Source: http://openjurist.org/82/f3d/451
Timestamp: 2015-07-31 05:19:19
Document Index: 220804687

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 7506', '§ 7410', '§ 7506', '§ 7506', '§ 134', '§ 5303', '§ 7506', '§ 51', '§ 51', '§ 7506', '§ 51', '§ 51', '§ 51', '§ 51', '§ 7506', '§ 9607', '§ 51', '§ 51', '§ 7511', '§ 7506', '§ 7511', '§ 51', '§ 51', '§ 176']

82 F3d 451 Environmental Defense Fund Inc v. Environmental Protection Agency | OpenJurist
82 F. 3d 451 - Environmental Defense Fund Inc v. Environmental Protection Agency Home
82 F3d 451 Environmental Defense Fund Inc v. Environmental Protection Agency 82 F.3d 451
42 ERC 1577, 317 U.S.App.D.C. 207, 26Envtl. L. Rep. 20,968
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND, INC., Sierra Club, NaturalResources Defense Council, Inc., Conservation LawFoundation, Oregon Environmental Council, Delaware ValleyCitizens Council for Clean Air, Petitionersv.ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, et al., Respondents,American Trucking Associations, Inc. and American Road andTransportation Builders Association, Intervenors.
Argued Dec. 13, 1995.Decided April 19, 1996.
The petitioners, six environmentalist associations,1 (collectively cited as EDF) seek review of regulations promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (Agency or EPA) pursuant to section 176 of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. § 7506. For the reasons set forth below, we deny the petitions for review.
Since 1970 the Clean Air Act has required states to adopt, after reasonable notice and public hearings and approval by the Agency, State Implementation Plans (SIPs) that "provide[ ] for implementation, maintenance, and enforcement" of "national ambient air quality standards." 42 U.S.C. § 7410(a)(2)(A). In 1977 Congress amended the Act by adding section 176, 42 U.S.C. § 7506. That section, as amended, requires each federal agency to determine that a proposed activity in a "nonattainment" or "maintenance" area2 conforms to an applicable SIP before the agency can "engage in, support in any way or provide financial assistance for, license or permit, or approve" the activity and prohibits a "metropolitan planning organization"3 from approving "any project, program, or plan which does not conform to [an applicable SIP]." 42 U.S.C. § 7506(c)(1).4 Subsection (c)(2) of section 176 specifically addresses conformity of transportation programs and plans "developed pursuant to Title 23 or the Urban Mass Transportation Act." Each of the cited laws requires that a metropolitan planning organization establish for its area both a "long range" transportation plan and a "transportation improvement program" (TIP). 23 U.S.C. § 134(g), (h); 49 U.S.C. §§ 5303(f), 5304(a).5 Subsection (c)(2) requires that the transportation plans and TIPs "implement the transportation provisions of any applicable [SIP] applicable to all or part of the area covered by such transportation plan or program" and prohibits federal approval, acceptance or funding of any transportation plan unless it is first found to conform to the SIP.6 42 U.S.C. § 7506(c)(2). In addition, subsection (c)(4) further directs the Agency to "promulgate criteria and procedures for determining conformity" under the statute. Accordingly, the Agency published its final "Transportation Conformity Rule" on November 24, 1993, see 58 Fed.Reg. 62,188, and its final "General Conformity Rule" on November 30, 1993, see 58 Fed.Reg. 63,214. It is to portions of these rules that the petitioners mount their challenge. We address each challenged regulation separately.
First, the petitioners challenge "grandfather" provisions that temporarily exempt certain projects from the section 176 conformity determination requirements. Both final rules require generally that conformity determinations for covered projects be made before any federal action is taken on them. See 40 C.F.R. §§ 51.850(a)-(b), 51.394(a).7 Each rule exempts from the conformity determination requirement, however, projects that have undergone recent National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses--for non-transportation projects within the preceding five years and for transportation projects within the preceding three years. See 40 C.F.R. §§ 51.850(c)(1), 51.394(c)(1).8 The petitioners contend the rules' "grandfather" provisions conflict with the clear conformity mandate of section 176(c)(1) and (c)(2). We disagree.
While the statute requires that a conformity determination be made before any federal action is taken, it also vests the Agency with discretion to set "the appropriate frequency for making conformity determinations" so long as "such determinations for transportation plans and programs [not] be less frequent than every three years." 42 U.S.C. § 7506(c)(4)(B)(ii). Exercising its discretion, the Agency set a conformity determination deadline of five years after a NEPA analysis for non-transportation projects and three years after a NEPA analysis for transportation projects. See 40 C.F.R. § 51.857(a) ("The conformity status of a Federal action automatically lapses 5 years from the date a final conformity determination is reported under § 51.855, unless the Federal action has been completed or a continuous program has been commenced to implement that Federal action within a reasonable time."); 40 C.F.R. § 51.394(c)(1) (exempting conformity determinations for transportation projects if there has been a "NEPA process completion" "within the past three years"). As the Agency explained, the accommodation was necessary to avoid immediate "retroactive" implementation of the new conformity requirement which would impose a substantial and unforeseen burden on federal projects that had already satisfied existing federal requirements. 58 Fed.Reg. at 63,216; see also 58 Fed.Reg. at 62,200 ("By proposing to allow projects which have final approval to proceed, and by proposing to require only one project-level conformity determination, EPA intended to avoid disrupting the implementation process for projects which are underway."). The resulting scheme permits projects in compliance with former statutory requirements, as demonstrated by the NEPA review, to proceed as planned so long as the newly required compliance determination is made according to the Agency's regulatory schedule. Because its schedule is consistent with the statutory language (preserving the one statutorily fixed three-year deadline for transportation project compliance determinations), we conclude it must be upheld as a reasonable exercise of the Agency's express statutory discretion to set conformity determination deadlines. See Woolen Mill Assocs. v. FERC, 917 F.2d 589, 593 (D.C.Cir.1990).
Next, the petitioners challenge two additional regulations on the ground that they permit untimely implementation of "transportation control measures" (TCMs)9 in violation of the express requirements of section 176. We conclude both regulations reflect reasonable interpretations of the statutory language.
The petitioners first contend that 40 C.F.R. § 51.418(c)(1) allows approval of a TIP when the TIP's TCMs "are behind the schedule established in the applicable implementation plan" and therefore violates the statutory requirement that "no metropolitan planning organization or other recipient of funds under Title 23 or the Urban Mass Transportation Act shall adopt or approve a transportation improvement program of projects until it determines that such program provides for timely implementation of transportation control measures consistent with schedules included in the applicable implementation plan." 42 U.S.C. § 7506(c)(2)(B). According to the petitioners, the challenged regulation conflicts with the statute's clear mandate that no transportation project be approved unless it requires implementation of TCMs in strict compliance with the SIP schedules. We believe the petitioners construe the phrase "consistent with" too narrowly. Preceding the preposition "with," "consistent" means "agreeing or according in substance or form," that is "congruous" or "compatible." 3 Oxford English Dictionary 773 (2d ed. 1989). Thus, the statutory language does not require exact correspondence between the SIP TCM schedule and the TIP's implementation schedule but only congruity or compatibility between them. Cf. NL Indus., Inc. v. Kaplan, 792 F.2d 896, 898-99 (9th Cir.1986) (statutory phrase "consistent with the national contingency plan" in 42 U.S.C. § 9607(a)(2)(B) "does not necessitate strict compliance with [national contingency plan's] provisions") (citing Wickland Oil Terminals v. Asarco, Inc., 792 F.2d 887, 891-92 (9th Cir.1986)). Such congruity is attained under the promulgated regulation which permits deviation from a SIP schedule only when "the [metropolitan planning organization] and [the Department of Transportation] have determined that past obstacles to implementation of the TCMs have been identified and have been or are being overcome, and that all State and local agencies with influence over approvals or funding for TCMs are giving maximum priority to approval or funding of TCMs over other projects within their control." 40 C.F.R. § 51.418(c)(1). The Agency determined that "this approach is a practical necessity to accommodate uncontrollable delays." 58 Fed.Reg. at 62,197. Given the flexible statutory language we must defer to the agency's determination.
Second, the petitioners challenge 40 C.F.R. § 51.418(b)(1) and (c)(1) insofar as those subsections require that transportation plans and TIPs provide for timely implementation of only those TCMs "which are eligible for funding under title 23 U.S.C. or the Federal Transit Act." The Agency explained the reason for limiting the regulation to projects eligible for federal funding in the preamble to the final transportation conformity rule:
Clean Air Act section 176(c)(2)(B) requires TIPs to provide for timely implementation of TCMs, but does not define TCMs. The statute is therefore ambiguous with respect to which TCMs must be implemented, and EPA may take any reasonable interpretation of the definition of TCMs. Chevron v. NRDC, 467 U.S. 837 [104 S.Ct. 2778, 81 L.Ed.2d 694] (1984). Since plans and TIPs can at the most "provide for" only those projects which are eligible for Federal funding, it is reasonable to define those TCMs required to be implemented by Clean Air Act section 176(c)(2)(B) to be only those SIP TCMs that are eligible for Federal funding.
58 Fed.Reg. at 62,211. We find the Agency's rationale persuasive and the challenged limitation consistent with the statutory language. The petitioners argue that under the statute transportation plans and TIPs must "provide for" timely implementation of non-federally fundable TCMs by allocating federal funding of eligible projects in such a way that state funds are freed for funding of ineligible projects. Like the Agency we doubt that Congress intended so strained a reading of its federal funding legislation. Nevertheless, assuming that the petitioners' position is reasonable, we must still defer to the Agency's view which is at least equally compatible with the statutory language. See Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. v. Thomas, 805 F.2d 410, 439 (D.C.Cir.1986) (in spite of petitioners' "often plausible" interpretations, where "the EPA was able to adduce an equally reasonable interpretation of the law it was assigned to execute, we must defer to the agency").
Section 176(c) provides for conformity determinations to be made for transportation plans, programs, and projects before revised SIPs are approved by the Agency. During this so-called "interim period," transportation plans and improvement programs may be found to conform if inter alia they, "with respect to ozone and carbon monoxide nonattainment areas, contribute to annual emissions reductions consistent with [42 U.S.C. §§ 7511a(b)(1) and 7512a(a)(7) ]." 42 U.S.C. § 7506(c)(3)(A) (emphasis added). Section 7511a(b)(1) requires that SIPs provide for "Moderate Area" emissions reductions of volatile organic compounds in an amount "of at least 15 percent from [1990] emissions" by 1996, and for "such specific annual reductions in emissions of volatile organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen as necessary to attain the national primary ambient air quality standard for ozone" by the applicable date. 42 U.S.C. § 7511a(b)(1)(A)(i). Section 7511a(b)(1) further provides that certain emissions reductions--increasingly demanding tailpipe exhaust standards, for example--will not be creditable toward the required 15% reduction. Section 7512a(a)(7) states that, within "Moderate Areas," SIPs must provide for attainment of the carbon monoxide national ambient air quality standard and for "such specific annual emission reductions as are necessary to attain the standard" by the applicable date.
The Agency's rules for determining whether a transportation plan (40 C.F.R. § 51.436) or program (40 C.F.R. § 51.438) "contributes to annual emissions reductions" during the interim period require two comparisons. The metropolitan planning organization (or other recipient of federal highway funds) determines what the transportation emissions levels for volatile organic compounds, oxides of nitrogen, and carbon monoxide were for 1990. The metropolitan planning organization must also predict the emissions from its transportation system if the projects existing or very near completion today were to continue to exist at specified points in the future but without the plan or program. This level of emissions is called the "Baseline" or "no build" scenario. And, the future emissions if the given transportation plan or improvement program were to be implemented and if other regionally significant projects were to be undertaken--the "Action" or "build" scenario--must be determined. Once these three emissions levels are calculated, the metropolitan planning organization compares the Action scenario emissions with the emissions under the Baseline scenario and with the emissions level as of 1990. If the Action scenario emissions are lower than both the Baseline and 1990 emissions, then the transportation plan or improvement program has met the "contribute to" requirement.
Petitioners challenge the "contribute to" rules, which allegedly fail to require that the transportation plan or improvement program reduce emissions at all, much less at the amount that the statute is said to command. Petitioners complain that non-plan and non-improvement program technologies and measures that reduce emissions after 1990 may render the Action scenario emissions lower than 1990 levels even though the plan or improvement program fails to produce any emissions reduction.10 Further, petitioners contend that the rule improperly allows the Action scenario to account for projects and traffic reduction measures not included in the plan or improvement program. If non-plan, non-improvement program projects reduce Action scenario emissions enough, the plan and improvement program need not reduce emissions at all and may in fact increase emissions. It is also argued that the Action scenario allows credit to be taken for emissions reductions that are expressly noncreditable under section 7511a(b)(1)(D). Permitting plans and programs to be found to conform despite their contributing no emissions reductions is particularly egregious, petitioners suggest, since the plan or improvement program must reduce emissions at a level sufficient to meet the 15% requirement set forth in section 7511a(b)(1).
The Agency does not disagree with petitioners' assessment of the possible consequences of its "contribute to" regime. Rather, it takes issue with the premise of petitioners' criticisms: that the plan or improvement program must itself produce an absolute reduction in the given emissions. According to the Agency, section 176(c)(3)(a)(iii) may be interpreted such that a plan or improvement program need not itself produce demonstrable emissions reductions so long as the projected emissions of a region with the plan or improvement program are lower than those for the region without the plan or improvement program. The Agency asserts that plans and improvement programs may "contribute to" emissions reductions by "avoiding or reducing increases in emissions over the years." EPA Br. at 46. It is also argued that the contribution to the emissions reductions need only be "consistent with" the provisions of sections 7511a and 7512a--a requirement that is met so long as the contribution is "congruous" or "compatible" with the reductions required by those sections even though the contribution may not comport with every jot and tittle of those sections. Along these lines, the Agency further contends that the determination of whether a plan or improvement program contributes to annual emissions reductions need not be performed according to the standards of section 7511a(b)(1)(D)--which provides that certain kinds of emissions reductions are not creditable. Those crediting restrictions are said to apply only to SIP revisions, not to plans and programs adopted in the interim. And, those provisions apply to computing the ultimate 15% reduction in emissions, not to the annual emissions reductions required by section 7511a(b)(1) to which section 176(c)(3)(a)(iii) specifically refers.
Petitioners contend that the "contribute to" rules run afoul of the plain language of the statute by failing to require that any given plan or program produce emissions reductions by itself. The Agency has demonstrated, however, that the "contribute to" language of the statute--particularly in combination with the "consistent with" language--is ambiguous. In the first place, the language leaves wide open the question of how large a reduction in emissions must be to constitute a contribution. As the Agency discussed in its notice of proposed rulemaking, the language could be read to require that the plan or program produce "any nonzero reduction" or it could be read to require that the plan or program provide for the entire 15% reduction in volatile organic compounds required under section 7511a(b)(1). Nor does the language clearly set forth whether emissions reductions that can be counted as contributing to annual emissions are those directly attributable to the implementation of the plan or program, or those that follow indirectly. In the face of this ambiguity, and given the statute's express directive to the Agency to "promulgate criteria and procedures for demonstrating and assuring conformity in the case of transportation plans, programs, and projects," § 176(c)(4)(A), we will uphold the Agency's rules if they are reasonable.11