[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 1, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 6688-6691]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-01973]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[EPA-R03-OAR-2022-0987; FRL-10615-01-R3]


Clean Data Determination; District of Columbia, Maryland, and 
Virginia; Washington, DC-MD-VA Nonattainment Area for the 2015 Ozone 
National Ambient Air Quality Standard Clean Data Determination

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to 
determine that the Washington, District of Columbia-Maryland-Virginia 
(the Washington Area or the Area) nonattainment area has clean data for 
the 2015 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard (2015 ozone 
NAAQS). This proposed clean data determination (CDD) under EPA's Clean 
Data Policy is based upon quality-assured, quality-controlled, and 
certified ambient air quality monitoring data showing that the area has 
attained the 2015 ozone NAAQS based on 2019 to 2021 data available in 
EPA's Air Quality System (AQS) database. If finalized, this proposed 
CDD would suspend the obligations of the District of Columbia (DC), the 
State of Maryland (MD) and the Commonwealth of Virginia (VA) to submit 
certain attainment planning requirements for the nonattainment area for 
as long as the Area continues to attain the 2015 ozone NAAQS.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before March 3, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R03-
OAR-2022-0987 at www.regulations.gov, or via email to 
[email protected]. For comments submitted at Regulations.gov, follow 
the online instructions for submitting comments. Once submitted, 
comments cannot be edited or removed from Regulations.gov. For either 
manner of submission, EPA may publish any comment received to its 
public docket. Do not submit electronically any information you 
consider to be confidential business information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia 
submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written 
comment. The written comment is considered the official comment and 
should include discussion of all points you wish to make. EPA will 
generally not consider comments or comment contents located outside of 
the primary submission (i.e., on the web, cloud, or other file sharing 
system). For additional submission methods, please contact the person 
identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. For the full 
EPA public comment policy, information about CBI or multimedia 
submissions, and general guidance on making effective comments, please 
visit www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keila M. Pag[aacute]n-Incle, Planning 
& Implementation Branch (3AD30), Air & Radiation Division, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, Four Penn Center, 1600 
John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-2852. The 
telephone number is (215) 814-2926. Ms. Pag[aacute]n-Incle can also be 
reached via electronic mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, wherever ``we,'' 
``us'' or ``our'' are used, it is intended to refer to the EPA.

Table of Contents

I. Background and Purpose
II. EPA Clean Data Policy and Clean Data Determinations
III. Analysis of Air Quality Data
IV. Proposed Action
V. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

[[Page 6689]]

I. Background and Purpose

    On October 26, 2015 (80 FR 65291), EPA promulgated a revised 
primary and secondary NAAQS for ozone to provide requisite increased 
protection of public health and welfare, respectively. In that action, 
EPA strengthened both standards from 0.075 parts per million (ppm) to 
0.070 ppm, and retained the indicator (O3), averaging time 
(8-hour) and form (annual fourth-highest daily maximum, averaged over 
three years) of the existing standards. Effective August 3, 2018 (83 FR 
25776), EPA designated 52 areas throughout the country as nonattainment 
for the 2015 ozone NAAQS, including the Washington Area,\1\ which was 
classified as a Marginal nonattainment area. This designation was based 
on certified air quality monitoring data from calendar years 2014 to 
2016. In that action, EPA established the attainment date for Marginal 
nonattainment areas as three years from the effective date of the final 
designations. Thus, the attainment date for Marginal nonattainment 
areas for the 2015 ozone NAAQS was August 3, 2021.\2\
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    \1\ The Washington Area consists of the following counties/
cities: Calvert County, Charles County, Frederick County, Montgomery 
County, and Prince George's County in Maryland; Alexandria city, 
Arlington County, Fairfax County, Fairfax city, Falls Church city, 
Loudoun County, Manassas Park city, Manassas city, Prince William 
County in Virginia; and all of the District of Columbia. See 40 CFR 
81.309, 81.321, and 81.347.
    \2\ See 83 FR 25776 (June 4, 2018).
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    On April 13, 2022 (87 FR 21842), EPA proposed to determine that 24 
Marginal areas, including the Washington Area, failed to attain the 
2015 ozone NAAQS by their applicable attainment date and the areas were 
therefore going to be reclassified by operation of law as Moderate 
nonattainment upon the effective date of the final reclassification 
notice. On October 7, 2022 (87 FR 60897), EPA published the final 
action in the Federal Register stating that 22 Marginal areas or 
portions of areas failed to attain the standard by the applicable 
attainment date, including the Washington Area. In that action, EPA 
reclassified the Washington Area as Moderate nonattainment for the 2015 
ozone NAAQS because it failed to attain the standard by the attainment 
date of August 3, 2021. This designation was based on quality-assured, 
quality-controlled, and certified ozone air quality monitoring data 
from calendar years 2018 to 2020. More recent air quality data from 
2019 to 2021 indicates that the Washington Area is now attaining the 
2015 ozone standard--the basis for EPA's proposed CDD.

II. EPA Clean Data Policy and Clean Data Determinations

    Following enactment of the Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments of 1990, 
EPA discussed its interpretation of the requirements for implementing 
the NAAQS in the ``General Preamble for the Implementation of title I 
of the CAA Amendments of 1990'' (General Preamble).\3\ In 1995, based 
on the interpretation of CAA sections 171, 172, and 182 in the General 
Preamble, EPA set forth what has become known as its ``Clean Data 
Policy'' for the 1-hour ozone NAAQS.\4\ Under the Clean Data Policy, 
for a nonattainment area that can demonstrate attainment of the 
standard before implementing CAA nonattainment measures, EPA interprets 
the requirements of the CAA that are specifically designed to help an 
area achieve attainment, including attainment demonstrations, 
implementation of reasonably available control measures (RACM), 
including reasonably available control technology (RACT), reasonable 
further progress (RFP) demonstrations, emissions limitations and 
control measures as necessary to provide for attainment, and 
contingency measures, to be suspended for so long as air quality 
continues to meet the standard.\5\
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    \3\ 57 FR 13498, 13564 (April 16, 1992).
    \4\ See Memorandum from John S. Seitz, Director, Office of Air 
Quality Planning and Standards, entitled, ``Reasonable Further 
Progress, Attainment Demonstration, and Related Requirements for 
Ozone Nonattainment areas Meeting the Ozone National Ambient Air 
Quality Standard,'' dated May 10, 1995. (1995 John S. Seitz Memo). 
Further description of EPA's Clean Data Policy can be found in the 
``Final Rule to Implement the 8-hour Ozone National Ambient Air 
Quality Standard--Phase 2'' (referred to as the Phase 2 Final Rule), 
(70 FR 71612, November 29, 2005). The Tenth, Seventh, and Ninth 
Circuit U.S. District Courts have upheld EPA rulemakings applying 
the Clean Data Policy. See Sierra Club v. EPA, 99 F. 3d 1551 (10th 
Cir. 1996); Sierra Club v. EPA, 375 F. 3d 537 (7th Cir. 2004); Our 
Children's Earth Foundation v. EPA, No. 04-73032 (9th Cir., June 28, 
2005) memorandum opinion.
    \5\ 1995 John S. Seitz memo.
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    EPA may issue a CDD under our Clean Data Policy when a 
nonattainment area is attaining the 2015 ozone NAAQS based on the most 
recent available data. EPA will determine whether the area has attained 
the 2015 ozone NAAQS based on available information, including air 
quality monitoring data for the affected area. If the CDD is made 
final, then certain attainment plan requirements for the area are 
suspended for so long as the area continues to attain the NAAQS.
    Furthermore, the suspension of the obligation to submit an 
attainment plan is only appropriate where the area remains in 
attainment of the NAAQS. A CDD under the Clean Data Policy does not 
serve to alter the area's nonattainment designation. CDDs are not 
redesignations to attainment. For EPA to redesignate an area to 
attainment the state must submit, and EPA must approve, a redesignation 
request for the area that meets the requirements of CAA section 
107(d)(3).

III. Analysis of Air Quality Data

    EPA has reviewed the ambient air monitoring data for ozone, 
consistent with the requirements contained in 40 Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) part 50 and recorded in EPA's AQS database for the 
Washington Area from 2019 through 2022. On the basis of that review, 
EPA has concluded that this Area attained the 2015 ozone NAAQS at the 
end of the 2021 ozone season, based on certified 2019 to 2021 ozone 
data. In addition, preliminary ozone data for 2022 that are available 
in AQS, but not yet certified, is consistent with continued attainment 
of the 2015 ozone NAAQS.
    Under EPA regulations, the 2015 ozone NAAQS is attained when the 3-
year average of the annual fourth-highest daily maximum 8-hour average 
ozone concentrations at an ozone monitor is less than or equal to 0.070 
ppm.\6\ This 3-year average is referred to as the design value (DV). 
When calculating the DV, digits to the right of the third decimal place 
are truncated.\7\ When the DV is less than or equal to 0.070 ppm at 
each monitor within the area, then the area is meeting the NAAQS. In 
addition, the 2015 ozone DVs are based solely on ozone season data.\8\ 
Ozone season is defined for each state or portion of a state.\9\ The 
ozone season for DC, MD and VA runs from March 1st to October 31st each 
year.\10\ There is also a data completeness requirement that is met 
when the average percentage of days with valid ambient monitoring data 
is greater than 90%, and no single year has less than 75% data 
completeness as determined in Appendix I of 40 CFR part 50. The 
Washington Area has complete data for the years 2018 to 2021, as shown 
in Table 1 in this document.
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    \6\ See 40 CFR 50.19(b).
    \7\ See 40 CFR part 50, appendix P.
    \8\ See 40 CFR 51.1300(b), which refers to 40 CFR part 50, 
appendix U.
    \9\ See 40 CFR 51.1300(j), which refers to 40 CFR part 58, 
appendix D, section 4.1, Table D-3.
    \10\ Id.

[[Page 6690]]



               Table 1--Completeness Data Percentage (%) From 2018 to 2021 for the Washington Area
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                      Location                          AQS Site ID      2018       2019       2020       2021
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District of Columbia................................       110010041         98        100         96         90
District of Columbia................................       110010043         98         98         96         98
District of Columbia................................       110010050        100        100         94         98
Calvert, MD.........................................       240090011         98         93         97         98
Charles, MD.........................................       240170010         95         90         97         96
Frederick, MD.......................................       240210037        100         99         95         98
Montgomery, MD......................................       240313001         99         96         92         96
Prince George's, MD.................................       240330030         99         96         99        100
Prince George's, MD.................................       240338003         99         95         98         99
Prince George's, MD.................................       240339991         93         93         98         99
Arlington, VA.......................................       510130020         99         99         98         96
Fairfax, VA.........................................       510590030         96         98         96         99
Fauquier, VA........................................       510610002         99         95         99        100
Loudoun, VA.........................................       511071005         99         90         99         96
Prince William, VA..................................       511530009         99        100         98         99
Stafford, VA........................................       511790001         97         97         96         90
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    Table 2 in this document shows the fourth-highest maximum 8-hour 
average ozone concentrations for the Washington Area monitors for the 
years 2018 to 2022. Table 3 in this document shows the ozone design 
values for these same monitors based on the following 3-year periods: 
2018-2020, 2019-2021 and 2020-2022.

   Table 2--Fourth-Highest 8-Hour Ozone Average Concentrations (ppm) in the Washington Area From 2018 to 2022
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                 Location                    AQS Site ID      2018       2019       2020       2021      2022 *
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District of Columbia.....................       110010041      0.050      0.062      0.054      0.064      0.059
District of Columbia.....................       110010043      0.073      0.071      0.063      0.072      0.066
District of Columbia.....................       110010050      0.073      0.067      0.063      0.069      0.051
Calvert, MD..............................       240090011      0.067      0.058      0.054      0.062      0.058
Charles, MD..............................       240170010      0.068      0.061      0.052      0.066      0.061
Frederick, MD............................       240210037      0.067      0.065      0.063      0.067      0.061
Montgomery, MD...........................       240313001      0.069      0.062      0.059      0.068      0.063
Prince George's, MD......................       240330030      0.070      0.071      0.064      0.066      0.061
Prince George's, MD......................       240338003      0.070      0.065      0.060      0.070      0.064
Prince George's, MD......................       240339991      0.073      0.075      0.065      0.071      0.065
Arlington, VA............................       510130020      0.070      0.068      0.062      0.070      0.061
Fairfax, VA..............................       510590030      0.066      0.070      0.057      0.068      0.062
Fauquier, VA.............................       510610002      0.060      0.055      0.049      0.060      0.056
Loudoun, VA..............................       511071005      0.065      0.060      0.060      0.066      0.061
Prince William, VA.......................       511530009      0.065      0.060      0.057      0.062      0.058
Stafford, VA.............................       511790001      0.064      0.059      0.056      0.062      0.058
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* The 2022 data in this column is preliminary and has yet to be certified.


                           Table 3--Ozone Design Values (ppm) for the Washington Area
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                    Location                        AQS Site ID      2018-2020       2019-2021      2020-2022 *
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District of Columbia............................       110010041           0.055           0.060           0.059
District of Columbia............................       110010043           0.069           0.068           0.067
District of Columbia............................       110010050           0.067           0.066           0.061
Calvert, MD.....................................       240090011           0.059           0.058           0.058
Charles, MD.....................................       240170010           0.060           0.059           0.060
Frederick, MD...................................       240210037           0.065           0.065           0.064
Montgomery, MD..................................       240313001           0.063           0.063           0.063
Prince George's, MD.............................       240330030           0.068           0.067           0.064
Prince George's, MD.............................       240338003           0.065           0.065           0.065
Prince George's, MD.............................       240339991           0.071           0.070           0.067
Arlington, VA...................................       510130020           0.066           0.066           0.064
Fairfax, VA.....................................       510590030           0.064           0.065           0.062
Fauquier, VA....................................       510610002           0.054           0.054           0.055
Loudoun, VA.....................................       511071005           0.061           0.062           0.062
Prince William, VA..............................       511530009           0.060           0.059           0.059
Stafford, VA....................................       511790001           0.059           0.059           0.059
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* The 2022 data in this column is preliminary and has yet to be certified.


[[Page 6691]]

    EPA's review of these data indicate that the Washington Area met 
the attainment standard in 2019-2021 and the preliminary data from 2022 
indicates that the DV for the period of 2020-2022 is consistent with 
continued attainment of the 2015 ozone NAAQS.

IV. Proposed Action

    EPA is proposing to determine that the Washington Moderate ozone 
nonattainment area has attained the 2015 NAAQS for ozone. This 
determination is based upon certified ambient air monitoring data that 
show the area has monitored attainment of the 2015 ozone NAAQS based on 
2019 to 2021 data. In addition, preliminary \11\ ozone data for 2022 
that are available in EPA's AQS database, but not yet certified, is 
consistent with continued attainment of the 2015 ozone NAAQS. As 
provided in 40 CFR 51.1318, if EPA finalizes this CDD, it would suspend 
the requirements for such area to submit attainment demonstrations, 
associated RACM, including RACT, RFP plans, and contingency measures 
under CAA section 172(c)(9), and any other planning State 
Implementation Plan (SIP) revision related to attainment of the 2015 
ozone NAAQS for this Area, for so long as the area continues to attain 
the standard. EPA is soliciting public comments on the issues discussed 
in this document or on other relevant matters. These comments will be 
considered before taking final action. Interested parties may 
participate in the Federal rulemaking procedure by submitting written 
comments to this proposed rule by following the instructions listed in 
the ADDRESSES sections of this Federal Register.
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    \11\ The data in AQS is quality-assured data from the states. 
States have until May 1st of the calendar year following the year in 
which the data was collected to make any changes without prior 
notification to EPA. For the 2022 ozone data, States can make 
changes until the data is ``certified'' by the state on or before 
May 1st, 2023.
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V. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

    This rulemaking action makes a clean data determination for 
attainment of the 2015 ozone NAAQS based on air quality and does not 
impose additional requirements. For that reason, this clean data 
determination:
     Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' subject to 
review by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Orders 
12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993) and 13563 (76 FR 3821, January 21, 
2011);
     Does not impose an information collection burden under the 
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
     Is certified as not having a significant economic impact 
on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
     Does not contain any unfunded mandate or significantly or 
uniquely affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded 
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4);
     Does not have federalism implications as specified in 
Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999);
     Is not an economically significant regulatory action based 
on health or safety risks subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR 
19885, April 23, 1997);
     Is not a significant regulatory action subject to 
Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001);
     Is not subject to requirements of section 12(d) of the 
National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 
note) because application of those requirements would be inconsistent 
with the CAA; and
     Does not provide EPA with the discretionary authority to 
address, as appropriate, disproportionate human health or environmental 
effects, using practicable and legally permissible methods, under 
Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).
    In addition, this proposed clean data determination for the 
Washington Area for the 2015 ozone NAAQS does not have tribal 
implications as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, 
November 9, 2000), because the SIP is not approved to apply in Indian 
country located in the multi-state area, and EPA notes that it will not 
impose substantial direct costs on tribal governments or preempt tribal 
law.

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Incorporation by 
reference, Ozone, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

Adam Ortiz,
Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. 2023-01973 Filed 1-31-23; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


