40 CFR Part 51, Subpart P - Protection of Visibility

In this final rule, the EPA is establishing the air quality thresholds that define the classifications assigned to all nonattainment areas for the 2015 ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) (the “2015 ozone NAAQS”) promulgated on October 1, 2015. This final rule also establishes the timing of attainment dates for each nonattainment area classification.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing that a public hearing will be held on the EPA's proposed response to a June 1, 2016, petition submitted by the state of Connecticut pursuant to section 126 of the Clean Air Act (CAA). The petition requests that the EPA make a finding that the Brunner Island Steam Electric Station located in York County, Pennsylvania, emits air pollution in amounts that significantly contribute to nonattainment or interfere with maintenance of the 2008 ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) in Connecticut. The hearing will be held on February 23, 2018, in Washington, DC. The EPA will issue its proposed response in the near future.

This action proposes corrections and updates to regulations for source testing of emissions. The proposed rule includes corrections to testing provisions that contain inaccuracies, updates to outdated procedures, and approved alternative procedures that provide testers enhanced flexibility. The revisions will improve the quality of data but will not impose new substantive requirements on source owners or operators.

In this action, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes editorial and technical revisions to the EPA's Method 202—Dry Impinger Method for Determining Condensable Particulate Emissions from Stationary Sources to improve the consistency in results achieved across the testing community.

Due to inclement weather in the Washington, DC, area, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing it has rescheduled the hearing date and extended the public comment period for the proposed action titled, “Response to December 9, 2013, Clean Air Act Section 176A Petition from Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont,” published in the Federal Register on January 19, 2017. In response to requests for a public hearing, the EPA published a notice of public hearing and extension of public comment period on February 15, 2017, announcing that a public hearing would be held on March 14, 2017, in Washington, DC, and the public comment period extended to April 13, 2017. Due to inclement weather, the EPA has rescheduled the hearing to April 13, 2017. In addition, in order to allow sufficient time after the public hearing for submission of comments, the EPA is announcing the extension of the comment period for the proposed action to May 15, 2017.

In accordance with the Presidential directive as expressed in the memorandum of January 20, 2017, from the Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, entitled “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,” and the Federal Register document published by EPA on January 26, 2017, EPA is further delaying the effective dates for the five regulations listed in the table below.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing that a public hearing will be held for the proposed action titled, “Response to December 9, 2013, Clean Air Act Section 176A Petition from Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont,” which published in the Federal Register on January 19, 2017. The hearing will be held on March 14, 2017, in Washington, DC. The EPA is also announcing extension of the comment period for the proposed action to April 13, 2017, to allow sufficient time after the public hearing for the submission of comments.

In accordance with the Presidential directive as expressed in the memorandum of January 20, 2017, from the Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, entitled “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,” this action temporarily delays until March 21, 2017, the effective date of the regulations listed in the table below. EPA identified 30 regulations that meet those criteria.

In this action, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgates revisions to the Guideline on Air Quality Models (“ Guideline” ). The Guideline provides EPA's preferred models and other recommended techniques, as well as guidance for their use in estimating ambient concentrations of air pollutants. It is incorporated into the EPA's regulations, satisfying a requirement under the Clean Air Act (CAA) for the EPA to specify with reasonable particularity models to be used in the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program. This action includes enhancements to the formulation and application of the EPA's preferred near-field dispersion modeling system, AERMOD (American Meteorological Society (AMS)/EPA Regulatory Model), and the incorporation of a tiered demonstration approach to address the secondary chemical formation of ozone and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) associated with precursor emissions from single sources. The EPA is changing the preferred status of and removing several air quality models from appendix A of the Guideline. The EPA is also making various editorial changes to update and reorganize information throughout the Guideline to streamline the compliance assessment process.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing revisions to requirements under the Clean Air Act (CAA) for state plans for protection of visibility in mandatory Class I Federal areas in order to continue steady environmental progress while addressing administrative aspects of the program. In summary, the revisions clarify the relationship between long-term strategies and reasonable progress goals (RPGs) in state implementation plans (SIPs) and the long-term strategy obligation of all states; clarify and modify the requirements for periodic comprehensive revisions of SIPs; modify the set of days used to track progress towards natural visibility conditions to account for events such as wildfires; provide states with additional flexibility to address impacts on visibility from anthropogenic sources outside the United States (U.S.) and from certain types of prescribed fires; modify certain requirements related to the timing and form of progress reports; and update, simplify and extend to all states the provisions for reasonably attributable visibility impairment, while revoking most existing reasonably attributable visibility impairment federal implementation plans (FIPs). The EPA also is making a one-time adjustment to the due date for the next periodic comprehensive SIP revisions by extending the existing deadline of July 31, 2018, to July 31, 2021.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing that a public hearing will be held for the proposed rule titled, “Implementation of the 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone: Nonattainment Area Classifications and State Implementation Plan Requirements,” which published in the Federal Register on November 17, 2016. The hearing will be held on Thursday, January 12, 2017, in Washington, DC The EPA is also announcing extension of the comment period for the proposed rule to February 13, 2017, to allow sufficient time after the public hearing for commenters to submit comments.

On August 26, 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposed rule to revise provisions in the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and title V permitting regulations applicable to greenhouse gases (GHGs) to fully conform with recent court decisions. The EPA is extending the comment period on this proposed rule that was scheduled to close on December 2, 2016. The EPA received a letter requesting the extension of the proposed rule public comment period to allow the public additional time to review the rule and supporting documentation.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing nonattainment area classification thresholds and implementation requirements for the strengthened 2015 ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) (2015 ozone NAAQS) that were promulgated on October 1, 2015. This proposal is largely an update to the implementing regulations previously promulgated for the 2008 ozone NAAQS, and we propose to retain without significant revision the majority of those provisions to implement the 2015 ozone NAAQS. This proposal addresses the timing of attainment dates for each nonattainment area classification and a range of nonattainment area state implementation plan (SIP) requirements for the 2015 ozone NAAQS. The proposed SIP requirements pertain to attainment demonstrations, reasonable further progress (RFP) and associated milestone demonstrations, reasonably available control technology (RACT), reasonably available control measures (RACM), major nonattainment new source review (NNSR), emission inventories, the timing of required SIP submissions, and compliance with emission control measures in the SIP. Other issues addressed in this proposed rule are the revocation of the 2008 ozone NAAQS, anti-backsliding requirements that would apply when the 2008 ozone NAAQS are revoked, and reconsideration of the ozone NAAQS interprecursor trading (IPT) provisions (in response to a petition for reconsideration).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is revising the public notice rule provisions for the New Source Review (NSR), title V and Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) permit programs of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) and corresponding onshore area (COA) determinations for implementation of the OCS air quality regulations. This final rule removes the mandatory requirement to provide public notice of a draft air permit (as well as certain other program actions) through publication in a newspaper. Instead, this final rule requires electronic notice (e-notice) for EPA actions (and actions by permitting authorities implementing the federal permitting rules) and allows for e-notice as an option for actions by permitting authorities implementing EPA-approved programs. When e-notice is provided, the final rule requires, at a minimum, electronic access (e-access) to the draft permit. However, this final rule does not preclude a permitting authority from supplementing e-notice with newspaper notice and/or additional means of notification to the public. The EPA anticipates that e-notice, which is already being practiced by many permitting authorities, will enable permitting authorities to communicate permitting and other affected actions to the public more quickly and efficiently and will provide cost savings over newspaper publication. The EPA further anticipates that e-access will expand access to permit-related documents.

This action promulgates technical and editorial corrections and revisions to regulations related to source testing of emissions. We have made corrections and updates to testing provisions, and added newly approved alternatives to existing testing regulations. These revisions will improve the quality of data and provide flexibility in the use of approved alternative procedures. The revisions do not impose any new substantive requirements on source owners or operators.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing requirements that state, local and tribal air agencies would have to meet as they implement the current and future national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ). Specifically, this document provides details on meeting the statutory state implementation plan (SIP) requirements that apply to areas designated nonattainment for any PM 2.5 NAAQS, such as: General requirements for attainment plan due dates and attainment dates; emissions inventories; attainment demonstrations; provisions for demonstrating reasonable further progress; quantitative milestones; contingency measures; and nonattainment New Source Review (NNSR) permitting programs, among other things. This rule clarifies the specific attainment planning requirements that apply to PM 2.5 NAAQS nonattainment areas based on their classification (either Moderate or Serious), and the process for reclassifying Moderate areas to Serious. Additionally, in this document the EPA is revoking the 1997 primary annual standard for areas designated as attainment for that standard because the EPA revised the primary annual standard in 2012. The EPA first established the PM 2.5 NAAQS in 1997, completed a review and revision of those standards in 2006, and most recently completed a review and revision of the PM 2.5 NAAQS on December 14, 2012.

On May 4, 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule titled, “Protection of Visibility: Amendments to Requirements for State Plans.” The EPA is extending the comment period on the proposed rule that was scheduled to close on July 5, 2016. The EPA has received requests for additional time to review and comment on the proposed rule revisions.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing a revision to regulations applicable to permitting of stationary sources of air pollution under the New Source Review (NSR) and title V programs in the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act). For sources in the oil and natural gas sector, this rule clarifies the meaning of the term “adjacent” that is used to determine the scope of a “stationary source” for purposes of the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and Nonattainment NSR (NNSR) preconstruction permitting programs and the scope of a “major source” in the title V operating permit program in the onshore oil and natural gas sector. The revised definitions are based on the proximity of emitting activities and consideration of whether the activities share equipment. We believe that this clarification will provide greater certainty for the regulated community and for permitting authorities, and will result in more consistent determinations of the scope of a source in this sector. The EPA is adopting this revised definition in the regulations that apply to permits issued by the EPA and states to which the EPA has delegated federal authority to administer these programs. Other state and local permitting authorities with EPA-approved programs may also revise their permit programs to adopt this definition, but are not required to do so.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a public hearing to be held for the proposed rule titled, “Protection of Visibility: Amendments to Requirements for State Plans” which published in the Federal Register on May 4, 2016. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, June 1, 2016, in Denver, Colorado. Please note that this hearing is being held in addition to the May 19, 2016, public hearing in Washington, DC that was announced in the notice of proposed rulemaking.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing amendments to requirements under the Clean Air Act (CAA) for state plans for protection of visibility in mandatory Class I federal areas (Class I areas) in order to continue steady environmental progress while addressing administrative aspects of the program. The EPA amendments would clarify the relationship between long-term strategies and reasonable progress goals in state plans, and the long-term strategy obligation of all states. The amendments would also change the way in which some days during each year are to be selected for purposes of tracking progress towards natural visibility conditions to account for events such as wildfires; change aspects of the requirements for the content of progress reports; update, simplify and extend to all states the provisions for reasonably attributable visibility impairment and revoke existing federal implementation plans (FIPs) that require the EPA to assess and address any existing reasonably attributable visibility impairment situations in some states; and add a requirement for states to consult with Federal Land Managers (FLMs) earlier in the development of state plans. The EPA also proposes to address administrative aspects of the program by making a one-time adjustment to the due date for the next state implementation plans (SIPs), revising the due dates for progress reports and removing the requirement for progress reports to be SIP revisions.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is affirming and making permanent certain amendments previously made on an interim basis to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) provisions implementing the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR). The purpose of the interim amendments was to correctly reflect CSAPR's compliance deadlines as revised by the effect of the action of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit or Court) granting the EPA's motion to lift the previous stay of CSAPR and delay (toll) its deadlines by three years. Consistent with the Court's order, the interim amendments corrected the CFR text to indicate that CSAPR's Phase 1 emissions budgets apply in 2015 and 2016 and that CSAPR's Phase 2 emissions budgets and assurance provisions apply in 2017 and beyond. The interim amendments similarly corrected dates in the CFR text related to specific activities required or permitted under CSAPR by regulated sources, the EPA, and states, as well as dates related to the sunsetting of obligations arising under the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) upon its replacement by CSAPR. In this action, following consideration of comments received on the interim amendments, the EPA is affirming the interim amendments and making them permanent without change. This action is independent of a separate currently pending EPA proposal to update CSAPR to address the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is amending the EPA's regulatory definition of volatile organic compounds (VOC) under the Clean Air Act (CAA). The regulatory definition of VOC currently excludes t-butyl acetate (also known as tertiary butyl acetate or TBAC; CAS Number: 540-88-5) for purposes of VOC emissions limitations or VOC content requirements on the basis that it makes a negligible contribution to tropospheric ozone formation. However, the current definition includes TBAC as a VOC for purposes of all recordkeeping, emissions reporting, photochemical dispersion modeling and inventory requirements which apply to VOC. This final action removes the recordkeeping, emissions reporting, photochemical dispersion modeling and inventory requirements related to the use of TBAC as a VOC.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to revise the public notice rule provisions for the New Source Review (NSR), title V and Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) permit programs of the Clean Air Act (CAA) and the corresponding onshore area (COA) determinations for implementation of the OCS air quality regulations. This action would remove the mandatory requirement to provide public notice of a draft air permit, as well as certain other program actions, through publication in a newspaper and would instead allow for electronic noticing (e-notice) of these actions. The proposed rule revisions would apply to major source air permits issued by the EPA, by EPA-delegated air agencies, and by air agencies with EPA-approved programs (with the exception of permits that are issued pursuant to the Tribal NSR Rule, which already allows for e-notice methods).

On September 18, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed three rules titled, “Source Determination for Certain Emission Units in the Oil and Natural Gas Sector,” “Oil and Natural Gas Sector: Emission Standards for New and Modified Sources,” and “Review of New Sources and Modifications in Indian Country: Federal Implementation Plan for Managing Air Emissions from True Minor Sources Engaged in Oil and Natural Gas Production in Indian Country.” The EPA is extending the comment period on the three proposed rules that was scheduled to close on November 17, 2015. The EPA has received several letters from trade and business organizations, states and tribes requesting additional time to review and comment on the three proposed rule revisions.

Based on its review of the air quality criteria for ozone (O 3 ) and related photochemical oxidants and national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for O 3, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is revising the primary and secondary NAAQS for O 3 to provide requisite protection of public health and welfare, respectively. The EPA is revising the levels of both standards to 0.070 parts per million (ppm), and retaining their indicators (O 3 ), forms (fourth-highest daily maximum, averaged across three consecutive years) and averaging times (eight hours). The EPA is making corresponding revisions in data handling conventions for O 3 and changes to the Air Quality Index (AQI); revising regulations for the prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) program to add a transition provision for certain applications; and establishing exceptional events schedules and providing information related to implementing the revised standards. The EPA is also revising the O 3 monitoring seasons, the Federal Reference Method (FRM) for monitoring O 3 in the ambient air, Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) analyzer performance requirements, and the Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Stations (PAMS) network. Along with exceptional events schedules related to implementing the revised O 3 standards, the EPA is applying this same schedule approach to other future new or revised NAAQS and removing obsolete regulatory language for expired exceptional events deadlines. The EPA is making minor changes to the procedures and time periods for evaluating potential FRMs and equivalent methods, including making the requirements for nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) consistent with the requirements for O 3, and removing an obsolete requirement for the annual submission of Product Manufacturing Checklists by manufacturers of FRMs and FEMs for monitors of fine and coarse particulate matter. For a more detailed summary, see the Executive Summary below.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the comment period for the proposed rule titled, “Revisions to Test Methods, Performance Specifications, and Testing Regulations for Air Emission Sources,” that was published in the Federal Register on September 8, 2015. The 60-day comment period in the proposed rule is scheduled to end on November 9, 2015. The extended comment period will close on December 9, 2015. The EPA recently added a technical justification to the docket for the revision in the proposed rule regarding Subpart JJJJ of Part 60 (Standards of Performance for Stationary Spark Ignition Internal Combustion Engines). We also added background information to support our reasoning for soliciting comment about Method 7E stratification. Therefore, the EPA is extending the comment period to allow the public additional time to submit comments and supporting information on these and other aspects of the proposed rule.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a public hearing for the proposed rule titled, “Revisions to Test Methods, Performance Specifications, and Testing Regulations for Air Emission Sources,” that was published in the Federal Register on September 8, 2015. The hearing will be held in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The EPA is proposing technical and editorial corrections and revisions to regulations related to source testing of emissions. The EPA is proposing to make corrections and updates to testing provisions that contain inaccuracies and outdated procedures, and to provide alternatives to existing testing regulations. The revisions will improve the quality of data and provide testers flexibility to use recently-approved alternative procedures. Many of the changes were suggested by testers and other end-users and will not impose new substantive requirements on source owners or operators.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to clarify the term “adjacent” in the definitions of: “building, structure, facility or installation” used to determine the “stationary source” for purposes of the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and Nonattainment New Source Review (NNSR) programs and “major source” in the title V program as applied to the oil and natural gas sector. The EPA has previously issued guidance on how to assess “adjacency” for this industry, but the use of the guidance has been challenged, resulting in uncertainty for the regulated community and for permitting authorities. The EPA is proposing to clarify how properties in the oil and natural gas sector are determined to be adjacent in order to assist permitting authorities and permit applicants in making consistent source determinations for this sector. In this action, the EPA is proposing two options for determining whether two or more properties in the oil and natural gas sector are “adjacent” for purposes of defining the “stationary source” in the PSD and NNSR programs, and “major source” for the title V program (referred to collectively as “source”). The preferred option would define “adjacent” for the oil and natural gas sector in terms of proximity. The EPA is co-proposing and taking comment on an alternative option to define “adjacent” in terms of proximity or functional interrelatedness.

This action proposes technical and editorial corrections and revisions to regulations related to source testing of emissions. This proposed rule will make corrections and updates to testing provisions that contain inaccuracies and outdated procedures, and provide alternatives to existing testing regulations. These revisions will improve the quality of data and provide testers flexibility to use recently-approved alternative procedures. Many of these changes were suggested by testers and other end-users, and they will not impose new substantive requirements on source owners or operators.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing three public hearings to be held for three proposed rules titled, “Source Determination for Certain Emission Units in the Oil and Natural Gas Sector,” “Oil and Natural Gas Sector: Emission Standards for New and Modified Sources,” and “Review of New Sources and Modifications in Indian Country: Federal Implementation Plan for Managing Air Emissions from True Minor Sources Engaged in Oil and Natural Gas Production in Indian Country.” Two hearings will be held on September 23, 2015, simultaneously—one in Denver, CO, and one in Dallas, TX. One hearing will be on September 29, 2015, in Pittsburgh, PA.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is promulgating a rule directing state and tribal air agencies (air agencies) to provide data to characterize current air quality in areas with large sources of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) emissions to identify maximum 1-hour SO 2 concentrations in ambient air. The final rule establishes minimum criteria for identifying the emissions sources and associated areas for which air agencies are required to characterize SO 2 air quality. Air agencies remain free to also characterize air quality in additional areas beyond those required to be characterized under the rule. The final rule also sets forth a process and timetables by which air agencies must characterize air quality through ambient monitoring and/or air quality modeling techniques and submit such data to the EPA. The EPA has issued separate non-binding draft technical assistance documents recommending how air agencies should conduct such monitoring or modeling. The air quality data developed by air agencies pursuant to this rule may be used by the EPA in future actions to evaluate areas' air quality under the 2010 1-hour SO 2 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS), including area designations and redesignations, as appropriate.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is amending its Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and title V regulations to remove from the Code of Federal Regulations portions of those regulations that were initially promulgated in 2010 and that the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) specifically identified as vacated in the April 10, 2015, amended judgment, Coalition for Responsible Regulation v. EPA. This action is exempt from notice-and-comment rulemaking because it is ministerial in nature.

In this action, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to revise the Guideline on Air Quality Models (“ Guideline ”). The Guideline has been incorporated into EPA's regulations, satisfying a requirement under the Clean Air Act (CAA) section 165(e)(3) for the EPA to specify, with reasonable particularity models to be used in the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program. It provides EPA-preferred models and other recommended techniques, as well as guidance for their use in predicting ambient concentrations of air pollutants. The proposed revisions to the Guideline include enhancements to the formulation and application of the EPA's AERMOD near-field dispersion modeling system and the incorporation of a tiered demonstration approach to address the secondary chemical formation of ozone and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) associated with precursor emissions from single sources. Additionally, the EPA proposes various editorial changes to update and reorganize information throughout the Guideline to streamline the compliance assessment process. Within this action, the EPA is also announcing the Eleventh Conference on Air Quality Modeling and invites the public to participate in the conference. The conference will focus on the proposed revisions to the Guideline and part of the conference will also serve as the public hearing for these revisions.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a public hearing to be held for the proposed rule titled, “Fine Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards: State Implementation Plan Requirements” which published in the Federal Register on March 23, 2015. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, April 29, 2015, in Washington, DC The EPA is also announcing extension of the comment period for the proposed rule to May 29, 2015, to allow for sufficient time after the public hearing for commenters to submit comments.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing requirements that state, local and tribal air agencies would have to meet as they implement the current and future national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ). Specifically, this notice provides details on how the EPA proposes that air agencies meet the statutory state implementation plan (SIP) requirements that apply to areas designated nonattainment for any PM 2.5 NAAQS, such as: general requirements for attainment plan due dates and attainment dates; emissions inventories; attainment demonstrations; provisions for demonstrating reasonable further progress; quantitative milestones; contingency measures; and nonattainment New Source Review (NNSR) permitting programs, among other things. This proposed rule clarifies the specific attainment planning requirements that would apply to PM 2.5 NAAQS nonattainment areas based on their classification (either Moderate or Serious), and the process for reclassifying Moderate areas to Serious. Additionally in this notice, the EPA is proposing to revoke the 1997 primary annual standard because the EPA revised the primary annual standard in 2012. The EPA first established the PM 2.5 NAAQS in 1997, completed a review of those standards in 2006, and most recently completed a review of the PM 2.5 NAAQS on December 14, 2012.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is establishing a final rule for implementing the 2008 ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) (the “2008 ozone NAAQS”) that were promulgated on March 12, 2008. This final rule addresses a range of nonattainment area state implementation plan (SIP) requirements for the 2008 ozone NAAQS, including requirements pertaining to attainment demonstrations, reasonable further progress (RFP), reasonably available control technology (RACT), reasonably available control measures (RACM), major new source review (NSR), emission inventories, and the timing of SIP submissions and of compliance with emission control measures in the SIP. Other issues also addressed in this final rule are the revocation of the 1997 ozone NAAQS and anti-backsliding requirements that apply when the 1997 ozone NAAQS are revoked. If the primary or secondary ozone NAAQS are revised in the future, the EPA expects that this rule will help facilitate implementation of any new standards.

This action finalizes changes to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) emissions inventory reporting requirements. This action lowers the threshold for reporting lead (Pb) emissions sources as point sources, eliminates the requirement for reporting emissions from wildfires and prescribed fires, and replaces a requirement for reporting mobile source emissions with a requirement for reporting the input parameters that can be used to run the EPA models that generate emissions estimates. This action also reduces the reporting burden on state, local, and tribal agencies by removing the requirements to report daily and seasonal emissions in their submissions under this rule, while clarifying the requirement to report these emissions under pollutant-specific regulations. Lastly, this action modifies some emissions reporting requirements which we believe are not necessary for inclusion in the Air Emissions Reporting Requirements (AERR) rule or are not clearly aligned with current inventory terminology and practices.

In this final rule and notice of availability, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is revising the requirements for how state and tribal implementation plans (hereinafter, collectively referred to as SIPs) under the Clean Air Act (CAA) are required to be submitted to the EPA. Specifically, we are providing state, local and tribal air agencies (hereinafter, collectively referred to as states or air agencies) an option to submit SIPs, including any necessary supporting documents, using our new electronic SIP (eSIP) submission system, which is web-based. We are providing notification that electronic submission via the eSIP submission system is now our preferred method for air agencies to make SIP submissions, and that if a SIP submission is made through the eSIP submission system, all documents transmitted through the system will be considered part of the official SIP submission from the air agency. We are also simplifying submission requirements for those air agencies that still wish to make paper submissions by reducing the number of paper copies required, and providing non-binding guidelines for SIP submissions that will aid in SIP processing.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to amend the EPA's regulatory definition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under the Clean Air Act (CAA). The regulatory definition of VOCs currently excludes t-butyl acetate (also known as tertiary butyl acetate or TBAC; CAS NO: 540-88-5) for purposes of VOC emissions limitations or VOC content requirements on the basis that it makes a negligible contribution to tropospheric ozone formation. However, the current definition includes TBAC as a VOC for purposes of all recordkeeping, emissions reporting, photochemical dispersion modeling and inventory requirements which apply to VOCs. The regulatory definition requires that TBAC be uniquely identified in emission reports. TBAC is used as a solvent in paints, inks and adhesives, in which it substitutes for compounds that are regulated as VOCs. This proposed action would remove recordkeeping, emissions reporting, photochemical dispersion modeling and inventory requirements related to the use of TBAC as a VOC. The EPA has concluded that these requirements are not resulting in useful information. Furthermore, there is no evidence that TBAC is being used at levels that would cause concern for ozone formation. As these requirements are unnecessary and can be burdensome for states and industry, we are proposing to revoke these requirements and exclude TBAC from the regulatory definition of VOCs for all purposes. Note that the EPA is not reconsidering its determination that TBAC is “negligibly reactive” with respect to ground-level ozone formation.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing three public hearings for the proposed rule titled, “National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone,” that was published in the Federal Register on December 17, 2014. The hearings will be held in Washington, DC, Arlington, Texas, and Sacramento, California. Based on its review of the air quality criteria for ozone (O 3 ) and related photochemical oxidants and national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for O 3, the EPA proposes to make revisions to the primary and secondary NAAQS for O 3 to provide requisite protection of public health and welfare, respectively. The EPA is proposing to revise the primary standard to a level within the range of 0.065 to 0.070 parts per million (ppm), and to revise the secondary standard to within the range of 0.065 to 0.070 ppm, which air quality analyses indicate would provide air quality, in terms of 3-year average W126 index values, at or below a range of 13-17 ppm-hours. The EPA proposes to make corresponding revisions in data handling conventions for O 3 and conforming changes to the Air Quality Index; to revise regulations for the Prevention of Significant Deterioration program to add a transition provision for certain applications; and to propose schedules and convey information related to implementing any revised standards. The EPA is proposing changes to the O 3 monitoring seasons, the Federal Reference Method (FRM) for monitoring O 3 in the ambient air, Federal Equivalent Method procedures for testing, and the Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Stations network. Along with proposing exceptional event schedules related to implementing any revised O 3 standards, the EPA is proposing to apply this same schedule approach to other future revised NAAQS and to remove obsolete regulatory language for expired exceptional event deadlines. The EPA is proposing to make minor changes to the procedures and time periods for evaluating potential FRMs and equivalent methods (including making the requirements for nitrogen dioxide consistent with the requirements for O 3 ) and to remove an obsolete requirement for the annual submission of documentation by manufacturers of certain particulate matter monitors.

Based on its review of the air quality criteria for ozone (O 3 ) and related photochemical oxidants and national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for O 3, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to make revisions to the primary and secondary NAAQS for O 3 to provide requisite protection of public health and welfare, respectively. The EPA is proposing to revise the primary standard to a level within the range of 0.065 to 0.070 parts per million (ppm), and to revise the secondary standard to within the range of 0.065 to 0.070 ppm, which air quality analyses indicate would provide air quality, in terms of 3-year average W126 index values, at or below a range of 13-17 ppm-hours. The EPA proposes to make corresponding revisions in data handling conventions for O 3 and conforming changes to the Air Quality Index (AQI); to revise regulations for the prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) program to add a transition provision for certain applications; and to propose schedules and convey information related to implementing any revised standards. The EPA is proposing changes to the O 3 monitoring seasons, the Federal Reference Method (FRM) for monitoring O 3 in the ambient air, Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) procedures for testing, and the Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Stations (PAMS) network. Along with proposing exceptional event schedules related to implementing any revised O 3 standards, the EPA is proposing to apply this same schedule approach to other future revised NAAQS and to remove obsolete regulatory language for expired exceptional event deadlines. The EPA is proposing to make minor changes to the procedures and time periods for evaluating potential FRMs and equivalent methods (including making the requirements for nitrogen dioxide consistent with the requirements for O 3 ) and to remove an obsolete requirement for the annual submission of documentation by manufacturers of certain particulate matter monitors. For additional information, see the Executive Summary, section I.A.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is amending the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to correctly reflect the compliance deadlines for the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) as revised by the effect of the action of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit or Court) granting the EPA's motion to lift the previous stay of CSAPR and delay (toll) its deadlines by three years. With these ministerial amendments, the CFR text will correctly indicate that CSAPR's Phase 1 emissions budgets apply in 2015 and 2016 and that CSAPR's Phase 2 emissions budgets and assurance provisions apply in 2017 and beyond. The ministerial amendments similarly correct dates in the CFR text related to specific activities required or permitted under CSAPR by regulated sources, the EPA, and states, as well as dates related to the sunsetting of the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) upon its replacement by CSAPR. The amendments are necessary to clarify the timing of requirements and elections under CSAPR as shown in the CFR text so that compliance can begin in an orderly manner on January 1, 2015, consistent with the Court's order. The EPA is also taking comment on the amendments being made in this interim final rule and will consider whether to retain these revisions as promulgated or whether further revisions are necessary to make the CSAPR compliance deadlines consistent with the Court's order.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving and announcing the availability of the Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator model (MOVES2014) for official use outside of California. MOVES2014 is the latest state-of-the art upgrade to EPA's modeling tools for estimating emissions from cars, trucks, buses, and motorcycles, based on the latest data and regulations. MOVES2014 is approved for use in state implementation plans (SIPs) and transportation conformity analyses outside of California. This notice starts a two-year grace period before the MOVES2014 emission model is required to be used in new regional emissions analyses and new hot-spot analyses for transportation conformity determinations outside of California.