Air quality implementation plans; approval and promulgation; various States: enforceable plans for all States; availability,

[Federal Register: November 18, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 222)]

[Rules and Regulations]

[Page 63986-63988]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr18no98-10]

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[EPA #1-10-98; FRL-6189-4]

Availability of Federally-Enforceable State Implementation Plans for All States

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: Section 110(h) of the Clean Air Act, as amended in 1990 (the ``Act''), requires EPA by November 15, 1995, and every three years thereafter, to identify the Federally-enforceable State Implementation Plans (SIPs) in each

[[Page 63987]]

State and to publish notice in the Federal Register of the availability of such documents. This notice of availability fulfills the three-year requirement of making these SIP compilations for each State available for public inspection. The original notice of availability was published on November 1, 1995 (60 FR 55459).

EFFECTIVE DATE: November 18, 1998.

ADDRESSES: You may contact the regional offices regarding requirements of applicable implementation plans for their States. The SIP compilations are available for public inspection during normal business hours at the appropriate EPA regional office listed below. If you want to view these documents, you should make an appointment with the appropriate EPA office and arrange for a mutually agreeable time.

Region 1: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont

Regional Contact: Donald Cooks (617/565-3508) EPA, Office of Ecosystem Protection, John F. Kennedy Federal Building, One Congress Street, Boston, MA 02203-2211

Region 2: New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands

Regional Contacts: Paul Truchan (212/637-4249) EPA, Air Programs Branch, 290 Broadway, New York, NY 10007-1866

Region 3: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia

Regional Contact: Harold A. Frankford (215/814-2108) EPA, Office of Air Programs (3AP20), Air Protection Division, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103. See also: www.epa.gov/reg3artd/ index.htm

Region 4: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee

Regional Contact: Dick Schutt (404/562-9033) EPA, Air Planning Branch, 61 Forsyth Street, S.W., Atlanta, GA 30303

Region 5: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin

Regional Contacts: Madelin Rucker for the States of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin (312/886-0661); Ryan Bahr (312/353-4366) for the States of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio EPA, Air and Radiation Division, 77 West Jackson Boulevard,

Chicago, IL 60604-3507. See also http://www.epa.gov/ARD-R5/sips/

Region 6: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas

Regional Contact: Bill Deese (214/665-7253) EPA, Multimedia Planning and Permitting Division, Air Planning Section (6PD-L), 1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 700, Dallas, TX 75202-2733. See also: http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6pd/air/sip/sip.htm

Region 7: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska

Regional Contact: Ed West (913-551-7330) EPA, Air and Toxics Division, Air Branch, 726 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66101. See also: http://www.epa.gov/region07/

Region 8: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming

Regional Contact: Laurie Ostrand (303/312-6437) EPA, Air & Radiation Program, Air Quality Planning and Management Unit, 999 18th Street, Suite 500, Denver, CO 80202-2466

Region 9: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, and Guam

Regional Contacts: Julie Rose (415/744-1184) and Cynthia Allen (415/ 744-1189) EPA, Air Division, AIR-4, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105

Region 10: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington

Regional Contact: Montel Livingston (206/553-0180) EPA, Office of Air Quality (OAQ 107), 1200 6th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101. See also: hhtp://www.epa.gov/r10earth/

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie Rose, (415) 744-1184.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: National ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) are set for criteria pollutants, which are widespread common pollutants known to be harmful to human health and welfare. The present criteria pollutants are: Carbon monoxide, Lead, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Particulate matter, and Sulfur oxides. See 40 CFR Part 50 for a technical description of how the levels of these standards are measured and attained. SIPs provide for implementation, maintenance, and enforcement of the standard in each state. Areas within each state that are designated nonattainment are subject to additional planning and control requirements. Accordingly, different regulations or programs in the SIP will apply to different areas. EPA lists the designation of each area at 40 CFR part 81.

States are required to develop SIPs containing strategies for controlling emissions from pollution sources. See CAA title I; 40 CFR Part 51--Requirements for Preparation, Adoption, and Submittal of Implementation Plans. SIPs are legal documents, formally adopted, committing States to carry out their air pollution control strategies and including regulations, which are both specific and enforceable, for sources of air pollution. These control strategies and regulations are submitted in accordance with the Act and, upon approval by EPA, become part of the Federally-enforceable SIP. (See 40 CFR Part 52--Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans (with Subparts presenting the status for each State and territory). The first section in the Subpart for each State is the ``Identification of plan'' section which provides chronological development of the State SIP. The identification of plan section identifies the State-submitted rules and plan elements which have been Federally approved. The goal of the State-by-State SIP compilation is to identify those rules under the ``Identification of plan'' section which are currently Federally enforceable. In addition, some of the SIP compilations may include control strategies, such as transportation control measures, local ordinances, State statutes, and emission inventories, or may include regulations provided in other sections of the State-specific subpart of part 52. Some of the SIP compilations may not identify these other Federally enforceable elements.

In some cases, further information on the content of approved SIPs is available from the Internet. For those regions where such information is available, an address for this information is provided in the regional contacts list above.

You should note that, when States have submitted their most current State regulations for inclusion into Federally-enforceable SIPs, EPA will begin its review process of submittals as soon as possible. Until EPA approves a submittal, State-submitted regulations will be State- enforceable only; therefore, State-enforceable SIPs may exist which differ from Federally-enforceable SIPs. As EPA approves these State- submitted regulations, the regional offices will continue to update the SIP compilations to include these applicable requirements.

This notice identifies the appropriate EPA regional offices to which you may

[[Page 63988]]

address questions of SIP availability and SIP requirements. In response to the 110(h) requirement, the original notice of availability was published in the Federal Register on November 1, 1995 at 60 FR 55459.

Dated: November 10, 1998. Carol M. Browner, U.S. EPA Administrator.

[FR Doc. 98-30743Filed11-17-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-P