ........................ 1,522 1,517 

Conformity MVEB ............................................................................................ 11,814 7,173 4,903 4,888 

* Includes the portion of Cabarrus and Rowan Counties in the maintenance area. The allocation proposed in this action to the NOX MVEB is 

676 kg/day and VOC is 674 kg/day. 

TABLE 12—GASTON-CLEVELAND-LINCOLN METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION (GCLMPO) MVEBS IN 2014 AND

2026 

[kg/day] * 

2014 NOX 2014 VOC 2026 NOX 2026 VOC 

Base On-road Emissions ................................................................................. 10,079 5,916 2,681 2,468

Safety margin allocated to MVEB ................................................................... - - 1,087 1,004 

Conformity MVEB ............................................................................................ 10,079 5,916 3,768 3,472 

* Includes the portion of Gaston and Lincoln counties in the maintenance area. Although Cleveland County is included in the MPO, it is not included in the Charlotte ozone maintenance area. The allocation proposed in this action to the NOX MVEB is 536 kg/day and VOC is 494 kg/day. 

TABLE 13—CHARLOTTE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING ORGANIZATION (CRTPO)—ROCKY RIVER RURAL

PLANNING ORGANIZATION (RRRPO) MVEBS IN 2014 AND 2026 

[kg/day] * 

2014 NOX 2014 VOC 2026 NOX 2026 VOC 

Base On-road Emissions ................................................................................. 32,679 18,038 8,870 8,655 

Safety margin allocated to MVEB ................................................................... ........................ ........................ 3,371 3,288 

Conformity MVEB ............................................................................................ 32,679 18,038 12,241 11,943 

* Includes all of Mecklenburg County and a portion of Iredell and Union Counties in the maintenance area. The allocation proposed in this action to the NOX MVEB is 1,775 kg/day and VOC is 1,731 kg/day. 

C. Revised Safety Margin 

As mentioned before, a safety margin 

is the difference between the attainment 

level of emissions from all source 

categories (i.e., point, area, on-road, and 

nonroad) and the projected level of 

emissions in the maintenance year from 

all source categories. NCDAQ has 

requested EPA approve allocation of 

some of the available safety margin to 

the 2026 MVEBs for transportation 

conformity purposes. The total level of 

emissions from all source categories 

remains equal to or less than the 

attainment level of emissions. 

EPA is proposing to approve changes 

to the MVEBs that result in additional 

safety margin allocations to the 2026 

MVEBs of 2,987 kg/day (3.29 tons/day) 

of NOX and 2,899 kg/day (3.19 tons/day) 

of VOC. This includes a proposed 

allocation of 676 and 674 kg/day of NOX

and VOC, respectively for the CabarrusRowan MPO; 536 and 494 kg/day of 

NOX and VOC, respectively for the 

Gaston-Cleveland MPO; and 1,775 and 

1,731 kg/day, respectively for the 

Charlotte Regional TPO. Thus, if EPA’s 

action is finalized as proposed, the 

cumulative safety margin emissions 

allocated to the 2026 MVEBs will be 

5,980 kg/day (6.59 tons/day) of NOX and 

5,809 kg/day (6.40 tons/day) of VOC.8

The proposed new safety margins 

available for the North Carolina portion 

of the Charlotte Maintenance Area are 

listed below. 

TABLE 14—NEW SAFETY MARGINS FOR THE NORTH CAROLINA PORTION OF THE CHARLOTTE MAINTENANCE AREA

Year NOX

(tons/day) 

VOC 

(tons/day) 

2014 ......................................................................................................................................................................... N/A N/A 

2015 ......................................................................................................................................................................... ¥5.99 ¥2.03 

2018 ......................................................................................................................................................................... ¥45.49 ¥13.30 

2022 ......................................................................................................................................................................... ¥63.74 ¥15.84 

2026 ......................................................................................................................................................................... ¥63.31 ¥10.73 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with PROPOSALS
32856 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 118 / Wednesday, June 23, 2021 / Proposed Rules 

D. Adequacy of the Budgets 

EPA evaluated NCDAQ’s July 16, 

2020 SIP revision allocating a portion of 

the available safety margin to the 2026 

MOVES2014 based budgets in the 

revised 2008 8-hour ozone Charlotte 

maintenance plan for use in 

determining transportation conformity 

in the North Carolina portion of the 

Charlotte Maintenance Area. EPA is 

proposing this action based on our 

evaluation of these budgets using the 

adequacy criteria found in 40 CFR 

93.118(e)(4) and evaluation of NCDAQ’s 

submittal and SIP requirements. EPA is 

proposing to approve this SIP revision 

because the SIP continues to serve its 

intended purpose of maintenance of the 

2008 8-hour ozone standard with the 

newly revised MOVES2014 based 

budgets and to deem the budgets 

adequate for transportation conformity 

purposes because they meet the 

adequacy criteria in the conformity rule 

at 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). Specifically: 

• NCDAQ’s SIP was endorsed by the 

Governor’s designee and was subject to 

a state public hearing ((e)(4)(i)); 

• Before NCDAQ submitted the SIP 

revision to EPA, consultation among 

federal, state, and local agencies 

occurred and full documentation was 

provided to EPA and EPA had no 

concerns ((e)(4)(ii)); 

• The budgets are clearly identified 

and precisely quantified ((e)(4)(iii)); 

• The budgets, when considered 

together with all other emissions 

sources, are consistent with applicable 

requirements for reasonable further 

progress, attainment, or maintenance 

((e)(4)(iv)); 

• The budgets are consistent with and 

clearly related to the emissions 

inventory and control measures in the 

SIP revision submitted July 16, 2020 

((e)(4)(v)); and 

• The July 16, 2020 SIP revision 

explains and documents changes to the 

previous budgets, impacts on point and 

area source emissions, and changes to 

established safety margins, and reasons 

for the changes (including the basis for 

any changes related to emission factors 

or vehicle miles traveled) ((e)(4)(vi)). 

IV. Proposed Action 

EPA is proposing to approve 

NCDAQ’s July 16, 2020 SIP revision, 

requesting approval of a revision to the 

Charlotte 2008 8-hr Ozone Maintenance 

Plan in order to allocate a portion of the 

available safety margin to revise the 

2026 NOX and VOC MVEBs. The revised 

MVEBs ensure continued attainment of 

the 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS through 

the maintenance year 2026. In addition, 

EPA is proposing to deem the MVEBs 

adequate for transportation conformity 

purposes because the budgets meet the 

adequacy criteria in the conformity rule 

at 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). If approved, the 

newly revised 2026 budgets for NOX

and VOC identified in Tables 11 

through 13 will be used by the MPOs in 

future transportation conformity 

determinations. The remaining safety 

margin is 63.31 tons/day and 13.73 

tons/day for NOX and VOC, 

respectively. EPA has evaluated North 

Carolina’s submittal and has determined 

that it meets the applicable 

requirements of the CAA and EPA 

regulations, and is consistent with EPA 

policy. 

V. Statutory and Executive Order 

Reviews 

Under the CAA, the Administrator is 

required to approve a SIP submittal that 

complies with the provisions of the Act 

and applicable federal regulations. See 

42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a). 

Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions, 

EPA’s role is to approve state choices, 

provided that they meet the criteria of 

the CAA. Accordingly, this proposed 

action merely proposes to approve state 

law as meeting Federal requirements 

and does not propose to impose 

additional requirements beyond those 

imposed by state law. For that reason, 

these proposed actions: 

• Are not significant regulatory 

actions subject to review by the Office 

of Management and Budget under 

Executive Orders 12866 (58 FR 51735, 

October 4, 1993) and 13563 (76 FR 3821, 

January 21, 2011); 

• Do not impose information 

collection burdens under the provisions 

of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.); 

• Are certified as not having 

significant economic impacts on a 

substantial number of small entities 

under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 

U.S.C. 601 et seq.); 

• Do not contain any unfunded 

mandate or significantly or uniquely 

affect small governments, as described 

in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 

of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–4); 

• Do not have Federalism 

implications as specified in Executive 

Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, October 7, 

1999); 

• Are not economically significant 

regulatory actions based on health or 

safety risks subject to Executive Order 

13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997); 

• Are not significant regulatory 

actions subject to Executive Order 

13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001); 

• Are not subject to requirements of 

Section 12(d) of the National 

Technology Transfer and Advancement 

Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) because 

application of those requirements would 

be inconsistent with the CAA; and 

• Do not provide EPA with the 

discretionary authority to address, as 

appropriate, disproportionate human 

health or environmental effects, using 

practicable and legally permissible 

methods, under Executive Order 12898 

(59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994). 

In addition, the SIP is not approved 

to apply on any Indian reservation land 

or in any other area where EPA or an 

Indian tribe has demonstrated that a 

tribe has jurisdiction. In those areas of 

Indian country, the proposed rule does 

not have tribal implications as specified 

by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, 

November 9, 2000) nor will it impose 

substantial direct costs on tribal 

governments or preempt tribal law. 

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52 

Environmental protection, Air 

pollution control, Incorporation by 

reference, Intergovernmental relations, 

Carbon monoxide, Nitrogen dioxide, 

Ozone, Particulate matter, Reporting 

and recordkeeping requirements and 

Volatile organic compounds. 

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq. 

Dated: June 10, 2021. 

John Blevins, 

Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4. 

[FR Doc. 2021–13081 Filed 6–22–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

40 CFR Part 141 

[EPA–HQ–OW–2021–0255; FRL–10024–80– 

OW] 

Lead and Copper Rule Revisions 

(LCRR) Virtual Engagements 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Extension of comment period. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) is extending 

the comment period for the Lead and 

Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) Virtual 

Engagements. In order to provide the 

public with opportunities to submit 

additional comments to the LCRR 

Virtual Engagements docket after 

participating in or viewing the 

community, tribal, and stakeholder 

roundtables, EPA is extending the 

comment period an additional 30 days, 

from June 30, 2021 to July 30, 2021. 

DATES: The comment period announced 

in the document published on April 5, 

2021 (86 FR 17571), is extended. 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with PROPOSALS