Opinion ID: 185450
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Technical Amendments

Text: 9 In the final SIP Call rule promulgated on October 27, 1998, the EPA reopened public comment on the accuracy of data upon which the emission inventories and budgets were based. See NOx SIP Call, 63 Fed. Reg. at 57,427. On December 24, the EPA extended the comment period for emission inventory revisions to 2007 baseline sub-inventory information used to establish each State's budget in the NOx SIP Call, and further explained that it was seeking comment on the relevant data and assumptions so the agency could correct errors and update information used to compute the 2007 budgets. See Correction and Clarification to the Finding of Significant Contribution and Rulemaking for Purposes of Reducing Regional Transport of Ozone, 63 Fed. Reg. 71,220 (Dec. 24, 1998) (SIP Call Correction). The EPA also announced that it would reopen the comment period on equivalent inventory data for the FIP and section 126 rulemakings as well because all three rules relied upon the same inventories. Id. 10 Following this rulemaking, the EPA published two Technical Amendments (TAs) revising the SIP Call NOx emission budgets. In the first TA published May 14, 1999 (May 1999 TA), the EPA made some modifications to source-specific emissions data, as well as to the 2007 baseline inventories. Technical Amendment to the Finding of Significant Contribution and Rulemaking for Certain States for Purposes of Reducing Regional Transport of Ozone, 64 Fed. Reg. 26,298 (May 14, 1999). In the second Technical Amendment published March 2, 2000 (March 2000 TA), the EPA made additional corrections based upon additional public comments it received and the EPA's own internal review of the accuracy of its data and calculations. Technical Amendment to the Finding of Significant Contribution and Rulemaking for Certain States for Purposes of Reducing Regional Transport of Ozone, 65 Fed. Reg. 11,222 (Mar. 2, 2000). The EPA also explained that the March 2000 TA was necessary to make the NOx SIP Call inventory consistent with the inventory adopted by the EPA in the final section 126 rule, as the two rules were to be based upon the same inventory. Id. The EPA also made corrections to the growth rates of many nonEGU sources because it had misapplied these growth rates in the May 1999 TA version of the budget. Id. at 11,223. These changes altered the 2007 baselines for some source categories and some states. 11