Document ID: EPA-R03-OAR-2014-0022-0001
Agency: epa
Document Type: Proposed Rule
Title: Air Quality State Implementation Plans; Approval and Promulgation: Delaware; Redesignation Requests, Associated Maintenance Plans, and Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets, etc.
Posted Date: 2014-04-11T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 70 (Friday, April 11, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 20139-20161]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-08246]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 52 and 81

[EPA-R03-OAR-2014-0022; FRL-9909-41-Region 3]

Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; 
Delaware; Redesignation Requests, Associated Maintenance Plans, and 
Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets for the Delaware Portion of the 
Philadelphia-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE Nonattainment Area for the 1997 
Annual and 2006 24-Hour Fine Particulate Matter Standards, and the 2007 
Comprehensive Emissions Inventory for the 2006 24-Hour Fine Particulate 
Matter Standard

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to 
approve the State of Delaware's requests to redesignate to attainment 
the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE 
nonattainment area (hereafter ``the Philadelphia Area'' or ``the 
Area'') for both the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour fine particulate 
matter (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS 
or standards). EPA is also proposing to approve as revisions to the

[[Page 20140]]

Delaware State Implementation Plan (SIP), the associated maintenance 
plans to show maintenance of the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS through 2025 for the Delaware portion of the 
Area. EPA is also proposing to approve the motor vehicle emissions 
budgets (MVEBs) included in Delaware's maintenance plans for the 
Delaware portion of the Area for both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 standards. EPA is also proposing to determine that the 
Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area continues to attain both the 
1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. In addition, 
EPA is proposing to approve the 2007 emissions inventory for the 
Delaware portion of the Area for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 
NAAQS. In this rulemaking action, EPA also addresses the effects of two 
decisions of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of 
Columbia (D.C. Circuit or Court): The Court's August 21, 2012 decision 
to vacate and remand to EPA the Cross-State Air Pollution Control Rule 
(CSAPR); and the Court's January 4, 2013 decision to remand to EPA two 
final rules implementing the 1997 annual PM2.5 standard. 
This rulemaking action to propose approval of the 1997 annual and 2006 
24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS redesignation requests and associated 
maintenance plans for the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area is 
based on EPA's determination that Delaware has met the criteria for 
redesignation to attainment specified in the Clean Air Act (CAA) for 
both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 standards. EPA 
has taken separate rulemaking action to approve the redesignation of 
the New Jersey portion of the Philadelphia Area for the 1997 annual and 
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. See 78 FR 54396.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before May 12, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID Number EPA-
R03-OAR-2014-0022 by one of the following methods:
    A. www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions for 
submitting comments.
    B. Email: Fernandez.cristina@epa.gov.
    C. Mail: EPA-R03-OAR-2014-0022, Cristina Fernandez, Associate 
Director, Office of Air Quality Planning, Mailcode 3AP30, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, 1650 Arch Street, 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103.
    D. Hand Delivery: At the previously-listed EPA Region III address. 
Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of 
operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of 
boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-R03-OAR-
2014-0022. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included 
in the public docket without change, and may be made available online 
at www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, 
unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to 
be CBI or otherwise protected through www.regulations.gov or email. The 
www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system, which 
means EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you 
provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an email comment 
directly to EPA without going through www.regulations.gov, your email 
address will be automatically captured and included as part of the 
comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on the 
Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you 
include your name and other contact information in the body of your 
comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your 
comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for 
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic 
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of 
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses.
    Docket: All documents in the electronic docket are listed in the 
www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some 
information is not publicly available, i.e., CBI or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such 
as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet and will be 
publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket 
materials are available either electronically in www.regulations.gov or 
in hard copy during normal business hours at the Air Protection 
Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, 1650 Arch 
Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103. Copies of the State submittal 
are available at the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and 
Environmental Control, 89 Kings Highway, P.O. Box 1401, Dover, Delaware 
19903.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maria A. Pino, (215) 814-2181, or by 
email at pino.maria@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents

I. Background
II. EPA's Requirements
    A. Criteria for Redesignation to Attainment
    B. Requirements of a Maintenance Plan
III. Summary of Proposed Actions
IV. Effects of Recent Court Decisions on Proposed Actions
    A. Effect of the August 21, 2012 D.C. Circuit Decision Regarding 
EPA's CSAPR
    B. Effect of the January 4, 2013 D.C. Circuit Decision Regarding 
PM2.5 Implementation Under Subpart 4 of Part D of Title I 
of the CAA
V. EPA's Analysis of Delaware's Submittals
    A. Redesignation Requests
    B. Maintenance Plans
    C. Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets
VI. Proposed Actions
VII. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

I. Background

    The first air quality standards for PM2.5 were 
established on July 16, 1997 (62 FR 38652, July 18, 1997). EPA 
promulgated an annual standard at a level of 15 micrograms per cubic 
meter ([mu]g/m\3\), based on a three-year average of annual mean 
PM2.5 concentrations (the 1997 annual PM2.5 
standard). In the same rulemaking action, EPA promulgated a 24-hour 
standard of 65 [mu]g/m\3\, based on a three-year average of the 98th 
percentile of 24-hour concentrations.
    On January 5, 2005 (70 FR 944, 1014), EPA published air quality 
area designations for the 1997 PM2.5 standards. In that 
rulemaking action, EPA designated the Philadelphia Area as 
nonattainment for the 1997 annual PM2.5 standard. The 
Philadelphia Area is comprised of New Castle County in Delaware (the 
Delaware portion of the Area); Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester 
Counties in New Jersey; and Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and 
Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania. See 40 CFR 81.308 (Delaware), 40 
CFR 81.331 (New Jersey), and 40 CFR 81.339 (Pennsylvania).
    On October 17, 2006 (71 FR 61144), EPA retained the annual average 
standard at 15 [mu]g/m \3\, but revised the 24-hour standard to 35 
[mu]g/m \3\, based again on the three-year average of the 98th 
percentile of 24-hour concentrations (the 2006 annual PM2.5 
standard). On November 13, 2009 (74 FR 58688), EPA published 
designations for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, which became 
effective on December 14, 2009. In that rulemaking action, EPA 
designated the Philadelphia Area as nonattainment for the 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS. See 77 FR 58775 and also see 40 CFR 81.308 
(Delaware), 40 CFR 81.331 (New Jersey), and 40 CFR 81.339 
(Pennsylvania).

[[Page 20141]]

    In response to legal challenges of the 2006 annual PM2.5 
standard, the D.C. Circuit remanded this standard to EPA for further 
consideration. See American Farm Bureau Federation and National Pork 
Producers Council, et al. v. EPA, 559 F.3d 512 (D.C. Cir. 2009). 
However, given that the 1997 and 2006 annual PM2.5 standards 
are essentially identical, attainment of the 1997 annual 
PM2.5 standard would also indicate attainment of the 
remanded 2006 annual PM2.5 standard. Since the Philadelphia 
Area is designated nonattainment for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 standards, today's proposed rulemaking action 
addresses the redesignation to attainment of the Delaware portion of 
the Philadelphia Area for these standards.
    On May 16, 2012 (77 FR 28782) and January 7, 2013 (78 FR 882), EPA 
made determinations that the entire Philadelphia Area had attained the 
1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, respectively. 
Pursuant to 40 CFR 51.1004(c) and based on these determinations, the 
requirements for the Philadelphia Area to submit an attainment 
demonstration and associated reasonably available control measures 
(RACM), a reasonable further progress (RFP) plan, contingency measures, 
and other planning SIPs related to the attainment of either the 1997 
annual or 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS are suspended until such 
time as: The Area is redesignated to attainment for each standard, at 
which time the requirements no longer apply; or EPA determines that the 
Area has again violated any of the standards, at which time such plans 
are required to be submitted. However, these determinations of 
attainment do not preclude states from submitting and EPA from 
approving planning SIP revisions for the 1997 or 2006 PM2.5 
NAAQS. Delaware submitted an attainment plan for the 1997 
PM2.5 NAAQS, and EPA approved that plan on December 17, 2013 
(78 FR 76209).
    On December 12, 2012, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources 
and Environmental Control (DNREC) formally submitted two separate 
requests to redesignate the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area 
from nonattainment to attainment for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-
hour PM2.5 NAAQS, respectively. Each submittal included a 
maintenance plan as a SIP revision to ensure continued attainment of 
the standards throughout the Delaware portion of the Area over the next 
10 years. The December 12, 2012 submittal also includes a 2007 
comprehensive emissions inventory for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 
NAAQS.
    In this proposed rulemaking action, EPA is taking into account two 
recent decisions of the D.C. Circuit. In the first of the two Court 
decisions, the D.C. Circuit, on August 21, 2012, issued EME Homer City 
Generation, L.P. v. EPA, 696 F.3d 7 (D.C. Cir. 2012), which vacated and 
remanded CSAPR and ordered EPA to continue administering the Clean Air 
Interstate Rule (CAIR) ``pending . . . development of a valid 
replacement.'' EME Homer City at 38. The D.C. Circuit denied all 
petitions for rehearing on January 24, 2013. In the second decision, on 
January 4, 2013, in Natural Resources Defense Council v. EPA, the D.C. 
Circuit remanded to EPA the ``Final Clean Air Fine Particle 
Implementation Rule'' (72 FR 20586, April 25, 2007) and the 
``Implementation of the New Source Review (NSR) Program for Particulate 
Matter Less than 2.5 Micrometers (PM2.5)'' final rule (73 FR 
28321, May 16, 2008). 706 F.3d 428 (D.C. Cir. 2013).

II. EPA's Requirements

A. Criteria for Redesignation to Attainment

    The CAA provides the requirements for redesignating a nonattainment 
area to attainment. Specifically, section 107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA 
allows for redesignation providing that: (1) EPA determines that the 
area has attained the applicable NAAQS; (2) EPA has fully approved the 
applicable implementation plan for the area under section 110(k); (3) 
EPA determines that the improvement in air quality is due to permanent 
and enforceable reductions in emissions resulting from implementation 
of the applicable SIP and applicable Federal air pollutant control 
regulations and other permanent and enforceable reductions; (4) EPA has 
fully approved a maintenance plan for the area as meeting the 
requirements of section 175A of the CAA; and (5) the state containing 
such area has met all requirements applicable to the area under section 
110 and part D.
    EPA has provided guidance on redesignation in the ``State 
Implementation Plans; General Preamble for the Implementation of Title 
I of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990,'' (57 FR 13498, April 16, 
1992) (the ``General Preamble'') and has provided further guidance on 
processing redesignation requests in the following documents: (1) 
``Procedures for Processing Requests to Redesignate Areas to 
Attainment,'' Memorandum from John Calcagni, Director, Air Quality 
Management Division, September 4, 1992 (hereafter the ``1992 Calcagni 
Memorandum''); (2) ``State Implementation Plan (SIP) Actions Submitted 
in Response to Clean Air Act (CAA) Deadlines,'' Memorandum from John 
Calcagni, Director, Air Quality Management Division, October 28, 1992; 
and (3) ``Part D New Source Review (Part D NSR) Requirements for Areas 
Requesting Redesignation to Attainment,'' Memorandum from Mary D. 
Nichols, Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, October 14, 
1994.

B. Requirements of a Maintenance Plan

    Section 175A of the CAA sets forth the elements of a maintenance 
plan for areas seeking redesignation from nonattainment to attainment. 
Under section 175A, the plan must demonstrate continued attainment of 
the applicable NAAQS for at least 10 years after approval of a 
redesignation of an area to attainment. Eight years after the 
redesignation, the state must submit a revised maintenance plan 
demonstrating that attainment will continue to be maintained for the 10 
years following the initial 10-year period. To address the possibility 
of future NAAQS violations, the maintenance plan must contain such 
contingency measures, with a schedule for implementation, as EPA deems 
necessary to assure prompt correction of any future PM2.5 
violations.
    The 1992 Calcagni Memorandum provides additional guidance on the 
content of a maintenance plan. The memorandum states that a 
PM2.5 maintenance plan should address the following 
provisions: (1) An attainment emissions inventory; (2) a maintenance 
demonstration showing maintenance for 10 years; (3) a commitment to 
maintain the existing monitoring network; (4) verification of continued 
attainment; and (5) a contingency plan to prevent or correct future 
violations of the NAAQS.

III. Summary of Proposed Actions

    EPA is proposing to take several rulemaking actions related to the 
redesignation of the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area to 
attainment for both the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA is proposing to find that the Delaware 
portion of the Area meets the requirements for redesignation of the 
1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS under section 
107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA. EPA is thus proposing to approve Delaware's 
requests to change the legal designation of the Delaware portion of the 
Area from nonattainment to attainment for both the 1997 annual and 2006 
24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. This rulemaking action does not impact 
the legal designation of the New Jersey and Pennsylvania portions of 
the Philadelphia Area. On September 4, 2013 (78 FR 54396), EPA took

[[Page 20142]]

separate rulemaking action to redesignate to attainment the New Jersey 
portion of the Area for both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS.
    EPA is also proposing to approve the associated maintenance plans 
for the Delaware portion of the Area as revisions to the Delaware SIP 
for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, including 
the MVEBs for the Delaware portion of the Area for both the 1997 annual 
and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 standards. The approval of the 
maintenance plans is one of the CAA criteria for redesignation of the 
Delaware portion of the Area to attainment for both standards. 
Delaware's maintenance plans are designed to ensure continued 
attainment in the Delaware portion of the Area of the 1997 annual and 
2006 24-hour PM2.5 standards, respectively, for 10 years 
after redesignation.
    EPA previously determined that the Philadelphia Area has attained 
both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, and EPA 
is proposing to find that the Area continues to attain both standards. 
Furthermore, under section 172(c)(3) of the CAA, EPA is proposing to 
approve the 2007 comprehensive emissions inventory for the Delaware 
portion of the Area as part of Delaware's SIP for the 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA's analysis of the proposed actions is 
provided in section V of today's proposed rulemaking action.

IV. Effects of Recent Court Decisions on Proposed Actions

A. Effect of the August 21, 2012 D.C. Circuit Decision Regarding EPA's 
CSAPR

    Delaware has demonstrated that attainment of the 1997 annual and 
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS will be maintained with or without 
the implementation of CAIR or CSAPR. Delaware does not rely on either 
CAIR or CSAPR in its maintenance plans for either the 1997 or the 2006 
PM2.5 NAAQS, and demonstrates that emission reductions from 
CAIR or CSAPR are not needed to maintain the 1997 annual and 2006 24-
hour PM2.5 NAAQS. In addition, modeling conducted by EPA 
during the CSAPR rulemaking process also demonstrates that the counties 
in the Philadelphia Area will have PM2.5 levels below the 
1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS in both 2012 and 
2014 without taking into account emissions reductions from CAIR or 
CSAPR. See ``Air Quality Modeling Final Rule Technical Support 
Document,'' App. B, B-37, B-51, B-57, B-58, B-66, B-80, B-86. This 
modeling is available in the docket for this proposed redesignation 
action.
    Moreover, in its August 2012 decision, the Court also ordered EPA 
to continue implementing CAIR. See EME Homer City Generation LP v. EPA, 
696 F.3d 7 (D.C. Cir. 2012). In sum, neither the current status of CAIR 
nor the current status of CSAPR affects any of the criteria for 
proposed approval of this redesignation request for the Philadelphia 
Area.

B. Effect of the January 4, 2013 D.C. Circuit Decision Regarding PM2.5 
Implementation Under Subpart 4 of Part D of Title I of the CAA

1. Background
    As discussed previously, on January 4, 2013, in Natural Resources 
Defense Council (NRDC) v. EPA, the D.C. Circuit remanded to EPA the 
``Final Clean Air Fine Particle Implementation Rule'' (72 FR 20586, 
April 25, 2007) and the ``Implementation of the New Source Review (NSR) 
Program for Particulate Matter Less than 2.5 Micrometers 
(PM2.5)'' final rule (73 FR 28321, May 16, 2008) 
(collectively, ``1997 PM2.5 Implementation Rule''). 706 F.3d 
428 (D.C. Cir. 2013). The Court found that EPA erred in implementing 
the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS pursuant to the general 
implementation provisions of subpart 1 of part D of Title I of the CAA 
(subpart 1), rather than the particulate-matter-specific provisions of 
subpart 4 of Part D of Title I (subpart 4). Although the Court did not 
directly address the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 standard, EPA is 
taking into account the Court's position on subpart 4 and the 1997 
annual PM2.5 standard in evaluating redesignations for the 
2006 24-hour PM2.5 standard.
2. Proposal on This Issue
    EPA is proposing to determine that the Court's January 4, 2013 
decision does not prevent EPA from redesignating the Delaware portion 
of the Philadelphia Area to attainment for either the 1997 annual or 
the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. Even in light of the Court's 
decision, redesignation for this Area is appropriate under the CAA and 
EPA's longstanding interpretations of the CAA's provisions regarding 
redesignation. EPA first explains its longstanding interpretation that 
requirements that are imposed, or that become due, after a complete 
redesignation request is submitted for an area that is attaining the 
standard, are not applicable for purposes of evaluating a redesignation 
request. Second, EPA then shows that, even if EPA applies the subpart 4 
requirements to the Delaware redesignation requests and disregards the 
provisions of its 1997 PM2.5 Implementation Rule recently 
remanded by the Court, the State's request for redesignation of the 
Area still qualifies for approval. EPA's discussion takes into account 
the effect of the Court's ruling on the Area's maintenance plan, which 
EPA views as approvable when subpart 4 requirements are considered.
a. Applicable Requirements for Purposes of Evaluating the Redesignation 
Requests
    With respect to the 1997 PM2.5 Implementation Rule, the 
Court's January 4, 2013 ruling rejected EPA's reasons for implementing 
the PM2.5 NAAQS solely in accordance with the provisions of 
subpart 1, and remanded that matter to EPA, so that it could address 
implementation of the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS under subpart 
4, in addition to subpart 1. For the purposes of evaluating Delaware's 
redesignation request for the Delaware portion of the Area, to the 
extent that implementation under subpart 4 would impose additional 
requirements for areas designated nonattainment, EPA believes that 
those requirements are not ``applicable'' for the purposes of CAA 
section 107(d)(3)(E), and thus EPA is not required to consider subpart 
4 requirements with respect to the redesignation of the Delaware 
portion of the Philadelphia Area. Under its longstanding interpretation 
of the CAA, EPA has interpreted section 107(d)(3)(E) to mean, as a 
threshold matter, that the part D provisions which are ``applicable'' 
and which must be approved in order for EPA to redesignate an area 
include only those which came due prior to a state's submittal of a 
complete redesignation request. See 1992 Calcagni Memorandum. See also 
``State Implementation Plan (SIP) Requirements for Areas Submitting 
Requests for Redesignation to Attainment of the Ozone and Carbon 
Monoxide (CO) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) on or 
after November 15, 1992,'' Memorandum from Michael Shapiro, Acting 
Assistant Administrator, Air and Radiation, September 17, 1993 (Shapiro 
memorandum); Final Redesignation of Detroit-Ann Arbor, (60 FR 12459, 
12465-66, March 7, 1995); Final Redesignation of St. Louis, Missouri, 
(68 FR 25418, 25424-27, May 12, 2003); Sierra Club v. EPA, 375 F.3d 
537, 541 (7th Cir. 2004) (upholding EPA's redesignation rulemaking 
applying this interpretation and expressly rejecting Sierra Club's view 
that the meaning of

[[Page 20143]]

``applicable'' under the statute is ``whatever should have been in the 
plan at the time of attainment rather than whatever actually was in the 
plan and already implemented or due at the time of attainment'').\1\ In 
this case, at the time that Delaware submitted its redesignation 
requests for both standards, the requirements under subpart 4 were not 
due, and indeed, were not yet known to apply.
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    \1\ Applicable requirements of the CAA that come due subsequent 
to the area's submittal of a complete redesignation request remain 
applicable until a redesignation is approved, but are not required 
as a prerequisite to redesignation. Section 175A(c) of the CAA.
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    EPA's view that, for purposes of evaluating the redesignation of 
the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area, the subpart 4 
requirements were not due at the time Delaware submitted the 
redesignation requests is in keeping with the EPA's interpretation of 
subpart 2 requirements for subpart 1 ozone areas redesignated 
subsequent to the D.C. Circuit's decision in South Coast Air Quality 
Mgmt. Dist. v. EPA, 472 F.3d 882 (D.C. Cir. 2006). In South Coast, the 
Court found that EPA was not permitted to implement the 1997 8-hour 
ozone standard solely under subpart 1, and held that EPA was required 
under the statute to implement the standard under the ozone-specific 
requirements of subpart 2 as well. Subsequent to the South Coast 
decision, in evaluating and acting upon redesignation requests for the 
1997 8-hour ozone standard that were submitted to EPA for areas under 
subpart 1, EPA applied its longstanding interpretation of the CAA that 
``applicable requirements,'' for purposes of evaluating a 
redesignation, are those that had been due at the time the 
redesignation request was submitted. See, e.g., Proposed Redesignation 
of Manitowoc County and Door County Nonattainment Areas (75 FR 22047, 
22050, April 27, 2010). In those actions, EPA, therefore, did not 
consider subpart 2 requirements to be ``applicable'' for the purposes 
of evaluating whether the area should be redesignated under section 
107(d)(3)(E).
    EPA's interpretation derives from the provisions of section 
107(d)(3). Section 107(d)(3)(E)(v) states that, for an area to be 
redesignated, a state must meet ``all requirements `applicable' to the 
area under section 110 and part D.'' Section 107(d)(3)(E)(ii) provides 
that the EPA must have fully approved the ``applicable'' SIP for the 
area seeking redesignation. These two sections read together support 
EPA's interpretation of ``applicable'' as only those requirements that 
came due prior to submission of a complete redesignation request. 
First, holding states to an ongoing obligation to adopt new CAA 
requirements that arose after the state submitted its redesignation 
request, in order to be redesignated, would make it problematic or 
impossible for EPA to act on redesignation requests in accordance with 
the 18-month deadline Congress set for EPA action in section 
107(d)(3)(D). If ``applicable requirements'' were interpreted to be a 
continuing flow of requirements with no reasonable limitation, states, 
after submitting a redesignation request, would be forced continuously 
to make additional SIP submissions that in turn would require EPA to 
undertake further notice-and-comment rulemaking actions to act on those 
submissions. This would create a regime of unceasing rulemaking that 
would delay action on the redesignation request beyond the 18-month 
timeframe provided by the CAA for this purpose.
    Second, a fundamental premise for redesignating a nonattainment 
area to attainment is that the area has attained the relevant NAAQS due 
to emission reductions from existing controls. Thus, an area for which 
a redesignation request has been submitted would have already attained 
the NAAQS as a result of satisfying statutory requirements that came 
due prior to the submission of the request. Absent a showing that 
unadopted and unimplemented requirements are necessary for future 
maintenance, it is reasonable to view the requirements applicable for 
purposes of evaluating the redesignation request as including only 
those SIP requirements that have already come due. These are the 
requirements that led to attainment of the NAAQS. To require, for 
redesignation approval, that a state also satisfy additional SIP 
requirements coming due after the state submits its complete 
redesignation request, and while EPA is reviewing it, would compel the 
state to do more than is necessary to attain the NAAQS, without a 
showing that the additional requirements are necessary for maintenance.
    In the context of this redesignation, the timing and nature of the 
Court's January 4, 2013 decision in NRDC v. EPA compound the 
consequences of imposing requirements that come due after the 
redesignation request is submitted. Delaware submitted its two 
redesignation requests for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS on December 12, 2012, but the Court did not 
issue its decision remanding EPA's 1997 PM2.5 Implementation 
Rule concerning the applicability of the provisions of subpart 4 until 
January 2013.
    To require Delaware's fully-completed and pending redesignation 
requests for both the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 
NAAQS to comply now with requirements of subpart 4 that the Court 
announced only in its January 2013 decision on the 1997 
PM2.5 Implementation Rule, would be to give retroactive 
effect to such requirements when the State had no notice that it was 
required to meet them. The D.C. Circuit recognized the inequity of this 
type of retroactive impact in Sierra Club v. Whitman, 285 F.3d 63 (D.C. 
Cir. 2002),\2\ where it upheld the District Court's ruling refusing to 
make retroactive EPA's determination that the St. Louis area did not 
meet its attainment deadline. In that case, petitioners urged the Court 
to make EPA's nonattainment determination effective as of the date that 
the statute required, rather than the later date on which EPA actually 
made the determination. The Court rejected this view, stating that 
applying it ``would likely impose large costs on States, which would 
face fines and suits for not implementing air pollution prevention 
plans . . . even though they were not on notice at the time.'' Id. at 
68. Similarly, it would be unreasonable to penalize the State of 
Delaware by rejecting its redesignation request for an area that is 
already attaining both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 standards and that met all applicable requirements 
known to be in effect at the time of the requests. For EPA now to 
reject the redesignation requests solely because the State did not 
expressly address subpart 4 requirements of which it had no notice, 
would inflict the same unfairness condemned by the Court in Sierra Club 
v. Whitman.
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    \2\ Sierra Club v. Whitman was discussed and distinguished in a 
recent D.C. Circuit decision that addressed retroactivity in a quite 
different context, where, unlike the situation here, EPA sought to 
give its regulations retroactive effect. National Petrochemical and 
Refiners Ass'n v. EPA. 630 F.3d 145, 163 (D.C. Cir. 2010), rehearing 
denied 643 F.3d 958 (D.C. Cir. 2011), cert denied 132 S. Ct. 571 
(2011).
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b. Subpart 4 Requirements and Delaware Redesignation Requests
    Even if EPA were to take the view that the Court's January 4, 2013 
decision requires that, in the context of pending redesignations for 
either the 1997 annual or 2006 24-hour PM2.5 standards, 
subpart 4 requirements were due and in effect at the time Delaware 
submitted its redesignation requests, EPA proposes to determine that 
the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area still qualifies for 
redesignation to attainment for both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5

[[Page 20144]]

standards. As explained subsequently, EPA believes that the two 
redesignation requests for the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia 
Area, though not expressed in terms of subpart 4 requirements, 
substantively meet the requirements of that subpart for purposes of 
redesignating the Delaware portion of the Area to attainment for both 
standards.
    With respect to evaluating the relevant substantive requirements of 
subpart 4 for purposes of redesignating the Delaware portion of the 
Philadelphia Area, EPA notes that subpart 4 incorporates components of 
subpart 1 of part D, which contains general air quality planning 
requirements for areas designated as nonattainment. See section 172(c). 
Subpart 4 itself contains specific planning and scheduling requirements 
for coarse particulate matter (PM10) \3\ nonattainment 
areas, and under the Court's January 4, 2013 decision in NRDC v. EPA, 
these same statutory requirements also apply for PM2.5 
nonattainment areas. EPA has longstanding general guidance that 
interprets the 1990 amendments to the CAA, making recommendations to 
states for meeting the statutory requirements for SIPs for 
nonattainment areas. See, the General Preamble. In the General 
Preamble, EPA discussed the relationship of subpart 1 and subpart 4 SIP 
requirements, and pointed out that subpart 1 requirements were to an 
extent ``subsumed by, or integrally related to, the more specific 
PM10 requirements'' (57 FR 13538, April 16, 1992). The 
subpart 1 requirements include, among other things, provisions for 
attainment demonstrations, RACM, RFP, emissions inventories, and 
contingency measures.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ PM10 refers to particulates nominally 10 
micrometers in diameter or smaller.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    For the purposes of these redesignation requests, in order to 
identify any additional requirements which would apply under subpart 4, 
EPA is considering the Philadelphia Area to be a ``moderate'' 
PM2.5 nonattainment area. Under section 188 of the CAA, all 
areas designated nonattainment areas under subpart 4 would initially be 
classified by operation of law as ``moderate'' nonattainment areas, and 
would remain moderate nonattainment areas unless and until EPA 
reclassifies the area as a ``serious'' nonattainment area. Accordingly, 
EPA believes that it is appropriate to limit the evaluation of the 
potential impact of subpart 4 requirements to those that would be 
applicable to moderate nonattainment areas. Sections 189(a) and (c) of 
subpart 4 apply to moderate nonattainment areas and include the 
following: (1) An approved permit program for construction of new and 
modified major stationary sources (section 189(a)(1)(A)); (2) an 
attainment demonstration (section 189(a)(1)(B)); (3) provisions for 
RACM (section 189(a)(1)(C)); and (4) quantitative milestones 
demonstrating RFP toward attainment by the applicable attainment date 
(section 189(c)).
    The permit requirements of subpart 4, as contained in section 
189(a)(1)(A), refer to and apply the subpart 1 permit provisions 
requirements of sections 172 and 173 to PM10, without adding 
to them. Consequently, EPA believes that section 189(a)(1)(A) does not 
itself impose for redesignation purposes any additional requirements 
for moderate areas beyond those contained in subpart 1.\4\ In any 
event, in the context of redesignation, EPA has long relied on the 
interpretation that a fully approved nonattainment new source review 
program is not considered an applicable requirement for redesignation, 
provided the area can maintain the standard with a prevention of 
significant deterioration (PSD) program after redesignation. A detailed 
rationale for this view is described in a memorandum from Mary Nichols, 
Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, dated October 14, 1994, 
entitled, ``Part D New Source Review Requirements for Areas Requesting 
Redesignation to Attainment.'' See also rulemakings for Detroit, 
Michigan (60 FR 12467-12468, March 7, 1995); Cleveland-Akron-Lorain, 
Ohio (61 FR 20458, 20469-20470, May 7, 1996); Louisville, Kentucky (66 
FR 53665, October 23, 2001); and Grand Rapids, Michigan (61 FR 31834-
31837, June 21, 1996).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ The potential effect of section 189(e) on section 
189(a)(1)(A) for purposes of evaluating these redesignation requests 
is discussed in this rulemaking action.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    With respect to the specific attainment planning requirements under 
subpart 4,\5\ when EPA evaluates a redesignation request under either 
subpart 1 and/or 4, any area that is attaining the PM2.5 
standards is viewed as having satisfied the attainment planning 
requirements for these subparts. For redesignations, EPA has for many 
years interpreted attainment-linked requirements as not applicable for 
areas attaining the standard. In the General Preamble, EPA stated that, 
``The requirements for RFP will not apply in evaluating a request for 
redesignation to attainment since, at a minimum, the air quality data 
for the area must show that the area has already attained. Showing that 
the State will make RFP towards attainment will, therefore, have no 
meaning at that point.'' See 57 FR 13564.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ I.e., attainment demonstration, RFP, RACM, milestone 
requirements, contingency measures.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The General Preamble also explained that, ``[t]he section 172(c)(9) 
requirements are directed at ensuring RFP and attainment by the 
applicable date. These requirements no longer apply when an area has 
attained the standard and is eligible for redesignation. Furthermore, 
section 175A for maintenance plans . . . provides specific requirements 
for contingency measures that effectively supersede the requirements of 
section 172(c)(9) for these areas.'' Id. EPA similarly stated in its 
1992 Calcagni Memorandum that, ``The requirements for reasonable 
further progress and other measures needed for attainment will not 
apply for redesignations because they only have meaning for areas not 
attaining the standard.''
    It is evident that even if we were to consider the Court's January 
4, 2013 decision in NRDC v. EPA to mean that attainment-related 
requirements specific to subpart 4 should be imposed retroactively \6\ 
and, thus, are now past due, those requirements do not apply to an area 
that is attaining the 1997 annual and/or the 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS, for the purpose of evaluating a pending request 
to redesignate the area to attainment. EPA has consistently enunciated 
this interpretation of applicable requirements under section 
107(d)(3)(E) since the General Preamble was published more than twenty 
years ago. Courts have recognized the scope of EPA's authority to 
interpret ``applicable requirements'' in the redesignation context. See 
Sierra Club v. EPA, 375 F.3d 537 (7th Cir. 2004).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ As EPA has explained previously, we do not believe that the 
Court's January 4, 2013 decision should be interpreted so as to 
impose these requirements on the states retroactively. Sierra Club 
v. Whitman, supra.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Moreover, even outside the context of redesignations, EPA has 
viewed the obligations to submit attainment-related SIP planning 
requirements of subpart 4 as inapplicable for areas that EPA determines 
are attaining the 1997 annual and/or the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 
standard. EPA's prior ``Clean Data Policy'' rulemakings for the 
PM10 NAAQS, also governed by the requirements of subpart 4, 
explain EPA's reasoning. They describe the effects of a determination 
of attainment on the attainment-related SIP planning requirements of 
subpart 4. See ``Determination of Attainment for Coso Junction 
Nonattainment Area,'' (75 FR

[[Page 20145]]

27944, May 19, 2010). See also Coso Junction Proposed PM10 
Redesignation, (75 FR 36023, 36027, June 24, 2010); Proposed and Final 
Determinations of Attainment for San Joaquin Nonattainment Area (71 FR 
40952, 40954-55, July 19, 2006 and 71 FR 63641, 63643-47, October 30, 
2006). In short, EPA in this context has also long concluded that to 
require states to meet superfluous SIP planning requirements is not 
necessary and not required by the CAA, so long as those areas continue 
to attain the relevant NAAQS.
    Elsewhere in this notice, EPA proposes to determine that the 
Philadelphia Area has attained both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS. Under its longstanding interpretation, EPA is 
proposing to determine here that the Delaware portion of the Area meets 
the attainment-related plan requirements of subparts 1 and 4 for both 
the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. Thus, EPA is 
proposing to conclude that the requirements to submit an attainment 
demonstration under 189(a)(1)(B), a RACM determination under section 
172(c)(1) and section 189(a)(1)(c), a RFP demonstration under 
189(c)(1), and contingency measure requirements under section 172(c)(9) 
are satisfied for purposes of evaluating these redesignation requests.
c. Subpart 4 and Control of PM2.5 Precursors
    The D.C. Circuit in NRDC v. EPA remanded to EPA the two rules at 
issue in the case with instructions to EPA to re-promulgate them 
consistent with the requirements of subpart 4. EPA in this section 
addresses the Court's opinion with respect to PM2.5 
precursors. While past implementation of subpart 4 for PM10 
has allowed for control of PM10 precursors such as 
NOX from major stationary, mobile, and area sources in order 
to attain the standard as expeditiously as practicable, CAA section 
189(e) specifically provides that control requirements for major 
stationary sources of direct PM10 shall also apply to 
PM10 precursors from those sources, except where EPA 
determines that major stationary sources of such precursors ``do not 
contribute significantly to PM10 levels which exceed the 
standard in the area.''
    EPA's 1997 PM2.5 implementation rule, remanded by the 
D.C. Circuit, contained rebuttable presumptions concerning certain 
PM2.5 precursors applicable to attainment plans and control 
measures related to those plans. Specifically, in 40 CFR 51.1002, EPA 
provided, among other things, that a state was ``not required to 
address VOC [and ammonia] as . . . PM2.5 attainment plan 
precursor[s] and to evaluate sources of VOC [and ammonia] emissions in 
the State for control measures.'' EPA intended these to be rebuttable 
presumptions. EPA established these presumptions at the time because of 
uncertainties regarding the emission inventories for these pollutants 
and the effectiveness of specific control measures in various regions 
of the country in reducing PM2.5 concentrations. EPA also 
left open the possibility for such regulation of VOC and ammonia in 
specific areas where that was necessary.
    The Court in its January 4, 2013 decision made reference to both 
section 189(e) and 40 CFR 51.1002, and stated that, ``In light of our 
disposition, we need not address the petitioners' challenge to the 
presumptions in [40 CFR 51.1002] that volatile organic compounds and 
ammonia are not PM2.5 precursors, as subpart 4 expressly 
governs precursor presumptions.'' NRDC v. EPA, at 27, n.10.
    Elsewhere in the Court's opinion, however, the Court observed, 
``Ammonia is a precursor to fine particulate matter, making it a 
precursor to both PM2.5 and PM10. For a 
PM10 nonattainment area governed by subpart 4, a precursor 
is presumptively regulated. See 42 U.S.C. 7513a(e) [section 189(e)].'' 
Id. at 21, n.7.
    For a number of reasons, EPA believes that its proposed 
redesignation of the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area is 
consistent with the Court's decision on this aspect of subpart 4. 
First, while the Court, citing section 189(e), stated that ``for a 
PM10 area governed by subpart 4, a precursor is 
`presumptively regulated,' '' the Court expressly declined to decide 
the specific challenge to EPA's 1997 PM2.5 implementation 
rule provisions regarding ammonia and VOC as precursors. The Court had 
no occasion to reach whether and how it was substantively necessary to 
regulate any specific precursor in a particular PM2.5 
nonattainment area, and did not address what might be necessary for 
purposes of acting upon a redesignation request.
    However, even if EPA takes the view that the requirements of 
subpart 4 were deemed applicable at the time the state submitted the 
redesignation request, and disregards the implementation rule's 
rebuttable presumptions regarding ammonia and VOC as PM2.5 
precursors, the regulatory consequence would be to consider the need 
for regulation of all precursors from any sources in the area to 
demonstrate attainment and to apply the section 189(e) provisions to 
major stationary sources of precursors. In the case of the Delaware 
portion of the Philadelphia Area, EPA believes that doing so is 
consistent with proposing redesignation of the area for the 1997 annual 
and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 standard. The Philadelphia Area has 
attained the standard without any specific additional controls of VOC 
and ammonia emissions from any sources in the area.
    Precursors in subpart 4 are specifically regulated under the 
provisions of section 189(e), which requires, with important 
exceptions, control requirements for major stationary sources of 
PM10 precursors.\7\ Under subpart 1 and EPA's prior 
implementation rule, all major stationary sources of PM2.5 
precursors were subject to regulation, with the exception of ammonia 
and VOC. Thus, EPA must address here whether additional controls of 
ammonia and VOC from major stationary sources are required under 
section 189(e) of subpart 4 in order to redesignate the area for the 
1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 standards. As explained 
further in this rulemaking action, EPA does not believe that any 
additional controls of ammonia and VOC are required in the context of 
this redesignation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \7\ Under either subpart 1 or subpart 4, for purposes of 
demonstrating attainment as expeditiously as practicable, a state is 
required to evaluate all economically and technologically feasible 
control measures for direct PM emissions and precursor emissions, 
and adopt those measures that are deemed reasonably available.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In the General Preamble, EPA discusses its approach to implementing 
section 189(e). See 57 FR 13538-13542. With regard to precursor 
regulation under section 189(e), the General Preamble explicitly stated 
that control of VOCs under other CAA requirements may suffice to 
relieve a state from the need to adopt precursor controls under section 
189(e). See 57 FR 13542. In this proposed rulemaking action, EPA 
proposes to determine that the SIP has met the provisions of section 
189(e) with respect to ammonia and VOCs as precursors. This proposed 
determination is based on EPA's findings that (1) the Delaware portion 
of the Philadelphia Area contains no major stationary sources of 
ammonia, and (2) existing major stationary sources of VOC are 
adequately controlled under other provisions of the CAA regulating the 
ozone NAAQS.\8\ In the alternative, EPA proposes to determine that, 
under the express exception provisions of section

[[Page 20146]]

189(e), and in the context of the redesignation of the area, which is 
attaining the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 standards, 
at present ammonia and VOC precursors from major stationary sources do 
not contribute significantly to levels exceeding the 1997 annual and 
2006 24-hour PM2.5 standards in the Philadelphia Area. See 
57 FR 13539-42.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \8\ The Philadelphia Area has reduced VOC emissions through the 
implementation of various control programs including VOC Reasonably 
Available Control Technology regulations and various on-road and 
non-road motor vehicle control programs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    EPA notes that its 1997 annual PM2.5 implementation rule 
provisions in 40 CFR 51.1002 were not directed at evaluation of 
PM2.5 precursors in the context of redesignation, but at SIP 
plans and control measures required to bring a nonattainment area into 
attainment of the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. By contrast, 
redesignation to attainment primarily requires the area to have already 
attained due to permanent and enforceable emission reductions, and to 
demonstrate that controls in place can continue to maintain the 
standard. Thus, even if we regard the Court's January 4, 2013 decision 
as calling for ``presumptive regulation'' of ammonia and VOC for 
PM2.5 under the attainment planning provisions of subpart 4, 
those provisions in and of themselves do not require additional 
controls of these precursors for an area that already qualifies for 
redesignation. Nor does EPA believe that requiring Delaware to address 
precursors differently than they have already would result in a 
substantively different outcome.
    Although, as EPA has emphasized, its consideration here of 
precursor requirements under subpart 4 is in the context of a 
redesignation to attainment, EPA's existing interpretation of subpart 4 
requirements with respect to precursors in attainment plans for 
PM10 contemplates that states may develop attainment plans 
that regulate only those precursors that are necessary for purposes of 
attainment in the area in question, i.e., states may determine that 
only certain precursors need be regulated for attainment and control 
purposes.\9\ Courts have upheld this approach to the requirements of 
subpart 4 for PM10.\10\ EPA believes that application of 
this approach to PM2.5 precursors under subpart 4 is 
reasonable. Because the Philadelphia Area has already attained the 1997 
annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS with its current 
approach to regulation of PM2.5 precursors, EPA believes 
that it is reasonable to conclude in the context of this redesignation 
that there is no need to revisit the attainment control strategy with 
respect to the treatment of precursors. Even if the Court's decision is 
construed to impose an obligation, in evaluating this redesignation 
request, to consider additional precursors under subpart 4, it would 
not affect EPA's approval here of Delaware's request for redesignation 
of the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area. In the context of a 
redesignation, the Area has shown that it has attained the standard. 
Moreover, the State has shown and EPA has proposed to determine that 
attainment in this area is due to permanent and enforceable emissions 
reductions on all precursors necessary to provide for continued 
attainment. It follows logically that no further control of additional 
precursors is necessary. Accordingly, EPA does not view the January 4, 
2013 decision of the Court as precluding redesignation of the Delaware 
portion of the Philadelphia Area to attainment for the 1997 annual and 
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS at this time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \9\ See, e.g., ``Approval and Promulgation of Implementation 
Plans for California--San Joaquin Valley PM-10 Nonattainment Area; 
Serious Area Plan for Nonattainment of the 24-Hour and Annual PM-10 
Standards,'' 69 FR 30006 (May 26, 2004) (approving a PM10 
attainment plan that impose controls on direct PM10 and 
NOX emissions and did not impose controls on 
SO2, VOC, or ammonia emissions).
    \10\ See, e.g., Assoc. of Irritated Residents v. EPA et al., 423 
F.3d 989 (9th Cir. 2005).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In sum, even if Delaware were required to address precursors for 
the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area under subpart 4 rather 
than under subpart 1, as interpreted in EPA's remanded PM2.5 
implementation rule, EPA would still conclude that the area had met all 
applicable requirements for purposes of redesignation in accordance 
with section 107(d)(3(E)(ii) and (v).

V. EPA's Analysis of Delaware's Submittals

    EPA is proposing several rulemaking actions for the Area: (1) To 
redesignate the Delaware portion of the Area to attainment for both the 
1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS; and (2) to 
approve into the Delaware SIP the associated maintenance plans for both 
the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA is 
also proposing in this rulemaking action to approve the 2007 
comprehensive emissions inventory to satisfy section 172(c)(3) 
requirement for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, which is one 
of the criteria for redesignation. EPA's proposed approvals of the 
redesignation requests and maintenance plans for the 1997 annual and 
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS are based upon EPA's determination 
that the Area continues to attain both standards, which EPA is 
proposing in this rulemaking action, and that all other redesignation 
criteria have been met for the Delaware portion of the Area. The 
following is a description of how the Delaware's December 12, 2012 
submittals satisfy the requirements of section 107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA 
for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 standards.

A. Redesignation Requests

1. Attainment
    On January 23, 2012, EPA published a direct final rulemaking (77 FR 
3147) and companion notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) (77 FR 3223), 
proposing to determine that the Philadelphia Area attained the 1997 
PM2.5 NAAQS by its attainment date and that the Philadelphia 
Area continued to attain the 1997 annual PM2.5 standard. 
Because EPA received adverse comments, EPA withdrew the direct final 
rule on March 13, 2012 (77 FR 14697), and the direct final rule was 
converted to a proposed rule. In a final rulemaking action dated May 
16, 2012 (77 FR 28782), EPA determined that the entire Philadelphia 
Area attained the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS by its applicable 
attainment date, based upon quality-assured and certified ambient air 
quality monitoring data for the period of 2007-2009, and continued to 
attain that standard based upon quality-assured and certified ambient 
air quality monitoring data for the period of 2008-2010. In a separate 
rulemaking action dated January 7, 2013 (78 FR 882), EPA also 
determined that the Philadelphia Area has attained the 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 standard, based on quality-assured and certified 
ambient air quality monitoring data for 2008-2010 and 2009-2011. The 
basis and effect of these determinations of attainment for both the 
1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS were discussed in the notices of 
the proposed (77 FR 3147 and 77 FR 60089, respectively) and final (77 
FR 28782 and 78 FR 882, respectively) rulemakings.
    EPA has reviewed the ambient air quality PM2.5 
monitoring data in the Philadelphia Area, consistent with the 
requirements contained at 40 CFR part 50, and recorded in EPA's Air 
Quality System (AQS), including quality-assured, quality-controlled, 
and state-certified data for the monitoring periods 2009-2011 and 2010-
2012 and preliminary data for 2011-2013. The air quality data show that 
the Philadelphia Area continues to attain both the 1997 annual and 2006 
24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. The Area's annual and 24-hour 
PM2.5 design values\11\ are provided in Tables 1 and 2, 
respectively.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \11\ As defined in 40 CFR part 50, Appendix N, section (1)(c).

[[Page 20147]]

Table 1--Philadelphia Area's Annual Design Values for the 2006 24-Hour PM2.5 Standard for the 2010-2012 and 2011-
                                     2013 Monitoring Periods, in [mu]g/m\3\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                            Annual design values
                                                          ------------------------------------------------------
               State                        County                                                  Preliminary
                                                                 2009-2011           2010-2012       2011-2013
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delaware..........................  New Castle...........  10.7.................            10.4             9.9
New Jersey........................  Camden...............  9.7..................             9.7             9.9
                                                          ------------------------------------------------------
                                    Burlington...........                       No monitor.
                                                          ------------------------------------------------------
                                    Gloucester...........  9.7..................             9.5             9.3
Pennsylvania......................  Bucks................  10.9.................            10.9            10.8
                                    Chester..............  13.7.................            12.3            11.1
                                    Delaware.............  12.7.................            13.1            12.3
                                    Montgomery...........  10.1.................             9.8             9.7
                                    Philadelphia.........  11.4.................            11.0            10.9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Area's Annual Design Value                 13.7.................            13.1            12.3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: EPA AQS.

  Table 2--Philadelphia Area's 24-Hour Design Values for the 2006 24-Hour PM2.5 Standard for the 2010-2012 and
                                   2011-2013 Monitoring Periods, in [mu]g/m\3\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                           24-Hour design values
                                                          ------------------------------------------------------
               State                        County                                                  Preliminary
                                                                 2009-2011           2010-2012       2011-2013
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delaware..........................  New Castle...........  27...................              26              24
New Jersey........................  Camden...............  24...................              23              25
                                                          ------------------------------------------------------
                                    Burlington...........                       No monitor.
                                                          ------------------------------------------------------
                                    Gloucester...........  22...................              22              23
Pennsylvania......................  Bucks................  28...................              29              29
                                    Chester..............  33...................              31              28
                                    Delaware.............  30...................              31              29
                                    Montgomery...........  27...................              25              24
                                    Philadelphia.........  29...................              28              29
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Area's Annual Design Value                 33...................              31             29
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: EPA AQS.

    EPA's review of the monitoring data for 2009-2011, 2010-2012 
supports EPA's previous determinations that the Area has attained the 
1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, and that the Area 
continues to attain both standards. Preliminary 2013 data is consistent 
with attainment. Please note that preliminary 2013 data is uncertified. 
States are required to certify 2013 data by May 1, 2014. In addition, 
as discussed subsequently, with respect to the maintenance plan, 
Delaware has committed to continue monitoring ambient PM2.5 
concentrations in accordance with 40 CFR part 58. Thus, EPA is 
proposing to determine that the Philadelphia Area continues to attain 
the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS.
2. The Area has Met All Applicable Requirements Under Section 110 and 
Subpart 1 of the CAA and Has a Fully Approved SIP Under Section 110(k)
    In accordance with section 107(d)(3)(E)(v), the SIP revisions for 
the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 standards for the 
Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area must be fully approved under 
section 110(k) and all the requirements applicable to the Area under 
section 110 of the CAA (general SIP requirements) and part D of Title I 
of the CAA (SIP requirements for nonattainment areas) must be met.
a. Section 110 General SIP Requirements
    Section 110(a)(2) of Title I of the CAA delineates the general 
requirements for a SIP, which include enforceable emissions limitations 
and other control measures, means, or techniques, provisions for the 
establishment and operation of appropriate devices necessary to collect 
data on ambient air quality, and programs to enforce the limitations. 
The general SIP elements and requirements set forth in section 
110(a)(2) include, but are not limited to the following:
     Submittal of a SIP that has been adopted by the state 
after reasonable public notice and hearing;
     Provisions for establishment and operation of appropriate 
procedures needed to monitor ambient air quality;
     Implementation of a source permit program; provisions for 
the implementation of Part C requirements (PSD);
     Provisions for the implementation of Part D requirements 
for NSR permit programs;
     Provisions for air pollution modeling; and
     Provisions for public and local agency participation in 
planning and emission control rule development.

[[Page 20148]]

    Section 110(a)(2)(D) of the CAA requires that SIPs contain certain 
measures to prevent sources in a state from significantly contributing 
to air quality problems in another state. To implement this provision 
for various NAAQS, EPA has required certain states to establish 
programs to address transport of air pollutants in accordance with 
EPA's Finding of Significant Contribution and Rulemaking for Certain 
States in the Ozone Transport Assessment Group Region for Purposes of 
Reducing Regional Transport of Ozone (63 FR 57356, October 27, 1998), 
also known as the NOX (oxides of nitrogen) SIP Call; 
amendments to the NOX SIP Call (64 FR 26298, May 14, 1999 
and 65 FR 11222, March 2, 2000), and CAIR (70 FR 25162, May 12, 2005). 
However, section 110(a)(2)(D) requirements for a state are not linked 
with a particular nonattainment area's designation and classification 
in that state. EPA believes that the requirements linked with a 
particular nonattainment area's designation and classifications are the 
relevant measures to evaluate in reviewing a redesignation request. The 
transport SIP submittal requirements, where applicable, continue to 
apply to a state regardless of the designation of any one particular 
area in the state. Thus, EPA does not believe that these requirements 
are applicable requirements for purposes of redesignation.
    In addition, EPA believes that the other section 110(a)(2) elements 
not connected with nonattainment plan submissions and not linked with 
an area's attainment status are not applicable requirements for 
purposes of redesignation. The Philadelphia Area will still be subject 
to these requirements after it is redesignated. EPA concludes that the 
section 110(a)(2) and part D requirements which are linked with a 
particular area's designation and classification are the relevant 
measures to evaluate in reviewing a redesignation request, and that 
section 110(a)(2) elements not linked to the area's nonattainment 
status are not applicable for purposes of redesignation. This approach 
is consistent with EPA's existing policy on applicability of conformity 
(i.e., for redesignations) and oxygenated fuels requirement. See 
Reading, Pennsylvania, proposed and final rulemakings (61 FR 53174, 
October 10, 1996), (62 FR 24826, May 7, 1997); Cleveland-Akron-Lorain, 
Ohio final rulemaking (61 FR 20458, May 7, 1996); and Tampa, Florida, 
final rulemaking (60 FR 62748, December 7, 1995). See also, the 
discussion on this issue in the Cincinnati, Ohio redesignation (65 FR 
at 37890, June 19, 2000), and in the Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley, 
Pennsylvania redesignation (66 FR at 53099, October 19, 2001).
    EPA has reviewed the Delaware SIP and has concluded that it meets 
the general SIP requirements under section 110(a)(2) of the CAA to the 
extent they are applicable for purposes of redesignation. EPA has 
previously approved provisions of Delaware's SIP addressing section 
110(a)(2) requirements, including provisions addressing 
PM2.5. See (76 FR 47068, August 4, 2011 and 76 FR 53638, 
August 29, 2911). These requirements are, however, statewide 
requirements that are not linked to the PM2.5 nonattainment 
status of the Philadelphia Area. Therefore, EPA believes that these SIP 
elements are not applicable requirements for purposes of review of the 
State's PM2.5 redesignation requests.
b. Subpart 4 Requirements
    Subpart 1 sets forth the basic nonattainment plan requirements 
applicable to PM2.5 nonattainment areas. Under section 172, 
states with nonattainment areas must submit plans providing for timely 
attainment and must meet a variety of other requirements.
    The General Preamble for Implementation of Title I discusses the 
evaluation of these requirements in the context of EPA's consideration 
of a redesignation request. The General Preamble sets forth EPA's view 
of applicable requirements for purposes of evaluating redesignation 
requests when an area is attaining the standard. See 57 FR 13498, April 
16, 1992.
    As mentioned previously, on May 16, 2012 (77 FR 28782), EPA made a 
determination that the Philadelphia Area had attained the 1997 annual 
PM2.5 NAAQS. This determination of attainment was based upon 
quality-assured and certified ambient air quality monitoring data for 
the period of 2007-2009 showing that the entire Area had attained the 
standard by its applicable attainment date, and 2008-2010 data showing 
that the Area continued to attain the standard. In a separate 
rulemaking action, dated January 7, 2013 (78 FR 882), EPA made a 
determination of attainment for the Philadelphia Area for the 2006 24-
hour PM2.5 NAAQS, based on quality-assured and certified 
ambient air quality monitoring data for the 2008-2010 and 2009-2011 
monitoring periods.
    Pursuant to 40 CFR 51.2004(c), upon these determinations by EPA 
that the Area has attained the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS, the requirement for Delaware to submit for the 
Philadelphia Area an attainment demonstration and associated RACM, a 
RFP plan, contingency measures, and other planning SIPs related to the 
attainment of the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 
NAAQS were suspended until the Area is redesignated to attainment for 
each standard or EPA determines that the Area has again violated any of 
the standards, at which time such plans are required to be submitted. 
Thus, because attainment has been reached for the Area for the 1997 
annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and the Area continues 
to attain both standards, no additional measures are needed to provide 
for attainment. Therefore, the requirements of section 172(c)(1), 
172(c)(2), 172(c)(6), and 172(c)(9) are no longer considered to be 
applicable for purposes of redesignation of the Area for both 
standards.
    However, determinations of attainment do not preclude states from 
submitting and EPA from approving planning SIP revisions for the 1997 
or 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. On April 3, 2008, DNREC submitted an 
attainment plan for the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area for 
the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS, which included a 2002 
comprehensive emissions inventory. On April 25, 2012, DNREC submitted a 
SIP revision to replace the MVEBs in the April 3, 2008 submittal with a 
budget that is based on the Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES) 
model. On December 17, 2013 (78 FR 76209), EPA approved Delaware's 
attainment plan for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS for the Delaware 
portion of the Philadelphia Area and MVEBs for transportation 
conformity purposes for New Castle County, Delaware submitted on April 
3, 2008 and April 25, 2012.
    Section 172(c)(4) of the CAA requires the identification and 
quantification of allowable emissions for major new and modified 
stationary sources in an area, and section 172(c)(5) requires source 
permits for the construction and operation of new and modified major 
stationary sources anywhere in the nonattainment area. EPA has 
determined that, since PSD requirements will apply after redesignation, 
areas being redesignated need not comply with the requirement that a 
nonattainment NSR program be approved prior to redesignation, provided 
that the area demonstrates maintenance of the NAAQS without part D NSR. 
A more detailed rationale for this view is described in a memorandum 
from Mary Nichols, Assistant Administrator for Air and

[[Page 20149]]

Radiation, dated October 14, 1994, entitled, ``Part D New Source Review 
Requirements for Areas Requesting Redesignation to Attainment.'' 
Nevertheless, Delaware currently has an approved NSR program, including 
an approved PSD program, codified in the State's regulation at 7 DE 
Admin. Code 1125, ``Requirements for Preconstruction Review.'' See (77 
FR 60053, October 2, 2012) and (78 FR 13496, February 28, 2013). The 
State's PSD program for PM2.5 will become effective in the 
Philadelphia Area upon redesignation to attainment.
    Section 172(c)(7) of the CAA requires the SIP to meet the 
applicable provisions of section 110(a)(2). As noted previously, we 
believe the Delaware SIP meets the requirements of section 110(a)(2) 
that are applicable for purposes of redesignation.
    As a result of EPA's determinations of attainment of the Area for 
the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, respectively, 
the only remaining requirement under section 172 to be considered for 
each of the PM2.5 standards is the comprehensive emissions 
inventory required under section 172(c)(3). Section 172(c)(3) of the 
CAA requires submission of a comprehensive, accurate, and current 
inventory of actual emissions. For purposes of the PM2.5 
NAAQS, this emissions inventory should address not only direct 
emissions of PM2.5, but also emissions of all precursors 
with the potential to participate in PM2.5 formation, i.e., 
sulfur dioxide (SO2), NOX, volatile organic 
compounds (VOC) and ammonia.
    DNREC's April 3, 2008 attainment plan submittal for the 1997 annual 
PM2.5 standard is relevant to this proposed rulemaking 
action to redesignate the Delaware portion of the Area only with 
respect to the comprehensive emissions inventory requirement of section 
172(c)(3) for the 1997 annual PM2.5 standard. On March 4, 
2013 (78 FR 14020), EPA approved the 2002 comprehensive emissions 
inventory included in the attainment plan for the 1997 annual 
PM2.5 NAAQS, to meet the requirement of section 172(c)(3) 
for this standard. The 2002 comprehensive emissions inventory for the 
1997 annual PM2.5 standard includes emissions estimates that 
cover the general source categories of point sources, area sources, on-
road mobile sources, and non-road mobile sources. The pollutants that 
comprise the 2002 emissions inventory are PM2.5, 
NOX, SO2, VOC, and ammonia. An evaluation of 
Delaware's 2002 comprehensive emissions inventory for the Philadelphia 
portion of the Area is provided in the Technical Support Document (TSD) 
prepared by EPA for the rulemaking action. See Docket ID No. EPA-R03-
OAR-2010-0141.
    To satisfy the 172(c)(3) requirement for the 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 standard, Delaware's December 12, 2012 redesignation 
request and maintenance plan for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 
standard contains a 2007 comprehensive emissions inventories. DNREC had 
previously prepared the 2007 inventory for the Delaware portion of the 
Philadelphia Area for modeling and SIP purposes. DNREC is using that 
2007 inventory as the base year inventory for the 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 standard, because 2007 is one of the three years used 
to designate the Philadelphia nonattainment area for the 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 standard. DNREC has submitted that 2007 emissions 
inventory to fulfill its obligation to submit a comprehensive inventory 
under Clean Air Act section 172(c)(3), because that inventory has gone 
through extensive quality assurance. The 2007 emissions inventory is 
the most current accurate and comprehensive emissions inventory of 
direct PM2.5, NOX, SO2, VOC, and 
ammonia for the Area. Thus, as part of this rulemaking action, EPA is 
proposing to approve Delaware's 2007 comprehensive emissions inventory 
for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS as satisfying the 
requirement of section 172(c)(3) of the CAA for this standard. Final 
approval of the 2007 base year emissions inventory will satisfy the 
emissions inventory requirement under section 172(c)(3) of the CAA for 
the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS.
    The 2007 comprehensive emissions inventory addresses the general 
source categories of point sources, area sources, on-road mobile 
sources, and non-road mobile sources. A summary of the 2007 
comprehensive emissions inventory is provided in Table 3. EPA has 
reviewed the documentation provided by DNREC and found the 2007 
emissions inventory to be approvable. For more information on EPA's 
analysis of the 2007 emissions inventory, see the TSDs prepared by the 
EPA Region III Office of Air Monitoring and Analysis and both dated 
January 28, 2014, ``Technical Support Document (TSD) for the 
Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan for the New Castle County 
Portion of the Philadelphia-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE 1997 PM2.5 
Nonattainment Area'' and ``Technical Support Document (TSD) for the 
Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan for the New Castle County 
Portion of the Philadelphia-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE 2006 PM2.5 
Nonattainment Area'' (``Inventory TSDs''), available in the docket for 
this rulemaking action at www.regulations.gov. See Docket ID No. EPA-
R03-OAR-2014-0022.

         Table 3--Summary of 2007 Comprehensive Inventory for New Castle County, in Tons per Year (tpy)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Direct
                          Sector                             PM2.5       NOX        SO2        VOC      Ammonia
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point....................................................      1,335      6,635     13,380      1,727         64
Non-point................................................      1,207      1,293        630      4,795        653
On-road..................................................        324     10,577        100      4,298        243
Non-road.................................................        327      4,580      1,118      2,490          2
                                                          ------------------------------------------------------
    Total................................................      3,193     23,084     15,228     13,310        962
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 175A requires a state seeking redesignation to attainment 
to submit a SIP revision to provide for the maintenance of the NAAQS in 
the area ``for at least 10 years after the redesignation.'' In 
conjunction with its request to redesignate the Delaware portion of the 
Area to attainment status, Delaware submitted SIP revisions to provide 
for maintenance of the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 
NAAQS in the Delaware portion of the Area for at least 10 years after 
redesignation, throughout 2025. Delaware is requesting that EPA approve 
this SIP revision as meeting the requirement of CAA section 175A. Once 
approved, the maintenance plans for the Delaware portion of the Area 
will ensure that the SIP for Delaware meets the requirements of the CAA 
regarding maintenance of the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS for the Delaware portion of the Area. EPA's 
analysis of the maintenance plans

[[Page 20150]]

is provided in section V.B. of this rulemaking action.
    Section 176(c) of the CAA requires states to establish criteria and 
procedures to ensure that Federally supported or funded projects 
conform to the air quality planning goals in the applicable SIP. The 
requirement to determine conformity applies to transportation plans, 
programs, and projects that are developed, funded or approved under 
title 23 of the United States Code (U.S.C.) and the Federal Transit Act 
(transportation conformity) as well as to all other Federally supported 
or funded projects (general conformity). State transportation 
conformity SIP revisions must be consistent with Federal conformity 
regulations relating to consultation, enforcement and enforceability 
which EPA promulgated pursuant to its authority under the CAA. EPA 
interprets the conformity SIP requirements as not applying for purposes 
of evaluating a redesignation request under CAA section 107(d) because 
state conformity rules are still required after redesignation, and 
Federal conformity rules apply where state rules have not been 
approved. See Wall v. EPA, 265 F. 3d 426 (6th Cir. 2001) (upholding 
this interpretation) and (60 FR 62748, December 7, 1995) (discussing 
Tampa, Florida).
    Thus, for purposes of redesignating to attainment the Delaware 
portion of the Philadelphia Area for the 1997 annual PM2.5 
NAAQS, EPA determines that Delaware has met all the applicable SIP 
requirements under part D of Title I of the CAA. EPA also determines 
that upon final approval of the 2007 comprehensive emissions inventory 
as proposed in this rulemaking action, Delaware will also meet all the 
applicable SIP requirements under part D of Title I of the CAA for 
purposes of redesignating the Area to attainment for the 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS.
c. The Delaware Portion of the Area Has a Fully Approved Applicable SIP 
Under Section 110(k) of the CAA
    For purposes of redesignation to attainment for the 1997 annual 
PM2.5 NAAQS, EPA has fully approved all applicable 
requirements of Delaware's SIP for the Area in accordance with section 
110(k) of the CAA. Upon final approval of the 2007 comprehensive 
emissions inventory as proposed in this rulemaking action, EPA will 
have fully approved all applicable requirements of Delaware's SIP for 
the Area for purposes of redesignation to attainment for the 2006 24-
hour PM2.5 NAAQS in accordance with section 110(k) of the 
CAA.
3. Permanent and Enforceable Reductions in Emissions
    For redesignating a nonattainment area to attainment, section 
107(d)(3)(E)(iii) requires EPA to determine that the air quality 
improvement in the area is due to permanent and enforceable reductions 
in emissions resulting from implementation of the SIP and applicable 
Federal air pollution control regulations and other permanent and 
enforceable reductions. Delaware has calculated the change in emissions 
between 2002, a year showing nonattainment for the 1997 annual 
PM2.5 standard in the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia 
Area, and 2007, one of the years for which the Philadelphia Area 
monitored attainment for the 1997 annual PM2.5 standard. 
Delaware did the same analysis for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 
standard, using 2007 as a year showing nonattainment for the 2006 24-
hour PM2.5 standard in the Delaware portion of the 
Philadelphia Area, and 2008, one of the years for which the 
Philadelphia Area monitored attainment for the 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 standard.
    A summary of the emissions reductions of direct PM2.5, 
NOX, and SO2 from 2002 to 2007 in the Delaware 
portion of the Philadelphia Area, submitted by DNREC, is provided in 
Table 4a. A summary of the emissions reductions of direct 
PM2.5, NOX, and SO2 from 2007 to 2008, 
submitted by DNREC, is provided in Table 4b. For more information on 
EPA's analysis of the 2007 and 2008 emissions inventories, see EPA's 
Inventory TSDs, dated January 28, 2014, available in the docket for 
this rulemaking action at www.regulations.gov.

        Table 4a--Emission Reductions From 2002 to 2007 in the Delaware Portion of the Philadelphia Area
                                                      [tpy]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                            Net        Percent
                                              Sector              2002         2007      reduction    reduction
                                                                                         2002-2007    2002-2007
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Direct PM 2.5.......................  Point.................        1,733        1,335          398           23
                                      Non-point.............        1,073        1,207         -134          -12
                                      On-road...............          209          324         -115          -55
                                      Non-road..............          415          327           88           21
                                      Total.................        3,430        3,193          237            7
NOX.................................  Point.................        9,157        6,635        2,522           28
                                      Non-point.............        1,513        1,293          220           15
                                      On-road...............       11,799       10,577        1,222           10
                                      Non-road..............        8,279        4,580        3,699           45
                                      Total.................       30,748       23,084        7,664           25
SO2.................................  Point.................       47,070       13,380       33,690           72
                                      Non-point.............          780          630          150           19
                                      On-road...............          326          100          226           69
                                      Non-road..............        2,061        1,118          943           46
                                      Total.................       50,237       15,228       35,009           70
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Table 4b--Emission Reductions From 2007 to 2008 in the Delaware Portion of the Philadelphia Area
                                                      [tpy]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                            Net        Percent
                                              Sector              2007         2008      reduction    reduction
                                                                                         2007-2008    2007-2008
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Direct PM 2.5.......................  Point.................        1,335        1,109          226           17

[[Page 20151]]

 
                                      Non-point.............        1,207        1,191           16            1
                                      On-road...............          324          283           42           13
                                      Non-road..............          327          312           15            5
                                      Total.................        3,193        2,894          300            9
NOX.................................  Point.................        6,635        5,589        1,046           16
                                      Non-point.............        1,293        1,287            6            0
                                      On-road...............       10,577        9,311        1,266           12
                                      Non-road..............        4,580        4,317          263            6
                                      Total.................       23,084       20,504        2,580           11
SO 2................................  Point.................       13,380       10,576        2,805           21
                                      Non-point.............          630          402          228           36
                                      On-road...............          100           94            6            6
                                      Non-road..............        1,118        1,067           51            5
                                      Total.................       15,228       12,139        3,089           20
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The reduction in emissions and the corresponding improvement in air 
quality from 2002 to 2007 and from 2007 to 2008, for the 1997 annual 
and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, respectively, in the 
Philadelphia Area can be attributed to a number of regulatory control 
measures that have been implemented in the Area and contributing areas 
in recent years.
    In Sections 4.3, Enforceable and Permanent PM2.5, 
NOX, and SO2 Measures that Contributed to 
Improved Air Quality, of Delaware's redesignation requests and 
maintenance plans for both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5, DNREC makes demonstrations that numerous permanent 
and enforceable state and federal control measures achieved emission 
reductions that resulted in improved air quality in the Philadelphia 
Area. The following is a list of the permanent and enforceable control 
measures.
a. Delaware-Specific Control Measures
     7 DE Admin. Code 1144, Control of Stationary Generator 
Emissions. This statewide regulation controls SO2, PM, VOC, 
and NOX emissions. The regulation was effective in January 
2006, and was approved into Delaware's SIP on August 11, 2010 (75 FR 
48566).
     7 DE Admin. Code 1148, Control of Stationary Combustion 
Turbine Electric Generating Unit Emissions. This statewide regulation 
controls NOX emissions, and was effective in July 2007. EPA 
approved this regulation into the Delaware SIP on August 11, 2010 (75 
FR 48566).
     7 DE Admin. Code 1142. EPA approved this rule, which 
controls NOX emissions, into the Delaware SIP on November 
22, 2002 (67 FR 70315). Section 1 of this rule, Control of 
NOX Emissions from Industrial Boilers, is applicable state-
wide, and was effective in December 2001. Section 2, Control of 
NOX Emissions from Industrial Boilers and Process Heaters at 
Petroleum Refineries, is applicable in New Castle County. DNREC revised 
Section 2, effective July 2007. EPA approved the revisions to Section 2 
into the Delaware SIP on May 15, 2012 (77 FR 28489).
     7 DE Admin. Code 1131, Low Enhanced Inspection and 
Maintenance (I/M). Delaware's enhanced I/M program is applicable in New 
Castle and Kent Counties, and was approved into the Delaware SIP by EPA 
on September 30, 1999 (64 FR 52657). Revisions to the enhanced I/M 
program were approved by EPA on November 26, 2003 (68 FR 228).
    Please note that for Delaware's redesignation request for the 1997 
annual PM2.5 NAAQS, the following additional control measure 
was also included.
Delaware-Specific Control Measures
     Consent Decree with Premcor Refinery at Delaware City 
(formerly Motiva Enterprises), New Castle County, Control of SO2, and 
NOX Emissions from Boilers and Heaters, Effective 2006, Civil Action 
No. H-01-0978. This federal consent decree was lodged in the United 
States Court for the Southern District of Texas on March 21, 2001.
b. Federal Measures Implemented
     EPA's New Source Performance Standards for Woodstoves 
(NSPS), 40 CFR part 60, subpart AAA.
     Control of Emissions from New and In-Use non-road 
Compression Engines, 40 CFR part 89.
     Control of Air Pollution; Determination of Significance 
for Non-road Sources and Emission Standards for New Non-road 
Compression Ignition Engines at or Above 37 Kilowatts (59 FR 31036, 
June 17, 1994).
     Emissions for New Non-road Spark-Ignition Engines At or 
Below 19 Kilowatts (60 FR 34581, July 3, 1995).
     Final Rule for New Gasoline Spark-Ignition Marine Engines; 
Exemptions for New Non-road Compression-Ignition Engines at or Above 37 
Kilowatts and New Non-road Spark-Ignition Engines at or Below 19 
Kilowatts (61 FR 52088, October 4, 1996).
     Control of Emissions of Air Pollution from Non-road Diesel 
Engines (63 FR 56967, October 23, 1998).
     Phase 2 Emission Standards for New Non-road Non-handheld 
Spark Ignition Engines At or Below 19 Kilowatts (64 FR 15207, March 30, 
1999).
     Phase 2 Emission Standards for New Non-road Spark-Ignition 
Handheld Engines At or Below 19 Kilowatts and Minor Amendments to 
Emission Requirements Applicable to Small Spark-Ignition Engines and 
Marine Spark-Ignition Engines (65 FR 24268, April 25, 2000).
     Control of Emissions from Non-road Large Spark-Ignition 
Engines and Recreational Engines (Marine and Land-Based), (67 FR 68241, 
November 8, 2002).
     Control of Emissions of Air Pollution from Non-road Diesel 
Engines and Fuel (Clean Air Non-road Diesel Rule--Tier 4), (69 FR 
38958, June 29, 2004).
     Control of Emissions from Non-road Spark-Ignition Engines 
and Equipment (Bond Rule), (73 FR 59034, October 8, 2008).
     Heavy-Duty Highway Rule, 40 CFR part 86, Subpart P.

[[Page 20152]]

     Federal Tier 1 New Vehicle Emission and New Federal 
Evaporative Emission Standards.
     The Tier 2 vehicle and gasoline sulfur program, Subpart H 
of 40 CFR part 80, 40 CFR part 85, and 40 CFR part 86.
     Ozone Transport Commission (OTC) National Low Emission 
Vehicle Program (NLEV).
    EPA has reviewed both redesignation requests and maintenance plans 
for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 standards and 
found that DNREC has demonstrated that it has controlled emissions of 
PM2.5 and its precursors through numerous permanent and 
enforceable emission control measures, resulting in permanent and 
enforceable emission reductions adequate to attain both the 1997 annual 
and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. Therefore, DNREC has met this 
criterion for redesignation. However, in a separate rulemaking action, 
published on February 22, 2013, EPA identified deficiencies associated 
with several regulations within the approved Delaware SIP including a 
specific provision within 7-1100-1142 Del. Code Regs Sec.  2 
(Regulation 1142, Section 2.0, Control of Nitrogen Oxide 
(NOX) Emissions from Industrial Boilers and Process Heaters 
at Petroleum Refineries). See 78 FR 12460. In that proposed rulemaking 
action, EPA identified specific Delaware regulations in which state 
officials are provided unbounded discretion to set alternative emission 
limits during periods of start-up and shutdown of equipment through a 
permitting process that does not entail subsequent approval of the 
alternative emission limits through a SIP submission. EPA has proposed 
to find that this process constitutes an impermissible director's 
discretion provision with the potential to allow impermissible 
discretionary exemptions from SIP emission limits. See 78 FR 12495-
12496. EPA will be taking a separate final action on the February 22, 
2013 proposed rulemaking action.
    EPA's analysis indicates that Regulation 1142, Section 2.0 is not 
necessary for attainment of the Philadelphia Area. The Philadelphia 
Area is attaining the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 
NAAQS. The Philadelphia Area came into attainment of the 1997 annual 
NAAQS in 2009, considering 2007-2009 ambient air quality monitoring 
data (77 FR 28782), and continues to meet that standard. The 
Philadelphia Area came into attainment for the 2006 24-hour standard in 
2010, considering 2008-2010 data (78 FR 882), and continues to meet 
that standard. Furthermore, actual emission reductions of 
PM2.5 and its precursors have been achieved between the base 
years and the attainment years for both standards. For the 1997 NAAQS, 
NOX has decreased in the Delaware portion of the 
Philadelphia Area from 30,748 tpy in 2002 to 23,084 tpy in 2007. For 
the 2006 NAAQS, NOX has decreased in the Delaware portion of 
the Philadelphia Area from 23,084 tpy in 2007 to 20,504 tpy in 2008.
    Regulation 1142 Section 2.0 applies to NOX emissions at 
petroleum refineries. There is only one such petroleum refinery in 
Delaware, and it is subject to a federally-enforceable consent decree 
and several consent decree addendums between the source and EPA which 
limit NOX emissions and require NOX control 
measures at several units at the refinery. Therefore, EPA is not 
relying upon Regulation 1142 Section 2.0 in its evaluation of the 
permanent and enforceable attainment measures. Through numerous 
permanent and enforceable regulations, which are incorporated into 
Delaware's SIP, Delaware has regulated and is continuing to regulate 
sources of PM2.5 and its precursors in the Philadelphia 
Area. Taking into consideration existing regulations, including those 
listed earlier in this rulemaking action, which Delaware included in 
Sections 4.3 of its redesignation requests and maintenance plans, (with 
the exception of Regulation 1142 Section 2.0), EPA has concluded that 
the Philadelphia Area has attained the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 
NAAQS and that Delaware has shown that attainment of these standards is 
due to permanent and enforceable emission reductions.
    For more information on EPA's analysis, please refer to EPA's TSD, 
available in the docket for this rulemaking action at 
www.regulations.gov. See Docket ID No. EPA-R03-OAR-2014-0022.

B. Maintenance Plans

    On December 12, 2012, DNREC submitted maintenance plans for the 
1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, as required by 
section 175A of the CAA. EPA's analysis for proposing approval of the 
maintenance plans is provided in this section.
1. Attainment Emissions Inventories
    An attainment inventory is comprised of the emissions during the 
time period associated with the monitoring data showing attainment. 
DNREC determined that the appropriate attainment inventory year for the 
maintenance plan for the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS is 2007, 
one of the years in the periods during which the Philadelphia Area 
monitored attainment of the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS. DNREC 
determined that the appropriate attainment inventory year for the 
maintenance plan for the 2006 24-hours PM2.5 NAAQS is 2008, 
one of the years in the periods during which the Philadelphia Area 
monitored attainment of the 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. The 2007 
and 2008 inventory included in the maintenance plans contains primary 
PM2.5 emissions (including condensables), SO2, 
and NOX. The underlying emissions data DNREC submitted to 
support the 2007 and 2008 inventories contains the additional 
PM2.5 precursors, ammonia and VOCs.
    In its redesignation requests and maintenance plans for the 1997 
annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 standards, DNREC described the 
methods used for developing its 2007 and 2008 inventories. EPA reviewed 
the procedures used to develop the projected inventories and found them 
to be reasonable. EPA has reviewed the documentation provided by DNREC 
and found the 2007 and 2008 emissions inventories submitted with the 
maintenance plans to be approvable. For more information on EPA's 
analysis of the 2007 and 2008 emissions inventories, see EPA's 
Inventory TSDs, dated January 28, 2014, available in the docket for 
this rulemaking action at www.regulations.gov.
2. Maintenance Demonstration
    Section 175A requires a state seeking redesignation to attainment 
to submit a SIP revision to provide for the maintenance of the NAAQS in 
the area ``for at least 10 years after the redesignation.'' EPA has 
interpreted this as a showing of maintenance ``for a period of ten 
years following redesignation.'' Where the emissions inventory method 
of showing maintenance is used, its purpose is to show that emissions 
during the maintenance period will not increase over the attainment 
year inventory. See 1992 Calcagni Memorandum, pages 9-10.
    For a demonstration of maintenance, emissions inventories are 
required to be projected to future dates to assess the influence of 
future growth and controls; however, the demonstration need not be 
based on modeling. See Wall v. EPA, supra; Sierra Club v. EPA, supra. 
See also 66 FR 53099-53100 and 68 FR 25430-32. DNREC uses projection 
inventories to show that the Delaware portion of the Area will remain 
in attainment and developed projection inventories for an interim year 
of 2017 and a maintenance plan end year of 2025 to show that future 
emissions of NOX, SO2, and direct 
PM2.5 will remain

[[Page 20153]]

at or below the attainment year 2007 and 2008 attainment-level 
emissions levels, for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5, respectively, throughout the Delaware portion of the 
Area through the year 2025.
    EPA has reviewed the documentation provided by DNREC for developing 
annual 2017 and 2025 emissions inventories for the Delaware portion of 
the Area. EPA has determined that the 2017 and 2025 projected emissions 
inventories provided by DNREC are approvable. For more information on 
EPA's analysis of the emissions inventories, see EPA's Inventory TSDs, 
dated January 28, 2014, available in the docket for this rulemaking 
action at www.regulations.gov.
    Tables 5a, 6a, and 7a provide a summary of the direct 
PM2.5, NOX, and SO2, respectively, 
emissions inventories for the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area 
for the 2007 attainment year, the 2017 interim year, and the 2025 
maintenance plan end year for the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS. 
Tables 5b, 6b, and 7b provide a summary of the direct PM2.5, 
NOX, and SO2, respectively, emissions inventories 
for the entire Philadelphia Area for the 2007 attainment year, the 2017 
interim year, and the 2025 maintenance plan end year for the 1997 
annual PM2.5 NAAQS. The inventories show that, between 2007 
and 2025, the Area is projected to reduce direct PM2.5 
emissions by 9,055 tpy, NOX emissions by 106,099 tpy, and 
SO2 emissions by 34,265 tpy. Thus, the projected emissions 
inventories show that the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area 
will continue to maintain the 1997 annual PM2.5 standards 
during the maintenance period. Note that the emission projections for 
the Delaware portion of the Area contain subcategories for point source 
and non-road emissions sources. ``Non-road, MAR'' refers to Marine 
Vessels, Aircraft and Locomotives (MAR). ``Non-road, NMIM'' refers to 
emissions sources covered by the National Mobile Inventory Model 
(NMIM). Point source emissions are reported as either from electric 
generating units (EGUs) or from non-EGU point sources.

                Table 5a--Comparison of 2007, 2017, and 2025 Emissions of Direct PM2.5 for the Delaware Portion of the Philadelphia Area
                                                                          [tpy]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Direct PM2.5
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                            2007-2017                  2007-2025
                                                                                                   -----------------------------------------------------
                           Sector                                2007         2017         2025                     Percent                    Percent
                                                                                                     Reduction     reduction    Reduction     reduction
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Non-point..................................................        1,207        1,235        1,310          -28          -2.3         -103          -8.5
Non-road, MAR..............................................          171           61           44          110          64.2          126          74.0
Non-road, NMIM.............................................          156          106          103           51          32.5           53          34.0
On-road....................................................          324          199          199          125          38.6          125          38.6
Point, EGU.................................................          519          502          520           17           3.2           -1          -0.2
Point, non-EGU.............................................          816          742          716           75           9.1          100          12.2
                                                            --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total..................................................        3,193        2,844        2,893          349          11            301           9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Table 5b--Comparison of 2007, 2017, and 2025 Emissions of Direct PM2.5 for the Entire Philadelphia Area
                                                      [tpy]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                           Direct PM2.5
                                                ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                2007-2025
                     Sector                                                            -------------------------
                                                     2007         2017         2025                    Percent
                                                                                         Reduction    reduction
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point..........................................        4,573        3,825        3,875          698         15.3
Non-point......................................       17,879       13,358       12,983        4,897         27.4
On-road........................................        3,795        2,488        1,443        2,352         62.0
Non-road.......................................        2,466        1,606        1,357        1,109         45.0
                                                ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Total......................................       28,713       21,277       19,657        9,055         31.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     Table 6a--Comparison of 2007, 2017, and 2025 Emissions of NOX for the Delaware Portion of the Philadelphia Area
                                                                          [tpy]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                           NOx
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                            2007-2017                  2007-2025
                                                                                                   -----------------------------------------------------
                           Sector                                2007         2017         2025                     Percent                    Percent
                                                                                                     Reduction     reduction    Reduction     reduction
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Non-point..................................................        1,293        1,295        1,296           -3          -0.2           -3          -0.2
Non-road, MAR..............................................        2,825        1,810        1,279        1,015          35.9        1,546          54.7
Non-road, NMIM.............................................        1,755          997          837          758          43.2          918          52.3
On-road....................................................       10,577        6,273        6,273        4,304          40.7        4,304          40.7

[[Page 20154]]

 
Point, EGU.................................................        2,865        1,698        1,758        1,167          40.7        1,107          38.7
Point, non-EGU.............................................        3,770        2,402        2,355        1,368          36.3        1,415          37.5
                                                            --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total..................................................       23,084       14,475       13,797        8,609          37          9,287          40
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

         Table 6b--Comparison of 2007, 2017, and 2025 Emissions of NOX for the Entire Philadelphia Area
                                                      [tpy]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                               NOX
                                                ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                2007-2025
                     Sector                                                            -------------------------
                                                     2007         2017         2025                    Percent
                                                                                         Reduction    reduction
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point..........................................       31,759       13,049       19,817       11,942         37.6
Non-point......................................       18,043       17,528       17,741          302          1.7
On-road........................................      106,315       62,056       26,648       79,668         74.9
Non-road.......................................       31,850       20,935       17,662       14,188         44.5
                                                ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Total......................................      187,967      113,568       81,868      106,099         56.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     Table 7a--Comparison of 2007, 2017, and 2025 Emissions of SO2 for the Delaware Portion of the Philadelphia Area
                                                                          [tpy]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                           SO2
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                            2007-2017                  2007-2025
                                                                                                   -----------------------------------------------------
                           Sector                                2007         2017         2025                     Percent                    Percent
                                                                                                     Reduction     reduction    Reduction     reduction
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Non-point..................................................          630          521          469          109          17.4          161          25.6
Non-road, MAR..............................................        1,027          112           37          915          89.1          990          96.4
Non-road, NMIM.............................................           91            2            3           89          97.3           88          96.5
On-road....................................................          100           98           98            2           2.4            2           2.4
Point, EGU.................................................        9,119        2,419        2,572        6,700          73.5        6,547          71.8
Point, non-EGU.............................................        4,261        3,843        3,780          418           9.8          482          11.3
                                                            --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total..................................................       15,228        6,995        6,958        8,234          54          8,271          54
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

         Table 7b--Comparison of 2007, 2017, and 2025 Emissions of SO2 for the Entire Philadelphia Area
                                                      [tpy]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                               SO2
                                                ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                2007-2025
                     Sector                                                            -------------------------
                                                     2007         2017         2025                    Percent
                                                                                         Reduction    reduction
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point..........................................        35035        13375        13553        21482         61.3
Non-point......................................        16763        13466         9756         7007         41.8
On-road........................................          773          578          422          351         45.4
Non-road.......................................         6134          851          709         5425         88.4
    Total......................................        58705        28270        24440        34265         58.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Tables 8a, 9a, and 10a provide a summary of the direct 
PM2.5, NOX, and SO2, respectively, 
emissions inventories for the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area 
for the 2008 attainment year, the 2017 interim year,

[[Page 20155]]

and the 2025 maintenance plan end year for the 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS. Tables 8b, 9b, and 10b provide a summary of the 
direct PM2.5, NOX, and SO2, 
respectively, emissions inventories for the entire Philadelphia Area 
for the 2007 attainment year, the 2017 interim year, and the 2025 
maintenance plan end year for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. 
The inventories show that, between 2008 and 2025, the Area is projected 
to reduce direct PM2.5 emissions by 6,287 tpy, 
NOX emissions by 73,606 tpy, and SO2 emissions by 
29,990 tpy. Thus, the projected emissions inventories show that the 
Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area will continue to maintain the 
2006 24-hour PM2.5 standards during the maintenance period.

                Table 8a--Comparison of 2008, 2017, and 2025 Emissions of Direct PM2.5 for the Delaware Portion of the Philadelphia Area
                                                                          [tpy]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Direct PM2.5
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                            2008-2017                  2008-2025
                                                                                                   -----------------------------------------------------
                           Sector                                2008         2017         2025                     Percent                    Percent
                                                                                                     Reduction     reduction    Reduction     reduction
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Non-point..................................................        1,191        1,247        1,327          -56          -4.7         -136         -11.4
Non-road, MAR..............................................          164           59           42          106          64.3          122          74.3
Non-road, NMIM.............................................          148          106          103           42          28.6           45          30.2
On-road....................................................          282          199          199           83          29.4           83          29.4
Point, EGU.................................................          396          410          427          -14          -3.5          -32          -8.0
Point, non-EGU.............................................          713          504          398          209          29.3          315          44.1
    Total..................................................        2,894        2,524        2,497          370          13            396          14
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Table 8b--Comparison of 2008, 2017, and 2025 Emissions of Direct PM2.5 for the Entire Philadelphia Area
                                                      [tpy]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                           Direct PM2.5
                                                ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                2008-2025
                     Sector                                                            -------------------------
                                                     2008         2017         2025                    Percent
                                                                                         Reduction    reduction
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point..........................................        4,790        4,006        4,058          731         15.3
Non-point......................................       11,935        8,917        8,667        3,269         27.4
On-road........................................        2,437        1,125          951        1,486         61.0
Non-road.......................................        1,728        1,598          927          801         46.4
                                                ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Total......................................       20,889       15,646       14,602        6,287         30.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     Table 9a--Comparison of 2008, 2017, and 2025 Emissions of NOX for the Delaware Portion of the Philadelphia Area
                                                                          [tpy]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                         NOX
                                                            --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                            2008-2017                  2008-2025
                           Sector                                                                  -----------------------------------------------------
                                                                 2008         2017         2025                     Percent                    Percent
                                                                                                     Reduction     Reduction    Reduction     Reduction
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Non-point..................................................        1,287        1,299        1,297          -12          -0.9          -10          -0.8
Non-road, MAR..............................................        2,641        1,760        1,247          881          33.3        1,394          52.8
Non-road, NMIM.............................................        1,676          997          837          679          40.5          840          50.1
On-road....................................................        9,311        6,273        6,273        3,038          32.6        3,038          32.6
Point, EGU.................................................        2,185        1,629        1,707          556          25.4          478          21.9
Point, non-EGU.............................................        3,404        1,724        1,421        1,680          49.4        1,983          58.3
                                                            --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total..................................................       20,504       13,682       12,782        6,822          33          7,722          38
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 20156]]

         Table 9b--Comparison of 2008, 2017, and 2025 Emissions of NOX for the Entire Philadelphia Area
                                                      [tpy]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                               NOX
                                                ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                2008-2025
                     Sector                                                            -------------------------
                                                     2008         2017         2025                    Percent
                                                                                         Reduction    reduction
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point..........................................       31,233       12,833       19,489       11,744         37.6
Non-point......................................       23,477       22,807       23,085          392          1.7
On-road........................................       25,905       17,028       14,366       11,540         44.5
Non-road.......................................       66,631       38,892       16,701       49,930         74.9
                                                ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Total......................................      147,247       91,560       73,640       73,606         50.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                    Table 10a--Comparison of 2008, 2015, and 2025 Emissions of SO2 for the Delaware Portion of the Philadelphia Area
                                                                          [tpy]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                           SO2
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                            2008-2017                  2008-2025
                                                                                                   -----------------------------------------------------
                           Sector                                2008         2017         2025                     Percent                    Percent
                                                                                                     Reduction     reduction    Reduction     reduction
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Non-point..................................................          402          336          286           66          16.5          116          28.8
Non-road, MAR..............................................        1,039          120           39          919          88.4        1,000          96.2
Non-road, NMIM.............................................           28            2            3           25          91.0           25          88.4
On-road....................................................           94           98           98           -3          -3.4           -3          -3.4
Point, EGU.................................................        7,122        2,017        2,161        5,104          71.7        4,960          69.7
Point, non-EGU.............................................        3,454        2,559        2,096          895          25.9        1,358          39.3
                                                            --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total..................................................       12,139        5,132        4,683        7,007          58          7,456          61
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

         Table 10b--Comparison of 2008, 2015, and 2025 Emissions of SO2 for the Entire Philadelphia Area
                                                      [tpy]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                               SO2
                                                ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                2008-2025
                     Sector                                                            -------------------------
                                                     2008         2017         2025                    Percent
                                                                                         Reduction    reduction
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point..........................................       29,340       11,201       11,350       17,990         61.3
Non-point......................................       17,016       13,669        9,903        7,113         41.8
On-road........................................        5,312          737          614        4,698         88.4
Non-road.......................................          416          311          227          189         45.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total......................................       52,085       25,919       22,095       29,990         57.6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sections 8.2.3, Control Measures for Maintenance of Good Air 
Quality, in Delaware's maintenance plans and redesignation requests for 
both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 standards, 
summarize emission reductions between the attainment years and the 
maintenance plan end years, i.e. between 2007 or 2008 and 2025 in the 
Delaware portion of the Area. The emissions reductions data included in 
Tables 8-6 of Sections 8.2.3 of Delaware's redesignations requests and 
maintenance plans for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 
NAAQS are summarized in Tables 11a and 11b, for the 1997 annual and 
2006 24-hour NAAQS, respectively.

     Table 11a--2007 to 2025 Emission Reductions Due to Control Measures for the 1997 Annual PM2.5 Standard
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                        NOX            PM2.5            SO2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      EGUs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DE Admin Code 1146 (Multi-Pollutant Regulation).................        1,240.8            10.5         6,562.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 20157]]

 
                                                    Non-EGUs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delaware City Refinery NOX CAP (1650 tpy) post-2015.............        1,157.26            0.00            0.00
Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines--Maximum Achievable               0.02            0.08            0.00
 Control Technology, (RICE MACT) (76 FR 12863)..................
Chrysler Plant Shutdown/unit shutdown...........................            6.50            0.89           16.64
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    Non-point
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RICE MACT.......................................................           42.51            0.30            0.00
EPA New Source Performance Standards for Woodstoves (NSPS), 40              5.00           76.64            0.84
 CFR part 60, subpart AAA.......................................
Non-road (NMIM model)...........................................          918              53              88
On-road (MOVES model)...........................................        4,304             125               2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 Marine Vessels, Aircraft and Locomotives (MAR)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Control of Emissions of Air Pollution from Locomotive Engines             933              37             152
 and Marine Compression-Ignition Engines Less Than 30 Liters per
 Cylinder; Republication; Final Rule. (73 FR 37096).............
Control of Emissions From New Marine Compression-Ignition                 631              90             836
 Engines at or Above 30 Liters per Cylinder (75 FR 22895).......
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................................        9,241             394           7,660
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Table 11b--2008 to 2025 Emission Reductions due to Control Measures for the 2006 24-Hour PM2.5 Standard
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     NOX             PM2.5             SO2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      EGUs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DE Admin Code 1146 (Multi-Pollutant Regulation)..............            953.4              3.5          5,171.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    Non-EGUs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delaware City Refinery NOX CAP (1650 tpy) post-2015..........            874.7              0.0              0.0
RICE MACT (76 FR 12863)......................................              0.0              0.1              0.0
Chrysler Plant Shutdown/unit shutdown........................              8.4              0.7              6.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      Area
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RICE MACT....................................................             42.5              0.3              0.3
Woodstoves NSPS, 40 CFR part 60..............................              4.9             74.1              0.8
Non-road (NMIM model)........................................            840               45               25
On-road (MOVES model)........................................          3,038               83               -3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 Marine Vessels, Aircraft and Locomotives (MAR)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Control of Emissions of Air Pollution from Locomotive Engines            862.3             32.9            150.1
 and Marine Compression-Ignition Engines Less Than 30 Liters
 per Cylinder; Republication; Final Rule. (73 FR 37096)......
Control of Emissions From New Marine Compression-Ignition                597.3             90.7            850.7
 Engines at or Above 30 Liters per Cylinder (75 FR 22895)....
                                                              --------------------------------------------------
    Total....................................................          7,221              330            6,200
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Delaware included Regulation 1142, Section 2.0, Control of Nitrogen 
Oxide (NOX) Emissions from Industrial Boilers and Process 
Heaters at Petroleum Refineries, in that list. However, as explained 
above, Regulation 1142, Section 2.0 is the subject of a separate 
proposed rulemaking action, published on February 22, 2013 (78 FR 
12460). Therefore, EPA has conducted an analysis to determine if the 
area can demonstrate maintenance without emission reductions from that 
regulation.
    Delaware has determined that Regulation 1142, Section 2.0, also 
known as the Delaware City Refinery NOX Cap, achieves 
1,157.26 tons of NOX reductions between 2007 and 2025, and 
874.7 tons of NOX reductions between 2008 and 2025. (See 
Tables 8-6 of Delaware's redesignation requests for the 1997 annual and 
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, respectively.)

[[Page 20158]]

Table 12--Maintenance Demonstration, Not Considering Emission Reductions
                      From Delaware Regulation 1142
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1997 annual PM[bdi2].[bdi5] NAAQS NOX   2006 24-hour
                (tons)              PM[bdi2].[bdi5] NAAQS
                                         NOX (tons)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2025 Maintenance Year...........  81,  2025 Maintenance         73,640
                                  868   Year.
Plus Reductions from Regulation   1,1  Plus Reductions             874.7
 1142, Section 2.                 57.   from Regulation
                                  26    1142, Section 2.
Adjusted 2025...................  83,  Adjusted 2025......      74,515
                                  025
2007 Attainment Year............  187  2008 Attainment         147,247
                                  ,96   Year.
                                   7
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In both cases, the adjusted 2025 NOX emissions are well 
below the attainment year emissions. Therefore, Regulation 1142, 
Section 2 is not needed for maintenance of either the 1997 annual or 
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. Therefore, EPA is not relying upon 
Regulation 1142, Section 2.0 in its evaluation of Delaware's 
maintenance plans for the 1997 annual or 2006 24-hour PM2.5 
NAAQS.
3. Monitoring Network
    There are four PM2.5 monitors in the Delaware portion of 
the Philadelphia Area. Delaware's maintenance plans include a 
commitment to continue to operate its EPA-approved monitoring network, 
as necessary to demonstrate ongoing compliance with the 1997 annual and 
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. DNREC will consult with EPA prior 
to making any necessary changes to the PM2.5 monitoring 
network and will continue to quality assure the monitoring data in 
accordance with the requirements of 40 CFR part 58.
4. Verification of Continued Attainment
    Delaware will acquire ambient monitoring and source emission data 
to track attainment and maintenance. Delaware will also track the 
progress of the maintenance demonstration by periodically updating the 
emissions inventory as required by the Annual Air Emissions Reporting 
Requirements Rule (AERR), or as required by federal regulation during 
the maintenance plan period. This includes developing annual 
inventories for major point sources and a comprehensive periodic 
inventory covering all source categories every three years. Tracking 
will include the evaluation of annual and periodic evaluations for any 
significant emission increases above the 2007 and 2008 attainment year 
levels.
5. Contingency Measures
    The contingency plan provisions are designed to promptly correct a 
violation of either the 1997 annual or the 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS that occurs in the Area after redesignation. 
Section 175A of the CAA requires that a maintenance plan include such 
contingency measures as EPA deems necessary to ensure that Delaware 
will promptly correct a violation of either the 1997 annual or the 2006 
24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS that occurs in the Area after 
redesignation. The maintenance plan should identify the events that 
would ``trigger'' the adoption and implementation of a contingency 
measure(s), the contingency measure(s) that would be adopted and 
implemented, and the schedule indicating the time frame by which the 
state would adopt and implement the measure(s).
    Delaware's maintenance plans outline the procedures for the 
adoption and implementation of contingency measures to further reduce 
emissions should a violation occur. Delaware's contingency measures 
include a warning level response and an action level response. An 
initial warning level response is triggered for the 1997 annual 
PM2.5 NAAQS when the PM2.5 average of the 
weighted annual mean for a single calendar year exceeds 15.1 [mu] g/
m\3\ at any monitor within the Philadelphia Area. An initial warning 
level response is triggered for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS 
when the 98th percentile 24-hour PM2.5 concentration for a 
single calendar year exceeds 35.5 [mu] g/m\3\ within the Area. In 
addition, for both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5, a 
warning level response is also triggered if total PM2.5, 
NOX and SO2 emissions in the Delaware portion of 
the Area increase more than 10% above attainment year levels.
    For the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS, the action level 
response will be prompted by any one of the following: (1) A two-year 
average of the weighted annual mean of 15.1 [mu] g/m\3\ or greater 
occurs within the Area; or (2) a violation of the standard occurs in 
the Area (i.e. a three-year average of the weighted annual means of 
15.1 [mu] g/m\3\ or greater). For the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 
NAAQS, the action level response will be prompted by any one of the 
following: (1) a two-year average of the 98th percentile of 35.5 [mu] 
g/m\3\or greater within the Area; or (2) a violation of the standard 
occurs in the Area (i.e. a three-year average of the 98th percentile of 
35.5 [mu] g/m\3\ or greater).
    In order to select appropriate corrective measures for warning or 
action level triggers, DNREC will conduct a study to determine the 
causes of the violation and the control measures necessary to mitigate 
the problem. The study will evaluate whether the trend, if any, is 
likely to continue and if so, the control measures necessary to reverse 
the trend taking into consideration ease and timing for implementation 
as well as economic and social considerations. Based on the results of 
the analysis, contingency measures will be selected. However, if a new 
measure is already promulgated and scheduled to be implemented at the 
federal or state level at such time after the exceedance, and that 
measure or control is determined to be sufficient to address the upward 
trend in air quality, additional local measures may be unnecessary. 
Delaware will submit to EPA an analysis to demonstrate the proposed 
measures are adequate to return the area to attainment. Adoption of 
additional control measures is subject to necessary administrative and 
legal processes.
    Should a warning level response be triggered, measures that can be 
implemented in a short time will be selected in order to be in place 
within 18 months from the close of the calendar year that prompted the 
warning level. Should an action level response be triggered, 
implementation of necessary control measures will take place as 
expeditiously as possible, but in no event later than 18 months after 
the DNREC makes a determination, based on quality-assured ambient data, 
that a violation of the NAAQS has occurred.
    DNREC has indentified the following potential contingency measures 
for both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour maintenance plans.
     Lower particulate limits for No. 6 fuel oil-fired boilers.
     Working with the local metropolitan planning agencies to 
implement transportation control measures.
     Low-sulfur distillate and residual fuels.
     Additional PM2.5 controls for EGUs and large 
industrial boilers burning

[[Page 20159]]

fuels other than distillate fuel or natural gas.
     Vehicle inspection and maintenance program enhancements 
(increase weight limit, addition of diesel vehicles, etc.).
     Alternative fuel and additional diesel retrofit programs 
for fleet vehicle operations.
     Require NOX or SO2 emission offsets 
for new and modified major sources.
     Increase the ratio of emission offsets required for new 
sources.
     Require NOX or SO2 controls on new 
minor sources (less than 100 tons).
     Require increased recovery efficiency at sulfur recovery 
plants.
     Broader geographic applicability of existing measures.
     Fuel switching from coal to natural gas at the Calpine 
Edge Moor power plant (contingency measure only in the 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS maintenance plan).
6. EPA's Evaluation of VOC and Ammonia Precursors in Delaware's 
Maintenance Plans
    With regard to the redesignation of the Delaware portion of the 
Philadelphia Area in evaluating the effect of the Court's remand of 
EPA's 1997 PM2.5 Implementation Rule, which included 
presumptions against consideration of VOC and ammonia as 
PM2.5 precursors, EPA in this proposed rulemaking action is 
also considering the impact of the decision on the maintenance plan 
required under sections 175A and 107(d)(3)(E)(iv). To begin with, EPA 
notes that the Area has attained both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 standard and that Delaware has shown that attainment 
of these standards is due to permanent and enforceable emission 
reductions.
    EPA proposes to determine that the Delaware's maintenance plan 
shows continued maintenance of the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 standards by tracking the levels of the precursors 
whose control brought about attainment of the standards in the 
Philadelphia Area. EPA, therefore, believes that the only additional 
consideration related to the maintenance plan requirements that results 
from the Court's January 4, 2013 decision is that of assessing the 
potential role of VOC and ammonia in demonstrating continued 
maintenance in this Area. As explained subsequently, based upon 
documentation provided by the State and supporting information, EPA 
believes that the maintenance plans for the Delaware portion of the 
Area need not include any additional emission reductions of VOC or 
ammonia in order to provide for continued maintenance of the 1997 
annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS.
    First, as noted previously in EPA's discussion of section 189(e), 
VOC emission levels in the Philadelphia Area have historically been 
well-controlled under SIP requirements related to ozone and other 
pollutants. Second, total ammonia emissions throughout the Philadelphia 
Area are low, especially in comparison to the total amounts of 
SO2, NOX, and even direct PM2.5 
emissions from sources in the Area.
    In the Philadelphia Area, emissions of direct PM2.5, 
NOX, and SO2 are projected to decrease by 9,055 
tpy, 106,099 tpy, and 34,265 tpy, respectively, over the maintenance 
period for the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS and by 6,287 tpy, 
73,606 tpy, and 29,990 tpy, respectively, over the maintenance period 
for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. See Tables 5b through 10b. 
In addition, emissions inventories used in the regulatory impact 
analysis (RIA) for the 2012 PM2.5 NAAQS \12\ show that VOC 
and ammonia emissions are projected to decrease by 33,076 tpy and 611 
tpy, respectively, between 2007 and 2020. See Table 13. While the RIA 
emissions inventories are only projected out to 2020, there is no 
reason to believe that this downward trend would not continue through 
2025. Given that the Philadelphia Area is already attaining the 1997 
annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS even with the current 
level of emissions from sources in the area, the downward trend of 
emissions inventories would be consistent with continued attainment. 
Indeed, projected emissions reductions for the precursors that the 
State is addressing for purposes of the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS indicate that the area should continue to attain 
the NAAQS following the precursor control strategy that the state has 
already elected to pursue. Even if VOC and ammonia emissions were to 
increase unexpectedly between 2020 and 2025, the overall emissions 
reductions projected in direct PM2.5, SO2, and 
NOX would be sufficient to offset any increases. For these 
reasons, EPA believes that local emissions of all of the potential 
PM2.5 precursors will not increase to the extent that they 
will cause monitored PM2.5 levels to violate the 1997 annual 
and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 standard during the maintenance 
period.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \12\ Review of the NAAQS for Particulate Matter--Regulatory 
Impact Analysis.'' Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0955.

                    Table 13--Comparison of 2007 and 2020 Emissions of VOC and Ammonia for the Entire Philadelphia Area, in tpy \13\
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                VOC                                           Ammonia
                                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         Sector                                                             Net change                                      Net change
                                                               2007            2020          2007-2020         2007            2020          2007-2020
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point...................................................           9,475           8,906             569             905           1,085            -180
Area....................................................          71,981          72,537            -556           4,821           5,001            -180
Non-road................................................          27,267          16,032          11,234              34              40              -6
On-road.................................................          35,169          13,340          21,829           2,005           1,029             977
Fires...................................................           1,798           1,798               0             125             125               0
                                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total...............................................         145,689         112,613          33,076           7,890           7,279             611
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \13\ These emissions estimates were taken from the emissions 
inventories developed for the RIA for the 2012 PM2.5 
NAAQS.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In addition, available air quality modeling analyses show continued 
maintenance of the standard during the maintenance period. The current 
annual design value for the Area is 13.7 [mu]g/m\3\ and the current 24-
hour design value is 33 [mu]g/m\3\, based on 2010-2012 air quality 
data, which are well below the levels of the 1997 annual and 2006 24-
hour PM2.5 NAAQS. See Tables 1 and 2. Moreover, the modeling 
analysis

[[Page 20160]]

conducted for the RIA for the 2012 PM2.5 NAAQS indicates 
that the design values for the Philadelphia Area are expected to 
continue to decline through 2020. In the RIA analysis, the 2020 modeled 
annual design value for the Area is 9.4 [mu]g/m\3\ and the 2020 24-hour 
design value is 24 [mu]g/m\3\.\14\ Given that most precursor emissions 
are projected to decrease through 2025, it is reasonable to conclude 
that monitored PM2.5 levels in the Area will also continue 
to decrease through 2025.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \14\ The 2020 projected PM2.5 design values are part 
of the RIA for the 2012 PM2.5 NAAQS.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Thus, EPA believes that there is ample justification to conclude 
that the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area should be 
redesignated, even taking into consideration the emissions of other 
precursors potentially relevant to PM2.5. After 
consideration of the D.C. Circuit's January 4, 2013 decision, and for 
the reasons set forth in this rulemaking action, EPA proposes to 
approve Delaware's maintenance plans and requests to redesignate its 
portion of the Philadelphia Area to attainment for the 1997 annual and 
2006 24-hour PM2.5 standards. This proposed approval is 
based on a showing that Delaware's maintenance plans provides for 
maintenance of both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 
standards for at least ten years after redesignation, throughout 2025, 
in accordance with section 175A.

C. Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets

    Section 176(c) of the CAA requires Federal actions in nonattainment 
and maintenance areas to ``conform to'' the goals of SIPs. This means 
that such actions will not cause or contribute to violations of a 
NAAQS, worsen the severity of an existing violation, or delay timely 
attainment of any NAAQS or any interim milestone. Actions involving 
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) or Federal Transit Administration 
(FTA) funding or approval are subject to the transportation conformity 
rule (40 CFR part 93, subpart A). Under this rule, metropolitan 
planning organizations (MPOs) in nonattainment and maintenance areas 
coordinate with state air quality and transportation agencies, EPA, and 
the FHWA and FTA to demonstrate that their long range transportation 
plans and transportation improvement programs (TIP) conform to 
applicable SIPs. This is typically determined by showing that estimated 
emissions from existing and planned highway and transit systems are 
less than or equal to the MVEBs contained in the SIP.
    On December 12, 2012, Delaware submitted a SIP revision that 
contains the PM2.5 and NOX on-road mobile source 
budgets. In a separate and concurrent process, EPA is conducting a 
process to find adequate the MVEBs for New Castle County which are 
associated with the Delaware maintenance plan for the Philadelphia 
Area. Concurrently with EPA's proposal to approve the SIP, a notice 
will be posted on EPA's Web site at http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/currsips.htm for the purpose of opening a 30-
day public comment period on the adequacy of the MVEBs for New Castle 
County in the maintenance plan for the Philadelphia Area. That notice 
will inform the public of the availability of the Delaware SIP revision 
on DNREC's Web site. Interested members of the public can access 
Delaware's December 12, 2012 SIP revision on line at 
www.regulations.gov, Docket No. EPA-R03-OAR-2014-0022. Following EPA's 
public comment period, responses to any comments received will be 
addressed. EPA has reviewed the MVEBs and found them consistent with 
the maintenance plan and that the budgets meet the criteria for 
adequacy and approval. Additional information pertaining to the review 
of the MVEBs can be found in the TSD in this docket titled Adequacy 
Findings for the Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets in the Maintenance 
Plan for the Delaware Portion of the Philadelphia-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE 
1997 Fine Particulate (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality 
Standard (NAAQS) Nonattainment Area.

VI. Proposed Actions

    EPA is proposing to approve Delaware's requests to redesignate the 
Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area from nonattainment to 
attainment for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 
NAAQS. EPA has evaluated Delaware's redesignation requests and 
determined that upon approval of the 2008 comprehensive emissions 
inventory for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS proposed as part 
of this rulemaking action, it would meet the redesignation criteria set 
forth in section 107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA for both standards. EPA 
believes that the monitoring data demonstrate that the Philadelphia 
Area is attaining and will continue to attain the 1997 annual and 2006 
24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA is also proposing to approve the 
associated maintenance plans for the Delaware portion of the Area as a 
revision to the Delaware SIP for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 standards because it meets the requirements of CAA 
section 175A for both standards. For transportation conformity 
purposes, EPA is also proposing to approve MVEBs for both the 1997 
annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 standards. Final approval of 
the redesignation requests would change the official designations of 
the Delaware portion of the Philadelphia Area for the 1997 annual and 
the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, respectively, found at 40 CFR 
part 81, from nonattainment to attainment, and would incorporate into 
the Delaware SIP the associated maintenance plans ensuring continued 
attainment of the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS 
in the Delaware portion of the Area for the next 10 years, until 2025. 
EPA is soliciting public comments on the issues discussed in this 
document. These comments will be considered before taking final action.

VII. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

    Under the CAA, redesignation of an area to attainment and the 
accompanying approval of the maintenance plan under CAA section 
107(d)(3)(E) are actions that affect the status of geographical area 
and do not impose any additional regulatory requirements on sources 
beyond those required by state law. A redesignation to attainment does 
not in and of itself impose any new requirements, but rather results in 
the application of requirements contained in the CAA for areas that 
have been redesignated to attainment. Moreover, the Administrator is 
required to approve a SIP submission that complies with the provisions 
of the Act and applicable Federal regulations. 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 action merely proposes to approve state law as 
meeting Federal requirements and does not impose additional 
requirements beyond those imposed by state law and the CAA. For that 
reason, this proposed action:
     is not a ``significant regulatory action'' subject to 
review by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Order 
12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993);
     does not impose an information collection burden under the 
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
     is certified as not having a significant economic impact 
on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
     does not contain any unfunded mandate or significantly or 
uniquely

[[Page 20161]]

affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
Act of 1995 (Public Law 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 CAA; and
     does 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, this rule, in which EPA is proposing approval of the 
redesignation requests and maintenance plans for the Delaware portion 
of the Philadelphia Area for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour 
PM2.5 NAAQS and the 2008 comprehensive emissions inventory 
for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, does not have tribal 
implications as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, 
November 9, 2000), because the SIP is not approved to apply in Indian 
country located in the state, and EPA notes that it will not impose 
substantial direct costs on tribal governments or preempt tribal law.

List of Subjects

40 CFR Part 52

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Nitrogen oxides, 
Particulate matter, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Sulfur 
oxides, Volatile organic compounds.

40 CFR Part 81

    Air pollution control, National parks, and Wilderness areas.

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

    Dated: April 2, 2014.
Shawn M. Garvin,
Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. 2014-08246 Filed 4-10-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P