Clean Air Act Reclassification; Arizona-Phoenix Nonattainment Area; Ozone; Extension of Plan Submittal Deadline

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

[email protected].

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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