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Air Plan Approval; District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia; Update of the Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets for the Washington-MD-VA 2008 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard Maintenance Area

89 Fed. Reg. 80745 (Oct. 4, 2024)

Air Plan Approval; District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia; Update of the Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets for the Washington-MD-VA 2008 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard Maintenance Area

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Federal RegisterOct 4, 2024
89 Fed. Reg. 80745 (Oct. 4, 2024)
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    Environmental Protection Agency
  • 40 CFR Part 52
  • [EPA-R03-OAR-2024-0162; FRL-11869-02-R3]

    • AGENCY:

    Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

    ACTION:

    Final rule.

    SUMMARY:

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving state implementation plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the District of Columbia (the District), State of Maryland (MD), and Commonwealth of Virginia (VA). The revisions update the motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) and the onroad and nonroad (except for marine, airport, and railroad) mobile emissions for volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) for the years 2025 and 2030. EPA is approving the updated MVEBs and updates to the applicable onroad and nonroad mobile emissions for VOC and NOX for the years 2025 and 2030. EPA is also approving the allocation of a portion of the safety margins for VOC and NOX in the ozone maintenance plan to the 2025 and 2030 MVEBs. The MVEBs will be available for transportation conformity purposes, in accordance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

    DATES:

    This final rule is effective on November 4, 2024.

    ADDRESSES:

    The EPA has established a docket for this action under Docket ID Number EPA-R03-OAR-2024-0162. All documents in the docket are listed on the www.regulations.gov website. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., confidential business information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on the internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are available through www.regulations.gov , or please contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section for additional availability information.

    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

    Gregory Becoat, Planning & Implementation Branch (3AD30), Air & Radiation Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, 1600 John F Kennedy Boulevard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103. The telephone number is (215) 814-2053. Mr. Becoat can also be reached via electronic mail at Becoat.Gregory@epa.gov.

    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    I. Background

    On November 14, 2023, September 6, 2023, and October 11, 2023, the District, Maryland, and Virginia, respectively, formally submitted requests to update the 2008 8-Hour Ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) maintenance plan for the Washington, DC-MD-VA 2008 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS Maintenance Area (hereafter “the Washington Area” or “the Area”). These revisions update the Area's maintenance plan to include revised onroad and nonroad MVEBs for VOCs and NOX that reflect the updated EPA Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES3.04) model.

    On June 3, 2024 (89 FR 47474), EPA published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for the Area. The Area submitted SIP revisions that included an update to the MVEBs for VOCs and NOX, that were initially developed using the MOVES2014a model, for the years 2025 and 2030. In the NPRM, EPA proposed approval of revisions to update the Area's maintenance plan to include revised onroad and nonroad MVEBs for VOCs and NOX that reflect the updated EPA MOVES3.04 model and increased onroad vehicle emission rates.

    II. Summary of SIP Revision and EPA Analysis

    EPA's analysis of the Area's SIP submittal indicates that maintenance of the 2008 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS will continue to be demonstrated for the Area, after updating the 2025 and 2030 MVEBs, for NOX and VOC, using MOVES3.0.4 and updated planning assumptions. The details of the Area's submittal and the rationale for EPA's action are further explained in the NPRM and will not be restated here. Comments on the June 3, 2024 (89 FR 47474) NPRM were due on or before July 3, 2024. EPA received one comment that was not relevant to this action and will not be addressed here.

    The updated 2025 and 2030 MVEBs, for NOX and VOC, will ensure that transportation emissions conform with each state's SIP. Table 1 in this document, provides the newly revised MVEBs for 2025 and 2030 along with the retained 2014 MVEBs from the 2017 plan (using MOVES2014a) in tons per day (tpd). The Area added only portions of the total available safety margins for VOC and NOX when developing the revised MVEBs for 2025 and 2030 for the projected onroad mobile VOC and NOX emissions. The allocation will add 5.58 tpd of VOC and 9.30 tpd of NOX from the safety margins to the 2025 emission inventories, and 4.35 tpd of VOC and 6.85 tpd of NOX from the safety margins to the 2030 emission inventories.

    Table 1—Revised Onroad Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets using MOVES3.0.4

    Year VOC onroad emissions (tpd) NO X onroad emissions (tpd)
    2014 Attainment Year 61.25 136.84
    2025 Predicted Emissions without Safety Margin 27.92 46.52
    2025 Safety Margin 5.58 9.30
    2025 Interim Budget with Safety Margin 33.50 55.82
    2030 Predicted Emissions without Safety Margin 21.75 34.26
    2030 Safety Margin 4.35 6.85
    2030 Final Budget with Safety Margin 26.10 41.11
    Name of non-regulatory SIP revision Applicable geographic area State submittal date EPA approval date Additional explanation
     
    *         *         *         *         *         *         *
    Maintenance plan for the District of Columbia portion of the Washington, DC-MD-VA Nonattainment Area for the 2008 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard District of Columbia 11/14/23 10/4/2024, [INSERT FEDERAL REGISTER CITATION] Added § 52.476(k).
     
    *         *         *         *         *         *         *

    Table 5 to Paragraph (k) —Revised Onroad Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets Using MOVES 3.0.4

    Year VOC onroad emissions (tpd) NO X onroad emissions (tpd)
    2014 Attainment Year 61.25 136.84
    2025 Predicted Emissions without Safety Margin 27.92 46.52
    2025 Safety Margin 5.58 9.30
    2025 Interim Budget with Safety Margin 33.50 55.82
    2030 Predicted Emissions without Safety Margin 21.75 34.26
    2030 Safety Margin 4.35 6.85
    2030 Final Budget with Safety Margin 26.10 41.11
    Name of non-regulatory SIP revision Applicable geographic area State submittal date EPA approval date Additional explanation
     
    *         *         *         *         *         *         *
    Maintenance plan for the Maryland portion of the Washington, DC-MD-VA Nonattainment Area for the 2008 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George's Counties 09/06/23 [10/4/2024, INSERT FEDERAL REGISTER CITATION] § 52.1076(hh).
     
    *         *         *         *         *         *         *

    Table 11 to Paragraph (hh) —Revised Onroad Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets Using MOVES 3.0.4

    Year VOC onroad emissions (tpd) NO X onroad emissions (tpd)
    2014 Attainment Year 61.25 136.84
    2025 Predicted Emissions without Safety Margin 27.92 46.52
    2025 Safety Margin 5.58 9.30
    2025 Interim Budget with Safety Margin 33.50 55.82
    2030 Predicted Emissions without Safety Margin 21.75 34.26
    2030 Safety Margin 4.35 6.85
    2030 Final Budget with Safety Margin 26.10 41.11
    Name of non-regulatory SIP revision Applicable geographic area State submittal date EPA approval date Additional explanation
     
    *         *         *         *         *         *         *
    Maintenance plan for the Virginia portion of the Washington, DC-MD-VA Nonattainment Area for the 2008 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties and the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park 10/11/23 10/4/2024, [INSERT FEDERAL REGISTER CITATION] Added § 52.2428(n).
     
    *         *         *         *         *         *         *

    Table 5 to Paragraph (n) —Revised Onroad Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets Using MOVES 3.0.4

    Year VOC onroad emissions (tpd) NO X onroad emissions (tpd)
    2014 Attainment Year 61.25 136.84
    2025 Predicted Emissions without Safety Margin 27.92 46.52
    2025 Safety Margin 5.58 9.30
    2025 Interim Budget with Safety Margin 33.50 55.82
    2030 Predicted Emissions without Safety Margin 21.75 34.26
    2030 Safety Margin 4.35 6.85
    2030 Final Budget with Safety Margin 26.10 41.11