Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/04/23/2015-09368/approval-and-promulgation-of-air-quality-implementation-plans-pennsylvania-redesignation-request-and
Timestamp: 2017-08-21 12:54:19
Document Index: 566516801

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 1', 'art 4', 'art 1', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 4', 'art 1', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'arts 1', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 1', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 1', 'art 50', 'art 58', 'art 60', 'art 58', 'art 58', 'art 93']

22672-22690 (19 pages)
FRL-9926-71-Region 3
B. Effect of the D.C. Circuit Court Decision Regarding PM 2.5 Implementation Under Subpart 4 of Part D of Title I of the CAA
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2015-09368 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2015-09368
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's December 3, 2014 request to redesignate to attainment the Johnstown nonattainment area (Johnstown Area or Area) for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour fine particulate matter (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS or standards). EPA is also proposing to determine that the Area continues to attain the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. In addition, EPA is proposing to approve as a revision to the Pennsylvania State Implementation Plan (SIP) the associated maintenance plan that was submitted with the redesignation request, to show maintenance of the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS through 2025 for the Area. The maintenance plan includes the 2017 and 2025 PM2.5 and nitrogen oxides (NOX) motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) for the Area for both NAAQS, which EPA is proposing to approve for transportation conformity purposes. Furthermore, EPA is proposing to approve as a revision to the Pennsylvania SIP the 2007 emissions inventory that is also included in the maintenance plan for the Area for both NAAQS. This rulemaking action to propose approval of the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS redesignation request and associated maintenance plan for the Johnstown Area is based on EPA's determination that Pennsylvania has met the criteria for redesignation to attainment specified in the Clean Air Act (CAA) for both NAAQS.
Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID Number EPA-R03-OAR-2014-0902 by one of the following methods:
C. Mail: EPA-R03-OAR-2014-0902, Cristina Fernandez, Associate Director, Office of Air Quality Planning, Mailcode 3AP30, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-R03-OAR-2014-0902. 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 Start Printed Page 22673of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses.
On January 5, 2005 (70 FR 944), EPA published air quality area designations for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. In that rulemaking action, EPA designated the Johnstown Area as nonattainment for the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS. Id. at 1000. The Johnstown Area is comprised of Cambria County and portions of Indiana County (Township of West Wheatfield, Center, East Wheatfield, and Armagh Borough and Homer City Borough). See 40 CFR 81.339.
On October 17, 2006 (71 FR 61144), EPA retained the annual average standard at 15 μg/m3, but revised the 24-hour standard to 35 μg/m3, based again on the three-year average of the 98th percentile of 24-hour concentrations (the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS). 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 Johnstown Area as nonattainment for the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. The Johnstown Area is comprised of Cambria County and portions of Indiana County. See 40 CFR 81.339.
On September 25, 2009 (74 FR 48863) and March 29, 2012 (77 FR 18922), EPA made determinations that the Johnstown 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 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 were, and continue to be, 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. On July 29, 2011 (76 FR 45424), EPA also determined, in accordance with section 179(c) of the CAA, that the Johnstown Area attained the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS by its applicable attainment date of April 5, 2010.
On December 3, 2014, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), formally submitted a request to redesignate the Johnstown Area from nonattainment to attainment for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. Concurrently, PADEP submitted a combined maintenance plan for the Area as a SIP revision to ensure continued attainment throughout the Area over the next 10 years. The maintenance plan includes the 2017 and 2025 PM2.5 and NOX MVEBs for the Area for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. Also included in the maintenance plan is the 2007 comprehensive emissions inventory for both the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS for PM2.5, NOX, sulfur dioxide (SO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and ammonia (NH3).
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 pollution 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. Each of these requirements are discussed in Section V. of today's proposed rulemaking action.
EPA provided guidance on redesignations in the “SIPs; General Preamble for the Implementation of Title I of the CAA 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 Start Printed Page 22674Areas to Attainment,” Memorandum from John Calcagni, Director, Air Quality Management Division, September 4, 1992 (hereafter referred to as the 1992 Calcagni Memorandum); (2) “SIP Actions Submitted in Response to 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.
The maintenance plan for the Johnstown Area, comprised of Cambria County and portions of Indiana County in Pennsylvania, includes the 2017 and 2025 PM2.5 and NOX MVEBs for transportation conformity purposes. The transportation conformity determination for the Area is further discussed in Section V.C. of today's proposed rulemaking action and in a technical support document (TSD), “Adequacy Findings for the Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets in the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standard Maintenance Plan for the Johnstown, Pennsylvania 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 Nonattainment Area,” dated February 12, 2015, available on line at www.regulations.gov, Docket ID No. EPA-R03-OAR-2014-0902.
EPA is proposing to take several rulemaking actions related to the redesignation of the Johnstown Area to attainment for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA is proposing to find that the Johnstown 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 Pennsylvania's request to change the legal designation of the Johnstown Area from nonattainment to attainment for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA is also proposing to approve the associated maintenance plan for the Johnstown Area as a revision to the Pennsylvania SIP for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, including the 2017 and 2025 PM2.5 and NOX MVEBs for the Area for transportation conformity purposes. Approval of the maintenance plan is one of the CAA criteria for redesignation of the Area to attainment for both NAAQS. Pennsylvania's combined maintenance plan is designed to ensure continued attainment of the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS in the Area for at least 10 years after redesignation.
EPA previously determined that the Johnstown Area attained both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS (see 74 FR 48863 (September 25, 2009) and 77 FR 18922 (March 29, 2012)), and EPA is proposing to find that the Area continues to attain both NAAQS. EPA is also proposing to approve the 2007 comprehensive emissions inventory submitted with Pennsylvania's maintenance plan that includes an inventory of PM2.5, SO2, NOX, VOC, and NH3 for the Area as a revision to the Pennsylvania SIP for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS in order to meet the requirements of section 172(c)(3) of the CAA. EPA's analysis of the proposed actions is provided in Section V. of today's proposed rulemaking.
On August 21, 2012, the D.C. Circuit Court issued its ruling, vacating and remanding CSAPR to EPA and once again ordering continued implementation of CAIR. EME Homer Start Printed Page 22675City Generation, L.P. v. EPA, 696 F.3d 7, 38 (D.C. Cir. 2012). The D.C. Circuit Court subsequently denied EPA's petition for rehearing en banc. EME Homer City Generation, L.P. v. EPA, No. 11-1302, 2013 WL 656247 (D.C. Cir. Jan. 24, 2013), at *1. EPA and other parties then petitioned the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari, and the Supreme Court granted the petitions on June 24, 2013. EPA v. EME Homer City Generation, L.P., 133 S. Ct. 2857 (2013).
On April 29, 2014, the Supreme Court vacated and reversed the D.C. Circuit Court's decision regarding CSAPR, and remanded that decision to the D.C. Circuit Court to resolve remaining issues in accordance with its ruling. EPA v. EME Homer City Generation, L.P., 134 S. Ct. 1584 (2014). EPA moved to have the stay of CSAPR lifted in light of the Supreme Court decision. EME Homer City Generation, L.P. v. EPA, Case No. 11-1302, Document No. 1499505 (D.C. Cir. filed June 26, 2014). In its motion, EPA asked the D.C. Circuit Court to toll CSAPR's compliance deadlines by three years, so that the Phase 1 emissions budgets apply in 2015 and 2016 (instead of 2012 and 2013), and the Phase 2 emissions budgets apply in 2017 and beyond (instead of 2014 and beyond). On October 23, 2014, the D.C. Circuit Court granted EPA's motion and lifted the stay of CSAPR which was imposed on December 30, 2011. EME Homer City Generation, L.P. v. EPA, No. 11-1302 (D.C. Cir. Oct. 23, 2014), Order at 3. On December 3, 2014, EPA issued an interim final rule to clarify how EPA will implement CSAPR consistent with the D.C. Circuit Court's order granting EPA's motion requesting lifting the stay and tolling the rule's deadlines. See 79 FR 71663 (December 3, 2014) (interim final rulemaking). Consistent with that rule, EPA began implementing CSAPR on January 1, 2015.
Because CAIR was promulgated in 2005 and incentivized sources and states to begin achieving early emission reductions, the air quality data examined by EPA in issuing a final determination of attainment for the Johnstown Area in 2009 (September 25, 2009, 74 FR 48863) and the air quality data from the Area since 2005 necessarily reflect reductions in emissions from upwind sources as a result of CAIR, and Pennsylvania included CAIR as one of the measures that helped to bring the Area into attainment. However, modeling conducted by EPA during the CSAPR rulemaking process, which used a baseline emissions scenario that “backed out” the effects of CAIR, see 76 FR 48223, projected that the counties in the Johnstown Area would have design values below the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS for 2012 and 2014 without taking into account emission reductions from CAIR or CSAPR. See Appendix B of EPA's “Air Quality Modeling Final Rule Technical Support Document,” (Pages B-57 and B-86), which is available in the docket for this proposed rulemaking action. In addition, the 2011-2013 quality-assured, quality-controlled, and certified monitoring data for the Johnstown Area confirms that the PM2.5 design values for the Area remained well below the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS in 2013.
The status of CSAPR is not relevant to this redesignation. CSAPR was promulgated in June 2011, and the rule was stayed by the D.C. Circuit Court just six months later, before the trading programs it created were scheduled to go into effect. As stated previously, EPA began implementing CSAPR on January 1, 2015, subsequent to the emission reductions documented in the Commonwealth's December 3, 2014 request for redesignation. Therefore, the Area's attainment of the 1997 annual or the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS cannot have been a result of any emission reductions associated with CSAPR. In summary, neither the status of CAIR nor the current status of CSAPR affects any of the criteria for proposed approval of this redesignation request for the Johnstown Area.
On June 2, 2014 (79 FR 31566), EPA issued a final rule, “Identification of Nonattainment Classification and Deadlines for Submission of SIP Provisions for the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS” (the PM2.5 Subpart 4 Classification and Deadline Rule), which identifies the classification under subpart 4 as “moderate” for areas currently designated nonattainment for the 1997 annual and/or 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. The rule set a deadline for states to submit attainment plans and meet other subpart 4 requirements. The rule specified December 31, 2014 as the deadline for states to submit any additional attainment-related SIP elements that may be needed to meet the applicable requirements of subpart 4 for areas currently designated nonattainment for the 1997 PM2.5 and/or 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS and to submit SIPs addressing the nonattainment NSR requirements in subpart 4.
As explained in detail in the following section, since Pennsylvania submitted its request to redesignate the Johnstown Area on December 3, 2014, any additional attainment-related SIP elements that may be needed for the Area to meet the applicable requirements of subpart 4 were not due at the time Pennsylvania submitted its request to redesignate the Area for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS.
In this proposed rulemaking action, EPA addresses the effect of the D.C. Circuit Court's January 4, 2013 ruling and the June 2, 2014 PM2.5 Subpart 4 Classification and Deadline Rule on the redesignation request for the Area. EPA is proposing to determine that the D.C. Circuit Court's January 4, 2013 decision does not prevent EPA from redesignating the Area to attainment for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. Even in light of the D.C. Circuit 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 Start Printed Page 22676redesignation 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 redesignation request of the Area and disregards the provisions of its 1997 PM2.5 Implementation Rule recently remanded by the D.C. Circuit Court, Pennsylvania's request for redesignation of the Area still qualifies for approval. EPA's discussion also takes into account the effect of the D.C. Circuit Court's ruling and the June 2, 2014 PM2.5 Subpart 4 Classification and Deadline Rule on the maintenance plan of the Area, which EPA views as approvable even when subpart 4 requirements are considered.
With respect to the 1997 PM2.5 Implementation Rule, the D.C. Circuit 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 PM2.5 NAAQS under subpart 4 of part D of the CAA, in addition to subpart 1. For the purposes of evaluating Pennsylvania's December 3, 2014 redesignation request for 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 section 107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA, and thus EPA is not required to consider subpart 4 requirements with respect to the redesignation of the 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 “SIP Requirements for Areas Submitting Requests for Redesignation to Attainment of the Ozone and Carbon Monoxide (CO) 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 “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”).[2] In this case, at the time that Pennsylvania submitted its redesignation request for the Johnstown Area for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, the requirements under subpart 4 were not due.[3]
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.Start Printed Page 22677
In the context of this redesignation, the timing and nature of the D.C. Circuit Court's January 4, 2013 decision in NRDC v. EPA, and EPA's June 2, 2014 PM2.5 Subpart 4 Classification and Deadline Rule compound the consequences of imposing requirements that come due after the redesignation request is submitted. Pennsylvania submitted its redesignation request for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS on December 3, 2014 for the Johnstown Area, which is prior to the deadline by which the area is required to meet the attainment plan and other requirements pursuant to subpart 4.
To require Pennsylvania's fully-complete and pending redesignation request for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS to comply now with requirements of subpart 4 that the D.C. Circuit Court announced only in January 2013 and for which the December 31, 2014 deadline to comply occurred subsequent to EPA's receipt of Pennsylvania's December 3, 2014 redesignation request, would be to give retroactive effect to such requirements and provide Pennsylvania a unique and earlier deadline for compliance solely on the basis of submitting its redesignation request for the Area. The D.C. Circuit Court recognized the inequity of this type of retroactive impact in Sierra Club v. Whitman, 285 F.3d 63 (D.C. Cir. 2002),[4] where it upheld the D.C. Circuit Court's ruling refusing to make retroactive EPA's determination that the areas did not meet their attainment deadlines. In that case, petitioners urged the D.C. Circuit 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 D.C. Circuit 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 Pennsylvania by rejecting its December 3, 2014 redesignation request for the Johnstown Area that EPA previously determined was attaining the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and that met all applicable requirements known to be in effect at the time of the request. For EPA now to reject the redesignation request solely because Pennsylvania did not expressly address subpart 4 requirements which came due after receipt of such request, (and for which it had little to no notice), would inflict the same unfairness condemned by the D.C. Circuit Court in Sierra Club v. Whitman.
Even if EPA were to take the view that the D.C. Circuit Court's January 4, 2013 decision, or the June 2, 2014 PM2.5 Subpart 4 Classification and Deadline Rule, requires that, in the context of a pending redesignation request for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, which were submitted prior to December 31, 2014, subpart 4 requirements must be considered as being due and in effect, EPA proposes to determine that the Area still qualifies for redesignation to attainment for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. As explained subsequently, EPA believes that the redesignation request for the Area, though not expressed in terms of subpart 4 requirements, substantively meets the requirements of that subpart for purposes of redesignating the Area to attainment for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS.
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.[6] In any event, in the context of redesignation, EPA has long relied on the interpretation that a fully approved nonattainment NSR 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 NSR Requirements for Areas Requesting Redesignation to Start Printed Page 22678Attainment.” 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). With respect to the specific attainment planning requirements under subpart 4,[7] when EPA evaluates a redesignation request under either subpart 1 or 4, any area that is attaining the PM2.5 NAAQS 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.”
It is evident that even if we were to consider the D.C. Circuit Court's January 4, 2013 decision in NRDC v. EPA, or the June 2, 2014 PM2.5 Subpart 4 Classification and Deadline Rule, to mean that attainment-related requirements specific to subpart 4 were either due prior to Pennsylvania's December 3, 2014 redesignation request or became due subsequent to the December 3, 2014 redesignation request and must now be imposed retroactively,[8] those requirements do not apply to areas that are attaining the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS for the purpose of evaluating a pending request to redesignate the areas 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).
As stated previously in this proposed rulemaking action, on September 25, 2009 (74 FR 48863) and March 29, 2012 (77 FR 18922), EPA made determinations that the Johnstown 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 Area to submit an attainment demonstration and associated RACM, RFP plan, contingency measures, and other planning SIPs related to the attainment of either the 1997 annual or 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS were, and continue to be, 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. Under its longstanding interpretation, EPA is proposing to determine here that the Area meets the attainment-related plan requirements of subparts 1 and 4 for the 1997 annual and the 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 this redesignation request.
The D.C. Circuit Court in its January 4, 2013 decision made reference to both Start Printed Page 22679section 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 VOCs and NH3 are not PM2.5 precursors, as subpart 4 expressly governs precursor presumptions.” NRDC v. EPA, at 27, n.10.
Elsewhere in the D.C. Circuit Court's opinion, however, the D.C. Circuit Court observed: “NH3 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, the redesignation of the Johnstown Area for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS is consistent with the D.C. Circuit Court's decision on this aspect of subpart 4. While the D.C. Circuit Court, citing section 189(e), stated that “for a PM10 area governed by subpart 4, a precursor is `presumptively' regulated,” the D.C. Circuit Court expressly declined to decide the specific challenge to EPA's 1997 PM2.5 Implementation Rule provisions regarding NH3 and VOC as precursors. The D.C. Circuit 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 1997 PM2.5 Implementation Rule's rebuttable presumptions regarding NH3 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 Johnstown Area, EPA believes that doing so is consistent with proposing redesignation of the Area for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. The Area has attained the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS without any specific additional controls of NH3 and VOC 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.[9] 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 NH3 and VOC. Thus, EPA must address here whether additional controls of NH3 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 the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. As explained subsequently, EPA does not believe that any additional controls of NH3 and VOC are required in the context of this redesignation.
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 VOC 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. EPA in this rulemaking action, proposes to determine that the Pennsylvania SIP revision has met the provisions of section 189(e) with respect to NH3 and VOC as precursors. These proposed determinations are based on EPA's findings that: (1) The Johnstown Area contains no major stationary sources of NH3; and (2) existing major stationary sources of VOC are adequately controlled under other provisions of the CAA regulating the ozone NAAQS.[10] In the alternative, EPA proposes to determine that, under the express exception provisions of section 189(e), and in the context of the redesignation of the Area, which is attaining the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, at present NH3 and VOC precursors from major stationary sources do not contribute significantly to levels exceeding the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS in the Area. See 57 FR 13539-42.
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.[11] Courts have upheld this approach to the requirements of subpart 4 for PM10.[12] EPA believes that application of this approach to PM2.5 precursors under subpart 4 is reasonable. Because the Area has already attained the 1997 annual and the 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 an attainment control strategy with respect to the treatment of precursors. Even if the D.C. Circuit 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 Pennsylvania's request for redesignation of the Johnstown Area for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. In the context of a Start Printed Page 22680redesignation, Pennsylvania has shown that the Area has attained both standards. Moreover, Pennsylvania has shown, and EPA proposes to determine, that attainment of the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS in this Area is due to permanent and enforceable emission reductions on all precursors necessary to provide for continued attainment of the NAAQS. See Section V.A.3 of this proposed rulemaking action. It follows logically that no further control of additional precursors is necessary. Accordingly, EPA does not view the January 4, 2013 decision of the D.C. Circuit Court as precluding redesignation of the Area to attainment for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS at this time.
In summary, even if, prior to submitting its December 3, 2014 redesignation request submittal or subsequent to such submission and prior to December 31, 2014, Pennsylvania was required to address precursors for the Area under subpart 4 rather than under subpart 1, as interpreted in EPA's remanded 1997 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) of the CAA.
EPA is proposing several rulemaking actions for the Johnstown Area: (1) To redesignate the Johnstown Area to attainment for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS; (2) to approve into the Pennsylvania SIP the associated maintenance plan for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS; and (3) to approve the 2007 comprehensive emissions inventory into the Pennsylvania SIP to satisfy the requirements of section 172(c)(3) of the CAA for the Area for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, which is one of the CAA criteria for redesignation. EPA's proposed approval of the redesignation request and maintenance plan 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 Area. In addition, EPA is proposing to approve the 2017 and 2025 PM2.5 and NOX MVEBs included in the maintenance plan for the Area for transportation conformity purposes. The following is a description of how Pennsylvania's December 3, 2014 submittal satisfies the requirements of the CAA including specifically section 107(d)(3)(E) for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS.
On September 25, 2009 (74 FR 48863) and July 29, 2011 (76 FR 45424), EPA determined that the Johnstown Area attained the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS based on quality-assured and certified ambient air monitoring data for 2006-2008 and by its applicable attainment date of April 5, 2010 based on quality-assured and certified ambient air quality monitoring data for 2007-2009, respectively. In a separate rulemaking action dated March 29, 2012 (77 FR 18922), EPA determined that the Johnstown Area attained the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, based on quality-assured and certified ambient air quality monitoring data for 2008-2010. The basis and effect of these determinations of attainment for both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS were discussed in the notices of the proposed (74 FR 38158 (July 31, 2009) and 77 FR 2941 (January 20, 2012), respectively) and final (74 FR 48863 and 77 FR 18922, respectively) rulemakings which determined the Area attained the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, respectively.
EPA has reviewed the ambient air quality PM2.5 monitoring data in the Area consistent with the requirements contained in 40 CFR part 50, and recorded in EPA's Air Quality System (AQS) database, including quality-assured, quality-controlled, and state-certified data for the monitoring periods 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011, 2010-2012, and 2011-2013. This data, provided in Tables 1 and 2, shows that the Area continues to attain the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS.
Table 1—Design Values for the Johnstown Area for the 1997 Annual PM2.5 NAAQS (μg/m 3) for 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011, 2010-2012, and 2011-2013
420210011 13.4 12.6 12.4 12.3 12.3
Table 2—Design Values for the Johnstown Area for the 2006 24-Hour PM2.5 NAAQS (μg/m 3) for 2007-2009, 2008-2010, 2009-2011, 2010-2012, and 2011-2013
420210011 32 30 30 30 30
EPA's review of the monitoring data from 2007 through 2013 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. In addition, as discussed subsequently, with respect to the maintenance plan, Pennsylvania has committed to continue monitoring ambient PM2.5 concentrations in accordance with 40 CFR part 58. Thus, based upon analysis of currently available data, EPA is proposing to determine that the Johnstown Area continues to attain the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS.
In accordance with section 107(d)(3)(E)(v), the SIP revision for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS for the Johnstown 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.
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 Start Printed Page 22681measures, 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: (1) submittal of a SIP that has been adopted by the state after reasonable public notice and hearing; (2) provisions for establishment and operation of appropriate procedures needed to monitor ambient air quality; (3) implementation of a minor source permit program and provisions for the implementation of part C requirements (PSD); (4) provisions for the implementation of part D requirements for NSR permit programs; (5) provisions for air pollution modeling; and (6) provisions for public and local agency participation in planning and emission control rule development.
EPA has reviewed the Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania's SIP addressing section 110(a)(2) requirements, including provisions addressing PM2.5. See 77 FR 58955 (September 25, 2012) (approving infrastructure submittals for 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS). These requirements are, however, statewide requirements that are not linked to the PM2.5 nonattainment status of the Area. Therefore, EPA believes that these SIP elements are not applicable requirements for purposes of review of the Commonwealth's PM2.5 redesignation request.
Therefore, because attainment has been reached for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS in the Johnstown Area (see September 25, 2009 (74 FR 48863) and March 29, 2012 (77 FR 18922)), no additional measures are needed to provide for attainment, and section 172(c)(1) requirements for an attainment demonstration and RACM are no longer considered to be applicable for purposes of redesignation as long as the Area continues to attain each standard until redesignation. Section 172(c)(2)'s requirement that nonattainment plans contain provisions promoting RFP toward attainment is also not relevant for purposes of redesignation because EPA has determined that the Johnstown Area has monitored attainment of the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. In addition, because the Johnstown Area has attained the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and is no longer subject to a RFP requirement, the requirement to submit the section 172(c)(9) contingency measures is not Start Printed Page 22682applicable for purposes of redesignation. Section 172(c)(6) requires the SIP to contain control measures necessary to provide for attainment of the NAAQS. Because attainment has been reached, no additional measures are needed to provide for attainment.
The requirement under section 172(c)(3) of the CAA was not suspended by EPA's clean data determination for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and is the only remaining requirement under section 172 to be considered for purposes of redesignation of the Area. Section 172(c)(3) of the CAA requires submission and approval of a comprehensive, accurate, and current inventory of actual emissions. To satisfy the 172(c)(3) requirement for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, Pennsylvania's December 3, 2014 redesignation request and maintenance plan for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS contains a 2007 comprehensive emissions inventory. The 2007 emissions inventory was the most current accurate and comprehensive emissions inventory of PM2.5, NOX, SO2, VOC, and NH3 for the Area when the Area attained the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. Thus, as part of this rulemaking action, EPA is proposing to approve Pennsylvania's 2007 comprehensive emissions inventory for the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS as satisfying the requirement of section 172(c)(3) of the CAA for both standards. 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 1997 annual and 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 shown in Table 3. For more information on EPA's analysis of the 2007 emissions inventory, see the TSD prepared by EPA Region III Office of Air Monitoring and Analysis dated March 3, 2015, “TSD for the Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan for the Johnstown 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 Nonattainment Area” (Inventory TSD), available in the docket for this rulemaking action at www.regulations.gov. See Docket ID No. EPA-R03-OAR-2014-0902.
Table 3—2007 Emissions for the Johnstown Area, in Tons Per Year (TPY)
Point 3,091 41,876 143,322 242 35
Area 719 607 858 2,415 409
Onroad 131 4,011 30 1,770 63
Nonroad 89 1,464 42 897 1
Total 4,031 47,958 144,252 5,325 508
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 Radiation, dated October 14, 1994, entitled, “Part D New Source Review Requirements for Areas Requesting Redesignation to Attainment.” Nevertheless, Pennsylvania currently has an approved NSR program codified in Pennsylvania's regulations at 25 Pa. Code 127.201 et seq. See 77 FR 41276 (July 13, 2012) (approving NSR program into the SIP). See also 49 FR 33127 (August 21, 1984) (approving Pennsylvania's PSD program which incorporates by reference the Federal PSD program at 40 CFR 52.21). However, Pennsylvania's PSD program will become effective in the Johnstown Area upon redesignation to attainment.
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.” On December 3, 2014, in conjunction with its request to redesignate the Johnstown Area to attainment status, Pennsylvania submitted a SIP revision to provide for maintenance of the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS in the Johnstown Area for at least 10 years after redesignation, throughout 2025. Pennsylvania is requesting that EPA approve the maintenance plan to meet the requirements of section 175A of the CAA for both NAAQS. Once approved, the maintenance plan for the Area will ensure that the SIP for Pennsylvania meets the requirements of the CAA regarding maintenance of the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS for the Area. EPA's analysis of the maintenance plan is provided in Section V.B. of this proposed rulemaking action.
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. Start Printed Page 226832001) (upholding this interpretation) and 60 FR 62748 (December 7, 1995) (discussing Tampa, Florida).
Thus, for purposes of redesignating to attainment the Johnstown Area for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, EPA proposes that upon final approval of the 2007 comprehensive emissions inventory as proposed in this rulemaking action, Pennsylvania will meet all the applicable SIP requirements under part D of Title I of the CAA for purposes of redesignating the Area to attainment for both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS.
Upon final approval of the 2007 comprehensive emissions inventory as proposed in this rulemaking action, EPA will have fully approved all applicable requirements of Pennsylvania's SIP for the Johnstown Area for purposes of redesignation to attainment for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS in accordance with section 110(k) of the CAA.
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. Pennsylvania has calculated the change in emissions between 2005, a year showing nonattainment for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS in the Johnstown Area, and 2007, one of the years for which the Area monitored attainment for both standards.
A summary of the emissions reductions of PM2.5, NOX, SO2, VOC, and NH3 from 2005 to 2007 in the Johnstown Area, submitted by PADEP, is provided in Table 4. For more information on EPA's analysis of the 2005 and 2007 emissions inventories, see EPA's Inventory TSD dated March 3, 2015 available in the docket for this proposed rulemaking action.
Table 4—Emission Reductions From 2005 to 2007 in the Johnstown Area
PM2.5 Point 11,872 3,091 8,781 74
Area 1,201 719 482 40
On-road 142 131 10 7
Non-road 84 89 −5 −6
Total 13,299 4,031 9,268 70
NOX Point 41,646 41,876 −230 −1
Area 751 607 144 19
On-road 4,483 4,011 472 11
Non-road 1,364 1,464 −100 −7
Total 48,244 47,958 286 1
SO2 Point 152,657 143,322 9,335 6
Area 1,859 858 1,001 54
On-road 61 30 31 51
Non-road 112 42 70 63
Total 154,689 144,252 10,437 7
VOC Point 344 243 101 30
Area 3,092 2,415 677 22
On-road 1,919 1,770 149 8
Non-road 945 897 48 5
Total 6,300 5,325 975 15
NH3 Point 5 35 −30 −600
Area 511 409 102 20
On-road 67 63 4 6
Non-road 1 1 0 0
Total 584 508 76 13
The reduction in emissions and the corresponding improvement in air quality from 2005 to 2007 for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, respectively, in the Johnstown Area can be attributed to a number of regulatory control measures that have been implemented in the Area and contributing areas in recent years.
PM2.5 concentrations in the Johnstown Area are impacted by the transport of sulfates and nitrates, and the Area's air quality is strongly affected by regulation of SO2 and NOX emissions from power plants.
NOX SIP Call—On October 27, 1998 (63 FR 57356), EPA issued the NOX SIP Call requiring the District of Columbia and 22 states to reduce emissions of NOX, a precursor to ozone pollution.[14] Affected states were required to comply with Phase I of the SIP Call beginning in 2004 and Phase II beginning in 2007. Emission reductions resulting from regulations developed in response to the NOX SIP Call are permanent and enforceable. By imposing an emissions cap regionally, the NOX SIP Call reduced NOX emissions from large Start Printed Page 22684EGUs and large non-EGUs such as industrial boilers, internal combustion engines, and cement kilns. In response to the NOX SIP Call, Pennsylvania adopted its NOX Budget Trading Program regulations for EGUs and large industrial boilers, with emission reductions starting in May 2003. Pennsylvania's NOX Budget Trading Program regulation was approved into the Pennsylvania SIP on August 21, 2001 (66 FR 43795). To meet other requirements of the NOX SIP Call, Pennsylvania adopted NOX control regulations for cement plants and internal combustion engines, with emission reductions starting in May 2005. These regulations were approved into the Pennsylvania SIP on September 29, 2006 (71 FR 57428).
CAIR—As previously noted, CAIR (70 FR 25162, May 12, 2005) created regional cap-and-trade programs to reduce SO2 and NOX emissions in 27 eastern states, including Pennsylvania. EPA approved the Commonwealth's CAIR regulation, codified in 25 Pa. Code Chapter 145, Subchapter D, into the Pennsylvania SIP on December 10, 2009 (74 FR 65446). In 2009, the CAIR ozone season NOX trading program superseded the NOX Budget Trading Program, although the emission reduction obligations of the NOX SIP Call were not rescinded. See 40 CFR 51.121(r) and 51.123(aa). EPA promulgated CSAPR to replace CAIR as an emission trading program for EGUs. As discussed previously, pursuant to the D.C. Circuit Court's October 23, 2014 Order, the stay of CSAPR has been lifted and implementation of CSAPR commenced in January 2015. EPA expects that the implementation of CSAPR will preserve the reductions achieved by CAIR and result in additional SO2 and NOX emission reductions throughout the maintenance period.
Pennsylvania's Vehicle Emission I/M program was expanded into the Johnstown Area in early 2004 and applies to model year 1975 and newer gasoline-powered vehicles that are 9,000 Start Printed Page 22685pounds and under. The program, approved into the Pennsylvania SIP on October 6, 2005 (70 FR 58313), consists of annual on-board diagnostics and gas cap test for model year 1996 vehicles and newer, and an annual visual inspection of pollution control devices and gas cap test for model year 1995 vehicles and older. This program reduces emissions of NOX from affected vehicles.
Pennsylvania regulation “Chapter 130, Subpart B. Consumer products” established, effective January 1, 2005, VOC emission limits for numerous categories of consumer products, and applies statewide to any person who sells, supplies, offers for sale, or manufactures such consumer products on or after January 1, 2005 for use in Pennsylvania. It was approved into the Pennsylvania SIP on December 8, 2004 (69 FR 70895).
Based on the information summarized above, Pennsylvania has adequately demonstrated that the improvements in air quality in the Johnstown Area are due to permanent and enforceable emissions reductions. The reductions result from Federal and State requirements and regulation of precursors within Pennsylvania that affect the Johnstown Area.
On December 3, 2014, PADEP submitted a combined maintenance plan 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 plan is provided in this section.
An attainment inventory is comprised of the emissions during the time period associated with the monitoring data showing attainment. PADEP determined that the appropriate attainment inventory year for the maintenance plan for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS is 2007, one of the years in the periods during which the Johnstown Area monitored attainment for both NAAQS. The 2007 emissions inventory submitted by PADEP that was included in the maintenance plan contains primary PM2.5 emissions (including condensables), SO2, NOX, VOC, and NH3.
In its redesignation request and maintenance plan for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS submitted on December 3, 2014, PADEP described the methods used for developing its 2007 emissions inventory. EPA reviewed the procedures used to develop the inventory and found them to be reasonable. EPA has reviewed the documentation provided by PADEP and found the 2007 emissions inventory to be approvable. For more information on EPA's analysis of the 2007 emissions inventory, see Appendices B-1 and C-1 of the Pennsylvania submittal and EPA's Inventory TSD dated March 3, 2015 available in the docket for this proposed rulemaking action.
Amendments to Pennsylvania regulation 25 Pa. Code Chapter 130, Subchapter B, Consumer Products, established, effective January 1, 2009, new or more stringent VOC standards for consumer products. This regulation applies statewide to any person who sells, supplies, offers for sale, or manufactures such consumer products on or after January 1, 2009 for use in Pennsylvania. The amendments were approved into the Pennsylvania SIP on October 18, 2010 (75 FR 63717).
The Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles Program (formerly, New Motor Vehicle Control Program) incorporates by reference the California Low Emission Vehicle program (CA LEVII), although it allowed automakers to comply with the NLEV program as an alternative to this program until Model Year (MY) 2006. The Clean Vehicles Program, codified in 25 Pa. Code Chapter 126, Subchapter D, was modified to require CA LEVII to apply to MY 2008 and beyond, and was approved into the Pennsylvania SIP on January 24, 2012 (77 FR 3386). The Clean Vehicles Program incorporates by reference the emission control standards of CA LEVII, which, among other requirements, reduces emissions of NOX by requiring that passenger car emission standards and fleet average emission standards also apply to light duty vehicles. Model year 2008 and newer passenger cars and light duty trucks are required to be certified for emissions by the California Air Resource Board Start Printed Page 22686(CARB), in order to be sold, leased, offered for sale or lease, imported, delivered, purchased, rented, acquired, received, titled or registered in Pennsylvania. In addition, manufacturers are required to demonstrate that the California fleet average standard is met based on the number of new light-duty vehicles delivered for sale in the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth's submittal for the January 24, 2012 rulemaking projected that, by 2025, the program will achieve approximately 36 tons more NOX reductions than Tier II for the counties in the Johnstown Area.
The emissions growth due to a new emissions source, development of natural gas resources from Marcellus Shale (and other deep formations), is included in the Area source inventory. PADEP requires annual emission reporting under 25 Pa. Code Chapter 135 (relating to reporting of sources) of unconventional natural gas development companies. The initial annual source reporting for unconventional natural gas operations began in 2012 for emissions during the 2011 calendar year. Emissions were projected to 2017 and 2025 based on the most recent emissions inventory reports available (2013 for compressor engines and 2012 for all other sources). See Appendix B-3 of Pennsylvania's submittal for more details on the methodology used for estimating Marcellus Shale development activity and for the emission totals by pollutant. Starting January 2015, Federal regulations (40 CFR part 60, subpart OOOO) require wells to capture gas at the wellhead. EPA estimates that VOC emissions from hydraulically fractured well completions will decrease by 95 percent as a result of this regulation.
The State and Federal regulations and programs described above ensure the continuing decline of SO2, NOX, PM2.5, and VOC emissions in the Johnstown Area during the maintenance period and beyond. A summary of the projected reductions from these measures from 2007 to 2025 is shown in Table 5. The future year inventory included potential emissions increases from natural gas activities.
Table 5—Emission Reductions From 2007 to 2025 Due to Control Measures in TPY
Point 96 1,304 1,820 −4 −1
Area 66 28 441 312 −7
On-Road 80 2,813 19 1193 22
Non-Road 51 801 40 444 0
Natural Gas Activities −3 −98 0 −91 0
Total 290 4,848 2,320 1,854 14
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. PADEP uses projection inventories to show that the Johnstown 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, PM2.5, VOC, and NH3 will remain at or below the attainment year 2007 for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, respectively, throughout the Johnstown Area through the year 2025.
EPA has reviewed the documentation provided by PADEP for developing annual 2017 and 2025 emissions inventories for the Johnstown Area. See Appendix C-2 and C-3 of Pennsylvania's submittal. EPA has determined that the 2017 and 2025 projected emissions inventories provided by PADEP are approvable. For more information on EPA's analysis of the emissions inventories, see EPA's Inventory TSD dated March 3, 2015 available in the docket for this proposed rulemaking action.
Tables 6a through 6e provide a summary of the inventories in tpy for the 2007 attainment year, as compared to projected inventories for the 2017 interim year and the 2025 maintenance plan end year for the Area. The future year inventories include potential emissions increases from natural gas activities.
Table 6a—Comparison of 2007, 2017, and 2025 Emissions of PM2.5 for the Johnstown Area
Point 3,091 2,788 2,995 303 10 96 3
Area 719 692 654 27 4 65 9
On-Road 131 71 51 61 46 80 61
Non-Road 89 52 38 37 41 51 57
Start Printed Page 22687
Natural Gas Activities 2 3 −2 −3
Total 4,031 3,605 3,741 426 11 289 7
Table 6b—Comparison of 2007, 2017, and 2025 Emissions of NOX for the Johnstown Area
Point 41,876 37,562 40,572 4,314 10 1,304 3
Area 607 576 579 31 5 28 5
On-Road 4,011 1,946 1,198 2,065 51 2,813 70
Non-Road 1,464 910 663 554 39 801 55
Natural Gas Activities 52 98 −52 −98
Total 47,958 41,046 43,110 6,912 14 4,848 10
Table 6c—Comparison of 2007, 2017, and 2025 Emissions of SO2 for the Johnstown Area
Point 143,322 132,128 141,502 11,194 8 1,820 1
Area 858 683 418 175 20 440 51
On-Road 30 11 11 19 63 19 64
Non-Road 42 1 1 41 98 41 98
Natural Gas Activities 0 0 0 0
Total 144,252 132,823 141,932 11,429 8 2,320 2
Table 6d—Comparison of 2007, 2017, and 2025 Emissions of VOC for the Johnstown Area
Point 243 234 247 9 4 −4 −2
Area 2,415 2,219 2,103 196 8 312 13
On-Road 1,770 899 577 871 49 1,193 67
Non-Road 897 526 453 371 41 444 50
Natural Gas Activities 47 91 −47 −91
Total 5,325 3,925 3,471 1,400 26 1,854 35
Table 6e—Comparison of 2007, 2017, and 2025 Emissions of NH3 for the Johnstown Area
Point 35 34 36 1 3 −1 0
Area 409 413 416 −4 −1 −7 −2
Start Printed Page 22688
On-Road 63 42 41 21 33 22 35
Non-Road 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
Total 508 490 494 18 4 14 3
As shown in Tables 6a-6e, the projected levels for PM2.5, NOx, SO2, VOC, and NH3 are under the 2007 attainment levels for each of these pollutants. Pennsylvania has adequately demonstrated that the Area will continue to maintain the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS.
Pennsylvania's maintenance plan includes a commitment by PADEP to continue to operate its EPA-approved monitoring network, as necessary to demonstrate ongoing compliance with the NAAQS. Pennsylvania currently operates a PM2.5 monitor in the Johnstown Area. In its December 3, 2014 submittal, Pennsylvania stated that it will consult with EPA prior to making any necessary changes to the network and will continue to operate the monitoring network in accordance with the requirements of 40 CFR part 58.
To provide for tracking of the emission levels in the Area, PADEP will: (a) evaluate annually the vehicle miles travelled (VMT) data and the annual emissions reported from stationary sources to compare them with the assumptions used in the maintenance plan, and (b) evaluate the periodic emissions inventory for all PM2.5 precursors prepared every three years in accordance with EPA's Air Emissions Reporting Requirements (AERR) to determine whether there is an exceedance of more than ten percent over the 2007 inventories. Also, as noted in the previous subsection, PADEP will continue to operate its monitoring system in accordance with 40 CFR part 58 and remains obligated to quality-assure monitoring data and enter all data into the AQS in accordance with Federal requirements. PADEP will use this data, supplemented with additional data, as necessary, to assure continuing attainment in the Area.
The contingency plan provisions are designed to promptly correct any violation of the 1997 annual and/or the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS that occurs in the Johnstown Area after redesignation. Section 175A of the CAA requires that a maintenance plan include such contingency measures as EPA deems necessary to ensure that a state will promptly correct a violation of the NAAQS that occurs 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).
Pennsylvania's maintenance plan describes the procedures for the adoption and implementation of contingency measures to reduce emissions should a violation occur. Pennsylvania's contingency measures include a first level response and a second level response. A first level response is triggered when the annual mean PM2.5 concentration exceeds 15.5 μg/m3 in a single calendar year within the Area, when the 98th percentile 24-hour PM2.5 concentration exceeds 35.0 μg/m3 in a single calendar year within the Area, or when the periodic emissions inventory for the Area exceeds the attainment year inventory (2007) by more than ten percent. The first level response will consist of a study to determine if the emissions trends show increasing concentrations of PM2.5, and whether this trend is likely to continue. If it is determined through the study that action is necessary to reverse a trend of emissions increases, Pennsylvania will, as expeditiously as possible, implement necessary and appropriate control measures to reverse the trend.
Pennsylvania's candidate contingency measures include the following: (1) A regulation based on the Ozone Transport Commission (OTC) Model Rule to update requirements for consumer products; (2) a regulation based on the Control Techniques Guidelines (CTG) for industrial cleaning solvents; (3) voluntary diesel projects such as diesel retrofit for public or private local onroad or offroad fleets, idling reduction technology for Class 2 yard locomotives, and idling reduction technologies or strategies for truck stops, warehouses, and other freight-handling facilities; (4) promotion of accelerated turnover of lawn and garden equipment, focusing on commercial equipment; and (5) promotion of alternative fuels for fleets, home heating and agricultural use. Pennsylvania's rulemaking process and schedule for adoption and implementation of any necessary contingency measure is shown in the SIP submittals as being 18 months from PADEP's approval to initiate rulemaking. For all of the reasons discussed in this section, EPA is proposing to approve Pennsylvania's 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 maintenance plan for the Johnstown Area as meeting the requirements of section 175A of the CAA.Start Printed Page 22689
On December 3, 2014, Pennsylvania submitted a SIP revision that contains the 2017 and 2025 PM2.5 and NOX onroad mobile source budgets for Cambria County and portions of Indiana County (Townships of West Wheatfield, Center, East Wheatfield, and Armagh Borough and Homer City Borough). Pennsylvania did not provide MVEBs for SO2, VOC, and NH3 because it concluded, consistent with the presumptions regarding these precursors in the Transportation Conformity Rule at 40 CFR 93.102(b)(2)(v), which predated and were not disturbed by the litigation on the 1997 PM2.5 Implementation Rule, that emissions of these precursors from motor vehicles are not significant contributors to the Area's PM2.5 air quality problem. EPA issued conformity regulations to implement the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS in July 2004 and May 2005 (69 FR 40004, July 1, 2004 and 70 FR 24280, May 6, 2005). The D.C. Circuit Court's January 2013 decision does not affect EPA's proposed approval of the MVEBs for the Area. The MVEBs are presented in Table 8.
Table 8—MVEBs for the Johnstown Area for the 1997 Annual and 2006 24-Hour PM2.5 NAAQS in TPY
Cambria County 2017 2025 62.79 46.71 1,707.03 1,077.46
Indiana County (Partial) 2017 2025 7.95 4.38 238.50 120.98
EPA's substantive criteria for determining adequacy of MVEBs are set out in 40 CFR 93.118(e)(4). Additionally, to approve the MVEBs, EPA must complete a thorough review of the SIP, in this case the PM2.5 maintenance plan, and conclude that with the projected level of motor vehicle and all other emissions, the SIPs will achieve its overall purpose, in this case providing for maintenance of the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA's process for determining adequacy of a MVEB consists of three basic steps: (1) Providing public notification of a SIP submission; (2) providing the public the opportunity to comment on the MVEB during a public comment period; and (3) EPA taking action on the MVEB.
In this proposed rulemaking action, EPA is also initiating the process for determining whether or not the MVEBs are adequate for transportation conformity purposes. The publication of this proposed rulemaking action starts a 30-day public comment period on the adequacy of the submitted MVEBs. This comment period is concurrent with the comment period on this proposed rulemaking action and comments should be submitted to the docket for this rulemaking. EPA may choose to make its determination on the adequacy of the budgets either in the final rulemaking on this maintenance plan and redesignation request or by informing Pennsylvania of the determination in writing, publishing a notice in the Federal Register and posting a notice on EPA's adequacy Web page (http://www.epa.gov/​otaq/​stateresources/​transconf/​adequacy.htm).[15]
EPA has reviewed the MVEBs and finds that the submitted MVEBs are consistent with the maintenance plan and meet the criteria for adequacy and approval in 40 CFR part 93, subpart A. Therefore, EPA is proposing to approve the 2017 and 2025 PM2.5 and NOX MVEBs for Cambria County and portions of Indiana County for transportation conformity purposes. Additional information pertaining to the review of the MVEBs can be found in the TSD dated February 12, 2015, “Adequacy Findings for the MVEBs in the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS Maintenance Plan for the Johnstown, Pennsylvania 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 Nonattainment Areas,” available on line at www.regulations.gov, Docket ID No. EPA-R03-OAR-2014-0902.
EPA is proposing to approve Pennsylvania's request to redesignate the Johnstown Area from nonattainment to attainment for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA has evaluated Pennsylvania's redesignation request and determined that the Area meets the redesignation criteria set forth in section 107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA. The monitoring data demonstrates that the Johnstown Area attained the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, as determined by EPA in prior rulemaking actions and, for reasons discussed herein, that it will continue to attain both NAAQS. Final approval of this redesignation request would change the designation of the Johnstown Area from nonattainment to attainment for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA is also proposing to approve the associated maintenance plan for the Johnstown Area as a revision to the Pennsylvania SIP for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS because it meets the requirements of section 175A of the CAA as described previously in this proposed rulemaking. In addition, EPA is proposing to approve the 2007 emissions inventory as meeting the requirement of section 172(c)(3) of the CAA for both NAAQS. Furthermore, EPA is proposing to approve the 2017 and 2025 PM2.5 and NOX MVEBs for Cambria County and portions of Indiana County for transportation conformity purposes. EPA is soliciting public comments on the issues discussed in this document. These comments will be considered before taking final action.Start Printed Page 22690
In addition, this rule proposing to approve Pennsylvania's redesignation request, maintenance plan, 2007 emissions inventory for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS, and MVEBs for transportation conformity purposes for the Johnstown Area for both 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.
3. EPA found Pennsylvania's December 3, 2014 submittal for redesignation of the Area complete on January 13, 2015. EPA's complete determination is available in the docket for this rulemaking at regulations.gov, Docket ID No. EPA-R03-OAR-2014-0902.
[FR Doc. 2015-09368 Filed 4-22-15; 8:45 am]