
[Federal Register: May 14, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 92)]
[Notices]               
[Page 22738-22739]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14my09-29]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-R09-OAR-2008-0728; FRL-8905-2]

 
Adequacy Status of Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets in Submitted 
Early Progress Plan for Clark County 8-hour Ozone for Transportation 
Conformity Purposes; Nevada

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of Adequacy.

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SUMMARY: In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that the Agency 
has found that the motor vehicle emissions budgets for 8-hour ozone in 
the 8-hour Ozone Early Progress Plan for Clark County, Nevada (June 
2008) (``Clark County Ozone EPP'') are adequate for transportation 
conformity purposes. The Clark County Ozone EPP was submitted to EPA on 
July 28, 2008 by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) 
as a revision to the Nevada State Implementation Plan (SIP). As a 
result

[[Page 22739]]

of our adequacy findings, the Southern Nevada Regional Transportation 
Commission (RTC) and the U.S. Department of Transportation must use 
these budgets in future transportation conformity analyses once the 
finding becomes effective.

DATES: This finding is effective May 29, 2009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karina O'Connor, U.S. EPA, Region IX, 
Air Division AIR-2, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-3901; 
(775) 833-1276 or oconnor.karina@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, whenever ``we,'' 
``us,'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.
    Today's notice is simply an announcement of a finding that we have 
already made. EPA Region IX sent a letter to NDEP on May 5, 2009 
stating that the motor vehicle emissions budgets in the submitted Clark 
County Ozone EPP for the year 2008 are adequate. Receipt of the motor 
vehicle emissions budgets in the Clark County Ozone EPP was announced 
on EPA's transportation conformity Web site on August 19, 2008. We 
received no comments in response to the adequacy review posting. The 
finding is available at EPA's conformity Web site: http://www.epa.gov/
otaq/stateresources/transconf/adequacy.htm.
    The adequate motor vehicle emissions budgets are provided in the 
following table:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Motor vehicle emissions budgets (Ozone season)
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                                                  Volatile
                                                  organic      Nitrogen
                  Budget year                    compounds      oxides
                                                 (tons per    (tons per
                                                    day)         day)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2008..........................................         64.2         76.1
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Transportation conformity is required by Clean Air Act section 
176(c). EPA's conformity rule requires that transportation plans, 
transportation improvement programs, and projects conform to state air 
quality implementation plans (SIPs) and establishes the criteria and 
procedures for determining whether or not they do. Conformity to an SIP 
means that transportation activities will not produce new air quality 
violations, worsen existing violations, or delay timely attainment of 
the national ambient air quality standards.
    The criteria by which we determine whether an SIP's motor vehicle 
emission budgets are adequate for conformity purposes are outlined in 
40 CFR 93.118(e)(4) which was promulgated in our August 15, 1997 final 
rule (62 FR 43780, 43781-43783). We have described our process for 
determining the adequacy of submitted SIP budgets in our July 1, 2004 
preamble starting at 69 FR 40038 and we used the information in these 
resources in making our adequacy determination. Please note that an 
adequacy review is separate from EPA's completeness review, and should 
not be used to prejudge EPA's ultimate approval action for the SIP. 
Even if we find a budget adequate, the SIP could later be disapproved.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.

    Dated: May 5, 2009.
Laura Yoshii,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. E9-11278 Filed 5-13-09; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
