Rule2025-13331
Air Plan Approval; Connecticut; 2017 Base Year Emissions Inventory for the 2015 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
July 16, 2025
Effective
August 15, 2025
Issuing agencies
Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of Connecticut that relate to the 2015 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The SIP revisions are for the Greater Connecticut and the Connecticut portion of the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT ozone nonattainment areas. This action will approve submittals which include the 2017 base year emissions inventories for these two nonattainment areas for the 2015 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard. This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 134 (Wednesday, July 16, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 134 (Wednesday, July 16, 2025)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 31881-31882]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-13331]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA-R01-OAR-2025-0076; FRL-12691-02-R1]
Air Plan Approval; Connecticut; 2017 Base Year Emissions
Inventory for the 2015 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality
Standards
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving State
Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of
Connecticut that relate to the 2015 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air
Quality Standards (NAAQS). The SIP revisions are for the Greater
Connecticut and the Connecticut portion of the New York-Northern New
Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT ozone nonattainment areas. This action
will approve submittals which include the 2017 base year emissions
inventories for these two nonattainment areas for the 2015 Ozone
National Ambient Air Quality Standard. This action is being taken under
the Clean Air Act (CAA).
DATES: This rule is effective on August 15, 2025.
ADDRESSES: EPA has established a docket for this action under Docket ID
No. EPA-R01-OAR-2025-0076. All documents in the docket are listed on
the <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> website. Although listed in the index,
some information is not publicly available, i.e., 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 at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>
or at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Region 1 Regional
Office, Air and Radiation Division, 5 Post Office Square--Suite 100,
Boston, MA. EPA requests that if at all possible, you contact the
contact listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to
schedule your inspection.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick Lillis, Air and Radiation
Division (Mail Code 5-MI), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency--Region
1, 5 Post Office Square, Suite 100, Boston, Massachusetts, 02109-3912;
telephone number: (617) 918-1067, email address:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b4d8ddd8d8ddc79ac4d5c0c6ddd7dff4d1c4d59ad3dbc2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1874717474716b3668796c6a717b73587d6879367f776e">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document whenever ``we,''
``us,'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.
Table of Contents
I. Background
II. Response to Comments
III. Final Action
IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Background
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposed approval of SIP
revisions submitted by the State of Connecticut that relate to the 2015
Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The SIP revisions
included the 2017 base year emissions inventories for the Greater
Connecticut and the Connecticut portion of the New York-Northern New
Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT ozone nonattainment areas. We proposed to
find that the emissions inventories were prepared in accordance with
the requirements of CAA sections 172(c)(3) and 182(a)(1). The EPA is
now finalizing the proposed approval of Connecticut's 2017 base year
emissions inventories for the 2015 Ozone NAAQS.
II. Response to Comments
EPA received four comments during the comment period, all of which
are available in the docket for this rulemaking action. Three of the
comments urge EPA to take the action proposed: to approve Connecticut's
base year emissions inventories. One of these three also raises
additional topics outside the scope of the current action. That comment
includes recommendations to ``enhance the effectiveness'' of the base
year emission inventory. However, those recommendations are not within
the scope of EPA's approval. For example, one recommendation is to
ensure regular updates to emission inventories. This EPA action
concerns a base year inventory submitted in accordance with CAA
sections 172(c)(3) and 182(a)(1). The requirement to submit a revised
inventory is separate from the base year inventory. See CAA section
182(a)(3)(A). Since this action does not entail any revised inventory,
this recommendation is out of scope. Similarly, the other
recommendations concerning stronger enforcement mechanism and public
awareness campaigns are unrelated to the base year inventory. The
fourth comment focuses mainly on a recommendation for reducing ozone
levels with catalytic converters that is outside the scope of the
current action. In addition, the comments do not assert, or explain
how, EPA approval of this action would be erroneous or otherwise
inconsistent with the CAA, applicable regulations, or other
authorities. As such, the comments require no further response to
finalize the action as proposed.
III. Final Action
For the reasons described in our April 7, 2025, notice of proposed
rulemaking,\1\ EPA is taking final action to approve Connecticut's 2017
base year emissions inventories for the 2015 ozone NAAQS as a revision
to the Connecticut SIP.
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\1\ 90 FR 14935.
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IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
Under the CAA, the Administrator is required to approve a SIP
submission that complies with the provisions of the CAA and applicable
Federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a). Thus, in
reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of the CAA. Accordingly, this
action merely approves state law as meeting Federal requirements and
does not impose additional requirements beyond those imposed by state
law. For that reason, this action:
<bullet> Is not a significant regulatory action subject to review
by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Orders 12866 (58
FR 51735, October 4, 1993);
<bullet> Is not subject to Executive Order 14192 (90 FR 9065,
February 6, 2025) because SIP actions are exempt from review under
Executive Order 12866;
<bullet> Does not impose an information collection burden under the
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq);
<bullet> Is certified as not having a significant economic impact
on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
<bullet> 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);
<bullet> Does not have federalism implications as specified in
Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999);
<bullet> Is not subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR 19885,
April 23, 1997) because it approves a state program;
<bullet> Is not a significant regulatory action subject to
Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001); and
[[Page 31882]]
<bullet> Is not subject to requirements of section 12(d) of the
National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272
note) because application of those requirements would be inconsistent
with the CAA.
In addition, the SIP is not approved to apply on any Indian
reservation land or in any other area where EPA or an Indian Tribe has
demonstrated that a Tribe has jurisdiction. In those areas of Indian
country, the rule does not have Tribal implications and will not impose
substantial direct costs on Tribal governments or preempt Tribal law as
specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9, 2000).
The Congressional Review Act (CRA), 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
action 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 CAA, petitions for judicial review
of this action must be filed in the United States Court of Appeals for
the appropriate circuit by September 15, 2025. Filing a petition for
reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule does not affect
the finality of this action 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, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Volatile organic compounds.
Dated: June 30, 2025.
Mark Sanborn,
Regional Administrator, EPA Region 1.
For the reasons stated in the preamble, the Environmental
Protection Agency amends part 52 of chapter I, title 40 of the Code of
Federal Regulations to read as follows:
PART 52--APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS
0
1. The authority citation for part 52 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Subpart H-Connecticut
0
2. Section 52.370 is amended by adding paragraph (c)(137) to read as
follows:
Sec. 52.370 Identification of plan.
* * * * *
(c) * * *
(137) Revisions to the State Implementation Plan submitted by the
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on May 3,
2024
(i) [Reserved]
(ii) Additional materials.
(A) Letter from the Connecticut Department of Energy and
Environmental Protection, dated May 3, 2024, submitting revision to the
Connecticut State Implementation Plan.
(B) [Reserved]
0
3. Section 52.384 is amended by adding paragraph (f) to read as
follows:
Sec. 52.384 Emission inventories.
* * * * *
(f) The State of Connecticut submitted base year emission
inventories representing emissions for calendar year 2017 from the
Connecticut portion of the NY-NJ-CT moderate 8-hour ozone nonattainment
area and the Greater Connecticut marginal 8-hour ozone nonattainment
area on May 3, 2024, as revisions to the State's SIP. The 2017 base
year emission inventory requirement of section 182(a)(1) of the Clean
Air Act, as amended in 1990, has been satisfied for these areas. The
inventories consist of emission estimates of volatile organic compounds
and nitrogen oxides, and cover point, area, non-road mobile, on-road
mobile and biogenic sources. The inventories were submitted as
revisions to the SIP in partial fulfillment of obligations for
nonattainment areas under EPA's 2015 8-hour ozone standard.
[FR Doc. 2025-13331 Filed 7-15-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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