66778 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 247 / Tuesday, December 26, 1995 / Proposed Rules

Knox County Department of Air

Pollution Control, City-County Building,

Suite 339, 400 West Main Street,

Knoxville, Tennessee, 37902.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Karen C. Borel, Regulatory Planning and

Development Section, Air Programs

Branch, Air, Pesticides & Toxics

Management Division, Region 4

Environmental Protection Agency, 345

Courtland Street, NE, Atlanta, Georgia

30365. The telephone number is 404/

347–3555 x4197. Reference file TN134–

01–6769.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For

additional information see the direct

final rule which is published in the

rules section of this Federal Register.

Dated: October 2, 1995.

Patrick M. Tobin,

Acting Regional Administrator.

[FR Doc. 95–31037 Filed 12–22–95; 8:45 am]

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40 CFR Part 52

[ME26–1–7263b; FRL–5345–8]

Approval and Promulgation of

Implementation Plans; Maine; NOX

Exemption Request for Northern Maine

and NOX Control Approval

AGENCY: United States Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: The EPA is approving,

through direct final rulemaking

procedures, a limited exemption request

from the requirements contained in

Section 182(f) of the Clean Air Act (Act)

for the Northern Maine area

(specifically, Oxford, Franklin,

Somerset, Piscataquis, Penobscot,

Washington, Aroostook, Hancock and

Waldo Counties). These 9 counties, as

with the rest of the State of Maine, are

part of the Ozone Transport Region

(OTR) as provided for in section 184(a)

of the Clean Air Act. Section 182(f) in

combination with section 184 (relating

to ozone transport regions) of the Act

requires States in the OTR, such as

Maine, to adopt reasonably available

control technology (RACT) rules for

major stationary sources of nitrogen

oxides (NOX) and to provide for

nonattainment area new source review

(NSR) for new sources and

modifications that are major for NOX.

This exemption request, submitted by

the State of Maine on September 7,

1995, is based on a demonstration that

NOX emissions in this 9 county area are

not impacting Maine’s moderate

nonattainment areas or other

nonattainment areas in the Ozone

Transport Region (OTR) during times

when elevated ozone levels are

monitored in those areas. As such,

additional reductions in NOX emissions

from these 9 counties beyond what the

State regulations would provide for are

not necessary for attainment in these

areas, and, because they do not

contribute to the ozone problem

anywhere in the OTR, are also not

necessary for purposes of showing

future attainment for any other area in

the OTR. Thus, as provided for in

section 182(f)(2), additional NOX

reductions in these areas would

constitute excess reductions that can be

waived under the Clean Air Act. Maine

has requested that EPA combine its

approval of this NOX exemption with its

approval of NOX controls for existing

sources in Northern Maine that were

submitted to EPA on August 5, 1994 for

purposes of meeting the Act’s NOX

RACT requirements. Consequently, this

action approves a full exemption from

nonattainment NSR requirements for

NOX, but only a limited exemption from

NOX control measures for existing

sources that would go beyond what the

State regulations provide for.

In the Final Rules Section of this

Federal Register, EPA is approving this

exemption request and limited NOX

controls for this area as a direct final

rule without prior proposal. A detailed

rationale for the approval is set forth in

the direct final rule. This direct final

rule also includes EPA’s response to

several comments submitted by groups

on past NOX exemption requests. If no

additional adverse comments are

received in response to the direct final

rule, no further activity is contemplated

in relation to this proposed rule. If EPA

receives adverse comments, the direct

final rule will be withdrawn and all

public comments received will be

addressed in a subsequent final rule

based on this proposed rule. EPA will

not institute a second comment period

on this action. Any parties interested in

commenting on this action should do so

at this time.

DATES: Comments on this action must be

received by January 25, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to

Susan Studlien, Deputy Director, Office

of Ecosystem Protection, U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency,

Region I, JFK Federal Bldg., Boston, MA

02203. Copies of the State submittal and

EPA’s technical support document are

available for public inspection during

normal business hours, by appointment

at the Office of Ecosystem Protection,

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

Region I, One Congress Street, 10th

floor, Boston, MA and the Bureau of Air

Quality Control, Department of

Environmental Protection, 71 Hospital

Street, Augusta, ME 04333.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robert C. Judge, Environmental

Engineer, Air Quality Planning (ATS),

United States Environmental Protection

Agency, Region 1, JFK Federal Building,

Boston, MA 02203. (617) 565–4874.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For

additional information see the direct

final rule published in the Rules Section

of this Federal Register.

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4201–7601q

Dated: December 1, 1995.

Carol M. Browner,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 95–31035 Filed 12–22–95; 8:45 am]

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