Final Notice: Findings of Failure to Submit State Implementation Plans Required for Attainment of the 1-Hour Primary Sulfur Dioxide National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) FACT SHEET ACTION • On March 10, 2016 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finding that 11 states have failed to make State Implementation Plan (SIP) submittals as required under the Clean Air Act (CAA) for 16 areas that were designated as nonattainment for the 1-Hour Primary Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) in 2013. • The states and nonattainment areas affected by today's action are as follows: State Nonattainment Area(s) Arizona Hayden Miami Iowa Muscatine Kentucky Campbell-Clermont (OH-KY) Jefferson County Louisiana St. Bernard Parish Michigan Detroit Montana Billings New Hampshire Central New Hampshire Ohio Campbell-Clermont (OH-KY) Pennsylvania Allegheny Beaver Indiana Warren Tennessee Sullivan County West Virginia Marshall Steubenville (OH-WV) • These states must continue to work towards meeting the standard by October 4, 2018, the attainment date for all areas currently designated nonattainment for the 2010 SO2 NAAQS. In addition, they are now subject to specific deadlines under the CAA to submit SIPs for the nonattainment areas within their jurisdictions. • The EPA is obligated to apply certain sanctions in 18 months and again in 24 months if the affected states still have not submitted a complete SIP by the applicable deadline. Similarly, these findings establish a statutory deadline of no more than 24 months by which, for each state subject to the finding, the EPA must either approve a complete SIP submittal or finalize a Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) that addresses the outstanding nonattainment area SIP requirements to ensure attainment by October 4, 2018.The EPA is committed to working with these states to expedite the development and submission of their nonattainment area SIP ------- submittals and to review and act on their submissions in accordance with the requirements of the CAA. BACKGROUND • On August 5, 2013, the EPA promulgated nonattainment designations for 29 areas in 16 states under the 1-hour Primary SO2 NAAQS. The designations were effective on October 4, • States with these areas in their jurisdictions were required to submit nonattainment area SIPs to the EPA within 18 months of the effective date of designation, or by April 4, 2015. • SO2 nonattainment areas not subject to findings are as follows: The EPA received complete SIP submittals for these areas prior to the date of this action and is in the process of reviewing those submittals to ensure attainment with the NAAQS by October 4, 2018 for these areas. FOR MORE INFORMATION • To download this action from the EPA's website, go to SO2 Regulatory Actions at http://www3.epa.gov/airquality/sulfurdioxide/actions.html. The official version of this rule will be published in the Federal Register. • Today's Final Rule and other associated information are available either electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, the EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, or in hardcopy at the EPA Docket Center's Public Reading Room. (Docket ID No. EPA-HQ- OAR-2016-0098). • The Public Reading Room is located in the EPA Headquarters, Room Number 3334 in the William Jefferson Clinton West Building, located at 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. eastern standard time, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. • Visitors are required to show photographic identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor materials will be processed through an X-ray machine as well. Visitors will be provided a badge that must be visible at all times. 2013. Hillsborough County, FL Nassau County, FL Lemont, IL Peking, IL Marion County, IN Morgan County, IN Lake County, OH South West Indiana, IN Muskingum River, OH Vigo county, IN Steubenville, OH-WV (OH portion) Jefferson County, MO Rhinelander, WI Jackson County, MO ------- • For further information about this final action, contact Larry D. Wallace of EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, at (919) 541-0906 or by email at Wallace. larryaepa. gov. ------- |