Air Plan Approval; Arizona; Maricopa County Air Quality Department
| Published date | 04 April 2024 |
| Record Number | 2024-06879 |
| Citation | 89 FR 23521 |
| Court | Environmental Protection Agency |
| Section | Rules and Regulations |
Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 66 (Thursday, April 4, 2024)
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 66 (Thursday, April 4, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 23521-23523]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06879]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA-R09-OAR-2023-0599; FRL-11591-02-R9]
Air Plan Approval; Arizona; Maricopa County Air Quality
Department
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final
action to approve revisions to the Maricopa County Air Quality
Department (MCAQD) portion of the Arizona State Implementation Plan
(SIP). These revisions concern a rule that includes definitions for
certain terms that are necessary for the implementation of local rules
that regulate sources of air pollution. We are approving a local rule
under the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act).
DATES: This rule is effective May 6, 2024.
ADDRESSES: The EPA has established a docket for this action under
Docket ID No. EPA-R09-OAR-2023-0599. All documents in the docket are
listed on the https://www.regulations.gov website. Although listed in
the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g.,
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as
copyrighted material, is not placed on the internet and will be
publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket
materials are available through https://www.regulations.gov, or please
contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section for additional availability information. If you need assistance
in a language other than English or if you are a person with a
disability who needs a reasonable accommodation at no cost to you,
please contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kira Wiesinger, EPA Region IX, 75
Hawthorne St., San Francisco, CA 94105; phone: (415) 972-3827; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, ``we,'' ``us'' and
``our'' refer to the EPA.
Table of Contents
I. Proposed Action
II. Public Comments and EPA Responses
III. EPA Action
IV. Incorporation by Reference
V. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Proposed Action
On December 27, 2023 (88 FR 89355), the EPA proposed to approve the
following rule into the Arizona SIP.
[[Page 23522]]
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Local agency Rule # Rule title Revised Submitted
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MCAQD............................ 100 General Provisions 08/09/2023 08/23/2023
and Definitions.
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We proposed to approve this rule because we determined that it
complies with the relevant CAA requirements. Our proposed action
contains more information on the rule and our evaluation.
II. Public Comments and EPA Responses
The EPA's proposed action provided a 30-day public comment period.
During this period, we received no comments on our proposal.
III. EPA Action
No comments were submitted on our proposal. Therefore, as
authorized in section 110(k)(3) of the Act, the EPA is approving this
rule into the Arizona SIP. The August 9, 2023 version of Rule 100 will
replace the previously approved version of this rule in the SIP.
IV. Incorporation by Reference
In this rule, the EPA is finalizing regulatory text that includes
incorporation by reference. In accordance with requirements of 1 CFR
51.5, the EPA is finalizing the incorporation by reference of the
MCAQD's Rule 100, ``General Provisions and Definitions,'' revised on
August 9, 2023, which sets forth the legal authority for the Maricopa
County Air Pollution Rules and provides definitions of terms used
throughout these rules. Therefore, these materials have been approved
by the EPA for inclusion in the SIP, have been incorporated by
reference by the EPA into that plan, are fully federally enforceable
under sections 110 and 113 of the CAA as of the effective date of the
final rulemaking of the EPA's approval, and will be incorporated by
reference in the next update to the SIP compilation.\1\ The EPA has
made, and will continue to make, these documents available through
www.regulations.gov and at the EPA Region IX office (please contact the
person identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of
this preamble for more information).
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\1\ 62 FR 27968 (May 22, 1997).
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V. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
Under the Clean Air Act, the Administrator is required to approve a
SIP submission that complies with the provisions of the Act and
applicable federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a).
Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions, the EPA's role is to approve state
choices, provided that they meet the criteria of the Clean Air Act.
Accordingly, this action merely approves the state law as meeting
federal requirements and does not impose additional requirements beyond
those imposed by the state law. For that reason, this action:
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 14094 (88 FR 21879, April 11, 2023);
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 subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR 19885,
April 23, 1997) because it approves a state program;
Is not a significant regulatory action subject to
Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001); and
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 Clean Air Act.
In addition, the SIP is not approved to apply on any Indian
reservation land or in any other area where the EPA or an Indian tribe
has demonstrated that a tribe has jurisdiction. In those areas of
Indian country, the rule does not have tribal implications and will not
impose substantial direct costs on tribal governments or preempt tribal
law as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9,
2000).
Executive Order 12898 (Federal Actions To Address Environmental
Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations, 59 FR 7629,
February 16, 1994) directs Federal agencies to identify and address
``disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental
effects'' of their actions on minority populations and low-income
populations to the greatest extent practicable and permitted by law.
The EPA defines environmental justice (EJ) as ``the fair treatment and
meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color,
national origin, or income with respect to the development,
implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and
policies.'' The EPA further defines the term fair treatment to mean
that ``no group of people should bear a disproportionate burden of
environmental harms and risks, including those resulting from the
negative environmental consequences of industrial, governmental, and
commercial operations or programs and policies.''
The State did not evaluate environmental justice considerations as
part of its SIP submittal as the CAA and applicable implementing
regulations neither prohibit nor require such an evaluation. The EPA
did not perform an EJ analysis and did not consider EJ in this action.
Due to the nature of the action being taken here, this action is
expected to have a neutral to positive impact on the air quality of the
affected area. Consideration of EJ is not required as part of this
action, and there is no information in the record inconsistent with the
stated goal of Executive Order 12898 of achieving environmental justice
for people of color, low-income populations, and Indigenous peoples.
This action is subject to the Congressional Review Act, and the EPA
will submit a rule report to each House of the Congress and to the
Comptroller General of the United States. This action is not a ``major
rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2).
Under section 307(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act, petitions for
judicial review of this action must be filed in the United States Court
of Appeals for the appropriate circuit by June 3, 2024. Filing a
petition for reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule
does not affect the finality of this action for the purposes of
judicial review nor does it extend the time within which a petition for
judicial review may be filed, and shall not postpone the effectiveness
of such rule or action. This action may not be challenged later in
proceedings to enforce its requirements. (See section 307(b)(2).)
[[Page 23523]]
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Intergovernmental relations, Nitrogen oxides, Ozone,
Particulate matter, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Volatile
organic compounds.
Dated: March 27, 2024.
Martha Guzman Aceves,
Regional Administrator, Region IX.
Part 52, chapter I, title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations is
amended as follows:
PART 52--APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS
0
1. The authority citation for Part 52 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Subpart D--Arizona
0
2. In Sec. 52.120, in paragraph (c), amend table 4 by revising the
entry for ``Rule 100'' under the Table headings, ``Post-July 1988 Rule
Codification'' and ``Regulation I--General Provisions,'' to read as
follows:
Sec. 52.120 Identification of plan.
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(c) * * *
Table 4 to Paragraph (c)--EPA-Approved Maricopa County Air Pollution Control Regulations
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State effective Additional
County citation Title/subject date EPA Approval Date explanation
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Post-July 1988 Rule Codification
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Regulation I--General Provisions
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Rule 100...................... General Provisions August 9, 2023.. [INSERT FIRST PAGE OF Submitted on
and Definitions. FEDERAL REGISTER August 23,
CITATION], April 4, 2023.
2024.
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[FR Doc. 2024-06879 Filed 4-3-24; 8:45 am]
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