Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2013/01/22/2013-00710/approval-and-promulgation-of-air-quality-implementation-plans-west-virginia-requirements-for
Timestamp: 2016-09-25 19:10:27
Document Index: 416677129

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 93', 'art 51', 'art 93', 'art 93', 'art 93', 'art 93', 'art 52', 'art2', '§\u200952']

:: Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; West Virginia; Requirements for Determining General Conformity of Federal Actions to Applicable State Implementation Plans
This rule is effective on March 25, 2013 without further notice, unless EPA receives adverse written comment by February 21, 2013. If EPA receives such comments, it will publish a timely withdrawal of the direct final rule in the Federal Register and inform the public that the rule will not take effect.
FRL-9770-4
2013-00710
I. General Conformity Requirements and Affect on Air Quality
II. West Virginia's General Conformity SIP Revision
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2013-00710
EPA is taking direct final action to approve a revision to the West Virginia State Implementation Plan (SIP). The SIP revision consists of a legislative rule adopted by West Virginia to amend its prior general conformity rule for the purpose of incorporating revisions to Federal general conformity requirements established under rules promulgated by Start Printed Page 4334EPA in July of 2006 and in April of 2010. EPA is approving West Virginia's SIP revision to amend its general conformity SIP to comply with recent changes in Federal general conformity requirements. This rulemaking action is in accordance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA).
B . Email: mastro.donna@epa.gov.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-R03-OAR-2012-0784. 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.
The intent of the general conformity requirement is to prevent the air quality impacts of Federal actions from causing or contributing to a violation of a National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) or interfering with the purpose of a SIP. Under the CAA as amended in 1990, Congress recognized that actions taken by Federal agencies could affect states' and local agencies' abilities to attain and maintain the NAAQS. Section 176(c) of the CAA requires Federal agencies to assure that their actions conform to the applicable SIP for attaining and maintaining compliance with the NAAQS. General conformity is defined to apply to NAAQS established pursuant to section 109 of the CAA, including NAAQS for carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Because certain provisions of section 176(c) of the CAA apply only to highway and mass transit funding and approval actions, EPA published two sets of regulations to implement section 176(c) of the CAA—one set for transportation conformity and one set for general conformity. The Federal General Conformity Requirements Rule was published in the November 30, 1993 edition of the Federal Register (58 FR 63214) and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations at 40 CFR 93.150.
EPA revised the Federal General Conformity Requirements Rule via a final rule issued in the April 5, 2006 edition of the Federal Register (71 FR 17003). EPA had promulgated a new NAAQS July 18, 1997 (62 FR 38652) that established a separate NAAQS for fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5). The prior coarse particulate matter NAAQS promulgated in 1997 pertains to particulate matter smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter (PM10). EPA's 2006 revision to the Federal General Conformity Requirements Rule added requirements for PM2.5 for the first time, including annual emission limits of PM2.5 above which covered Federal actions in NAAQS nonattainment or maintenance areas would be subject to general conformity applicability.
On April 5, 2010, EPA revisited the Federal General Conformity Requirements Rule to clarify the conformity process, authorize innovative and flexible compliance approaches, remove outdated or unnecessary requirements, reduce the paperwork burden, provide transition tools for implementing new standards, address issues raised by Federal agencies affected by the rules, and provide a better explanation of conformity regulations and policies. EPA's April 2010 revised rule simplified state SIP requirements for general conformity, eliminating duplicative general conformity provisions codified at 40 CFR part 93, Subpart B and 40 CFR part 51, Subpart W. Finally, the April 2010 revision updated the Federal General Conformity Requirements Rule to reflect changes to governing laws passed by Congress since EPA's 1993 rule. The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) passed by Congress in 1995 contains a provision eliminating the CAA requirement for states to adopt general conformity SIPs. As a result of Start Printed Page 4335SAFETEA-LU, EPA's April 2010 rule eliminated the Federal regulatory requirement for states to adopt and submit general conformity SIPs, instead making submission of a general conformity SIP a state option.
On June 6, 2012, West Virginia submitted a formal revision to its SIP. The SIP revision submittal consists of an amendment to West Virginia's legislative rule (Title 45 of the Consolidated Statute of Regulations Series 35, entitled “Determining Conformity of General Federal Actions to Applicable Implementation Plans”) that establishes criteria and procedures for use by Federal agencies in determining whether a planned Federal action conforms to the applicable SIP (also referred to as “general conformity.” The purpose of the SIP revision is to amend West Virginia's general conformity requirements through a legislative rule adopted by West Virginia for purposes of incorporating recent changes made to Federal general conformity requirements, which are at 40 CFR Part 93, Subpart B (effective July 6, 2010).
The SIP revision submittal includes a revision of West Virginia's 1995 legislative rule under Title 45, Series 35 of the Code of State Rules (45CSR35). The revised State rule 45CSR35, now titled “Determining Conformity of General Federal Actions to Applicable Implementation Plans (General Conformity)” with a State effective date of June 1, 2012, has been updated to incorporate by reference the most recent Federal general conformity rules at 40 CFR part 93, Subpart B that were effective June 1, 2011.
West Virginia's legislative rule has also been updated to slightly revise several definitions, including “Applicable implementation plan” and “Applicable SIP.” Several terms no longer used in 45CSR35 were deleted, including “Director,” “Division of Environmental Protection,” “State Governor,” “State and Local Air Agencies,” and “State Agency.” Definitions were added for the terms “Clean Air Act” and “Secretary.” The legislative rule amending 45CSR35 also adds requirements that require a Federal agency to make a determination that a Federal action conforms to the applicable SIP before the action is taken. In the event an action would result in emissions that originate in more than one nonattainment or maintenance area, conformity must be evaluated for each area separately. Finally, a conformity determination under 40 CFR Part 93, Subpart B does not exempt the action from any other requirements of the applicable SIP, the CAA, or the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
A prior version of West Virginia's general conformity rule (45CSR35), which became State effective May 1, 1995, was approved by EPA as part of the West Virginia SIP via a final rule published on September 5, 1995 (60 FR 46029). West Virginia's June 6, 2012 SIP revision submittal, which is the subject of this rulemaking action, supersedes the prior approved West Virginia general conformity SIP.
EPA has reviewed West Virginia's June 6, 2012 SIP revision submittal and found this revision to be in compliance with section 176(c) of the CAA and with the related requirements of the Federal General Conformity Requirements Rule, codified at 40 CFR Part 93, Subpart B. West Virginia's SIP revision serves to reduce the impact of Federal actions (not otherwise subject to transportation conformity, which is addressed under a separate provision in the West Virginia SIP), and will prevent subject Federal actions from causing or contributing to a new violation of a NAAQS, interfering with attainment or maintenance of a NAAQS, or otherwise interfering with the West Virginia SIP.
West Virginia's June 6, 2012 SIP revision meets the requirements set forth in section 110 of the CAA with respect to adoption and submission of SIP revisions. The approval of West Virginia's general conformity SIP revision will strengthen the West Virginia SIP and will assist the state in complying with Federal NAAQS.
Therefore, EPA is approving West Virginia's revision to its general conformity SIP to comply with the most recent Federal General Conformity Requirements Rule. EPA is publishing this rule without prior proposal because it constitutes a noncontroversial amendment and EPA anticipates no adverse comment. However, in the “Proposed Rules” section of today's Federal Register, EPA is publishing a separate document that will serve as the proposal to approve the SIP revision if adverse comments are filed. This rule will be effective on March 25, 2013 without further notice unless EPA receives adverse comment by February 21, 2013. If EPA receives adverse comment, EPA will publish a timely withdrawal in the Federal Register informing the public that the rule will not take effect. EPA will address all public comments in a subsequent final rule based on the proposed rule. EPA will not institute a second comment period on this rulemaking action. Any parties interested in commenting must do so at this time. Please note that if EPA receives adverse comment on an amendment, paragraph, or section of this rule and if that provision may be severed from the remainder of the rule, EPA may adopt as final those provisions of the rule that are not the subject of an adverse comment.
Does not provide EPA with the discretionary authority to address, as appropriate, disproportionate human health or environmental effects, using Start Printed Page 4336practicable and legally permissible methods, under Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).
Under section 307(b)(1) of the CAA, petitions for judicial review of this action to approve West Virginia's general conformity rule must be filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the appropriate circuit by March 25, 2013. Filing a petition for reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule does not affect the finality of this action for the purposes of judicial review nor does it extend the time within which a petition for judicial review may be filed, and shall not postpone the effectiveness of such rule or action. Parties with objections to this direct final rule are encouraged to file a comment in response to the parallel notice of proposed rulemaking for this action published in the proposed rules section of today's Federal Register, rather than file an immediate petition for judicial review of this direct final rule, so that EPA can withdraw this direct final rule and address the comment in the proposed rulemaking. This action to approve West Virginia's general conformity SIP revision may not be challenged later in proceedings to enforce its requirements. (See section 307(b)(2).)
40 CFR part 52 is amended as follows: Start Part
Start Amendment Part2. In § 52.2520, the table in paragraph (c) is amended by revising the heading of 45 CSR Series 35 and by:End Amendment Part
Start Amendment Parta. Revising the entries for 45-35-1 through 45-35-4; andEnd Amendment Part
Start Amendment Partb. Adding a new entry in numerical order for 45-35-5.End Amendment Part
EPA-Approved Regulations in the West Virginia SIPState citationTitle/subjectState effective dateEPA approval dateAdditional explanation/ citation at 40 CFR 52.2565 * * * * * * *[45 CSR] Series 35Determining Conformity of General Federal Actions to Applicable Implementation Plans (General Conformity)Section 45-35-1General6/1/121/22/13 [Insert page number where the document begins]Section 45-35-2Definitions6/1/121/22/13 [Insert page number where the document begins]Section 45-35-3Requirements6/1/121/22/13 [Insert page number where the document begins]Section 45-35-4Adoption of Requirements6/1/121/22/13 [Insert page number where the document begins]Section 45-35-5Inconsistency Between Rules6/1/121/22/13 [Insert page number where the document begins]
[FR Doc. 2013-00710 Filed 1-18-13; 8:45 am]
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