[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 224 (Friday, November 20, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 64437]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-29821]
[[Page 64437]]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 81
[AZ-001-BU FRL-6183-8]
Clean Air Act Reclassification; Arizona-Phoenix Nonattainment
Area; Ozone; Extension of Plan Submittal Deadline
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: On November 6, 1997, EPA published a rule announcing our
finding that the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area had failed to
attain the 1-hour national ambient air quality standard for ozone as
required by the Federal Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act). This finding
resulted in the area being reclassified by operation of law from a
``moderate'' to a ``serious'' ozone nonattainment area. In the rule, we
also set a deadline of December 8, 1998 for Arizona to submit the
revisions to its implementation plan that are needed to meet the Act's
requirements for serious ozone nonattainment areas. Here, we are
proposing a short extension of that deadline to March 22, 1999.
DATES: Comments may be submitted in writing until December 7, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Please address any comments you may have on this document to
Frances Wicher at the address listed below. We have placed information
related to this proposed action into a docket. You may look at the
docket during normal business hours at the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Region 9, Office of Air Planning, 17th floor, 75
Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California 94105.
We have also placed a copy of this document in the air programs
section of our website at www.epa.gov/region09/air.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frances Wicher, Office of Air Planning
(AIR-2), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9, 75 Hawthorne
Street, San Francisco, California 94105. (415) 744-1248 or
wicher.frances@epamail.epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
What is Being Proposed in This Action?
EPA is proposing to extend by three and one-half months, until
March 22, 1999, the date by which the State of Arizona must submit the
revisions to the Phoenix metropolitan area's state implementation plan
(SIP) that are needed to meet the Clean Air Act's requirements for
serious ozone nonattainment areas. The current submittal date is
December 8, 1998.
We have discussed the reasons for this submittal date extension in
a direct final rule which you can find in the Rules Section of this
Federal Register.
We are extending the submittal deadline for the Phoenix-area
serious ozone plan in a direct final rule without first proposing the
rule and providing an opportunity for public comment. We are finalizing
this rule directly because we believe this is noncontroversial and do
not expect to receive unfavorable comments on it. If we do not receive
unfavorable comments, we will take no further action on this proposed
rule. If we do receive unfavorable comments, then we will withdraw the
final rule and inform the public that the rule will not take effect. We
will then address all public comments in a later final rule. Since
there will not be a second comment period on this action, any member of
the public who wants to comment on it should do so at this time.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Date Signed: October 24, 1998.
Felicia Marcus,
Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. 98-29821 Filed 11-19-98; 8:45 am]
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