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/ 2002
/ June
/ Wednesday, June 26, 2002
[Federal Register: June 26, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 123)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 43006-43013]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26jn02-11]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[Docket ID-15-6995a; FRL-7232-1]
Approval and Promulgation of Sandpoint, Idaho, Air Quality
Implementation Plan
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Direct final rule.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is taking direct final
action to approve a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted
by the Governor's designee for the Sandpoint nonattainment area in the
State of Idaho.
Sandpoint was classified as nonattainment for particulate matter
with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to a nominal 10
micrometers (PM10) pursuant to the Clean Air Act Amendments
of 1990. As a result, Idaho was required to submit a plan for bringing
the area into attainment. This action approves the plan for Sandpoint
submitted on August 16, 1996.
DATES: This direct final rule will be effective August 26, 2002, unless
EPA receives adverse comment by July 26,
[[Page 43007]]
2002. If adverse comments are received, EPA will publish a timely
withdrawal of the direct final rule in the Federal Register informing
the public that the rule will not take effect.
ADDRESSES: Mail written comments to Donna Deneen, EPA, Region 10,
Office of Air Quality (OAQ-107), 1200 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, Washington
98101. Copies of the State's request and other information supporting
this action are available for inspection during normal business hours
at the following locations: EPA, Office of Air Quality (OAQ-107), 1200
Sixth Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98101, and State of Idaho Department
of Environmental Quality, 1445 North Orchard, Boise, ID 83706-2239.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Deneen, EPA Region 10, Office of
Air Quality, at (206) 553-6706.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, the words ``we,''
``us,'' or ``our'' mean the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Please note that if EPA receives adverse comment on an amendment,
paragraph, or section of this rule and if that provision may be severed
from the remainder of the rule, EPA may adopt as final those provisions
of the rule that are not the subject of an adverse comment.
Table of Contents
I. Sandpoint SIP Revision
A. What action are we taking?
B. What is the background for this action?
C. What impact does this action have on the Sandpoint community?
D. What does the emissions inventory for the Sandpoint SIP
revision show?
E. What is the Sandpoint area doing to reduce emissions?
F. How does the SIP demonstrate attainment with the
PM10 standard?
G. How are contingency measure requirements satisfied?
H. How are sources of PM10 precursors addressed?
I. How does the SIP show Reasonable Further Progress (RFP) and
maintenance of the standard?
J. How are the enforceability requirements satisfied?
K. How are the New Source Review Program requirements satisfied?
L. How are procedural requirements satisfied?
II. Administrative Requirements
* * * * *
I. Sandpoint SIP Revision
A. What Action Are We Talking?
In this action, we are approving the Sandpoint SIP revision
submitted by the State of Idaho, Department of Health and Welfare,
Division of Environmental Quality (IDEQ, Idaho, or State) on August 16,
1996.\1\ We are approving this revision because we believe the State
adequately demonstrates that the control measures being implemented in
Sandpoint result in attainment of the National Ambient Air Quality
Standards (NAAQS) for PM10 promulgated on July 1, 1987,\2\
as required by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.
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\1\ During the 2000 legislative session, the Division of
Environmental Quality became a separate department rather than a
division of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, which
remained a separate department. See Idaho Code sections 39-102A and
39-104. At the same time, the Department of Environmental Quality
was given the air pollution planning authorities previously held by
the Department of Health and Welfare. See Idaho Code sections 39-108
to 39-118D. All references in this notice ``IDEQ'' shall refer to
the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Division of
Environmental Quality, and the Idaho Department of Health and
Welfare, as appropriate.
\2\ On July 18, 1997 EPA promulgated revised and new standards
for PM10 and PM2.5 (62 FR 38651). The U.S.
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in American Trucking Assoc.,
Inc., et al. v. USEPA, No. 97-1440 (May 14, 1999) issued an opinion
that, among other things, vacated the new standards for
PM10 that were published on July 18, 1997 and became
effective September 16, 1997. However, the PM10 standards
promulgated on July 1, 1987 were not an issue in this litigation,
and the Court's decision does not affect the applicability of those
standards in the Sandpoint area. Codification of those standards
continue to be recorded at 40 CFR 50.6.
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B. What Is the Background for This Action?
Idaho began monitoring PM10 in the Sandpoint area in
1986. Data collected between 1986 and 1990 showed the Sandpoint area
violated the NAAQS for PM10. In the 1990 Amendments to the
Clean Air Act, areas that violated the PM10 NAAQS prior to
1989 were, by law, designated nonattainment for PM10 and
classified as moderate under sections 107(d)(4)(B) and 188(a).\3\
Because Sandpoint was one of those areas (see 56 FR 56694 (November 6,
1991) and 40 CFR 81.313), Idaho was required to adopt and submit a
PM10 SIP that addressed the requirements of section 189 of
the Act.
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\3\ The 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act made significant
changes to the Act. See Public Law 101-549, 104 Stat. 2399.
References herein are to the Clean Air Act, as amended (CAA or Act).
The Clean Air Act is codified, as amended, in the U.S. Code at 42
U.S.C. 7401, et seq.
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Idaho initially submitted a PM10 SIP for the Sandpoint
area in May of 1993. Our initial review found it complete, but our
technical review uncovered deficiencies in the plan. Over the next 3
years, Idaho, the local agencies and community in Sandpoint worked to
develop a new PM10 SIP that addressed the deficiencies of
the 1993 submittal.
On August 16, 1996, the State of Idaho submitted a revised
PM10 SIP for the Sandpoint nonattainment area, replacing and
addressing the deficiencies in the 1993 submittal. We have completed a
review of the technical and administrative adequacy of this plan and
presented the results in a Technical Support Document (TSD). The TSD
provides the basis for our approval of the plan and discusses in more
detail the air quality planning requirements for moderate
PM10 nonattainment areas in subparts 1 and 4 of title I of
the Act.\4\ Based on our review, we believe the plan brings the area
into attainment and, therefore, are approving it in this notice.
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\4\ For more detailed discussion of the interpretations of title
I, see our ``General Preamble,'' which describes our preliminary
views on how we intend to review SIP's and SIP revisions. (See
generally 57 FR 13498 (April 16, 1992) and 57 FR 18070 (April 28,
1992)).
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C. What Impact Does This Action Have on the Sandpoint Community?
EPA's approval of this SIP revision brings Sandpoint a step closer
to becoming an attainment area for PM10. A redesignation to
attainment would relieve the Sandpoint area of certain obligations
currently in place because of its nonattainment status.
Although the SIP revision contains emission reduction control
measures that impact residential wood combustion, roadways, and
industrial facilities, these control measures have been in place and
have been enforceable by the State since 1996. Therefore, our approval
of these measures now has little or no additional impact on the
Sandpoint community.
D. What Does the Emissions Inventory for the Sandpoint SIP Revision
Show?
Section 172(c)(3) of the Act requires that a nonattainment plan
include a comprehensive, accurate, and current inventory of actual
emissions from all sources of relevant pollutants in the nonattainment
area. The emissions inventory should also include a comprehensive,
accurate, and current inventory of allowable emissions in the area.
An emissions inventory provides information about the relative
contribution of pollution sources within an airshed. It forms the basis
for evaluating control strategies, tracking emission reductions, and
measuring growth. Because this information is required for an area's
attainment demonstration (or its demonstration that it cannot
practicably attain) an accurate emissions inventory must accompany each
attainment plan submission (57 FR 13539).
[[Page 43008]]
The emissions inventory for the 1996 Sandpoint SIP consists of the
actual emissions from industrial sources in 1993 and the projected
emissions from area sources in 1994. The reason the inventory covers
two different years is because it uses some, but not all, of the
inventory prepared for the SIP originally submitted by Idaho in 1993.
For the 1993 SIP, emissions inventories were developed for two separate
time periods: 1990 (actual emissions) and 1994 (projected emissions).
When the State began preparing the 1996 SIP using the same data,
concerns were raised about using the values in the 1990 inventory for
industrial sources because they might not accurately reflect projected
growth at the sources. To address these concerns, the State updated the
base-year inventory to reflect actual emissions from industry in 1993.
It did not, however, update the area source inventory because there was
no indication that the area source inventories were not representative.
In order to work with an area source inventory that covered a similar
time period as the industrial inventory, the State used the 1994
projected area source inventory instead of the 1990 actual area source
inventory for its baseline area source inventory.
As shown below in Table I, the three largest daily wintertime
PM10 emissions sources in 1993/4 were residential wood
combustion, fugitive road dust, and industrial processes. The total
maximum daily wintertime PM10 emissions were 6364 lb/day,
and the annual PM10 emissions were 577 tons/year. The term
``Before Control Strategy'' in Table I means before the control
measures described in the following section, ``What is the Sandpoint
area doing to cut emissions?,'' were in place.
Table I.--PM10 Maximum Daily Wintertime and Annual Emissions for 1993/4
Base Year
------------------------------------------------------------------------
24-hr/Before Annual/Before
Source control strategy control strategy
(lbs/day) (tons/year)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Residential Wood Combustion.... 2878 (45.2%) 97 (16.8%)
Fugitive Road Dust............. 2210 (34.7%) 305 (52.9%)
Industrial Process............. 686 (10.8%) 90 (15.6%)
Building Construction.......... 469 (7.4%) 63 (11.0%)
Mobile Sources................. 110 (1.7%) 18 (3.2%)
Miscellaneous Burning.......... 8 (0.1%) 2 (0.3%)
Residential Heating............ 3 (0.0%) 1 (0.1%)
Agricultural Tilling........... 0 (0.0%) 1 (0.1%)
Total...................... 6364 lbs per day 577 tons per year
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table II shows the State projects the three largest daily
wintertime PM10 emissions sources--before control strategy
or after control strategy--in the 1997 attainment year to remain the
same (i.e., residential wood combustion, fugitive road dust, and
industrial process). The term ``After Control Strategy'' in Table II
means after the control measures described in the following section,
``What is the Sandpoint area doing to cut emissions?,'' were in place.
The SIP projects the peak daily wintertime PM10 emissions in
1997--after control--to be 3926 lb/day. This is in contrast to 6364
lbs/day PM10 emitted during the 1993/4 baseline year before
the control strategy was in place (see Table I).
Table II.--PM10 Maximum Daily Wintertime Projections for Attainment Year
1997
------------------------------------------------------------------------
24-hr/Before 24-hr/After
Source control strategy control strategy
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Residential Wood Combustion.... 2906 (44.0%) 1864 (47.5%)
Fugitive Road Dust............. 2420 (36.7%) 788 (20.0%)
Industrial Process............. 870 (13.2%) 679 (17.3%)
Building Construction.......... 469 (7.1%) 469 (11.9%)
Mobile Sources................. 114 (1.7%) 114 (2.9%)
Miscellaneous Burning.......... 3 (0.0%) 3 (0.0%)
Residential Heating............ 9 (0.0%) 9 (0.0%)
Agricultural Tilling........... 0 (0.0%) 0 (0.0%)
Total...................... 6791 lbs per day 3926 lbs per day
------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPA is approving the emissions inventory in the Sandpoint SIP
revision because it generally appears to be accurate and comprehensive,
and provides a sufficient basis for determining the adequacy of the
attainment demonstration for this area consistent with the requirements
of section 172(c)(3) of the Clean Air Act.
E. What Is the Sandpoint Area Doing To Reduce Emissions?
For approval, the Sandpoint SIP revision must assure that
Reasonably Available Control Measures (RACM) to reduce PM10
are being implemented in the Sandpoint nonattainment area.\5\ There are
three main sources of PM10 emissions in the Sandpoint
[[Page 43009]]
nonattainment area: residential wood combustion, fugitive road dust,
and industrial processes. The SIP uses the following control strategy
to reduce emissions from these sources. Overall, the control strategy
provides for a reduction of 2442 pounds of PM10 per day.
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\5\ Because the statutory RACM implementation deadlines have
passed, RACM must be implemented ``as soon as possible.'' Delaney v.
EPA, 898 F.2d 687, 691 (9th Cir. 1990). EPA has interpreted this
requirement to be ``as soon as practicable.'' 55 FR 36458, 36505
(September 9, 1990).
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1. Residential Wood Combustion
a. Public Awareness Program. Sandpoint's public awareness program
informs and educates citizens about stove sizing, installation, proper
operation and maintenance, general health risks of wood smoke, new
technology stoves, and alternatives to wood heating. It uses a wide
variety of media, including brochures, radio advisories, newspaper
advertisements, TV PSA's, TV advertisements, pay stub inserts, and
utility inserts, to educate citizens on these topics. In addition, the
Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce developed and implemented an
aggressive public awareness campaign in 1995 to initially kick-off its
wood smoke reduction efforts. Appendix F-3 of the SIP contains an
outline of this campaign.
Sandpoint's public awareness program qualifies as a RACM because it
falls within the description of a qualifying public awareness program,
as described in Appendix C2 of the General Preamble. 57 FR 18072. (See
List of Available Control Measures no. 2.)
b. Uncertified Wood Stove Replacement Program. Sandpoint's
uncertified woodstove replacement program is a temporary program that
offered homeowners incentive grants to replace their old wood stoves
with cleaner burning heating systems. By the time it ended in September
1995, the replacement program had resulted in the removal of 84 wood
stoves. These were replaced by 64 natural gas devices, 18 new wood
stoves and 2 pellet stoves.
Sandpoint's uncertified wood stove replacement program meets the
requirements of RACM because it encourages improved performance of
woodburning devices by subsidizing stove purchases. (See Appendix C2 of
the General Preamble, List of Available Control Measures no. 3.)
c. Tax Reduction Program. Idaho revised its State tax code to allow
taxpayers to receive a tax reduction if they replace their uncertified
wood stoves with cleaner burning units. As of September 1999, 90
taxpayers in the Sandpoint NAA qualified for this tax deduction.
This program meets the requirements of RACM because it gives a
financial incentive for replacing old, uncertified wood stoves with
cleaner burning heating units. (See Appendix C2 of the General
Preamble, List of Available Control Measures no. 3).
d. Limits on Growth of Uncertified Wood Stoves. In 1995, the City
of Sandpoint adopted Ordinance No. 965, which, among other things,
restricts the sale and installation of uncertified solid fuel heating
appliances in the City of Sandpoint. More specifically, the ordinance
prohibits any person in the City to advertise for sale, offer for sale,
sell, or install in any new or existing building a solid fuel heating
device that has not been certified by EPA. The ordinance also prohibits
any person in the City of Sandpoint from installing a solid fuel
heating appliance in any new or existing structure before first
procuring a permit from the building department, which requires payment
of a fee.
Because these measures slow the growth of non-certified woodburning
devices by restricting their sale and the growth of all woodburning
devices by imposing installation permit fees, the measures qualify as
RACM. (See Appendix C2 of the General Preamble, List of Available
Control Measures no. 4.)
e. Episodic Curtailment Program. In 1995, the City of Sandpoint
passed Ordinance No. 965, which, among other things, lays out a two-
stage approach for wood smoke curtailment. The first stage calls for
voluntary curtailment of the use of woodburning appliances if the
PM10 concentration reaches 70 micrograms per cubic meter
(ug/m3). The second stage calls for mandatory curtailment if the
concentration reaches 100 ug/m3. Violation of the mandatory curtailment
requirements is a misdemeanor offense, and violators are subject to a
monetary fine.
IDEQ provides the City of Sandpoint with the daily air quality
advisory status. Notification of a voluntary or mandatory curtailment
is announced during regularly scheduled broadcasts on radio and
television. There is also a toll-free hotline and a phone tree run by
the Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce to spread the notification throughout
the community.
Because this measure establishes a mandatory episode curtailment
program, includes a plan, a communication strategy, a trigger level,
and is enforceable, the measure qualifies as a RACM. (See Appendix C2
of the General Preamble, List of Available Control Measures no. 1.)
2. Fugitive Road Dust
Winter road sanding has been shown to adversely affect
PM10 levels throughout the western United States, including
Sandpoint. The silt-laden, friable sand is placed on roads by local and
state highway departments to provide vehicles with better traction on
snow and ice. However, once the snow has melted and the roads have
dried out, the remaining dry road sand is easily resuspended by moving
vehicular traffic as fugitive dust.
a. Improved quality of anti-skid materials. In 1994, the City of
Sandpoint adopted Ordinance 939:
Material Specifications for Street Sanding Material. This measure
requires applicators of anti-skid materials to use only materials that
meet certain standards for fines and durability. Historically, road
maintenance departments in the Sandpoint area used anti-skid material
that had a fine content ranging from 5-10 percent. The new measure
allows a maximum of 2-5 percent fines, depending on the durability
index. Lowering the percent of fines improves the abrasiveness of the
material and, thus, results in lower silt loadings and, consequently,
emissions.
While this ordinance technically only applies to city-maintained
roads in Sandpoint, it also impacts State highways that are under the
Idaho Transportation Department's (ITD's) jurisdiction as well. ITD, in
order to avoid having to maintain separate stockpiles of anti-skid
materials, has agreed to adhere to the City's standard on all its
highways within the nonattainment area boundaries.
Ordinance 939 qualifies as RACM because it requires improved
material specification requirements for skid control materials. (See
Appendix C1 of the General Preamble (57 FR 18072), List of Available
Control Measures no. 8.)
b. Reduced volume of anti-skid materials. Compared to the baseline
year, both the ITD and Sandpoint Independent Highway District (SIHD)
are using less anti-skid material on State highways and roadways in the
City of Sandpoint. There are a number of reasons for this change.
First, the adoption of sanding material specifications has increased
the cost of material from $0.50/yard to approximately $12.00/yard. This
gives ITD and SIHD a strong incentive to apply the materials as
efficiently as possible. The regional ITD office has also developed a
policy to establish portions of state highways in downtown Sandpoint as
an ``anti-skid free zone.'' In this zone, a liquid de-icer is used
instead of sand when weather conditions are appropriate. Finally, ITD
has made improvements in the application of sand by installing ground
[[Page 43010]]
speed control sensors that vary the application rate based on vehicle
speed, preventing unnecessary deposition of material that could later
become entrained as fugitive dust.
These measures qualify as RACM because they result in a reduction
of usage of skid control sand or salt. (See Appendix C1 of the General
Preamble, List of Available Control Measures no. 8.)
c. Use of alternative materials--liquid de-icer. SIHD and ITD have
acquired equipment to apply liquid de-icer as an alternative to anti-
skid material. Between November 1994 and January 1995, SIHD used 8750
gallons of liquid de-icer. Use of a combination of liquid de-icer and
anti-skid material also proved effective, with the de-icer acting as a
binder and dust suppressant.
This measure qualifies as RACM because it results in a reduction of
usage of skid control sand or salt. (See Appendix C1 in the General
Preamble, List of Available Control Measures no. 8.)
d. Increased frequency of street sweeping. Vacuum sweeping streets
reduces the silt loading on vehicle travel lanes and reduces re-
entrained road dust. This practice is particularly important after
there is no longer a need for sanding material, such as after the snow
melts. SIHD purchased and is using a new regenerative air vacuum
sweeper, which has a higher collection efficiency than the vacuum
sweeper it used previously. Approximately 20% of the local and highway
lane miles and approximately 40% of the collector lane miles are swept.
In addition, re-surfacing projects are planned to provide uniform road
surfaces so that the effectiveness of the new vacuum sweeper is
maintained.
This measure qualifies as RACM because it provides for rapid clean
up of temporary sources of dust, such as skid control sand, on paved
roads. (See Appendix C1 of the General Preamble, List of Available
Control Measures no. 4.)
3. Industrial Sources--Permitting Strategy
In the inventory, IDEQ identified five industrial facilities in the
Sandpoint nonattainment area that had the potential to emit over 1 ton/
year of PM10: Interstate Concrete & Asphalt, L.D. McFarland
Pole Co., Lake Pre-Mix Concrete, Lignetics of Idaho, and Louisiana-
Pacific Corp. IDEQ modeled the emissions from each source using EPA's
Guideline Model ISCSTDFT. Based on the modeling results and emissions
inventory, IDEQ determined the emissions reduction that was necessary
at each source in order to ensure attainment with the standard. The
necessary reductions for each source were then converted into emission
limits and control measures and incorporated into each source's State-
issued operating permit. Control measures included the paving of haul
roads, installing baghouses and dust collections systems, and improving
dust enclosures. Some of the measures required at the Interstate
Concrete & Asphalt and Louisiana Pacific sites were required to be
implemented in the future. According to certifications submitted by the
facilities and inspections by the State, these measures have been
successfully implemented.
Table III below shows the reductions that resulted from this
control strategy. In particular, it shows that, in 1997, the amount of
PM10 emissions that industrial sources were allowed to emit
was capped at 679 lb/day due to new emissions limitations in the
permits. That is 7 lb/day fewer emissions than were actually emitted by
industrial sources on a worst-case day in 1993, and 191 lb/day fewer
emissions than would have been allowed to be emitted by industrial
sources in 1997 if the permits had not been revised.
Table III.--PM10 Maximum Daily Wintertime Industrial Emissions in
Sandpoint
------------------------------------------------------------------------
lbs/day
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1993 actual emissions from inventory (prior to permit 686
revisions)..................................................
1997 maximum allowable (prior to permit revisions)........... 870
1997 maximum allowable (after permit revisions).............. 679
------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPA has defined RACT for PM10 planning purposes as the
lowest emission rate that a particular source is capable of meeting by
application of control technology that is reasonably available
considering technological and economic feasibility. 57 FR 13541. The
attainment needs of the area are also considered in determining RACT.
Additional controls that might otherwise constitute RACT may not be
required if the additional controls would not expedite attainment. 57
FR 13540-13541 and fn. 18 and 20. Because the industrial sources have
implemented the emission limits and control requirements of the
permits, the permits implement emission limits and control requirements
that are technologically and economically feasible. Because the
Sandpoint area has not had an exceedance of the PM10
standard since January 1994 and because the area appears to have
attained the standard, additional controls would not expedite
attainment. Therefore, EPA believes that the permits issued by IDEQ to
these sources represent RACT in light of the attainment needs of the
area.
F. How Does the SIP Demonstrate Attainment of the PM10
Standard?
To demonstrate attainment of the 24-hour PM10 standard,
IDEQ ran an air quality dispersion model that predicted the ambient
concentrations of PM10 in the Sandpoint area in the baseline
year and 1997. Among the inputs into the model, IDEQ used five years of
Spokane meteorological data and 1997 projected inventory data.
Consistent with EPA policy, IDEQ identified the sixth highest 24-hour
PM10 concentration at each modeling receptor, then used the
highest of the sixth highest values to determine whether or not a
violation of the standard occurred. (PM10 SIP Development
Guideline, June 1987, pg 6-4). This value was 133 [mu]g/m3
(110 [mu]g/m3 from area and industrial sources and 23 [mu]g/
m3 from background level). Because 133 [mu]g/m3
is below the 24-hour PM10 standard of 150 [mu]g/
m3, the SIP demonstrates attainment of the standard.
Supporting these results, monitoring data for Sandpoint show no
exceedences of the standard since January 26, 1994. Based on these
data, Sandpoint is attaining the 24-hour PM10 standard. To
demonstrate attainment of the annual PM10 NAAQS, IDEQ relied
on the area's historic monitoring data, in lieu of a modeling
demonstration. We believe this approach is appropriate for two reasons.
First, Sandpoint has never violated the annual PM10 NAAQS
since monitoring began in 1986. Second, the annual arithmetic mean
concentration reported for Sandpoint has been at least 15 percent below
the standard since monitoring began and at least 45 percent below the
standard since 1995. In light
[[Page 43011]]
of this historic evidence of clean annual data for the area, in
combination with our expectations that control measures implemented to
reduce 24-hour levels will also aid in reducing annual levels, we
believe it is very unlikely that Sandpoint will exceed the annual
standard in the future. Consequently, we believe that IDEQ has
demonstrated attainment of the annual standard.
G. How Are Contingency Measure Requirements Satisfied?
As provided in section 172(c)(9) of the Act, all moderate
nonattainment area SIP's that demonstrate attainment must include
contingency measures (see generally 57 FR 13510-13512 and 13543-13544).
Contingency measures must provide for additional emissions reductions
beyond the control strategy that is used to attain the ambient
standard. A State may rely on ``over control'' as a contingency
measure, that is, rely on control measures that are part of the core
control strategy in the SIP. EPA has stated that, in general,
reductions equal to at least 25 percent of the total reductions for the
control strategy would be appropriate for a moderate nonattainment
area. See 57 FR 13544.
The Sandpoint SIP revision uses over control to meet the
contingency requirements. Emissions reductions from over control are
achieved primarily by the mandatory residential wood burning
curtailment program adopted by the City of Sandpoint in February 1995.
Modeling of the core control measures in the SIP for the Sandpoint
nonattainiment area indicates a 63 [mu]g/m3 reduction in the
24-hour standard (from 196 [mu]g/m3 to 133 ug/
m3)and a 17 ug/m3 over control reduction in the
24-hour standard (from 150 [mu]g/m3 to 133 [mu]g/
m3). This means that the core control measures in the SIP
result in over control of 27% (the ratio of 17 [mu]g/m3 to
63 [mu]g/m3). Since these measures result in at least 25
percent more reductions than were needed to attain the standard, EPA
approves the contingency measures submitted in the Sandpoint SIP.
H. How Are Sources of PM10 Precursors Addressed?
The control requirements which are applicable to major stationary
sources of PM10 also apply to major stationary source of
PM10 precursors unless EPA determines such sources do not
contribute significantly to PM10 levels in excess of the
NAAQS in that area (see section 189(e) of the Act). The General
Preamble contains guidance addressing how EPA intends to implement
section 189(e) (see 57 FR 13539-13540 and 13541-13542).
Because the emission inventory for the Sandpoint nonattainment area
did not reveal any major stationary sources, including any major
stationary sources of PM10 precursors, EPA is granting the
exclusion from control requirements authorized under section 189(e) for
major stationary sources of PM10 precursors.
I. How Does the SIP Show Reasonable Further Progress (RFP) and
Maintenance of the Standard?
The Sandpoint SIP revision must contain quantitative milestones
that demonstrate RFP in maintaining the standard. These must be met
until the area is redesignated attainment.
RFP is demonstrated in the Sandpoint nonattainment area by programs
in the Sandpoint nonattainment area that continue to reduce
PM10 emissions. For instance, the tax deduction program has
resulted in at least 16 replacements of uncertified wood stoves in the
nonattainment area during 1998 and 1999. Another step taken to further
reduce emissions is the SIHD's recent purchase of a new high-efficiency
street sweeper to improve the effectiveness of the street cleaning
program. Steps like these and continued operation of the reduction
programs, in combination with monitoring data showing that the
Sandpoint NAA has not exceeded the 24-hour standard since early 1994,
satisfy the RFP and demonstration of maintenance requirements.
J. How Are the Enforceability Requirements Satisfied?
All measures and other elements in the SIP must be enforceable by
IDEQ and EPA (see section 172(c)(6) and 110(a)(2)(A) of the Act and 57
FR 13556). Our criteria addressing the enforceability of SIP's and SIP
revisions are set forth in a September 23, 1987 memorandum (with
attachments) from J. Craig Potter, Assistant Administrator for Air and
Radiation, et al. (see 57 FR 13541). Nonattainment area plan provisions
must also contain a program that provides for enforcement of the
control measures and other elements in the SIP (see section
110(a)(2)(C)).
The State submitted to EPA documentation that describes, for each
control measure implemented in Sandpoint, how compliance will be
assured, the frequency of the assurance, and the enforcement mechanisms
to be used. IDEQ's role, as well as other entities' roles in assuring
adequate implementation of the RACT/RACM attainment strategy in the
Sandpoint SIP, are also identified.
Based on the ordinances IDEQ submitted (City of Sandpoint
Ordinances Nos. 965 and 939) and IDEQ's explanation of how those
ordinances and other control measures will be tracked and enforced, EPA
believes that the enforceability requirements are met. This is
consistent with section 110(a)(2)(A) of the Act which requires all
emission limits, control measures and other elements of the SIP to be
enforceable.
K. How Are the New Source Review Program Rrequirements Satisfied?
States with initial moderate PM10 nonattainment areas
were required to submit a permit program for the construction and
operation of new and modified stationary sources of PM10 by
June 30, 1992. See section 189(a) of the Clean Air Act.
The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 included revisions to the new
source review (NSR) program requirements of the construction and
operation of new and modified major stationary sources located in
nonattainment areas. The Act requires states to amend their SIPs to
reflect these revisions, but it did not require submittal of this
element along with the other SIP elements. The Act established June 30,
1992 as the submittal date for the revised NSR programs. See section
189(a) of the Act.
In the ``General Preamble,'' EPA issued guidance for states to
follow in the development of revised NSR programs to meet the
requirements of the 1990 Amendments. 57 FR 13552-13556. EPA guidance
calls for states to implement their existing NSR programs during the
interval preceding EPA's formal approval of their revised NSR program.
Idaho did not submit a permit program for the construction and
operation of new and modified major stationary sources of
PM10 by the June 30, 1992 deadline. On January 15, 1993, we
mailed a findings letter to the Governor of Idaho explaining that this
element was missing. The State had until July 15, 1994 to submit the
NSR program or sanctions would have been imposed under the provisions
of the Act. IDEQ submitted its NSR program on May 17, 1994, and we
informed Idaho that the NSR program was complete in a June 10, 1994
letter to the IDEQ Administrator. Upon further review, we uncovered a
number of deficiencies in the submitted program. In 1999, IDEQ
submitted revisions to its NSR program addressing these deficiencies.
We will take action on IDEQ's NSR submittal in a separate FR document
when we have completed our review of the 1999 revisions.
[[Page 43012]]
L. How Are Procedural Requirements Satisfied?
The Act requires states to observe certain procedural requirements
in developing implementation plans and plan revisions for submission to
EPA. Section 110(a)(2) of the Act provides that each implementation
plan submitted by a state must be adopted after reasonable notice and
public hearing.\6\ Section 110(l) of the Act similarly provides that
each revision to an implementation plan submitted by a state under the
Act must be adopted by the state after reasonable notice and public
hearing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ Also section 172(c)(7) of the Act requires that plan
provisions for nonattainment areas meet the applicable provisions of
section 110(a)(2).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
IDEQ held a public hearing on the SIP revision on June 13, 1995
and, after IDEQ reviewed the oral testimony, the IDEQ Administrator
adopted the final plan and submitted it to EPA on August 16, 1996 as a
proposed revision to the SIP.
EPA reviewed the SIP revision to determine completeness in
accordance with the completeness criteria set out at 40 CFR part 51,
appendix V. We sent a letter dated December 8, 1997 to the
Administrator of the Idaho Division of Environmental Quality indicating
the submittal was complete and the next steps to be taken in the review
process.
II. Administrative Requirements
Under Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993), this
action is not a ``significant regulatory action'' and therefore is not
subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget. For this
reason, this action is also not subject to Executive Order 13211,
``Actions Concerning Regulations That Significantly Affect Energy
Supply, Distribution, or Use'' (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001). This action
merely approves state law as meeting Federal requirements and imposes
no additional requirements beyond those imposed by state law.
Accordingly, the Administrator certifies that this rule will not have a
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities
under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). Because
this rule approves pre-existing requirements under state law and does
not impose any additional enforceable duty beyond that required by
state law, it does not contain any unfunded mandate or significantly or
uniquely affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-4).
This rule also does not have tribal implications because it will
not have a substantial direct effect on one or more Indian tribes, on
the relationship between the Federal Government and Indian tribes, or
on the distribution of power and responsibilities between the Federal
Government and Indian tribes, as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65
FR 67249, November 9, 2000). This action also does not have Federalism
implications because it does not have substantial direct effects on the
States, on the relationship between the national government and the
States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the
various levels of government, as specified in Executive Order 13132 (64
FR 43255, August 10, 1999). This action merely approves a state rule
implementing a Federal standard, and does not alter the relationship or
the distribution of power and responsibilities established in the Clean
Air Act. This rule also is not subject to Executive Order 13045
``Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety
Risks'' (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997), because it is not economically
significant.
In reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve state
choices, provided that they meet the criteria of the Clean Air Act. In
this context, in the absence of a prior existing requirement for the
State to use voluntary consensus standards (VCS), EPA has no authority
to disapprove a SIP submission for failure to use VCS. It would thus be
inconsistent with applicable law for EPA, when it reviews a SIP
submission, to use VCS in place of a SIP submission that otherwise
satisfies the provisions of the Clean Air Act. Thus, the requirements
of section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement
Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) do not apply. This rule does not
impose an information collection burden under the provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, generally
provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency promulgating
the rule must submit a rule report, which includes a copy of the rule,
to each House of the Congress and to the Comptroller General of the
United States. EPA will submit a report containing this rule and other
required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of
Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United States prior
to publication of the rule in the Federal Register. A major rule cannot
take effect until 60 days after it is published in the Federal
Register. This action is not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C.
804(2).
Under section 307(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act, petitions for
judicial review of this action must be filed in the United States Court
of Appeals for the appropriate circuit by August 26, 2002. Filing a
petition for reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule
does not affect the finality of this rule for the purposes of judicial
review nor does it extend the time within which a petition for judicial
review may be filed, and shall not postpone the effectiveness of such
rule or action. This action may not be challenged later in proceedings
to enforce its requirements. (See section 307(b)(2).)
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Intergovernmental relations, Particulate matter, Reporting
and recordkeeping requirements.
Dated: May 30, 2002.
Ron Kreizenbeck,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 10.
Part 52, chapter I, title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations is
amended as follows:
PART 52--[AMENDED]
1. The authority citation for part 52 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Subpart N--Idaho
2. Section 52.670 is amended by adding paragraph (c)(35) to read as
follows:
Sec. 52.670 Identification of plan.
* * * * *
(c) * * *
(35) On August 16, 1996, the State of Idaho adopted and submitted a
revision to the SIP for Sandpoint, Idaho, for the purpose of bringing
about the attainment of the national ambient air quality standards for
particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to a
nominal 10 micrometers.
(i) Incorporation by reference.
(A) Ordinance No. 939, Material Specifications for Street Sanding
Material, as adopted by the City of Sandpoint on February 22, 1994.
(B) Ordinance No. 965, Solid Fuel Heating Appliance Ordinance, as
adopted by the City of Sandpoint on February 21, 1995.
(C) The following terms and conditions limiting particulate matter
emissions in the following permits:
(1) State of Idaho Air Pollution Operating Permit for Lake Pre-Mix
[[Page 43013]]
concrete, Permit No. 777-00182, issued May 17, 1996, the following
conditions for the cement silo vent: 1.1, 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 3.1.1, and
3.1.2.
(2) State of Idaho Air Pollution Operating Permit for Interstate
Concrete & Asphalt, Permit No. 017-00048, issued August 2, 1999, the
following conditions: for the asphalt plant, 2.2, 3.1.1, 4.1, 4.1.1,
4.1.2, 4.2.1 (as it applies to the hourly PM10 emission
limit in Appendix A), 4.2.2, 4.2.2.1, 4.2.2.2, and 4.2.2.3; for the
concrete batch plant, 2.1, 3.1.1, 4.1, 4.1.1, and 4.1.2; Appendix A (as
it applies to PM10 emission rates after 7/1/96) and Appendix
B (as it applies after 7/1/96).
(3) State of Idaho Department of Environmental Quality Air Quality
Tier II Operating Permit for Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, Permit No.
017-00003, issued October 31, 2001, the following conditions: for the
Kipper and Sons Hog Fuel Boiler, 2.3 (as it applies to
PM10), 2.5, 2.7, 2.13, 2.14, 2.17, 2.19; Cleaver-Brooks
Natural Gas-Fired Boilers, 3.2 (as it applies to PM10);
Pneumatic Conveyance System, 4.2, 4.4, 4.7; Drying Kilns, 5.2, 5.4,
5.5; Fugitive Emission Sources, 6.5, 6.7, 6.13; and the Appendix (as it
applies to PM10).
(ii) Additional Materials.
(A) Sandpoint PM10 Air Quality Improvement Plan, adopted
August 16, 1996.
[FR Doc. 02-16139 Filed 6-25-02; 8:45 am]
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