Source: http://register.dls.virginia.gov/details.aspx?id=7949
Timestamp: 2020-02-21 06:26:12
Document Index: 513321513

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 2', '§ 2', '§ 10', '§ 110', 'art 51', '§ 10', '§ 108', 'arts 50', '§ 10', '§ 108', 'arts 50', '§ 181', '§ 7511', 'art 450', 'art 613', 'art 450', 'art 613', '§ 175', '§ 9601']

REGISTRAR'S NOTICE: The State Air Pollution Control Board is claiming an exemption from Article 2 of the Administrative Process Act in accordance with § 2.2-4006 A 4 b of the Code of Virginia, which excludes regulations that are required by order of any state or federal court of competent jurisdiction where no agency discretion is involved. The board is also claiming an exemption in accordance with § 2.2-4006 A 4 c of the Code of Virginia, which excludes regulations that are necessary to meet the requirements of federal law or regulations, provided such regulations do not differ materially from those required by federal law or regulation. The State Air Pollution Control Board will receive, consider, and respond to petitions by any interested person at any time with respect to reconsideration or revision.
Titles of Regulations: 9VAC5-20. General Provisions (Rev. C19) (amending 9VAC5-20-204).
9VAC5-30. Ambient Air Quality Standards (Rev. C19) (amending 9VAC5-30-55).
9VAC5-151. Regulation for Transportation Conformity (Rev. C19) (amending 9VAC5-151-20).
9VAC5-160. Regulation for General Conformity (Rev. C19) (amending 9VAC5-160-30).
Statutory Authority: § 10.1-1308 of the Code of Virginia; §§ 110 and 182 of the Clean Air Act; 40 CFR Part 51 (9VAC5-20-204, 9VAC5-151-20).
§ 10.1-1308 of the Code of Virginia; §§ 108, 109, 110, 182, and 302 of the Clean Air Act; 40 CFR Parts 50, 51, 53, and 58 (9VAC5-30-55).
§ 10.1-1308 of the Code of Virginia; §§ 108, 109, 182, and 302 of the Clean Air Act; 40 CFR Parts 50, 53, and 58 (9VAC5-160-30).
Background: On March 6, 2015 (80 FR 12264), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established a final rule to implement the 2008 ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). This rule addressed a range of nonattainment area state implementation plan requirements for the 2008 NAAQS, including how to address the revoked 1997 NAAQS. Under Revision G16, the Virginia rules (9VAC5-20-204) were amended to call attention to the fact that the 1997 standard no longer had any effect for the purposes of ozone implementation. Revocation of the 1997 standard also meant that transportation and general conformity reviews were no longer needed in 1997 ozone maintenance areas, and the Virginia conformity regulations were amended accordingly. On February 10, 2017, the Department of Environmental Quality officially requested approval of a revision to the Virginia State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the amended regulations. Since the SIP was originally submitted, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated portions of EPA's final implementation rule on February 16, 2018. Because those provisions were vacated, EPA requested that Virginia officially withdraw the Revision G16 SIP submittal, and the department did so on February 27, 2019.
The amendments (i) conform regulations to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit decision and (ii) add 9VAC5-20-204 A 4 to implement the 2015 ozone NAAQS in the Northern Virginia Ozone Nonattainment Area pursuant to 40 CFR 81.309.
A. Nonattainment areas are geographically defined below by locality for the criteria pollutants indicated. Following the name of each ozone nonattainment area, in parentheses, is the classification assigned pursuant to § 181(a) of the federal Clean Air Act (42 USC § 7511(a)), 40 CFR 51.903(a), and 40 CFR 51.1103(a).
1. Ozone (1-hour).
Northern Virginia Ozone Nonattainment Area (severe).
2. Ozone (8-hour, 0.08 ppm).
Northern Virginia Ozone Nonattainment Area (moderate).
3. Ozone (8-hour, 0.075 ppm).
Northern Virginia Ozone Nonattainment Area (marginal).
4. Ozone (8-hour, 0.070 ppm).
5. All other pollutants.
B. Subdivision A 1 of this section shall not be effective after June 15, 2005.
C. Subdivision A 2 of this section shall not be effective after April 6, 2015.
D. The standard set forth in subsection A of this section shall no longer apply after April 6, 2015. Area designations and classifications with respect to the revoked standard set forth in subsection A of this section are set forth in 9VAC5-20-204 A 2.
A. The provisions of this chapter shall apply to the following actions:
1. Except as provided for in subsection C of this section or 40 CFR 93.126, conformity determinations are required for:
a. The adoption, acceptance, approval or support of transportation plans and transportation plan amendments developed pursuant to 23 CFR Part 450 or 49 CFR Part 613 by a MPO or USDOT;
b. The adoption, acceptance, approval or support of TIPs and TIP amendments developed pursuant to 23 CFR Part 450 or 49 CFR Part 613 by a MPO or USDOT; and
c. The approval, funding, or implementation of FHWA/FTA projects.
2. Conformity determinations are not required under this chapter for individual projects that are not FHWA/FTA projects. However, 40 CFR 93.121 applies to the projects if they are regionally significant.
3. This chapter shall apply to conformity determinations for which the final decision is made on or after the program approval date. For purposes of applying this subdivision, the program approval date of the regulation adopted by the board on March 26, 2007, shall be the date 30 days after the date on which a notice is published in the Virginia Register acknowledging that the administrator has approved the regulation adopted by the board on March 26, 2007.
B. The provisions of this chapter shall apply in all nonattainment and maintenance areas for transportation-related criteria pollutants for which the area is designated nonattainment or has a maintenance plan. The provisions of this chapter shall not apply in nonattainment and maintenance areas that were designated nonattainment or maintenance under a federal standard that has been revoked (see 9VAC5-20-204 B).
1. The provisions of this chapter apply with respect to emissions of the following criteria pollutants: ozone, carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to a nominal 10 micrometers (PM10); and particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to a nominal 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5).
2. The provisions of this chapter also apply with respect to emissions of the following precursor pollutants:
a. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) in ozone areas;
b. NOX in nitrogen dioxide areas;
c. VOCs or NOX or both, in PM10 areas:
(1) If the EPA Regional Administrator or the DEQ Director has made a finding that transportation-related emissions of one or both of these precursors within the nonattainment area are a significant contributor to the PM10 nonattainment problem and has so notified the MPO and USDOT; or
(2) If the applicable implementation plan (or implementation plan submission) establishes an approved (or adequate) budget for such emissions as part of the reasonable further progress, attainment or maintenance strategy;
d. NOX in PM2.5 areas:
(1) Unless both the EPA Regional Administrator and the DEQ Director have made a finding that transportation-related emissions of NOX within the nonattainment area are not a significant contributor to the PM2.5 nonattainment problem and have so notified the MPO and USDOT,; or
(2) The applicable implementation plan (or implementation plan submission) does not establish an approved (or adequate) budget for such emissions as part of the reasonable further progress, attainment or maintenance strategy; and
e. VOC, sulfur dioxide (S02) and/or ammonia (NH3) in PM2.5 areas either:
(1) If the EPA Regional Administrator or the DEQ Director has made a finding that transportation-related emissions of any of these precursors within the nonattainment area are a significant contributor to the PM2.5 nonattainment problem and has so notified the MPO and USDOT,; or
(2) If the applicable implementation plan (or implementation plan submission) establishes an approved (or adequate) budget for such emissions as part of the reasonable further progress, attainment or maintenance strategy.
3. The provisions of this chapter apply to PM2.5 nonattainment and maintenance areas with respect to PM2.5 from re-entrained road dust if the EPA Regional Administrator or the DEQ Director has made a finding that re-entrained road dust emissions within the area are a significant contributor to the PM2.5 nonattainment problem and has so notified the MPO and USDOT, or if the applicable implementation plan (or implementation plan submission) includes re-entrained road dust in the approved (or adequate) budget as part of the reasonable further progress, attainment or maintenance strategy. Re-entrained road dust emissions are produced by travel on paved and unpaved roads (including emissions from anti-skid and deicing materials).
4. The provisions of this chapter apply to maintenance areas through the last year of the area's maintenance plan approved under § 175A(b) of the federal Clean Air Act, unless the applicable implementation plan specifies that the provisions of this chapter shall apply for more than 20 years.
C. In order to receive any FHWA/FTA approved or funding actions, including NEPA approvals, for a project phase subject to this chapter, a currently conforming transportation plan and TIP must be in place at the time of project approval as described in 40 CFR 93.114, except as provided by 40 CFR 93.114(b).
D. For areas or portions of areas that have been continuously designated attainment or not designated for any National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone, CO, PM10, PM2.5 or NO2 since 1990 and are subsequently redesignated to nonattainment or designated nonattainment for any National Ambient Air Quality Standard for any of these pollutants, the provisions of this chapter shall not apply with respect to that National Ambient Air Quality Standard for 12 months following the effective date of final designation to nonattainment for each National Ambient Air Quality Standard for such pollutant.
s. Actions or portions thereof associated with transfers of land, facilities, title, and real properties through an enforceable contract or lease agreement where the delivery of the deed is required to occur promptly after a specific, reasonable condition is met, such as promptly after the land is certified as meeting the requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), 42 USC § 9601 et seq., and where the federal agency does not retain continuing authority to control emissions associated with the lands, facilities, title, or real properties.
a. Initial outer continental shelf lease sales which that are made on a broad scale and are followed by exploration and development plans on a project level.
4. Individual actions which that implement a decision to conduct or carry out a program that has been found to conform to the applicable implementation plan, such as prescribed burning actions which are consistent with a conforming land management plan, that has been found to conform to the applicable implementation plan. The land management plan shall have been found to conform within the past five years.
H. Federal actions which that are part of a continuing response to an emergency or disaster under subdivision G 2 of this section and which that are to be taken more than six months after the commencement of the response to the emergency or disaster under subdivision G 2 of this section are exempt from the requirements of this subsection only if:
2. For actions which that are to be taken after those actions covered by subdivision H 1 of this section, the federal agency makes a new determination as provided in subdivision H 1 of this section, and:
VA.R. Doc. No. R20-6032; Filed January 7, 2020, 8:34 a.m.