Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans South Carolina: Approval of Revisions to the 1-Hour Ozone Maintenance State Implementation Plan for the Cherokee County

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Proposed rule.

SUMMARY:

EPA is proposing to approve revisions to the Cherokee County 1-hour ozone maintenance area portion of the South Carolina Air Quality State Implementation Plan (SIP), submitted by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC) on January 31, 2002. This SIP revision satisfies the requirement of section 175A(b) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) for the ten-year update for the Cherokee County maintenance plan. Additionally, this submittal explicitly identifies the motor vehicle emission budgets (“budgets”) for oxides of nitrogen (NO_X) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). In this action, EPA is also finding the NO_X and VOC “budgets” supplied in this updated maintenance plan adequate, and is proposing approval of these ‘budgets.’ These budgets, identified for the year 2012, will be used for the purposes of conducting transportation conformity analyses for Cherokee County, in accordance with the requirements of the CAA amendments of 1990 and the Transportation Conformity rule. In the Final Rules section of this Federal Register, EPA is approving the State's SIP revision as a direct final rule without prior proposal because the Agency views this as a noncontroversial submittal and anticipates no adverse comments. A detailed rationale for the approval is set forth in the direct final rule. If no significant, material, and adverse comments are received in response to the direct final rule, no further activity is contemplated. If EPA receives adverse comments, the direct final rule will be withdrawn and all public comments received will be addressed in a subsequent final rule based on this proposed rule. EPA will not institute a second comment period on this document. Any parties interested in commenting on this document should do so at this time.

DATES:

Written comments must be received on or before May 28, 2002.

ADDRESSES:

All comments should be addressed to: Sean Lakeman or Lynorae Benjamin at the EPA, Region 4 Air Planning Branch, 61 Forsyth Street, SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960.

Copies of the documents relative to this action are available for public inspection during normal business hours at the following locations. Persons wanting to examine these documents should make an appointment with the appropriate office at least 24 hours before the visiting day. Reference file number SC-039; 043-200222. The Region 4 office may have additional background documents not available at the other locations.

Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center (Air Docket 6102), EPA, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460.

SC DHEC, Bureau of Air Quality, 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29201.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sean Lakeman, Regulatory Planning Section, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, Region 4, Environmental Protection Agency, Atlanta Federal Center, 61 Forsyth Street, SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. Mr. Lakeman's telephone number is (404) 562-9043. He can also be reached via electronic mail at lakeman.sean@epa.gov.

Lynorae Benjamin, Air Quality Modeling and Transportation Section, Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, Region 4, Environmental Protection Agency, Atlanta Federal Center, 61 Forsyth Street, SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. Ms. Benjamin's telephone number is (404) 562-9040. She can also be reached via electronic mail at benjamin.lynorae@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

For additional information see the direct final rule which is published in the Rules section of this Federal Register.