Notice of Intent To Reopen Comment Period for Certain Issues Raised in the Proposed Rulemaking for the Nitrogen Oxides (NOINFX/INF) State Implementation Plan (SIP) Call

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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