Approval of States' Requests To Relax the Federal Reid Vapor Pressure Volatility Standard in Florida, and the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Areas in North Carolina
Federal Register, Volume 79 Issue 61 (Monday, March 31, 2014)
Federal Register Volume 79, Number 61 (Monday, March 31, 2014)
Proposed Rules
Pages 17966-17971
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office www.gpo.gov
FR Doc No: 2014-06861
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 80
EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0787; FRL-9908-12-OAR
Approval of States' Requests To Relax the Federal Reid Vapor Pressure Volatility Standard in Florida, and the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Areas in North Carolina
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve requests from Florida and North Carolina for the EPA to relax the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) Standard applicable to gasoline introduced into commerce from June 1 to September 15 of each year in six counties in Florida, and in counties in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area (also referred to as the ``Triangle Area'') and the Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Area (also referred to as the ``Triad Area'') in North Carolina. Specifically, the EPA is proposing to amend the regulations to change the RVP standard for six counties in Florida and for the counties in the Triangle and Triad Areas from 7.8 pounds per square inch (psi) to 9.0 psi for gasoline in the aforementioned areas. The EPA has preliminarily determined that these changes to the federal RVP regulation are consistent with the applicable provisions of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act).
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before April 30, 2014. Request for a public hearing must be received by April 15, 2014. If the EPA receives a request for a public hearing, the Agency will publish information related to the timing and location of the hearing and the timing of a new deadline for public comments.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2013-0787, by one of the following methods:
-
www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
-
Email: a-and-r-docket@epa.gov.
-
Fax: 202-566-9744.
-
Mail: Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code: 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460. Please include two copies.
-
Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Headquarters Library, EPA West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20004. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2013-0787. The EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the public docket without change and may be made available online at www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential Business
Page 17967
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit through www.regulations.gov or email, information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected. The www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means the EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an email comment directly to the EPA without going through www.regulations.gov, your email address will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, the EPA recommends that you include your name and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If the EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, the Agency may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional information about the EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: All documents in the electronic docket are listed in the www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, i.e., 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 either electronically through www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the Air Docket, EPA/DC, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Air Docket is (202) 566-1742.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rudolph Kapichak, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Environmental Protection Agency, 2000 Traverwood Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48105; telephone number: 734-214-4574; fax number 734-214-4052; email address: kapichak.rudolph@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Organization of this document. The following outline is provided to aid in locating information in this preamble.
Table of Contents
-
General Information
-
Does this action apply to me?
-
What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?
-
Details of the Proposal
-
Legal Authority
-
Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
-
Legal Authority
-
General Information
Throughout this document, ``the Agency'' is used to mean the EPA.
In the ``Rules and Regulations'' section of this Federal Register, the EPA is making these revisions as a direct final rule without prior proposal, because the Agency views these revisions as noncontroversial and anticipates no adverse comment. The rationale for this rulemaking is described both in this proposal and in the direct final rule.
The regulatory text for this proposed rule is included in the direct final rule and parties should review that rule for the regulatory text. If the EPA receives no adverse comment, the Agency will not take further action on this proposed rule. If the EPA receives adverse comment on the rule or any portion of the rule, the Agency will withdraw the direct final rule or the portion of the rule that received adverse comment. All public comments received will then be addressed in a subsequent final rule based on this proposed rule. The EPA will not institute a second comment period on this rulemaking. Any parties interested in commenting must do so at this time.
-
Does this action apply to me?
Entities potentially affected by this rule are fuel producers and distributors who do business in Florida and in North Carolina. Regulated entities include:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NAICS codes
Examples of potentially regulated entities \a\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Petroleum refineries.................................... 324110
Gasoline Marketers and Distributors..................... 424710
424720
Gasoline Retail Stations................................ 447110
Gasoline Transporters................................... 484220
484230
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\a\ North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).
This table provides only a guide for readers regarding entities likely to be regulated by this action. You should carefully examine the regulations in 40 CFR 80.27 to determine whether your facility is impacted. If you have further questions, call the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this preamble.
-
What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?
-
Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to the EPA through www.regulations.gov or email. Clearly mark the part or all of the information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk or CD ROM that you mail to the EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD ROM as CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD ROM the specific information that is claimed as CBI. In addition to one complete version of the comment that includes information claimed as CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain the information claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket. Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with procedures set forth in 40 CFR Part 2.
-
Tips for Preparing Your Comments. When submitting comments, remember to:
Identify the rulemaking by docket number and other identifying information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).
Follow directions--The Agency may ask you to respond to specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and substitute language for your requested changes.
Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information and/or data that you used.
If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be reproduced.
Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns, and suggest alternatives.
Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of profanity or personal threats.
Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period deadline identified.
-
-
Details of the Proposal
-
Summary of the Proposal
The EPA is proposing to approve a request from Florida to change the summertime RVP standard for Broward, Dade, Duval, Hillsborough, Palm Beach and Pinellas counties in Florida from 7.8 psi to 9.0 psi by amending the EPA's
Page 17968
regulations at 40 CFR 80.27(a)(2). Additionally, the EPA is proposing to approve a request from North Carolina to change the summertime RVP standard for the Triangle and Triad Areas from 7.8 psi to 9.0 psi by amending the EPA's regulations at 40 CFR 80.27(a)(2). The Triangle Area is comprised of Durham and Wake Counties, and the Dutchville Township portion of Granville County. The Triad Area is comprised of the counties of Davidson, Forsyth and Guilford in their entirety, and the portion of Davie County bounded by the Yadkin River, Dutchmans Creek, North Carolina Highway 801, Fulton Creek and back to Yadkin River.
In previous rulemakings, the EPA approved state implementation plan (SIP) revisions from Florida and North Carolina which provided technical analyses that demonstrated that removal of the Federal RVP requirements of 7.8 psi for gasoline sold between June 1 and September 15 of each year in the six counties in Florida, and the Triangle and Triad Areas in North Carolina would not interfere with maintenance of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) in these areas. For more information on Florida's SIP revision for the six Florida counties and the EPA's analysis of Florida's SIP revision refer to the January 6, 2014, final rule at 79 FR 573; on North Carolina's SIP revision for the Triangle Area refer to the January 2, 2014, final rule at 79 FR 47; and on North Carolina's SIP revision for the Triad Area refer to the January 24, 2014, final rule at 79 FR 4082.
As mentioned above, the EPA is proposing to approve requests from Florida and North Carolina to change the summertime RVP standard for six Florida counties, and for the Triangle and Triad Areas from 7.8 psi to 9.0 psi by amending the EPA's regulations at 40 CFR 80.27(a)(2). The preamble for this rulemaking is organized as follows. Section IV.B provides the history of federal gasoline volatility regulation. Section IV.C describes the policy regarding relaxation of volatility standards in ozone nonattainment areas that are redesignated as attainment areas. Section IV.D provides information specific to Florida's request for the six counties currently subject to the 7.8 psi summertime RVP requirements. Section IV.E provides information specific to North Carolina's requests for the counties in the Triangle and Triad Areas that are currently subject to the 7.8 psi summertime RVP requirements. Finally, Section V briefly discusses the associated direct final rule.
-
History of the Gasoline Volatility Requirement
On August 19, 1987 (52 FR 31274), the EPA determined that gasoline nationwide was becoming increasingly volatile, causing an increase in evaporative emissions from gasoline-powered vehicles and equipment. Evaporative emissions from gasoline, referred to as volatile organic compounds (VOC), are precursors to the formation of tropospheric ozone and contribute to the nation's ground-level ozone problem. Exposure to ground-level ozone can reduce lung function (thereby aggravating asthma or other respiratory conditions), increase susceptibility to respiratory infection, and may contribute to premature death in people with heart and lung disease.
The most common measure of fuel volatility that is useful in evaluating gasoline evaporative emissions is RVP. Under section 211(c) of the CAA, the EPA promulgated regulations on March 22, 1989 (54 FR 11868) that set maximum limits for the RVP of gasoline sold during the regulatory control periods that were established on a state-by-state basis in the final rule. The regulatory control periods addressed the portion of the year when peak ozone concentrations were expected. These regulations constituted Phase I of a two-phase nationwide program, which was designed to reduce the volatility of commercial gasoline during the high ozone season. On June 11, 1990 (55 FR 23658), the EPA promulgated more stringent volatility controls as Phase II of the volatility control program. These requirements established maximum RVP standards of 9.0 psi or 7.8 psi (depending on the state, the month, and the area's initial ozone attainment designation with respect to the 1-
hour ozone NAAQS).
The 1990 CAA Amendments established a new section, 211(h), to address fuel volatility. Section 211(h) requires the EPA to promulgate regulations making it unlawful to sell, offer for sale, dispense, supply, offer for supply, transport, or introduce into commerce gasoline with an RVP level in excess of 9.0 psi during the high ozone season. Section 211(h) prohibits the EPA from establishing a volatility standard more stringent than 9.0 psi in an attainment area, except that the Agency may impose a lower (more stringent) standard in any former ozone nonattainment area redesignated to attainment.
On December 12, 1991 (56 FR 64704), the EPA modified the Phase II volatility regulations to be consistent with section 211(h) of the CAA. The modified regulations prohibited the sale of gasoline with an RVP above 9.0 psi in all areas designated attainment for ozone, beginning in 1992. For areas designated as nonattainment, the regulations retained the original Phase II standards published on June 11, 1990 (55 FR 23658), which included the 7.8 psi ozone season limitation for certain areas. As stated in the preamble to the Phase II volatility controls and reiterated in the proposed change to the volatility standards published in 1991, the EPA will rely on states to initiate changes to the volatility program. The EPA's policy for approving such changes is described in Section III of this notice.
Florida and North Carolina have initiated these changes by requesting that the EPA relax the 7.8 psi RVP standard for counties that are in ozone maintenance areas. Accordingly, the States revised their original modeling and maintenance demonstrations for these areas to reflect continued attainment under the relaxed 9.0 psi RVP standard that the states have requested.
-
EPA's Policy Regarding Relaxation of Volatility Standards in Ozone Nonattainment Areas That Are Redesignated as Attainment Areas
As stated in the preamble for the EPA's amended Phase II volatility standards (56 FR 64706), any change in the volatility standard for a nonattainment area that was subsequently redesignated as an attainment area must be accomplished through a separate rulemaking that revises the applicable standard for that area. Thus, for former 1-hour ozone nonattainment areas where the EPA mandated a Phase II volatility standard of 7.8 psi RVP in the December 12, 1991 rulemaking, the 7.8 psi RVP will remain in effect, even after such an area is redesignated to attainment, until a separate rulemaking is completed that revises the RVP standard in that area from 7.8 psi to 9.0 psi.
As explained in the December 12, 1991, rulemaking, the EPA believes that relaxation of an applicable RVP standard is best accomplished in conjunction with the redesignation process. In order for an ozone nonattainment area to be redesignated as an attainment area, section 107(d)(3) of the Act requires the state to make a showing, pursuant to section 175A of the Act, that the area is capable of maintaining attainment for the ozone NAAQS for ten years. Depending on the area's circumstances, this maintenance plan will either demonstrate that the area is capable of maintaining
Page 17969
attainment for ten years without the more stringent volatility standard or that the more stringent volatility standard may be necessary for the area to maintain its attainment with the ozone NAAQS. Therefore, in the context of a request for redesignation, the EPA will not relax the volatility standard unless the state requests a relaxation and the maintenance plan demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the EPA, that the area will maintain attainment for ten years without the need for the more stringent volatility standard.
-
EPA's Analysis of Florida's Request To Relax the Federal RVP Requirements in the State
On November 6, 1991, the EPA designated and classified the Southeast Florida area (i.e., Broward, Dade and Palm Beach counties) as Moderate; the Jacksonville area (i.e., Duval County) as Transitional; and the Tampa area (i.e., Hillsborough and Pinellas counties) as Marginal nonattainment areas for the 1-hour ozone NAAQS. See 56 FR 56694 (November 6, 1991). Among the requirements applicable to nonattainment areas for the 1-hour ozone NAAQS was the requirement to meet certain RVP standards for gasoline sold commercially during the high ozone season. See 55 FR 23658 (June 11, 1990). Thus, the RVP requirements for gasoline sold in these three 1-hour ozone nonattainment areas was 7.8 psi from June 1 through September 15 of each year. Subsequently, each area was redesignated to attainment for the 1-hour ozone NAAQS.\1\ Florida's redesignation requests did not include a request for relaxation of the gasoline volatility standard and thus, the requirement to use gasoline with a 7.8 psi RVP during the high ozone season remained in effect.2 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 60 FR 41, (January 3, 1995); 60 FR 10326 (February 24, 1995); and 60 FR 62748 (December 7, 1995), respectively).
\2\ Effective on June 15, 2004, Broward, Dade, Duval, Hillsborough, Palm Beach and Pinellas Counties were designated unclassifiable/attainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. See 69 FR 23857.
\3\ Effective on July 20, 2012, the same counties were designated as unclassifiable/attainment for the 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS. See 77 FR 30088.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On August 15, 2013, the State of Florida, through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), submitted a request for the EPA to relax the Federal RVP requirement of 7.8 psi in Broward, Dade, Duval, Hillsborough, Palm Beach and Pinellas Counties in Florida. The State also submitted a technical analysis which demonstrated that the less-stringent RVP in these counties would not interfere with continued maintenance of the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS or any other applicable standard.\4\ Specifically, the State updated the 10-year maintenance plans that were submitted for the three 1-hour ozone maintenance areas under section 110(a)(1) of the CAA for the 1997 ozone NAAQS.\5\ As required, these section 110(a)(1) maintenance plans provided for continued attainment and maintenance of the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS for at least 10 years from the effective date of these areas' designation as attainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. These plans also included components demonstrating how each area will continue to attain the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, and provided contingency measures should an area violate the NAAQS. Florida's previous ozone redesignation requests and maintenance plans for these areas did not remove the 7.8 psi RVP standard. See 75 FR 29671 (May 27, 2010).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Maintenance areas for the 1-hour ozone standard designated attainment/unclassifiable for the 1997 8-hour ozone standard are required to submit a maintenance plan under section 110(a)(1) of the CAA demonstrating maintenance out to 10 years after designation. See 69 FR 23996 (April 30, 2004).
\5\ The EPA has determined that redesignated 1-hour ozone attainment areas that are designated 8-hour ozone attainment areas may rely on the section 110(a)(1) maintenance plan for purposes of requesting relaxation of the more stringent volatility standard. See 73 FR 8202, 8205 (February 13, 2008).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
As mentioned above, on August 15, 2013, FDEP submitted changes to the three section 110(a)(1) maintenance plans that collectively cover Broward, Dade, Duval, Hillsborough, Palm Beach and Pinellas Counties in Florida. Florida's August 15, 2013, SIP revision modifies the existing section 110(a)(1) maintenance plans to account for a less stringent applicable RVP gasoline requirement of 9.0 psi for these areas. Specifically, Florida's August 15, 2013, SIP revision included an evaluation of the impact that the removal of the 7.8 psi RVP requirement would have on maintenance of the 1997 and 2008 ozone standards, and on other applicable NAAQS. The EPA evaluated Florida's August 15, 2013, SIP revision in a previous rulemaking that was subject to public notice-and-comment and no comments were received. The EPA approved Florida's August 15, 2013, SIP revision on January 6, 2014. See 79 FR 573. In this action, based on the previous approval of Florida's August 15, 2013, SIP revision, and the fact that the areas are currently attaining all ozone NAAQS, the EPA is proposing to approve Florida's request to relax the high ozone season RVP standard for Broward, Dade, Duval, Hillsborough, Palm Beach and Pinellas counties from 7.8 psi to 9.0 psi.
-
EPA's Analysis of North Carolina's Requests To Relax the Federal RVP Requirements in the Triangle and Triad Areas
The following two sections provide the EPA's analysis of North Carolina's requests to relax the Federal RVP requirements in the Triangle and Triad Areas.
-
-
-
EPA's Analysis of North Carolina's Requests To Relax the Federal RVP Requirement in the Triangle Area
On November 6, 1991, the EPA designated and classified Durham and Wake Counties, and the Dutchville Township portion of Granville County (also known as the Triangle Area at the time) as a Moderate nonattainment area for the 1-hour ozone NAAQS. See 56 FR 56694 (November 6, 1991). Among the requirements applicable to nonattainment areas for the 1-hour ozone NAAQS was the requirement to meet certain RVP standards for gasoline sold commercially during the high ozone season. See 55 FR 23658 (June 11, 1990). Thus, the RVP requirement for gasoline sold in the Triangle Area was 7.8 psi from June 1 through September 15 of each year. On April 18, 1994, the Triangle Area was redesignated to attainment for the 1-hour ozone standard. See 59 FR 18300. North Carolina's redesignation request for the Triangle Area did not include a request for relaxation of the gasoline volatility standard.6 7 8
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ Effective on June 15, 2004, the nonattainment area for the Triangle Area for the 1997 ozone NAAQS was expanded from Durham and Wake Counties, and the Dutchville Township portion of Granville County, to also include Franklin, Johnston, Orange, and Person Counties, and the remainder of Granville County and Baldwin, Center, New Hope and Williams Townships in Chatham County. See 69 FR 23857.
\7\ On December 26, 2007 the Triangle Area was redesignated to attainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. See 72 FR 72948.
\8\ Effective on July 20, 2012, the same counties were designated as unclassifiable/attainment for the 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS. See 77 FR 30088.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On March 27, 2013, the State of North Carolina, through the North Carolina Department of Environment, and Natural Resources (NC DENR), submitted a request for the EPA to relax the Federal RVP requirement of 7.8 psi in Wake and Durham Counties, and the Dutchville Township portion of Granville County that was originally included in the 1-hour ozone nonattainment area. The State also submitted a technical analysis which demonstrated that the less-stringent RVP in the aforementioned counties would not interfere with continued maintenance of the 1997 8-
hour ozone NAAQS or any other applicable
Page 17970
standard. Specifically, the State updated the 10-year maintenance plan that was submitted for the Triangle 1997 8-hour ozone maintenance area under section 175A of the CAA. As required, this section 175A maintenance plan provided for continued attainment and maintenance of the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS for at least 10 years from the EPA's redesignation of the area from nonattainment to attainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. This plan also included components demonstrating how the area will continue to attain the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, and provided contingency measures should the area violate the NAAQS. North Carolina's previous ozone redesignation requests and maintenance plans for this area did not remove the 7.8 psi RVP standard. See 72 FR 72948 (December 26, 2007).
As mentioned above, on March 27, 2013, NC DENR submitted changes to the 175A maintenance plan for the Triangle Area. North Carolina's March 27, 2013, SIP revision modifies the existing section 175A maintenance plan to account for a less stringent applicable RVP gasoline requirement of 9.0 psi for the Triangle Area. Specifically, North Carolina's March 27, 2013, SIP revision included an evaluation of the impact that the removal of the 7.8 psi RVP requirement would have on maintenance of the 1997 and 2008 ozone standards, and on other applicable NAAQS. The EPA evaluated North Carolina's March 27, 2013, SIP revision in a previous rulemaking that was subject to public notice-and-comment, and no adverse comments and one supportive comment were received on that proposed action. The EPA approved North Carolina's March 27, 2013, SIP revision on January 2, 2014. See 79 FR 47. In this action, based on the EPA's previous approval of North Carolina's March 27, 2013, SIP revision, and the fact that the Triangle Area is currently attaining all ozone NAAQS, the EPA is proposing to approve North Carolina's request to relax the high ozone season RVP standard for Wake and Durham Counties, and a portion of Granville County in North Carolina from 7.8 psi to 9.0 psi.
-
EPA's Analysis of North Carolina's Requests To Relax the Federal RVP Requirement in the Triad Area
On November 6, 1991, the EPA designated Davidson, Forsyth and Guilford counties in their entirety and the portion of Davie County bounded by the Yadkin River, Dutchmans Creek, North Carolina Highway 801, Fulton Creek and back to Yadkin River in the Triad Area as a Moderate nonattainment area for the 1-hour ozone NAAQS. See 56 FR 56694 (November 6, 1991). Among the requirements applicable to nonattainment areas for the 1-hour ozone NAAQS was the requirement to meet certain RVP standards for gasoline sold commercially during the ozone season. See 55 FR 23658 (June 11, 1990). Thus, the RVP requirement for gasoline sold in the Triad Area was 7.8 psi during the high ozone season. On April 18, 1994, the Triad Area was redesignated to attainment for the 1-hour ozone standard. See 59 FR 18300. North Carolina's redesignation request for the Triad Area did not include a request for the relaxation of the gasoline volatility standard.9 10 11 12
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ Effective June 15, 2004 for the 1997 ozone NAAQS, the Triad Area was designated as nonattainment with a deferred effective date as part of the Early Action Compact (EAC) program. As part of this action the Triad Area was expanded to include the entire county of Davie, and Alamance, Caswell, Randolph, and Rockingham Counties in their entirety. See 69 FR 23857.
\10\ For more information on the EAC program, see, http://www.epa.gov/airquality/eac/fs20080331_eac.html.
\11\ The Triad Area attained the 1997 ozone NAAQS and on February 2, 2008, the EPA finalized an action for 13 nonattainment areas with deferred effective dates, including the Triad Area, designating these areas attainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. However, as a former 1-hour ozone maintenance area the Triad Area was required to submit a 10-year maintenance plan under section 110(a)(1) of the CAA. See 73 FR 17897.
\12\ Effective July 20, 2012, the Triad Area counties were designated as unclassifiable/attainment for the 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS. See 77 FR 30088.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On April 12, 2013, the State of North Carolina, through NC DENR, submitted a request for the EPA to relax the Federal RVP requirement of 7.8 psi in Davidson, Forsyth and Guilford Counties and the relevant portion of Davie County. The State also submitted a technical analysis which demonstrated that the less-stringent RVP in the aforementioned counties would not interfere with continued maintenance of the 1997 8-
hour ozone NAAQS or any other applicable standard. Specifically, the State updated the 10-year maintenance plan that was submitted for the Triad 1-hour ozone maintenance area under section 110(a)(1) of the CAA for the 1997 ozone NAAQS.\13\ As required, this section 110(a)(1) maintenance plan provided for continued attainment and maintenance of the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS for at least 10 years from the effective date of the area's designation as attainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. This plan also included components demonstrating how the area will continue to attain the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, and provided contingency measures should an area violate the NAAQS. North Carolina's previous ozone redesignation request and maintenance plan for this area did not remove the 7.8 psi RVP standard. See 77 FR 3611 (January 25, 2012).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\13\ The EPA has determined that redesignated 1-hour ozone attainment areas that are designated 8-hour ozone attainment areas may rely on the section 110(a)(1) maintenance plan for purposes of requesting relaxation of the more stringent volatility standard. 73 FR 8202, 8205 (February 13, 2008).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
As mentioned above, on April 12, 2013, NC DENR submitted changes to the section 110(a)(1) maintenance plan for the Triad Area. North Carolina's April 12, 2013, SIP revision modifies the existing section 110(a)(1) maintenance plan to account for a less stringent applicable RVP gasoline requirement of 9.0 psi for the area. Specifically, North Carolina's April 12, 2013, SIP revision included an evaluation of the impact that the removal of the 7.8 psi RVP requirement would have on maintenance of the 1997 and 2008 ozone standards, and on other applicable NAAQS. The EPA evaluated North Carolina's April 12, 2013, SIP revision in a previous rulemaking that was subject to public notice-and-comment, and no adverse comments and one supportive comment were received on that proposed action. The EPA approved North Carolina's April 12, 2013, SIP revision on January 24, 2014. See 79 FR 4082. In this action, based on the previous approval of North Carolina's April 12, 2013, SIP revision, and the fact that the Triad Area is currently attaining all ozone NAAQS, the EPA is proposing to approve North Carolina's request to relax the summertime RVP standard for Davidson, Forsyth and Guilford Counties and a portion of Davie County from 7.8 psi to 9.0 psi.
-
Direct Final Rule
A direct final rule that would make the same changes as those proposed in this notice appears in the Rules and Regulations section of this Federal Register. The EPA is taking direct final action on these revisions, because the Agency views the revisions as noncontroversial and anticipates no adverse comment. The EPA has explained the reasons for the amendments in this proposal and in the direct final rule. If no adverse comments are received, no further action will be taken on the proposal, and the direct final rule will become effective as provided in that action.
If the EPA receives adverse comments on the rule or any portion of the rule, the Agency will withdraw the direct final rule or the portion of the rule that received adverse comment. The EPA will publish a timely withdrawal in the
Page 17971
Federal Register indicating which provisions will become effective and which provisions are being withdrawn. All public comments received will then be addressed in a subsequent final rule based on this proposed rule. The EPA will not institute a second comment period on the subsequent final action. Any parties interested in commenting must do so at this time.
The changes to the regulatory text proposed in this notice are identical to those for the direct final rule published in the Rules and Regulations section of this Federal Register. For further information, including the regulatory revisions, see the direct final rule published in a separate part of this Federal Register.
-
Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
For a complete discussion of all of the administrative requirements applicable to this action, see the direct final rule in the Rules and Regulations section of this Federal Register.
-
Legal Authority
Authority for this action is in sections 211(h) and 301(a) of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7545(h) and 7601(a).
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 80
Environmental protection, Administrative practice and procedures, Air pollution control, Fuel additives, Gasoline, Incorporation by reference, Motor vehicle and motor vehicle engines, Motor vehicle pollution, Penalties, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Dated: March 19, 2014.
Gina McCarthy,
Administrator.
FR Doc. 2014-06861 Filed 3-28-14; 8:45 am
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
-
