Source: http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&rgn=div6&view=text&node=40:2.0.1.1.2.13&idno=40
Timestamp: 2015-02-28 12:35:21
Document Index: 172985155

Matched Legal Cases: ['§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', 'art 81', '§51', 'arts 60', '§52', 'art 51', '§51', '§51', 'art 81', '§60', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', 'art 51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 75', 'art 75', '§52', '§52', '§52', '§52', '§52', '§52', '§52', '§52', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', 'art 49', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51']

Subpart P—Protection of VisibilityContents§51.300 Purpose and applicability.
§51.302 Implementation control strategies for reasonably attributable visibility impairment.
§51.306 Long-term strategy requirements for reasonably attributable visibility impairment.
Authority: Secs. 110, 114, 121, 160-169, 169A, and 301 of the Clean Air Act, (42 U.S.C. 7410, 7414, 7421, 7470-7479, and 7601). Source: 45 FR 80089, Dec. 2, 1980, unless otherwise noted. Back to Top
§51.300 Purpose and applicability.(a) Purpose. The primary purposes of this subpart are to require States to develop programs to assure reasonable progress toward meeting the national goal of preventing any future, and remedying any existing, impairment of visibility in mandatory Class I Federal areas which impairment results from manmade air pollution; and to establish necessary additional procedures for new source permit applicants, States and Federal Land Managers to use in conducting the visibility impact analysis required for new sources under §51.166. This subpart sets forth requirements addressing visibility impairment in its two principal forms: “reasonably attributable” impairment (i.e., impairment attributable to a single source/small group of sources) and regional haze (i.e., widespread haze from a multitude of sources which impairs visibility in every direction over a large area).(b) Applicability—(1) General Applicability. The provisions of this subpart pertaining to implementation plan requirements for assuring reasonable progress in preventing any future and remedying any existing visibility impairment are applicable to:(i) Each State which has a mandatory Class I Federal area identified in part 81, subpart D, of this title, and (ii) each State in which there is any source the emissions from which may reasonably be anticipated to cause or contribute to any impairment of visibility in any such area.(2) The provisions of this subpart pertaining to implementation plans to address reasonably attributable visibility impairment are applicable to the following States:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Virgin Islands, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming.(3) The provisions of this subpart pertaining to implementation plans to address regional haze visibility impairment are applicable to all States as defined in section 302(d) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) except Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
[45 FR 80089, Dec. 2, 1980, as amended at 64 FR 35763, July 1, 1999]
§51.301 Definitions.For purposes of this subpart:Adverse impact on visibility means, for purposes of section 307, visibility impairment which interferes with the management, protection, preservation, or enjoyment of the visitor's visual experience of the Federal Class I area. This determination must be made on a case-by-case basis taking into account the geographic extent, intensity, duration, frequency and time of visibility impairments, and how these factors correlate with (1) times of visitor use of the Federal Class I area, and (2) the frequency and timing of natural conditions that reduce visibility. This term does not include effects on integral vistas.Agency means the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.BART-eligible source means an existing stationary facility as defined in this section.Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) means an emission limitation based on the degree of reduction achievable through the application of the best system of continuous emission reduction for each pollutant which is emitted by an existing stationary facility. The emission limitation must be established, on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration the technology available, the costs of compliance, the energy and nonair quality environmental impacts of compliance, any pollution control equipment in use or in existence at the source, the remaining useful life of the source, and the degree of improvement in visibility which may reasonably be anticipated to result from the use of such technology.Building, structure, or facility means all of the pollutant-emitting activities which belong to the same industrial grouping, are located on one or more contiguous or adjacent properties, and are under the control of the same person (or persons under common control). Pollutant-emitting activities must be considered as part of the same industrial grouping if they belong to the same Major Group (i.e., which have the same two-digit code) as described in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1972 as amended by the 1977 Supplement (U.S. Government Printing Office stock numbers 4101-0066 and 003-005-00176-0 respectively).Deciview means a measurement of visibility impairment. A deciview is a haze index derived from calculated light extinction, such that uniform changes in haziness correspond to uniform incremental changes in perception across the entire range of conditions, from pristine to highly impaired. The deciview haze index is calculated based on the following equation (for the purposes of calculating deciview, the atmospheric light extinction coefficient must be calculated from aerosol measurements):
Deciview haze index=10 lne (bext/10 Mm−1).
bext=the atmospheric light extinction coefficient, expressed in inverse megameters (Mm−1).Existing stationary facility means any of the following stationary sources of air pollutants, including any reconstructed source, which was not in operation prior to August 7, 1962, and was in existence on August 7, 1977, and has the potential to emit 250 tons per year or more of any air pollutant. In determining potential to emit, fugitive emissions, to the extent quantifiable, must be counted.Fossil-fuel fired steam electric plants of more than 250 million British thermal units per hour heat input,Coal cleaning plants (thermal dryers),Kraft pulp mills,Portland cement plants,Primary zinc smelters,Iron and steel mill plants,Primary aluminum ore reduction plants,Primary copper smelters,Municipal incinerators capable of charging more than 250 tons of refuse per day,Hydrofluoric, sulfuric, and nitric acid plants,Petroleum refineries,Lime plants,Phosphate rock processing plants,Coke oven batteries,Sulfur recovery plants,Carbon black plants (furnace process),Primary lead smelters,Fuel conversion plants,Sintering plants,Secondary metal production facilities,Chemical process plants,Fossil-fuel boilers of more than 250 million British thermal units per hour heat input,Petroleum storage and transfer facilities with a capacity exceeding 300,000 barrels,Taconite ore processing facilities,Glass fiber processing plants, andCharcoal production facilities.Federal Class I area means any Federal land that is classified or reclassified Class I.Federal Land Manager means the Secretary of the department with authority over the Federal Class I area (or the Secretary's designee) or, with respect to Roosevelt-Campobello International Park, the Chairman of the Roosevelt-Campobello International Park Commission.Federally enforceable means all limitations and conditions which are enforceable by the Administrator under the Clean Air Act including those requirements developed pursuant to parts 60 and 61 of this title, requirements within any applicable State Implementation Plan, and any permit requirements established pursuant to §52.21 of this chapter or under regulations approved pursuant to part 51, 52, or 60 of this title.Fixed capital cost means the capital needed to provide all of the depreciable components.Fugitive Emissions means those emissions which could not reasonably pass through a stack, chimney, vent, or other functionally equivalent opening.Geographic enhancement for the purpose of §51.308 means a method, procedure, or process to allow a broad regional strategy, such as an emissions trading program designed to achieve greater reasonable progress than BART for regional haze, to accommodate BART for reasonably attributable impairment.Implementation plan means, for the purposes of this part, any State Implementation Plan, Federal Implementation Plan, or Tribal Implementation Plan.Indian tribe or tribe means any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including any Alaska Native village, which is federally recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians.In existence means that the owner or operator has obtained all necessary preconstruction approvals or permits required by Federal, State, or local air pollution emissions and air quality laws or regulations and either has (1) begun, or caused to begin, a continuous program of physical on-site construction of the facility or (2) entered into binding agreements or contractual obligations, which cannot be cancelled or modified without substantial loss to the owner or operator, to undertake a program of construction of the facility to be completed in a reasonable time.In operation means engaged in activity related to the primary design function of the source.Installation means an identifiable piece of process equipment.Integral vista means a view perceived from within the mandatory Class I Federal area of a specific landmark or panorama located outside the boundary of the mandatory Class I Federal area.Least impaired days means the average visibility impairment (measured in deciviews) for the twenty percent of monitored days in a calendar year with the lowest amount of visibility impairment.Major stationary source and major modification mean major stationary source and major modification, respectively, as defined in §51.166.Mandatory Class I Federal Area means any area identified in part 81, subpart D of this title.Most impaired days means the average visibility impairment (measured in deciviews) for the twenty percent of monitored days in a calendar year with the highest amount of visibility impairment.Natural conditions includes naturally occurring phenomena that reduce visibility as measured in terms of light extinction, visual range, contrast, or coloration.Potential to emit means the maximum capacity of a stationary source to emit a pollutant under its physical and operational design. Any physical or operational limitation on the capacity of the source to emit a pollutant including air pollution control equipment and restrictions on hours of operation or on the type or amount of material combusted, stored, or processed, shall be treated as part of its design if the limitation or the effect it would have on emissions is federally enforceable. Secondary emissions do not count in determining the potential to emit of a stationary source.Reasonably attributable means attributable by visual observation or any other technique the State deems appropriate.Reasonably attributable visibility impairment means visibility impairment that is caused by the emission of air pollutants from one, or a small number of sources.Reconstruction will be presumed to have taken place where the fixed capital cost of the new component exceeds 50 percent of the fixed capital cost of a comparable entirely new source. Any final decision as to whether reconstruction has occurred must be made in accordance with the provisions of §60.15 (f) (1) through (3) of this title.Regional haze means visibility impairment that is caused by the emission of air pollutants from numerous sources located over a wide geographic area. Such sources include, but are not limited to, major and minor stationary sources, mobile sources, and area sources.Secondary emissions means emissions which occur as a result of the construction or operation of an existing stationary facility but do not come from the existing stationary facility. Secondary emissions may include, but are not limited to, emissions from ships or trains coming to or from the existing stationary facility.Significant impairment means, for purposes of §51.303, visibility impairment which, in the judgment of the Administrator, interferes with the management, protection, preservation, or enjoyment of the visitor's visual experience of the mandatory Class I Federal area. This determination must be made on a case-by-case basis taking into account the geographic extent, intensity, duration, frequency and time of the visibility impairment, and how these factors correlate with (1) times of visitor use of the mandatory Class I Federal area, and (2) the frequency and timing of natural conditions that reduce visibility.State means “State” as defined in section 302(d) of the CAA.Stationary Source means any building, structure, facility, or installation which emits or may emit any air pollutant.Visibility impairment means any humanly perceptible change in visibility (light extinction, visual range, contrast, coloration) from that which would have existed under natural conditions.Visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal area includes any integral vista associated with that area.
[45 FR 80089, Dec. 2, 1980, as amended at 64 FR 35763, 35774, July 1, 1999]
§51.302 Implementation control strategies for reasonably attributable visibility impairment.(a) Plan Revision Procedures. (1) Each State identified in §51.300(b)(2) must have submitted, not later than September 2, 1981, an implementation plan meeting the requirements of this subpart pertaining to reasonably attributable visibility impairment.(2)(i) The State, prior to adoption of any implementation plan to address reasonably attributable visibility impairment required by this subpart, must conduct one or more public hearings on such plan in accordance with §51.102.(ii) In addition to the requirements in §51.102, the State must provide written notification of such hearings to each affected Federal Land Manager, and other affected States, and must state where the public can inspect a summary prepared by the Federal Land Managers of their conclusions and recommendations, if any, on the proposed plan revision.(3) Submission of plans as required by this subpart must be conducted in accordance with the procedures in §51.103.(b) State and Federal Land Manager Coordination. (1) The State must identify to the Federal Land Managers, in writing and within 30 days of the date of promulgation of these regulations, the title of the official to which the Federal Land Manager of any mandatory Class I Federal area can submit a recommendation on the implementation of this subpart including, but not limited to:(i) A list of integral vistas that are to be listed by the State for the purpose of implementing section 304,(ii) Identification of impairment of visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal area(s), and(iii) Identification of elements for inclusion in the visibility monitoring strategy required by section 305.(2) The State must provide opportunity for consultation, in person and at least 60 days prior to holding any public hearing on the plan, with the Federal Land Manager on the proposed SIP revision required by this subpart. This consultation must include the opportunity for the affected Federal Land Managers to discuss their:(i) Assessment of impairment of visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal area, and(ii) Recommendations on the development of the long-term strategy.(3) The plan must provide procedures for continuing consultation between the State and Federal Land Manager on the implementation of the visibility protection program required by this subpart.(c) General plan requirements for reasonably attributable visibility impairment. (1) The affected Federal Land Manager may certify to the State, at any time, that there exists reasonably attributable impairment of visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal area.(2) The plan must contain the following to address reasonably attributable impairment:(i) A long-term (10-15 years) strategy, as specified in §51.305 and §51.306, including such emission limitations, schedules of compliance, and such other measures including schedules for the implementation of the elements of the long-term strategy as may be necessary to make reasonable progress toward the national goal specified in §51.300(a).(ii) An assessment of visibility impairment and a discussion of how each element of the plan relates to the preventing of future or remedying of existing impairment of visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal area within the State.(iii) Emission limitations representing BART and schedules for compliance with BART for each existing stationary facility identified according to paragraph (c)(4) of this section.(3) The plan must require each source to maintain control equipment required by this subpart and establish procedures to ensure such control equipment is properly operated and maintained.(4) For any existing reasonably attributable visibility impairment the Federal Land Manager certifies to the State under paragraph (c)(1) of this section, at least 6 months prior to plan submission or revision: (i) The State must identify and analyze for BART each existing stationary facility which may reasonably be anticipated to cause or contribute to impairment of visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal area where the impairment in the mandatory Class I Federal area is reasonably attributable to that existing stationary facility. The State need not consider any integral vista the Federal Land Manager did not identify pursuant to §51.304(b) at least 6 months before plan submission.(ii) If the State determines that technologicial or economic limitations on the applicability of measurement methodology to a particular existing stationary facility would make the imposition of an emission standard infeasible it may instead prescribe a design, equipment, work practice, or other operational standard, or combination thereof, to require the application of BART. Such standard, to the degree possible, is to set forth the emission reduction to be achieved by implementation of such design, equipment, work practice or operation, and must provide for compliance by means which achieve equivalent results.(iii) BART must be determined for fossil-fuel fired generating plants having a total generating capacity in excess of 750 megawatts pursuant to “Guidelines for Determining Best Available Retrofit Technology for Coal-fired Power Plants and Other Existing Stationary Facilities” (1980), which is incorporated by reference, exclusive of appendix E to the Guidelines, except that options more stringent than NSPS must be considered. Establishing a BART emission limitation equivalent to the NSPS level of control is not a sufficient basis to avoid the analysis of control options required by the guidelines. This document is EPA publication No. 450/3-80-009b and has been approved for incorporation by reference by the Director of the Federal Register in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. It is for sale from the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161. It is also available for inspection from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/index.html. (iv) The plan must require that each existing stationary facility required to install and operate BART do so as expeditiously as practicable but in no case later than five years after plan approval.(v) The plan must provide for a BART analysis of any existing stationary facility that might cause or contribute to impairment of visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal area identified under this paragraph (c)(4) at such times, as determined by the Administrator, as new technology for control of the pollutant becomes reasonably available if:(A) The pollutant is emitted by that existing stationary facility,(B) Controls representing BART for the pollutant have not previously been required under this subpart, and(C) The impairment of visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal area is reasonably attributable to the emissions of that pollutant.
[45 FR 80089, Dec. 2, 1980, as amended at 57 FR 40042, Sept. 1, 1992; 64 FR 35764, 35774, July 1, 1999; 69 FR 18803, Apr. 9, 2004; 70 FR 39156, July 6, 2005]
§51.304 Identification of integral vistas.(a) On or before December 31, 1985 the Federal Land Manager may identify any integral vista. The integral vista must be identified according to criteria the Federal Land Manager develops. These criteria must include, but are not limited to, whether the integral vista is important to the visitor's visual experience of the mandatory Class I Federal area. Adoption of criteria must be preceded by reasonable notice and opportunity for public comment on the proposed criteria.(b) The Federal Land Manager must notify the State of any integral vistas identified under paragraph (a) of this section, and the reasons therefor.(c) The State must list in its implementation plan any integral vista the Federal Land Manager identifies at least six months prior to plan submission, and must list in its implementation plan at its earliest opportunity, and in no case later than at the time of the periodic review of the SIP required by §51.306(c), any integral vista the Federal Land Manager identifies after that time.(d) The State need not in its implementation plan list any integral vista the indentification of which was not made in accordance with the criteria in paragraph (a) of this section. In making this finding, the State must carefully consider the expertise of the Federal Land Manager in making the judgments called for by the criteria for identification. Where the State and the Federal Land Manager disagree on the identification of any integral vista, the State must give the Federal Land Manager an opportunity to consult with the Governor of the State.
§51.305 Monitoring for reasonably attributable visibility impairment.(a) For the purposes of addressing reasonably attributable visibility impairment, each State containing a mandatory Class I Federal area must include in the plan a strategy for evaluating reasonably attributable visibility impairment in any mandatory Class I Federal area by visual observation or other appropriate monitoring techniques. Such strategy must take into account current and anticipated visibility monitoring research, the availability of appropriate monitoring techniques, and such guidance as is provided by the Agency.(b) The plan must provide for the consideration of available visibility data and must provide a mechanism for its use in decisions required by this subpart.
§51.306 Long-term strategy requirements for reasonably attributable visibility impairment.(a)(1) For the purposes of addressing reasonably attributable visibility impairment, each plan must include a long-term (10-15 years) strategy for making reasonable progress toward the national goal specified in §51.300(a). This strategy must cover any existing impairment the Federal Land Manager certifies to the State at least 6 months prior to plan submission, and any integral vista of which the Federal Land Manager notifies the State at least 6 months prior to plan submission.(2) A long-term strategy must be developed for each mandatory Class I Federal area located within the State and each mandatory Class I Federal area located outside the State which may be affected by sources within the State. This does not preclude the development of a single comprehensive plan for all such areas.(3) The plan must set forth with reasonable specificity why the long-term strategy is adequate for making reasonable progress toward the national visibility goal, including remedying existing and preventing future impairment.(b) The State must coordinate its long-term strategy for an area with existing plans and goals, including those provided by the affected Federal Land Managers, that may affect impairment of visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal area.(c) The plan must provide for periodic review and revision, as appropriate, of the long-term strategy for addressing reasonably attributable visibility impairment. The plan must provide for such periodic review and revision not less frequently than every 3 years until the date of submission of the State's first plan addressing regional haze visibility impairment in accordance with §51.308(b) and (c). On or before this date, the State must revise its plan to provide for review and revision of a coordinated long-term strategy for addressing reasonably attributable and regional haze visibility impairment, and the State must submit the first such coordinated long-term strategy. Future coordinated long-term strategies must be submitted consistent with the schedule for periodic progress reports set forth in §51.308(g). Until the State revises its plan to meet this requirement, the State must continue to comply with existing requirements for plan review and revision, and with all emission management requirements in the plan to address reasonably attributable impairment. This requirement does not affect any preexisting deadlines for State submittal of a long-term strategy review (or element thereof) between August 30, 1999, and the date required for submission of the State's first regional haze plan. In addition, the plan must provide for review of the long-term strategy as it applies to reasonably attributable impairment, and revision as appropriate, within 3 years of State receipt of any certification of reasonably attributable impairment from a Federal Land Manager. The review process must include consultation with the appropriate Federal Land Managers, and the State must provide a report to the public and the Administrator on progress toward the national goal. This report must include an assessment of:(1) The progress achieved in remedying existing impairment of visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal area;(2) The ability of the long-term strategy to prevent future impairment of visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal area;(3) Any change in visibility since the last such report, or, in the case of the first report, since plan approval;(4) Additional measures, including the need for SIP revisions, that may be necessary to assure reasonable progress toward the national visibility goal;(5) The progress achieved in implementing BART and meeting other schedules set forth in the long-term strategy;(6) The impact of any exemption granted under §51.303;(7) The need for BART to remedy existing visibility impairment of any integral vista listed in the plan since the last such report, or, in the case of the first report, since plan approval.(d) The long-term strategy must provide for review of the impacts from any new major stationary source or major modifications on visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal area. This review of major stationary sources or major modifications must be in accordance with §51.307, §51.166, §51.160, and any other binding guidance provided by the Agency insofar as these provisions pertain to protection of visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal areas.(e) The State must consider, at a minimum, the following factors during the development of its long-term strategy:(1) Emission reductions due to ongoing air pollution control programs,(2) Additional emission limitations and schedules for compliance,(3) Measures to mitigate the impacts of construction activities,(4) Source retirement and replacement schedules,(5) Smoke management techniques for agricultural and forestry management purposes including such plans as currently exist within the State for these purposes, and(6) Enforceability of emission limitations and control measures.(f) The plan must discuss the reasons why the above and other reasonable measures considered in the development of the long-term strategy were or were not adopted as part of the long-term strategy.(g) The State, in developing the long-term strategy, must take into account the effect of new sources, and the costs of compliance, the time necessary for compliance, the energy and nonair quality environmental impacts of compliance, and the remaining useful life of any affected existing source and equipment therein.
[45 FR 80089, Dec. 2, 1980, as amended at 64 FR 35764, 35774, July 1, 1999]
§51.308 Regional haze program requirements.(a) What is the purpose of this section? This section establishes requirements for implementation plans, plan revisions, and periodic progress reviews to address regional haze.(b) When are the first implementation plans due under the regional haze program? Except as provided in §51.309(c), each State identified in §51.300(b)(3) must submit, for the entire State, an implementation plan for regional haze meeting the requirements of paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section no later than December 17, 2007.(c) [Reserved] (d) What are the core requirements for the implementation plan for regional haze? The State must address regional haze in each mandatory Class I Federal area located within the State and in each mandatory Class I Federal area located outside the State which may be affected by emissions from within the State. To meet the core requirements for regional haze for these areas, the State must submit an implementation plan containing the following plan elements and supporting documentation for all required analyses:(1) Reasonable progress goals. For each mandatory Class I Federal area located within the State, the State must establish goals (expressed in deciviews) that provide for reasonable progress towards achieving natural visibility conditions. The reasonable progress goals must provide for an improvement in visibility for the most impaired days over the period of the implementation plan and ensure no degradation in visibility for the least impaired days over the same period.(i) In establishing a reasonable progress goal for any mandatory Class I Federal area within the State, the State must:(A) Consider the costs of compliance, the time necessary for compliance, the energy and non-air quality environmental impacts of compliance, and the remaining useful life of any potentially affected sources, and include a demonstration showing how these factors were taken into consideration in selecting the goal.(B) Analyze and determine the rate of progress needed to attain natural visibility conditions by the year 2064. To calculate this rate of progress, the State must compare baseline visibility conditions to natural visibility conditions in the mandatory Federal Class I area and determine the uniform rate of visibility improvement (measured in deciviews) that would need to be maintained during each implementation period in order to attain natural visibility conditions by 2064. In establishing the reasonable progress goal, the State must consider the uniform rate of improvement in visibility and the emission reduction measures needed to achieve it for the period covered by the implementation plan.(ii) For the period of the implementation plan, if the State establishes a reasonable progress goal that provides for a slower rate of improvement in visibility than the rate that would be needed to attain natural conditions by 2064, the State must demonstrate, based on the factors in paragraph (d)(1)(i)(A) of this section, that the rate of progress for the implementation plan to attain natural conditions by 2064 is not reasonable; and that the progress goal adopted by the State is reasonable. The State must provide to the public for review as part of its implementation plan an assessment of the number of years it would take to attain natural conditions if visibility improvement continues at the rate of progress selected by the State as reasonable.(iii) In determining whether the State's goal for visibility improvement provides for reasonable progress towards natural visibility conditions, the Administrator will evaluate the demonstrations developed by the State pursuant to paragraphs (d)(1)(i) and (d)(1)(ii) of this section.(iv) In developing each reasonable progress goal, the State must consult with those States which may reasonably be anticipated to cause or contribute to visibility impairment in the mandatory Class I Federal area. In any situation in which the State cannot agree with another such State or group of States that a goal provides for reasonable progress, the State must describe in its submittal the actions taken to resolve the disagreement. In reviewing the State's implementation plan submittal, the Administrator will take this information into account in determining whether the State's goal for visibility improvement provides for reasonable progress towards natural visibility conditions.(v) The reasonable progress goals established by the State are not directly enforceable but will be considered by the Administrator in evaluating the adequacy of the measures in the implementation plan to achieve the progress goal adopted by the State.(vi) The State may not adopt a reasonable progress goal that represents less visibility improvement than is expected to result from implementation of other requirements of the CAA during the applicable planning period.(2) Calculations of baseline and natural visibility conditions. For each mandatory Class I Federal area located within the State, the State must determine the following visibility conditions (expressed in deciviews):(i) Baseline visibility conditions for the most impaired and least impaired days. The period for establishing baseline visibility conditions is 2000 to 2004. Baseline visibility conditions must be calculated, using available monitoring data, by establishing the average degree of visibility impairment for the most and least impaired days for each calendar year from 2000 to 2004. The baseline visibility conditions are the average of these annual values. For mandatory Class I Federal areas without onsite monitoring data for 2000-2004, the State must establish baseline values using the most representative available monitoring data for 2000-2004, in consultation with the Administrator or his or her designee;(ii) For an implementation plan that is submitted by 2003, the period for establishing baseline visibility conditions for the period of the first long-term strategy is the most recent 5-year period for which visibility monitoring data are available for the mandatory Class I Federal areas addressed by the plan. For mandatory Class I Federal areas without onsite monitoring data, the State must establish baseline values using the most representative available monitoring data, in consultation with the Administrator or his or her designee;(iii) Natural visibility conditions for the most impaired and least impaired days. Natural visibility conditions must be calculated by estimating the degree of visibility impairment existing under natural conditions for the most impaired and least impaired days, based on available monitoring information and appropriate data analysis techniques; and(iv)(A) For the first implementation plan addressing the requirements of paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section, the number of deciviews by which baseline conditions exceed natural visibility conditions for the most impaired and least impaired days; or(B) For all future implementation plan revisions, the number of deciviews by which current conditions, as calculated under paragraph (f)(1) of this section, exceed natural visibility conditions for the most impaired and least impaired days.(3) Long-term strategy for regional haze. Each State listed in §51.300(b)(3) must submit a long-term strategy that addresses regional haze visibility impairment for each mandatory Class I Federal area within the State and for each mandatory Class I Federal area located outside the State which may be affected by emissions from the State. The long-term strategy must include enforceable emissions limitations, compliance schedules, and other measures as necessary to achieve the reasonable progress goals established by States having mandatory Class I Federal areas. In establishing its long-term strategy for regional haze, the State must meet the following requirements:(i) Where the State has emissions that are reasonably anticipated to contribute to visibility impairment in any mandatory Class I Federal area located in another State or States, the State must consult with the other State(s) in order to develop coordinated emission management strategies. The State must consult with any other State having emissions that are reasonably anticipated to contribute to visibility impairment in any mandatory Class I Federal area within the State.(ii) Where other States cause or contribute to impairment in a mandatory Class I Federal area, the State must demonstrate that it has included in its implementation plan all measures necessary to obtain its share of the emission reductions needed to meet the progress goal for the area. If the State has participated in a regional planning process, the State must ensure it has included all measures needed to achieve its apportionment of emission reduction obligations agreed upon through that process.(iii) The State must document the technical basis, including modeling, monitoring and emissions information, on which the State is relying to determine its apportionment of emission reduction obligations necessary for achieving reasonable progress in each mandatory Class I Federal area it affects. The State may meet this requirement by relying on technical analyses developed by the regional planning organization and approved by all State participants. The State must identify the baseline emissions inventory on which its strategies are based. The baseline emissions inventory year is presumed to be the most recent year of the consolidate periodic emissions inventory.(iv) The State must identify all anthropogenic sources of visibility impairment considered by the State in developing its long-term strategy. The State should consider major and minor stationary sources, mobile sources, and area sources.(v) The State must consider, at a minimum, the following factors in developing its long-term strategy:(A) Emission reductions due to ongoing air pollution control programs, including measures to address reasonably attributable visibility impairment;(B) Measures to mitigate the impacts of construction activities;(C) Emissions limitations and schedules for compliance to achieve the reasonable progress goal;(D) Source retirement and replacement schedules;(E) Smoke management techniques for agricultural and forestry management purposes including plans as currently exist within the State for these purposes;(F) Enforceability of emissions limitations and control measures; and(G) The anticipated net effect on visibility due to projected changes in point, area, and mobile source emissions over the period addressed by the long-term strategy.(4) Monitoring strategy and other implementation plan requirements. The State must submit with the implementation plan a monitoring strategy for measuring, characterizing, and reporting of regional haze visibility impairment that is representative of all mandatory Class I Federal areas within the State. This monitoring strategy must be coordinated with the monitoring strategy required in §51.305 for reasonably attributable visibility impairment. Compliance with this requirement may be met through participation in the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments network. The implementation plan must also provide for the following:(i) The establishment of any additional monitoring sites or equipment needed to assess whether reasonable progress goals to address regional haze for all mandatory Class I Federal areas within the State are being achieved.(ii) Procedures by which monitoring data and other information are used in determining the contribution of emissions from within the State to regional haze visibility impairment at mandatory Class I Federal areas both within and outside the State.(iii) For a State with no mandatory Class I Federal areas, procedures by which monitoring data and other information are used in determining the contribution of emissions from within the State to regional haze visibility impairment at mandatory Class I Federal areas in other States.(iv) The implementation plan must provide for the reporting of all visibility monitoring data to the Administrator at least annually for each mandatory Class I Federal area in the State. To the extent possible, the State should report visibility monitoring data electronically.(v) A statewide inventory of emissions of pollutants that are reasonably anticipated to cause or contribute to visibility impairment in any mandatory Class I Federal area. The inventory must include emissions for a baseline year, emissions for the most recent year for which data are available, and estimates of future projected emissions. The State must also include a commitment to update the inventory periodically.(vi) Other elements, including reporting, recordkeeping, and other measures, necessary to assess and report on visibility.(e) Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) requirements for regional haze visibility impairment. The State must submit an implementation plan containing emission limitations representing BART and schedules for compliance with BART for each BART-eligible source that may reasonably be anticipated to cause or contribute to any impairment of visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal area, unless the State demonstrates that an emissions trading program or other alternative will achieve greater reasonable progress toward natural visibility conditions.(1) To address the requirements for BART, the State must submit an implementation plan containing the following plan elements and include documentation for all required analyses:(i) A list of all BART-eligible sources within the State.(ii) A determination of BART for each BART-eligible source in the State that emits any air pollutant which may reasonably be anticipated to cause or contribute to any impairment of visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal area. All such sources are subject to BART.(A) The determination of BART must be based on an analysis of the best system of continuous emission control technology available and associated emission reductions achievable for each BART-eligible source that is subject to BART within the State. In this analysis, the State must take into consideration the technology available, the costs of compliance, the energy and nonair quality environmental impacts of compliance, any pollution control equipment in use at the source, the remaining useful life of the source, and the degree of improvement in visibility which may reasonably be anticipated to result from the use of such technology.(B) The determination of BART for fossil-fuel fired power plants having a total generating capacity greater than 750 megawatts must be made pursuant to the guidelines in appendix Y of this part (Guidelines for BART Determinations Under the Regional Haze Rule).(C) Exception. A State is not required to make a determination of BART for SO2 or for NOX if a BART-eligible source has the potential to emit less than 40 tons per year of such pollutant(s), or for PM10 if a BART-eligible source has the potential to emit less than 15 tons per year of such pollutant. (iii) If the State determines in establishing BART that technological or economic limitations on the applicability of measurement methodology to a particular source would make the imposition of an emission standard infeasible, it may instead prescribe a design, equipment, work practice, or other operational standard, or combination thereof, to require the application of BART. Such standard, to the degree possible, is to set forth the emission reduction to be achieved by implementation of such design, equipment, work practice or operation, and must provide for compliance by means which achieve equivalent results.(iv) A requirement that each source subject to BART be required to install and operate BART as expeditiously as practicable, but in no event later than 5 years after approval of the implementation plan revision.(v) A requirement that each source subject to BART maintain the control equipment required by this subpart and establish procedures to ensure such equipment is properly operated and maintained.(2) A State may opt to implement or require participation in an emissions trading program or other alternative measure rather than to require sources subject to BART to install, operate, and maintain BART. Such an emissions trading program or other alternative measure must achieve greater reasonable progress than would be achieved through the installation and operation of BART. For all such emission trading programs or other alternative measures, the State must submit an implementation plan containing the following plan elements and include documentation for all required analyses:(i) A demonstration that the emissions trading program or other alternative measure will achieve greater reasonable progress than would have resulted from the installation and operation of BART at all sources subject to BART in the State and covered by the alternative program. This demonstration must be based on the following:(A) A list of all BART-eligible sources within the State.(B) A list of all BART-eligible sources and all BART source categories covered by the alternative program. The State is not required to include every BART source category or every BART-eligible source within a BART source category in an alternative program, but each BART-eligible source in the State must be subject to the requirements of the alternative program, have a federally enforceable emission limitation determined by the State and approved by EPA as meeting BART in accordance with section 302(c) or paragraph (e)(1) of this section, or otherwise addressed under paragraphs (e)(1) or (e)(4)of this section.(C) An analysis of the best system of continuous emission control technology available and associated emission reductions achievable for each source within the State subject to BART and covered by the alternative program. This analysis must be conducted by making a determination of BART for each source subject to BART and covered by the alternative program as provided for in paragraph (e)(1) of this section, unless the emissions trading program or other alternative measure has been designed to meet a requirement other than BART (such as the core requirement to have a long-term strategy to achieve the reasonable progress goals established by States). In this case, the State may determine the best system of continuous emission control technology and associated emission reductions for similar types of sources within a source category based on both source-specific and category-wide information, as appropriate.(D) An analysis of the projected emissions reductions achievable through the trading program or other alternative measure.(E) A determination under paragraph (e)(3) of this section or otherwise based on the clear weight of evidence that the trading program or other alternative measure achieves greater reasonable progress than would be achieved through the installation and operation of BART at the covered sources.(ii) [Reserved] (iii) A requirement that all necessary emission reductions take place during the period of the first long-term strategy for regional haze. To meet this requirement, the State must provide a detailed description of the emissions trading program or other alternative measure, including schedules for implementation, the emission reductions required by the program, all necessary administrative and technical procedures for implementing the program, rules for accounting and monitoring emissions, and procedures for enforcement.(iv) A demonstration that the emission reductions resulting from the emissions trading program or other alternative measure will be surplus to those reductions resulting from measures adopted to meet requirements of the CAA as of the baseline date of the SIP.(v) At the State's option, a provision that the emissions trading program or other alternative measure may include a geographic enhancement to the program to address the requirement under §51.302(c) related to BART for reasonably attributable impairment from the pollutants covered under the emissions trading program or other alternative measure.(vi) For plans that include an emissions trading program that establishes a cap on total annual emissions of SO2 or NOX from sources subject to the program, requires the owners and operators of sources to hold allowances or authorizations to emit equal to emissions, and allows the owners and operators of sources and other entities to purchase, sell, and transfer allowances, the following elements are required concerning the emissions covered by the cap:(A) Applicability provisions defining the sources subject to the program. The State must demonstrate that the applicability provisions (including the size criteria for including sources in the program) are designed to prevent any significant potential shifting within the State of production and emissions from sources in the program to sources outside the program. In the case of a program covering sources in multiple States, the States must demonstrate that the applicability provisions in each State cover essentially the same size facilities and, if source categories are specified, cover the same source categories and prevent any significant, potential shifting within such States of production and emissions to sources outside the program.(B) Allowance provisions ensuring that the total value of allowances (in tons) issued each year under the program will not exceed the emissions cap (in tons) on total annual emissions from the sources in the program.(C) Monitoring provisions providing for consistent and accurate measurements of emissions from sources in the program to ensure that each allowance actually represents the same specified tonnage of emissions and that emissions are measured with similar accuracy at all sources in the program. The monitoring provisions must require that boilers, combustion turbines, and cement kilns in the program allowed to sell or transfer allowances must comply with the requirements of part 75 of this chapter. The monitoring provisions must require that other sources in the program allowed to sell or transfer allowances must provide emissions information with the same precision, reliability, accessibility, and timeliness as information provided under part 75 of this chapter.(D) Recordkeeping provisions that ensure the enforceability of the emissions monitoring provisions and other program requirements. The recordkeeping provisions must require that boilers, combustion turbines, and cement kilns in the program allowed to sell or transfer allowances must comply with the recordkeeping provisions of part 75 of this chapter. The recordkeeping provisions must require that other sources in the program allowed to sell or transfer allowances must comply with recordkeeping requirements that, as compared with the recordkeeping provisions under part 75 of this chapter, are of comparable stringency and require recording of comparable types of information and retention of the records for comparable periods of time.(E) Reporting provisions requiring timely reporting of monitoring data with sufficient frequency to ensure the enforceability of the emissions monitoring provisions and other program requirements and the ability to audit the program. The reporting provisions must require that boilers, combustion turbines, and cement kilns in the program allowed to sell or transfer allowances must comply with the reporting provisions of part 75 of this chapter, except that, if the Administrator is not the tracking system administrator for the program, emissions may be reported to the tracking system administrator, rather than to the Administrator. The reporting provisions must require that other sources in the program allowed to sell or transfer allowances must comply with reporting requirements that, as compared with the reporting provisions under part 75 of this chapter, are of comparable stringency and require reporting of comparable types of information and require comparable timeliness and frequency of reporting.(F) Tracking system provisions which provide for a tracking system that is publicly available in a secure, centralized database to track in a consistent manner all allowances and emissions in the program.(G) Authorized account representative provisions ensuring that the owners and operators of a source designate one individual who is authorized to represent the owners and operators in all matters pertaining to the trading program.(H) Allowance transfer provisions providing procedures that allow timely transfer and recording of allowances, minimize administrative barriers to the operation of the allowance market, and ensure that such procedures apply uniformly to all sources and other potential participants in the allowance market.(I) Compliance provisions prohibiting a source from emitting a total tonnage of a pollutant that exceeds the tonnage value of its allowance holdings, including the methods and procedures for determining whether emissions exceed allowance holdings. Such method and procedures shall apply consistently from source to source.(J) Penalty provisions providing for mandatory allowance deductions for excess emissions that apply consistently from source to source. The tonnage value of the allowances deducted shall equal at least three times the tonnage of the excess emissions.(K) For a trading program that allows banking of allowances, provisions clarifying any restrictions on the use of these banked allowances.(L) Program assessment provisions providing for periodic program evaluation to assess whether the program is accomplishing its goals and whether modifications to the program are needed to enhance performance of the program. (3) A State which opts under 40 CFR 51.308(e)(2) to implement an emissions trading program or other alternative measure rather than to require sources subject to BART to install, operate, and maintain BART may satisfy the final step of the demonstration required by that section as follows: If the distribution of emissions is not substantially different than under BART, and the alternative measure results in greater emission reductions, then the alternative measure may be deemed to achieve greater reasonable progress. If the distribution of emissions is significantly different, the State must conduct dispersion modeling to determine differences in visibility between BART and the trading program for each impacted Class I area, for the worst and best 20 percent of days. The modeling would demonstrate “greater reasonable progress” if both of the following two criteria are met:(i) Visibility does not decline in any Class I area, and(ii) There is an overall improvement in visibility, determined by comparing the average differences between BART and the alternative over all affected Class I areas.(4) A State subject to a trading program established in accordance with §52.38 or §52.39 under a Transport Rule Federal Implementation Plan need not require BART-eligible fossil fuel-fired steam electric plants in the State to install, operate, and maintain BART for the pollutant covered by such trading program in the State. A State that chooses to meet the emission reduction requirements of the Transport Rule by submitting a SIP revision that establishes a trading program and is approved as meeting the requirements of §52.38 or §52.39 also need not require BART-eligible fossil fuel-fired steam electric plants in the State to install, operate, and maintain BART for the pollutant covered by such trading program in the State. A State may adopt provisions, consistent with the requirements applicable to the State for a trading program established in accordance with §52.38 or §52.39 under the Transport Rule Federal Implementation Plan or established under a SIP revision that is approved as meeting the requirements of §52.38 or §52.39, for a geographic enhancement to the program to address the requirement under §51.302(c) related to BART for reasonably attributable impairment from the pollutant covered by such trading program in that State.(5) After a State has met the requirements for BART or implemented emissions trading program or other alternative measure that achieves more reasonable progress than the installation and operation of BART, BART-eligible sources will be subject to the requirements of paragraph (d) of this section in the same manner as other sources.(6) Any BART-eligible facility subject to the requirement under paragraph (e) of this section to install, operate, and maintain BART may apply to the Administrator for an exemption from that requirement. An application for an exemption will be subject to the requirements of §51.303(a)(2)-(h).(f) Requirements for comprehensive periodic revisions of implementation plans for regional haze. Each State identified in §51.300(b)(3) must revise and submit its regional haze implementation plan revision to EPA by July 31, 2018 and every ten years thereafter. In each plan revision, the State must evaluate and reassess all of the elements required in paragraph (d) of this section, taking into account improvements in monitoring data collection and analysis techniques, control technologies, and other relevant factors. In evaluating and reassessing these elements, the State must address the following:(1) Current visibility conditions for the most impaired and least impaired days, and actual progress made towards natural conditions during the previous implementation period. The period for calculating current visibility conditions is the most recent five year period preceding the required date of the implementation plan submittal for which data are available. Current visibility conditions must be calculated based on the annual average level of visibility impairment for the most and least impaired days for each of these five years. Current visibility conditions are the average of these annual values.(2) The effectiveness of the long-term strategy for achieving reasonable progress goals over the prior implementation period(s); and(3) Affirmation of, or revision to, the reasonable progress goal in accordance with the procedures set forth in paragraph (d)(1) of this section. If the State established a reasonable progress goal for the prior period which provided a slower rate of progress than that needed to attain natural conditions by the year 2064, the State must evaluate and determine the reasonableness, based on the factors in paragraph (d)(1)(i)(A) of this section, of additional measures that could be adopted to achieve the degree of visibility improvement projected by the analysis contained in the first implementation plan described in paragraph (d)(1)(i)(B) of this section.(g) Requirements for periodic reports describing progress towards the reasonable progress goals. Each State identified in §51.300(b)(3) must submit a report to the Administrator every 5 years evaluating progress towards the reasonable progress goal for each mandatory Class I Federal area located within the State and in each mandatory Class I Federal area located outside the State which may be affected by emissions from within the State. The first progress report is due 5 years from submittal of the initial implementation plan addressing paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section. The progress reports must be in the form of implementation plan revisions that comply with the procedural requirements of §51.102 and §51.103. Periodic progress reports must contain at a minimum the following elements:(1) A description of the status of implementation of all measures included in the implementation plan for achieving reasonable progress goals for mandatory Class I Federal areas both within and outside the State.(2) A summary of the emissions reductions achieved throughout the State through implementation of the measures described in paragraph (g)(1) of this section.(3) For each mandatory Class I Federal area within the State, the State must assess the following visibility conditions and changes, with values for most impaired and least impaired days expressed in terms of 5-year averages of these annual values.(i) The current visibility conditions for the most impaired and least impaired days;(ii) The difference between current visibility conditions for the most impaired and least impaired days and baseline visibility conditions;(iii) The change in visibility impairment for the most impaired and least impaired days over the past 5 years;(4) An analysis tracking the change over the past 5 years in emissions of pollutants contributing to visibility impairment from all sources and activities within the State. Emissions changes should be identified by type of source or activity. The analysis must be based on the most recent updated emissions inventory, with estimates projected forward as necessary and appropriate, to account for emissions changes during the applicable 5-year period.(5) An assessment of any significant changes in anthropogenic emissions within or outside the State that have occurred over the past 5 years that have limited or impeded progress in reducing pollutant emissions and improving visibility.(6) An assessment of whether the current implementation plan elements and strategies are sufficient to enable the State, or other States with mandatory Federal Class I areas affected by emissions from the State, to meet all established reasonable progress goals.(7) A review of the State's visibility monitoring strategy and any modifications to the strategy as necessary.(h) Determination of the adequacy of existing implementation plan. At the same time the State is required to submit any 5-year progress report to EPA in accordance with paragraph (g) of this section, the State must also take one of the following actions based upon the information presented in the progress report:(1) If the State determines that the existing implementation plan requires no further substantive revision at this time in order to achieve established goals for visibility improvement and emissions reductions, the State must provide to the Administrator a negative declaration that further revision of the existing implementation plan is not needed at this time.(2) If the State determines that the implementation plan is or may be inadequate to ensure reasonable progress due to emissions from sources in another State(s) which participated in a regional planning process, the State must provide notification to the Administrator and to the other State(s) which participated in the regional planning process with the States. The State must also collaborate with the other State(s) through the regional planning process for the purpose of developing additional strategies to address the plan's deficiencies.(3) Where the State determines that the implementation plan is or may be inadequate to ensure reasonable progress due to emissions from sources in another country, the State shall provide notification, along with available information, to the Administrator.(4) Where the State determines that the implementation plan is or may be inadequate to ensure reasonable progress due to emissions from sources within the State, the State shall revise its implementation plan to address the plan's deficiencies within one year.(i) What are the requirements for State and Federal Land Manager coordination? (1) By November 29, 1999, the State must identify in writing to the Federal Land Managers the title of the official to which the Federal Land Manager of any mandatory Class I Federal area can submit any recommendations on the implementation of this subpart including, but not limited to:(i) Identification of impairment of visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal area(s); and(ii) Identification of elements for inclusion in the visibility monitoring strategy required by §51.305 and this section.(2) The State must provide the Federal Land Manager with an opportunity for consultation, in person and at least 60 days prior to holding any public hearing on an implementation plan (or plan revision) for regional haze required by this subpart. This consultation must include the opportunity for the affected Federal Land Managers to discuss their:(i) Assessment of impairment of visibility in any mandatory Class I Federal area; and(ii) Recommendations on the development of the reasonable progress goal and on the development and implementation of strategies to address visibility impairment.(3) In developing any implementation plan (or plan revision), the State must include a description of how it addressed any comments provided by the Federal Land Managers.(4) The plan (or plan revision) must provide procedures for continuing consultation between the State and Federal Land Manager on the implementation of the visibility protection program required by this subpart, including development and review of implementation plan revisions and 5-year progress reports, and on the implementation of other programs having the potential to contribute to impairment of visibility in mandatory Class I Federal areas.
[64 FR 35765, July 1, 1999, as amended at 70 FR 39156, July 6, 2005; 71 FR 60631, Oct. 13, 2006; 77 FR 33656, June 7, 2012]
§51.309 Requirements related to the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission.(a) What is the purpose of this section? This section establishes the requirements for the first regional haze implementation plan to address regional haze visibility impairment in the 16 Class I areas covered by the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission Report. For the period through 2018, certain States (defined in paragraph (b) of this section as Transport Region States) may choose to implement the Commission's recommendations within the framework of the national regional haze program and applicable requirements of the Act by complying with the provisions of this section. If a Transport Region State submits an implementation plan which is approved by EPA as meeting the requirements of this section, it will be deemed to comply with the requirements for reasonable progress with respect to the 16 Class I areas for the period from approval of the plan through 2018. Any Transport Region State electing not to submit an implementation plan under this section is subject to the requirements of §51.308 in the same manner and to the same extent as any State not included within the Transport Region. Except as provided in paragraph (g) of this section, each Transport Region State is also subject to the requirements of §51.308 with respect to any other Federal mandatory Class I areas within the State or affected by emissions from the State.(b) Definitions. For the purposes of this section:(1) 16 Class I areas means the following mandatory Class I Federal areas on the Colorado Plateau: Grand Canyon National Park, Sycamore Canyon Wilderness, Petrified Forest National Park, Mount Baldy Wilderness, San Pedro Parks Wilderness, Mesa Verde National Park, Weminuche Wilderness, Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness, West Elk Wilderness, Maroon Bells Wilderness, Flat Tops Wilderness, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capital Reef National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Zion National Park.(2) Transport Region State means one of the States that is included within the Transport Region addressed by the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming).(3) Commission Report means the report of the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission entitled “Recommendations for Improving Western Vistas,” dated June 10, 1996.(4) Fire means wildfire, wildland fire (including prescribed natural fire), prescribed fire, and agricultural burning conducted and occurring on Federal, State, and private wildlands and farmlands.(5) Milestone means the maximum level of annual regional SO2 emissions, in tons per year, for a given year, assessed annually, through the year 2018, consistent with paragraph (d)(4) of this section. (6) Continuous decline in total mobile source emissions means that the projected level of emissions from mobile sources of each listed pollutant in 2008, 2013, and 2018, are less than the projected level of emissions from mobile sources of each listed pollutant for the previous period (i.e., 2008 less than 2003; 2013 less than 2008; and 2018 less than 2013). (7) Base year means the year for which data for a source included within the program were used by the WRAP to calculate emissions as a starting point for development of the milestone required by paragraph (d)(4)(i) of this section. (8) Base year means the year, generally a year between 1996 and 1998, for which data for a source included within the program were used by the WRAP to calculate base year emissions as a starting point for development of the Annex required by paragraph (f) of this section. (9)-(12) [Reserved] (13) Eligible renewable energy resource, for purposes of 40 CFR 51.309, means electricity generated by non-nuclear and non-fossil low or no air emission technologies.(c) Implementation Plan Schedule. Each Transport Region State electing to submit an implementation plan under this section must submit such a plan no later than December 17, 2007. Indian Tribes may submit implementation plans after this deadline.(d) Requirements of the first implementation plan for States electing to adopt all of the recommendations of the Commission Report. Except as provided for in paragraph (e) of this section, each Transport Region State must submit an implementation plan that meets the following requirements:(1) Time period covered. The implementation plan must be effective through December 31, 2018 and continue in effect until an implementation plan revision is approved by EPA in accordance with §51.308(f).(2) Projection of visibility improvement. For each of the 16 mandatory Class I areas located within the Transport Region State, the plan must include a projection of the improvement in visibility conditions (expressed in deciviews, and in any additional ambient visibility metrics deemed appropriate by the State) expected through the year 2018 for the most impaired and least impaired days, based on the implementation of all measures as required in the Commission report and the provisions in this section. The projection must be made in consultation with other Transport Region States with sources which may be reasonably anticipated to contribute to visibility impairment in the relevant Class I area. The projection may be based on a satisfactory regional analysis.(3) Treatment of clean-air corridors. The plan must describe and provide for implementation of comprehensive emission tracking strategies for clean-air corridors to ensure that the visibility does not degrade on the least-impaired days at any of the 16 Class I areas. The strategy must include:(i) An identification of clean-air corridors. The EPA will evaluate the State's identification of such corridors based upon the reports of the Commission's Meteorology Subcommittee and any future updates by a successor organization;(ii) Within areas that are clean-air corridors, an identification of patterns of growth or specific sites of growth that could cause, or are causing, significant emissions increases that could have, or are having, visibility impairment at one or more of the 16 Class I areas.(iii) In areas outside of clean-air corridors, an identification of significant emissions growth that could begin, or is beginning, to impair the quality of air in the corridor and thereby lead to visibility degradation for the least-impaired days in one or more of the 16 Class I areas.(iv) If impairment of air quality in clean air corridors is identified pursuant to paragraphs (d)(3)(ii) and (iii) of this section, an analysis of the effects of increased emissions, including provisions for the identification of the need for additional emission reductions measures, and implementation of the additional measures where necessary.(v) A determination of whether other clean air corridors exist for any of the 16 Class I areas. For any such clean air corridors, an identification of the necessary measures to protect against future degradation of air quality in any of the 16 Class I areas.(4) Implementation of stationary source reductions. The first implementation plan submission must include:(i) Provisions for stationary source emissions of SO2. The plan submission must include a SO2 program that contains quantitative emissions milestones for stationary source SO2 emissions for each year through 2018. After the first two years of the program, compliance with the annual milestones may be measured by comparing a three-year rolling average of actual emissions with a rolling average of the emissions milestones for the same three years. During the first two years of the program, compliance with the milestones may be measured by a methodology of the States' choosing, so long as all States in the program use the same methodology. Compliance with the 2018 milestone shall be measured by comparing actual emissions from the year 2018 with the 2018 milestone. The milestones must provide for steady and continuing emissions reductions through 2018 consistent with the Commission's definition of reasonable progress, its goal of 50 to 70 percent reduction in SO2 emissions from 1990 actual emission levels by 2040, applicable requirements under the CAA, and the timing of implementation plan assessments of progress and identification of any deficiencies which will be due in the years 2013 and 2018. The milestones must be shown to provide for greater reasonable progress than would be achieved by application of BART pursuant to §51.308(e)(2).(ii) Documentation of emissions calculation methods for SO2. The plan submission must include documentation of the specific methodology used to calculate SO2 emissions during the base year for each emitting unit included in the program. The implementation plan must also provide for documentation of any change to the specific methodology used to calculate emissions at any emitting unit for any year after the base year.(iii) Monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting of SO2 emissions. The plan submission must include provisions requiring the monitoring, recordkeeping, and annual reporting of actual stationary source SO2 emissions within the State. The monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting data must be sufficient to determine annually whether the milestone for each year through 2018 is achieved. The plan submission must provide for reporting of these data by the State to the Administrator and to the regional planning organization. The plan must provide for retention of records for at least 10 years from the establishment of the record.(iv) Criteria and Procedures for a Market Trading Program. The plan must include the criteria and procedures for conducting an annual evaluation of whether the milestone is achieved and, in accordance with paragraph (d)(4)(v) of this section, for activating a market trading program in the event the milestone is not achieved. A draft of the annual report evaluating whether the milestone for each year is achieved shall be completed no later than 12 months from the end of each milestone year. The plan must also provide for assessments of the program in the years 2013 and 2018.(v) Market Trading Program. The implementation plan must include requirements for a market trading program to be implemented in the event that a milestone is not achieved. The plan shall require that the market trading program be activated beginning no later than 15 months after the end of the first year in which the milestone is not achieved. The plan shall also require that sources comply, as soon as practicable, with the requirement to hold allowances covering their emissions. Such market trading program must be sufficient to achieve the milestones in paragraph (d)(4)(i) of this section, and must be consistent with the elements for such programs outlined in §51.308(e)(2)(vi). Such a program may include a geographic enhancement to the program to address the requirement under §51.302(c) related to BART for reasonably attributable impairment from the pollutants covered under the program.(vi) Provision for the 2018 milestone.(A) Unless and until a revised implementation plan is submitted in accordance with §51.308(f) and approved by EPA, the implementation plan shall prohibit emissions from covered stationary sources in any year beginning in 2018 that exceed the year 2018 milestone. In no event shall a market-based program approved under §51.308(f) allow an emissions cap for SO2 that is less stringent than the 2018 milestone, unless the milestones are replaced by a different program approved by EPA as meeting the BART and reasonable progress requirements established in §51.308.(B) The implementation plan must provide a framework, including financial penalties for excess emissions based on the 2018 milestone, sufficient to ensure that the 2018 milestone will be met even if the implementation of the market trading program in paragraph (d)(4)(v) of this section has not yet been triggered, or the source allowance compliance provision of the trading program is not yet in effect.(vii) Provisions for stationary source emissions of NOX and PM. The implementation plan must contain any necessary long term strategies and BART requirements for stationary source PM and NOX emissions. Any such BART provisions may be submitted pursuant to either §51.308(e)(1) or '51.308(e)(2). (5) Mobile sources. The plan submission must provide for:(i) Statewide inventories of onroad and nonroad mobile source emissions of VOC, NOX, SO2, PM2.5, elemental carbon, and organic carbon for the years 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018. (A) The inventories must demonstrate a continuous decline in total mobile source emissions (onroad plus nonroad; tailpipe and evaporative) of VOC, NOX, PM2.5, elemental carbon, and organic carbon, evaluated separately. If the inventories show a continuous decline in total mobile source emissions of each of these pollutants over the period 2003-2018, no further action is required as part of this plan to address mobile source emissions of these pollutants. If the inventories do not show a continuous decline in mobile source emissions of one or more of these pollutants over the period 2003-2018, the plan submission must provide for an implementation plan revision by no later than December 31, 2008 containing any necessary long-term strategies to achieve a continuous decline in total mobile source emissions of the pollutant(s), to the extent practicable, considering economic and technological reasonableness and federal preemption of vehicle standards and fuel standards under title II of the CAA. (B) The plan submission must also provide for an implementation plan revision by no later than December 31, 2008 containing any long-term strategies necessary to reduce emissions of SO2 from nonroad mobile sources, consistent with the goal of reasonable progress. In assessing the need for such long-term strategies, the State may consider emissions reductions achieved or anticipated from any new Federal standards for sulfur in nonroad diesel fuel.(ii) Interim reports to EPA and the public in years 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018 on the implementation status of the regional and local strategies recommended by the Commission Report to address mobile source emissions.(6) Programs related to fire. The plan must provide for:(i) Documentation that all Federal, State, and private prescribed fire programs within the State evaluate and address the degree visibility impairment from smoke in their planning and application. In addition the plan must include smoke management programs that include all necessary components including, but not limited to, actions to minimize emissions, evaluation of smoke dispersion, alternatives to fire, public notification, air quality monitoring, surveillance and enforcement, and program evaluation.(ii) A statewide inventory and emissions tracking system (spatial and temporal) of VOC, NOX, elemental and organic carbon, and fine particle emissions from fire. In reporting and tracking emissions from fire from within the State, States may use information from regional data-gathering and tracking initiatives.(iii) Identification and removal wherever feasible of any administrative barriers to the use of alternatives to burning in Federal, State, and private prescribed fire programs within the State.(iv) Enhanced smoke management programs for fire that consider visibility effects, not only health and nuisance objectives, and that are based on the criteria of efficiency, economics, law, emission reduction opportunities, land management objectives, and reduction of visibility impact.(v) Establishment of annual emission goals for fire, excluding wildfire, that will minimize emission increases from fire to the maximum extent feasible and that are established in cooperation with States, tribes, Federal land management agencies, and private entities.(7) Area sources of dust emissions from paved and unpaved roads. The plan must include an assessment of the impact of dust emissions from paved and unpaved roads on visibility conditions in the 16 Class I Areas. If such dust emissions are determined to be a significant contributor to visibility impairment in the 16 Class I areas, the State must implement emissions management strategies to address the impact as necessary and appropriate.(8) Pollution prevention. The plan must provide for:(i) An initial summary of all pollution prevention programs currently in place, an inventory of all renewable energy generation capacity and production in use, or planned as of the year 2002 (expressed in megawatts and megawatt-hours), the total energy generation capacity and production for the State, the percent of the total that is renewable energy, and the State's anticipated contribution toward the renewable energy goals for 2005 and 2015, as provided in paragraph (d)(8)(vi) of this section.(ii) Programs to provide incentives that reward efforts that go beyond compliance and/or achieve early compliance with air-pollution related requirements.(iii) Programs to preserve and expand energy conservation efforts.(iv) The identification of specific areas where renewable energy has the potential to supply power where it is now lacking and where renewable energy is most cost-effective.(v) Projections of the short- and long-term emissions reductions, visibility improvements, cost savings, and secondary benefits associated with the renewable energy goals, energy efficiency and pollution prevention activities.(vi) A description of the programs relied on to achieve the State's contribution toward the Commission's goal that renewable energy will comprise 10 percent of the regional power needs by 2005 and 20 percent by 2015, and a demonstration of the progress toward achievement of the renewable energy goals in the years 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018. This description must include documentation of the potential for renewable energy resources, the percentage of renewable energy associated with new power generation projects implemented or planned, and the renewable energy generation capacity and production in use and planned in the State. To the extent that it is not feasible for a State to meet its contribution to the regional renewable energy goals, the State must identify in the progress reports the measures implemented to achieve its contribution and explain why meeting the State's contribution was not feasible.(9) Implementation of additional recommendations. The plan must provide for implementation of all other recommendations in the Commission report that can be practicably included as enforceable emission limits, schedules of compliance, or other enforceable measures (including economic incentives) to make reasonable progress toward remedying existing and preventing future regional haze in the 16 Class I areas. The State must provide a report to EPA and the public in 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018 on the progress toward developing and implementing policy or strategy options recommended in the Commission Report.(10) Periodic implementation plan revisions. Each Transport Region State must submit to the Administrator periodic reports in the years 2013 and 2018. The progress reports must be in the form of implementation plan revisions that comply with the procedural requirements of §§51.102 and 51.103.(i) The report will assess the area for reasonable progress as provided in this section for mandatory Class I Federal area(s) located within the State and for mandatory Class I Federal area(s) located outside the State which may be affected by emissions from within the State. This demonstration may be based on assessments conducted by the States and/or a regional planning body. The progress reports must contain at a minimum the following elements:(A) A description of the status of implementation of all measures included in the implementation plan for achieving reasonable progress goals for mandatory Class I Federal areas both within and outside the State.(B) A summary of the emissions reductions achieved throughout the State through implementation of the measures described in paragraph (d)(10)(i)(A) of this section.(C) For each mandatory Class I Federal area within the State, an assessment of the following: the current visibility conditions for the most impaired and least impaired days; the difference between current visibility conditions for the most impaired and least impaired days and baseline visibility conditions; the change in visibility impairment for the most impaired and least impaired days over the past 5 years.(D) An analysis tracking the change over the past 5 years in emissions of pollutants contributing to visibility impairment from all sources and activities within the State. Emissions changes should be identified by type of source or activity. The analysis must be based on the most recent updated emissions inventory, with estimates projected forward as necessary and appropriate, to account for emissions changes during the applicable 5-year period.(E) An assessment of any significant changes in anthropogenic emissions within or outside the State that have occurred over the past 5 years that have limited or impeded progress in reducing pollutant emissions and improving visibility.(F) An assessment of whether the current implementation plan elements and strategies are sufficient to enable the State, or other States with mandatory Federal Class I areas affected by emissions from the State, to meet all established reasonable progress goals.(G) A review of the State's visibility monitoring strategy and any modifications to the strategy as necessary.(ii) At the same time the State is required to submit any 5-year progress report to EPA in accordance with paragaph (d)(10)(i) of this section, the State must also take one of the following actions based upon the information presented in the progress report:(A) If the State determines that the existing implementation plan requires no further substantive revision at this time in order to achieve established goals for visibility improvement and emissions reductions, the State must provide to the Administrator a negative declaration that further revision of the existing implementation plan is not needed at this time.(B) If the State determines that the implementation plan is or may be inadequate to ensure reasonable progress due to emissions from sources in another State(s) which participated in a regional planning process, the State must provide notification to the Administrator and to the other State(s) which participated in the regional planning process with the States. The State must also collaborate with the other State(s) through the regional planning process for the purpose of developing additional strategies to address the plan's deficiencies.(C) Where the State determines that the implementation plan is or may be inadequate to ensure reasonable progress due to emissions from sources in another country, the State shall provide notification, along with available information, to the Administrator.(D) Where the State determines that the implementation plan is or may be inadequate to ensure reasonable progress due to emissions from within the State, the State shall develop additional strategies to address the plan deficiencies and revise the implementation plan no later than one year from the date that the progress report was due.(11) State planning and interstate coordination. In complying with the requirements of this section, States may include emission reductions strategies that are based on coordinated implementation with other States. Examples of these strategies include economic incentive programs and transboundary emissions trading programs. The implementation plan must include documentation of the technical and policy basis for the individual State apportionment (or the procedures for apportionment throughout the trans-boundary region), the contribution addressed by the State's plan, how it coordinates with other State plans, and compliance with any other appropriate implementation plan approvability criteria. States may rely on the relevant technical, policy and other analyses developed by a regional entity (such as the Western Regional Air Partnership) in providing such documentation. Conversely, States may elect to develop their own programs without relying on work products from a regional entity.(12) Tribal implementation. Consistent with 40 CFR Part 49, tribes within the Transport Region may implement the required visibility programs for the 16 Class I areas, in the same manner as States, regardless of whether such tribes have participated as members of a visibility transport commission.(e) States electing not to implement the commission recommendations. Any Transport Region State may elect not to implement the Commission recommendations set forth in paragraph (d) of this section. Such States are required to comply with the timelines and requirements of §51.308. Any Transport Region State electing not to implement the Commission recommendations must advise the other States in the Transport Region of the nature of the program and the effect of the program on visibility-impairing emissions, so that other States can take this information into account in developing programs under this section.(f) [Reserved] (g) Additional Class I areas. Each Transport Region State implementing the provisions of this section as the basis for demonstrating reasonable progress for mandatory Class I Federal areas other than the 16 Class I areas must include the following provisions in its implementation plan. If a Transport Region State submits an implementation plan which is approved by EPA as meeting the requirements of this section, it will be deemed to comply with the requirements for reasonable progress for the period from approval of the plan to 2018.(1) A demonstration of expected visibility conditions for the most impaired and least impaired days at the additional mandatory Class I Federal area(s) based on emissions projections from the long-term strategies in the implementation plan. This demonstration may be based on assessments conducted by the States and/or a regional planning body.(2) Provisions establishing reasonable progress goals and implementing any additional measures necessary to demonstrate reasonable progress for the additional mandatory Federal Class I areas. These provisions must comply with the provisions of §51.308(d)(1) through (4).(i) In developing long-term strategies pursuant to §51.308(d)(3), the State may build upon the strategies implemented under paragraph (d) of this section, and take full credit for the visibility improvement achieved through these strategies.(ii) The requirement under §51.308(e) related to Best Available Retrofit Technology for regional haze is deemed to be satisfied for pollutants addressed by the milestones and backstop trading program if, in establishing the emission reductions milestones under paragraph (d)(4) of this section, it is shown that greater reasonable progress will be achieved for these additional Class I areas than would be achieved through the application of source-specific BART emission limitations under §51.308(e)(1).(iii) The Transport Region State may consider whether any strategies necessary to achieve the reasonable progress goals required by paragraph (g)(2) of this section are incompatible with the strategies implemented under paragraph (d) of this section to the extent the State adequately demonstrates that the incompatibility is related to the costs of the compliance, the time necessary for compliance, the energy and no air quality environmental impacts of compliance, or the remaining useful life of any existing source subject to such requirements.
[64 FR 35769, July 1, 1999, as amended at 68 FR 33784, June 5, 2003; 68 FR 39846, July 3, 2003; 68 FR 61369, Oct. 28, 2003; 68 FR 71014, Dec. 22, 2003; 71 FR 60632, Oct. 13, 2006]