Proposed Approval and Promulgation of State Implementation Plans and Redesignation of the South Coast Air Basin in California to Attainment for Nitrogen Dioxide

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 52 and 81

[CA-189-0078(b); FRL-6127-2]

Proposed Approval and Promulgation of State Implementation Plans

and Redesignation of the South Coast Air Basin in California to

Attainment for Nitrogen Dioxide

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: EPA is proposing to approve an attainment and maintenance plan

and grant a request submitted by the California Air Resources Board

(CARB) to redesignate the South Coast Air Basin (South Coast) from

nonattainment to attainment for the National Ambient Air Quality

Standards (NAAQS) for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2). Under the

Clean Air Act (CAA), designations can be revised if sufficient data are

available to warrant such revisions. In this action, EPA is proposing

to approve the attainment and maintenance plans as revisions to the

California State Implementation Plan (SIP), and EPA is also proposing

to grant the State's request to redesignate the South Coast to

attainment because the plans and request meet the requirements set

forth in the CAA.

DATES: Written comments must be received by August 24, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to the EPA contact below. The

rulemaking docket for this notice may be inspected and copied at the

following location during normal business hours. A reasonable fee may

be charged for copying parts of the docket. Environmental Protection

Agency, Region 9, Air Division, Air Planning Office (AIR-2), 75

Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-3901.

Copies of the SIP materials are also available for inspection at

the addresses listed below:

California Air Resources Board, 2020 L Street, Sacramento, CA 92123-

1095

South Coast Air Quality Management District, 21865 E. Copley Drive,

Diamond Bar, CA 91765-4182.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dave Jesson, Air Planning Office (AIR-

2), Air Division, U.S. EPA, Region 9, 75 Hawthorne Street, San

Francisco, CA 94105-3901. Telephone: (415) 744-1288

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In this action, EPA is proposing to approve

the South Coast NO2 attainment and maintenance plans and

grant California's request to redesignate the South Coast to attainment

for NO2, because the plans and redesignation request meet

the requirements set forth in the CAA.

In the Final Rules Section of this Federal Register, EPA is

approving the State's SIP revision and granting the redesignation

request as a direct final rule without prior proposal because the

Agency views this as a noncontroversial amendment and anticipates no

relevant adverse comments. A detailed rationale for this approval is

set forth in the direct final rule. If no relevant adverse comments are

received in response to this action, no further activity is

contemplated in relation to this proposed rule. However, if EPA

receives relevant adverse comments, then EPA will publish a document

that withdraws the rule and informs the public that the rule will not

take effect. EPA will then address those comments in a final action

based upon this proposed rule. EPA will not institute a second comment

period. Any parties interested in commenting on this action should do

so at this time.

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52

Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Nitrogen dioxide,

Intergovernmental relations, Oxides of nitrogen, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements.

Dated: July 8, 1998.

Felicia Marcus,

Regional Administrator, Region IX.

[FR Doc. 98-19839 Filed 7-23-98; 8:45 am]

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