2013-26212. Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; West Virginia; Infrastructure Requirements for the 2010 Nitrogen Dioxide National Ambient Air Quality Standards

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Proposed rule.

SUMMARY:

EPA is proposing to approve a State Implementation Plan (SIP) submittal from the State of West Virginia pursuant to the Clean Air Act (CAA). Whenever new or revised national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) are promulgated, the CAA requires states to submit a plan for the implementation, maintenance, and enforcement of such NAAQS. The plan is required to address basic program elements, including, but not limited to, regulatory structure, monitoring, modeling, legal authority, and adequate resources necessary to assure attainment and maintenance of the standards. These elements are referred to as infrastructure requirements. West Virginia has made a submittal addressing the infrastructure requirements for the 2010 nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) NAAQS.

DATES:

Written comments must be received on or before December 2, 2013.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID EPA-R03-OAR-2013-0675 by one of the following methods:

A. www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.

B. Email: [e-mail].

C. Mail: EPA-R03-OAR-2013-0675, Cristina Fernandez, Associate Director, Office of Air Program Planning, Air Protection Division, Mailcode 3AP30, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103.

D. Hand Delivery: At the previously-listed EPA Region III address. 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-R03-OAR-2013-0675. 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 Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through www.regulations.gov or email. The www.regulations.gov Web site is an “anonymous access” system, which means 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 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, 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 EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA 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.

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 in www.regulations.gov or in hard copy during normal business hours at the Air Protection Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103. Copies of the State submittal are available at the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Air Quality, 601 57th Street SE., Charleston, West Virginia 25304.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ellen Schmitt, [phone], or by email at [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

On December 13, 2012, the State of West Virginia through the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) submitted a revision to its SIP to satisfy the requirements of section 110(a)(2) of the CAA for the 2010 NO₂ NAAQS.

I. Background

In 1971, EPA promulgated a NO₂ primary and secondary standard of 53 parts per billion (ppb), averaged annually. On January 22, 2010, EPA established an additional primary standard for NO₂ at 100 ppb, averaged over one hour. Pursuant to section 110(a)(1) of the CAA, states are required to submit SIPs meeting the applicable requirements of section 110(a)(2) within three years after promulgation of a new or revised NAAQS or within such shorter period as EPA may prescribe. Section 110(a)(2) lists specific elements that states must meet for “infrastructure” SIP requirements related to a newly established or revised NAAQS. These requirements include basic SIP elements such as requirements for monitoring, basic program requirements and legal authority that are designed to assure attainment and maintenance of the NAAQS.

Section 110(a) imposes the obligation upon states to make a SIP submission to EPA for a new or revised NAAQS, but the contents of that submission may vary depending upon the facts and circumstances. In particular, the data and analytical tools available at the time the state develops and submits the SIP for a new or revised NAAQS affect the content of the submission. The content of such SIP submissions may also vary depending upon what provisions the state's existing SIP already contains.

II. Summary of SIP Revision

On December 13, 2012, the WVDEP provided a submittal to satisfy the requirements of section 110(a)(2) of the CAA for the 2010 NO₂ NAAQS. This submittal addressed the following infrastructure elements or portions thereof, which EPA is proposing to approve: Sections 110(a)(2)(A), (B), (C), (D), (E), (F), (G), (H), (J), (K), (L), and (M). A detailed summary of EPA's review and rationale for approving West Virginia's submittal may be found in the Technical Support Document (TSD) for this proposed rulemaking action, which is available online at www.regulations.gov,, Docket number EPA-R03-OAR-2013-0675.

III. Proposed Action

EPA is proposing to approve the following elements or portions thereof, of West Virginia's December 13, 2012 SIP revision: (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), (F), (G), (H), (J), (K), (L), and (M). West Virginia's SIP revision provides the basic program elements specified in section 110(a)(2) necessary to implement, maintain, and enforce the 2010 NO₂ NAAQS. This action does not include any proposed action on section 110(a)(2)(I) of the CAA which pertains to the nonattainment requirements of part D, Title I of the CAA, because this element is not required to be submitted by the 3-year submission deadline of section 110(a)(1), and will be addressed in a separate process, if applicable. This action also does not include proposed action on section 110(a)(2)(C), (D)(i)(II), and (J) of the CAA as they relate to West Virginia's required permit program for the prevention of significant deterioration (PSD), as required by part C of Title I of the CAA. EPA will take separate action on these elements.^[1] Additionally, EPA will take later separate action on CAA section 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) for the 2010 NO₂ NAAQS as it relates to CAA section 128, “State Boards.” EPA is soliciting public comments on the issues discussed in this document. These comments will be considered before taking final action.

IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

Under the CAA, the Administrator is required to approve a SIP submission that complies with the provisions of the CAA and applicable Federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a). Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve state choices, provided that they meet the criteria of the CAA. Accordingly, this action merely proposes to approve state law as meeting Federal requirements and does not impose additional requirements beyond those imposed by state law. For that reason, this proposed action:

• Is not a “significant regulatory action” subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993);
• 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 rule, which addresses West Virginia's infrastructure requirements in section 110(a)(2) of the CAA for the 2010 NO₂ NAAQS or portions thereof, 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 state, 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
• Nitrogen dioxide
• Recordkeeping and reporting

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

Dated: September 26, 2013.

W.C. Early,

Acting Regional Administrator, Region III.

Footnotes

1.  EPA previously approved West Virginia's PSD permit program with the limited exception of West Virginia's definition of “regulated new source review (NSR) pollutant” which received a narrow disapproval as the definition did not include condensable emissions of particulate matter. See (77 FR 63736, October 17, 2012) and (78 FR 27062, May 9, 2013). Because the grounds for disapproval were narrow and extended only to the lack of condensables within the definition of “regulated NSR pollutant,” the narrow disapproval does not alter EPA's October 17, 2012 approval of the remaining portions of West Virginia's August 2011 SIP submittal for the State's PSD program. EPA anticipates that West Virginia will make a submission rectifying the deficiency regarding condensables. Further, EPA anticipates acting on West Virginia's submission on this definition within the two year time frame prior to EPA's Federal implementation plan obligation on this very narrow issue.