Rule2025-19824
Air Plan Approval; Utah; Interstate Transport of Air Pollution for the 2008 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard
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
November 10, 2025
Effective
December 10, 2025
Issuing agencies
Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a portion of a Utah State Implementation Plan (SIP) submission addressing interstate transport for the 2008 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). The "interstate transport" provision requires that each state's SIP contain adequate provisions to prohibit emissions from within the state from significantly contributing to nonattainment or interfering with maintenance of the NAAQS in other states. In this action, the EPA is only addressing the requirement prohibiting interference with maintenance, referred to as "prong 2," for the 2008 ozone NAAQS.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 215 (Monday, November 10, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 215 (Monday, November 10, 2025)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 50742-50743]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-19824]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA-R08-OAR-2025-0054; FRL-12595-02-R8]
Air Plan Approval; Utah; Interstate Transport of Air Pollution
for the 2008 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a
portion of a Utah State Implementation Plan (SIP) submission addressing
interstate transport for the 2008 8-hour ozone national ambient air
quality standard (NAAQS). The ``interstate transport'' provision
requires that each state's SIP contain adequate provisions to prohibit
emissions from within the state from significantly contributing to
nonattainment or interfering with maintenance of the NAAQS in other
states. In this action, the EPA is only addressing the requirement
prohibiting interference with maintenance, referred to as ``prong 2,''
for the 2008 ozone NAAQS.
DATES: This rule is effective on December 10, 2025.
ADDRESSES: The EPA has established a docket for this action under
Docket ID No. EPA-R08-OAR-2025-0054. 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, 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 <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, or please
contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section for additional availability information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adam Clark, Air and Radiation
Division, EPA, Region 8, Mailcode 8ARD-IO, 1595 Wynkoop Street, Denver,
Colorado 80202-1129, telephone number: (303) 312-7104, email address:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dcbfb0bdaeb7f2bdb8bdb19cb9acbdf2bbb3aa"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b8dbd4d9cad396d9dcd9d5f8ddc8d996dfd7ce">[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 background for this action is discussed in detail in our June
18, 2025 proposal (90 FR 25918). In that document we proposed to
approve Utah's January 29, 2020 SIP submission as meeting the prong 2
interstate transport requirement of Clean Air Act (CAA) section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) for the 2008 ozone NAAQS.
The EPA provided a 30-day review and comment period for the June
18, 2025 proposal. We received two comments. The first commenter was
the Utah Division of Air Quality (UDAQ), and the second was anonymous.
A summary of these comments and the EPA's responses are provided in
section II. A full copy of the comments is included in the docket for
this rule.
II. Response to Comments
Comment: UDAQ expressed support for the proposal and encouraged the
EPA to finalize the approval of Utah's SIP submission as proposed.
Response: The EPA acknowledges and appreciates the comment in
support of this rulemaking action.
Comment: UDAQ stated that the pathway leading to the EPA's proposed
approval has been a long and complex history of revisions and
disagreements between the state of Utah and the EPA dating back to
2013. UDAQ stated that much of this history could have been avoided had
the EPA worked more cooperatively with the state in approving its
December 22, 2015 revision, which the commenter asserts demonstrated
that the State did not significantly contribute to nonattainment or
interfere with the maintenance of the 2008 ozone standard in downwind
states. UDAQ asserted that this delay led to an extended period of
regulatory uncertainty and risk, and that the action being driven by a
court ordered consent decree \1\ demonstrates the need for the EPA to
work closely with states and finalize actions more expeditiously.
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\1\ 90 FR 25920 (June 18, 2025).
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Response: The EPA agrees that Utah's interstate transport prong 2
SIP for the 2008 ozone NAAQS has a complex history. That history is
discussed in the proposal and will not be restated here.\2\ The EPA
also agrees that it is important that we work closely with states and
act on SIP submissions in line with the requirements of the CAA.\3\
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\2\ 90 FR 25918 (June 18, 2025).
\3\ CAA section 110(k)(2).
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Comment: UDAQ stated that the EPA's inclusion of Utah in the
Federal ``Good Neighbor Plan'' for the 2015 ozone NAAQS was unwarranted
and erroneous.
Response: The CAA section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) interstate transport
actions addressing the 2015 ozone NAAQS are outside the scope of this
action, which only addresses the 2008 ozone NAAQS portion of Utah's
2020 SIP submission.
Comment: One anonymous commenter recommended the EPA not approve
Utah's air quality plan. The commenter stated that the Utah government
had failed to clean the air, and that it is necessary to limit movement
for the elderly and keep children indoors during periods of poor air
quality.
Response: The EPA acknowledges the comment. However, the EPA does
not find the comment sufficiently specific or relevant to the action we
are taking today on Utah's 2020 submission as to warrant a specific
response.
III. Final Action
The EPA is approving Utah's January 29, 2020 SIP submission as
meeting the prong 2 interstate transport requirement of CAA section
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) for the 2008 ozone NAAQS.
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, the 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
[[Page 50743]]
Executive Order 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 (Pub. L. 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
<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 the 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).
This action is subject to the Congressional Review Act (CRA), and
EPA will submit a rule report to each House of the Congress and to the
Comptroller General of the United States. 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 January 9, 2026. 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, Carbon monoxide,
Incorporation by reference, Intergovernmental relations, Lead, Nitrogen
dioxide, Ozone, Particulate matter, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Sulfur oxides, Volatile organic compounds.
Dated: October 29, 2025.
Cyrus M. Western,
Regional Administrator, Region 8.
For the reasons stated in the preamble, the Environmental
Protection Agency is amending 40 CFR part 52 as follows:
PART 52--APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS
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1. The authority citation for part 52 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Subpart TT--Utah
0
2. Amend Sec. 52.2354 by adding paragraph (e) to read as follows:
Sec. 52.2354 Interstate transport.
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(e) Addition to the Utah State Implementation Plan regarding the
2008 ozone Standard for CAA section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) prong 2
submitted to EPA on January 29, 2020.
[FR Doc. 2025-19824 Filed 11-7-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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