[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 68 (Thursday, April 9, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 17349-17350]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-9391]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[FRL-5993-8]
Notice of Intent To Reopen Comment Period for Certain Issues
Raised in the Proposed Rulemaking for the Nitrogen Oxides
(NOX) State Implementation Plan (SIP) Call
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Intent to reopen comment period for certain issues raised in
the proposed rulemaking for a finding of significant contribution and
rulemaking for certain states in the ozone transport assessment group
region for purposes of reducing regional transport of ozone.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that EPA intends to reopen during a
specified period of time the comment period for certain issues raised
in the Proposed Rulemaking for a Finding of Significant Contribution
and Rulemaking for Certain States in the Ozone Transport Assessment
Group Region for Purposes of Reducing Regional Transport of Ozone.
ADDRESSES: Documents relevant to this matter are available for
inspection at the Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center
(6101), Attention: Docket No. A-96-56, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, 401 M Street SW, room M-1500, Washington, DC 20460, telephone
(202) 260-7548, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays. A reasonable fee may be charged for copying.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning today's action
should be addressed to Kimber Smith Scavo, Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards, Air Quality Strategies and Standards Division,
MD-15, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, telephone (919) 541-3354.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By notice dated November 7, 1997, EPA
published, ``Proposed Rulemaking: Finding of Significant Contribution
and Rulemaking for Certain States in the Ozone Transport Assessment
Group Region for Purposes of Reducing Regional Transport of Ozone'' (62
FR 60318). This notice may be referred to as the Proposed
NOX SIP call because it consists, in part, of a requirement
that certain States submit SIP revisions to require reductions of
NOX. This notice provided a 120-day comment period, which
expired on March 9, 1998. The EPA has received numerous requests to
[[Page 17350]]
extend or reopen the comment period for this rulemaking for at least
certain issues.
The EPA is today reopening the comment period--during the comment
period for the supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking for the
Proposed NOX SIP call, as described below--for additional
air quality modeling runs relevant to the issues raised in the proposed
NOX SIP call, as well as comments concerning the
implications that any such additional runs may have for the State
NOX budgets under consideration in that rulemaking.
The EPA is not reopening or extending the comment period of the
proposed NOX SIP call for other issues not identified above.
In particular, EPA reiterates its statements in its ``Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) for NOX SIP Call--Clarification of
Comment Process'' (63 FR 4206, January 28, 1998), in which EPA stated
that in light of the need to assure that air quality modeling analyses
would be completed in time for the final NOX SIP call
rulemaking, it would be necessary to assure that comments on one of the
critical inputs into the air quality modeling analyses--the emissions
inventories--were, in a timely manner. Accordingly, EPA stated in that
notice, ``any comments concerning emission inventory data that are to
be considered in the modeling analyses must be received by EPA within
the official 120-day comment period (i.e., by March 9, 1998).'' Id.
The EPA intends to publish by mid-April 1998 a supplemental notice
of proposed rulemaking for the proposed NOX SIP call
(supplemental proposed NOX SIP call or supplemental
proposal). The EPA intends to provide a 45-day comment period for all
issues in the supplemental proposal, which would expire at
approximately the end of May 1998. The reopened comment period for the
issues identified above will coincide with the comment period for the
supplemental proposal.
Dated: April 3, 1998.
Richard D. Wilson,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 98-9391 Filed 4-8-98; 8:45 am]
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