Approval and Promulgation of State Implementation Plans; ArizonaMaricopa County Ozone Nonattainment Area

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[AZ 68-0011; FRL-5835-7]

Approval and Promulgation of State Implementation Plans;

Arizona--Maricopa County Ozone Nonattainment Area

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: EPA is proposing to approve a State Implementation Plan (SIP)

revision submitted by the State of Arizona on April 29, 1997,

establishing a summertime gasoline Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) limit of

7.0 pounds per square inch (psi) for gasoline distributed in the

Maricopa (Phoenix) ozone nonattainment area. Arizona has lowered the

summertime RVP limit for this area to reduce emissions of volatile

organic compounds (VOC) in accordance with the requirements of the

[[Page 31776]]

Clean Air Act, as amended in 1990 (CAA). Arizona's fuel requirement is

not preempted by federal fuels requirements because EPA is proposing to

find that the control measure is necessary for the Maricopa area to

attain the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone and

is proposing to approve the measure into the Arizona SIP.

In the final rules section of this Federal Register, the EPA is

approving the State's SIP revision as a direct final rule without prior

proposal because the Agency views this as a noncontroversial revision

and anticipates no adverse comments. A detailed rationale for this

approval is set forth in the direct final rule. If no adverse comments

are received in response to this proposed rule, no further activity is

contemplated in relation to this rule. If EPA receives adverse

comments, the direct final rule will be withdrawn and all public

comments received will be addressed in a subsequent final rule based on

this proposed rule. The EPA will not institute a second comment period

on this document. Any parties interested in commenting on this action

should do so at this time.

DATES: Comments on this proposed rule must be received in writing by

July 11, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to the Region IX contact

listed below. Copies of the SIP revision are available in the docket

(#AZ-RVP-97) for this rulemaking, which is open for public inspection

at the addresses below. A copy of this notice is also available on EPA,

Region IX's website at http://www.epa.gov/region09.

Air Planning Office (AIR-2), Air Division, Region IX, U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA

94105

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Outreach and

Information, First Floor, 3033 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix Arizona 85012

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roxanne Johnson, Air Planning Office,

(AIR-2), Air Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9,

75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, Telephone: (415) 744-

1225.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The revision is being proposed for approval

into the Arizona SIP in section 13 of Arizona House Bill 2001 that adds

to Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) section 41-2083(E) 1

(summertime fuel requirement to limit RVP gasoline to 7.0 psi). This

revision was submitted by the ADEQ to EPA on April 29, 1997.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\1\ This section is currently codified in the ARS as section 41-

2083(F).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

On May 8, 1997, EPA found the April 29, 1997, SIP revision

conformed to EPA's completeness criteria in 40 CFR Part 51, Appendix V

and the Federal Register on August 26, 1991 (56 FR 42216). For further

information, please see the information provided in the Direct Final

action that is located in the Rules Section of this Federal Register.

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q.

Dated: May 28, 1997.

Felicia Marcus,

Regional Administrator.

[FR Doc. 97-15094 Filed 6-10-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-P