Document ID: EPA-R03-OAR-2020-0325-0047
Agency: epa
Document Type: Proposed Rule
Title: Air Quality State Implementation Plans; Approvals and Promulgations: Maryland; Clean Data Determination and Approval of Select Attainment Plan Elements for the Anne Arundel County and Baltimore County, Maryland Sulfur Dioxide Nonattainment Area; Extension of Comment Period
Posted Date: 2022-09-16T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 179 (Friday, September 16, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 56920-56921]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-20080]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[EPA-R03-OAR-2020-0325; FRL-10118-03-R3]

Air Plan Approval; Maryland; Clean Data Determination and 
Approval of Select Attainment Plan Elements for the Anne Arundel County 
and Baltimore County, Maryland Sulfur Dioxide Nonattainment Area; 
Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: On August 19, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) published a proposed rule determining that the Anne Arundel 
County and Baltimore County, Maryland sulfur dioxide (SO2) 
nonattainment area attained the 2010 primary SO2 national 
ambient air quality standard (2010 SO2 NAAQS) under EPA's 
Clean Data Policy using a clean data determination (CDD). EPA 
simultaneously proposed to approve certain elements of the attainment 
plan contained in Maryland's state implementation plan (SIP) revision 
for the Anne Arundel County and Baltimore County SO2 
nonattainment area, submitted to EPA on January 31, 2020. Additionally, 
EPA proposed to approve as SIP strengthening measures certain emission 
limit requirements on large SO2 emission sources that were 
submitted as part of Maryland's attainment plan for the nonattainment 
area. EPA inadvertently failed to upload the supporting and related 
materials in the docket simultaneously with the publication of the 
notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on August 19, 2022 (87 FR 51006). 
The supporting and related materials were added to the docket on August 
29, 2022. To ensure that the public has adequate time and information 
to submit comments, EPA is extending the comment period for ten days to 
September 29, 2022. This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act 
(CAA).

DATES: The public comment period for the proposal published in the 
Federal Register on August 19, 2022 (87 FR 51006) is extended from 
September 19, 2022 to September 29, 2022. Written comments must be 
received on or before September 29, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R03-
OAR-2020-0325 at www.regulations.gov, or via email to 
[email protected]. For comments submitted at Regulations.gov, follow 
the online instructions for submitting comments. Once submitted, 
comments cannot be edited or removed from Regulations.gov. For either 
manner of submission, 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, please contact the person 
identified in the For Further Information Contact section. For the full 
EPA public comment policy, information about CBI or multimedia 
submissions, and general guidance on making effective comments, please 
visit www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Rehn, Planning & Implementation 
Branch (3AD30), Air & Radiation Division, U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, Region III, Four Penn Center, 1600 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103. The telephone number is (215) 814-
2176. Mr. Rehn can also be reached via electronic mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    On August 19, 2022, the EPA published a proposed rule taking 
several actions (87 FR 51006). First, the EPA proposed under its Clean 
Data Policy to determine that the Anne Arundel County and Baltimore 
County, Maryland SO2 nonattainment area has

[[Page 56921]]

attained the 2010 SO2 NAAQS through a CDD. If finalized, 
this proposed CDD would suspend the obligation to submit certain 
attainment planning requirements for the nonattainment area for as long 
as the area continues to attain the 2010 SO2 NAAQS. Second, 
the EPA proposed to approve certain elements of the attainment plan 
contained in Maryland's SIP revision for the Anne Arundel County and 
Baltimore County SO2 nonattainment area, submitted to EPA on 
January 31, 2020. The requirement to submit the elements that EPA is 
proposing to approve would not be suspended under this proposed CDD, as 
set forth in EPA's Clean Data Policy, because EPA considers them to be 
independent of attaining the NAAQS under the CAA. Finally, EPA is 
approving as SIP strengthening measures certain emission limit 
requirements on large SO2 emission sources that were 
submitted as part of Maryland's attainment plan for the nonattainment 
area. This determination of attainment and approval of certain elements 
and emissions limitations into the SIP does not redesignate the Area to 
attainment or constitute a full approval of the submitted attainment 
plan or of a maintenance plan.
    The NPRM was published on August 19, 2022, and specified that the 
comment period would end on September 19, 2022. However, the supporting 
materials were not made available in the docket until August 29, 2022 
(ten days after publication).
    To ensure the public and interested parties have sufficient time to 
review the associated docket materials and submit comment on the NPRM, 
the EPA is extending the comment period an additional 10 days to 
September 29, 2022 to account for the delay in posting the supporting 
and related materials.

Adam Ortiz,
Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. 2022-20080 Filed 9-15-22; 8:45 am]
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