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Rule2026-20636

Air Plan Approval; GA; Removal of Nonattainment Area New Source Review

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
October 8, 2026
Effective
November 9, 2026

Issuing agencies

Environmental Protection Agency

Abstract

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Georgia through the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) on June 27, 2024. The revision removes permitting requirements related to nonattainment, including nonattainment new source review (NNSR), from Georgia's SIP as obsolete, removes certain provisions related to the use of emission reduction credits (ERCs), and makes other changes based upon the lack of any areas designated as nonattainment for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in Georgia. The EPA is approving these changes pursuant to the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act).

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 194 (Thursday, October 8, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 194 (Thursday, October 8, 2026)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 64274-64281]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-20636]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[EPA-R04-OAR-2024-0626; FRL-12934-02-R4]


Air Plan Approval; GA; Removal of Nonattainment Area New Source 
Review

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) is 
approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the 
State of Georgia through the Georgia Environmental Protection Division 
(EPD) on June 27, 2024. The revision removes permitting requirements 
related to nonattainment, including nonattainment new source review 
(NNSR), from Georgia's SIP as obsolete, removes certain provisions 
related to the use of emission reduction credits (ERCs), and makes 
other changes based upon the lack of any areas designated as 
nonattainment for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in 
Georgia. The EPA is approving these changes pursuant to the Clean Air 
Act (CAA or Act).

DATES: This rule is effective November 9, 2026.

ADDRESSES: The EPA has established a docket for this action under 
Docket Identification No. EPA-R04-OAR-2024-0626. All documents in the 
docket are listed on the <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> website. Although listed in 
the index, some information may not be publicly available, i.e., 
Confidential Business Information 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 either electronically through <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> or in hard 
copy at the Air Regulatory Management Section, Air Planning and 
Implementation Branch, Air and Radiation Division, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, Georgia 
30303-8960. The EPA requests that if at all possible, you contact the 
person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to 
schedule your inspection. The Regional Office's official hours of 
business are Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding 
Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nelsha Athauda, Multi-Air Pollutant 
Coordination Section, Air Planning and Implementation Branch, Air and 
Radiation Division, Region 4, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 61 
Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. The telephone number is 
(404) 562-9360. Ms. Athauda can also be reached via electronic mail at 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7514011d140011145b1b1019061d14351005145b121a03"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ccadb8a4adb9a8ade2a2a9a0bfa4ad8ca9bcade2aba3ba">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EPA uses multiple abbreviations and 
terms in this final rule. While this list may not be exhaustive, for 
ease of reading and for reference purposes, the EPA defines the 
following terms and acronyms here:

CAA Clean Air Act
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
DC District of Columbia
EGU Electrical Generating Units
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
EPD Georgia Environmental Protection Division
ERCs Emission Reduction Credits
FR Federal Register
NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality Standards
NNSR Nonattainment New Source Review
NPRM Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
NO<INF>X</INF> Nitrogen Oxides

[[Page 64275]]

PSD Prevention of Significant Deterioration
RACT Reasonably Available Control Technology
SIP State Implementation Plan
SELC Southern Environmental Law Center
U.S.C. United States Code
VOC Volatile Organic Compound

Table of Contents

I. Executive Summary
II. Response to Comments
III. Incorporation by Reference
IV. Final Action
V. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

I. Executive Summary

    In this final rule, the EPA is approving changes to the Georgia SIP 
submitted by Georgia EPD on June 27, 2024.\1\ The revision amends Rule 
391-3-1-.02(1), General Requirement, to incorporate a non-substantive 
formatting change; Rule 391-3-1-.02(2)(nnn), NOX Emissions from Large 
Stationary Gas Turbines, to update applicability by removing outdated 
provisions that no longer apply to any sources in the State, to clarify 
applicability by removing cross-references to rules removed from the 
Georgia SIP, and to make other clarifying changes; Rule 391-3-1-.03(6), 
Exemptions, at subsection (j), Construction Permit Exemption for 
Pollution Control Projects, to remove a cross-reference to NNSR 
requirements at Rule 391-3-1-.03(8)(c); Rule 391-3-1-.03(8), Permit 
Requirements, to remove permitting requirements related to 
nonattainment and to make other, minor changes; and Rule 391-3-
1-.03(13), Emission Reduction Credits, to remove wording that allows 
for or refers to use of ERCs and to make other minor updates.\2\ The 
EPA is finalizing approval of these revisions as they will not 
interfere with any applicable requirement concerning attainment and 
reasonable further progress, or any other applicable CAA 
requirement.\3\
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    \1\ The June 27, 2024, submittal also contains changes to Rules 
391-3-1-.02(6)(a), Specific Monitoring and Reporting Requirements 
for Particular Sources, and 391-3-1-.03(11)(b)(7), Coating and/or 
Gluing Operations. On July 9, 2025, EPD provided the EPA with a 
clarification letter confirming that Georgia does not intend to 
submit the language ``or enforceable as a practical matter limiting 
the source to below Part 70 or Part 63 major source thresholds'' in 
Georgia Rule 391-3-1-.03(11)(b)7.(i) as part of the June 27, 2024, 
SIP revision. This letter is included in the docket for this 
rulemaking; however, the EPA will address the changes to these two 
rules in a separate rulemaking.
    \2\ Georgia also transmitted changes to Rule 391-3-1-.03(1) in 
the June 27, 2024, submittal. The language EPD removed from its 
State-effective version of Rule 391-3-1-.03(1) is not approved into 
the SIP. Thus, as discussed in the September 2, 2025, NPRM, the EPA 
is not acting on any change to this provision.
    \3\ See CAA section 110(l).
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    Through a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published on 
September 2, 2025,\4\ the EPA proposed to approve the above-described 
changes to the SIP. The details of Georgia's submission, as well as the 
EPA's rationale for approving the changes, are described in more detail 
in the September 2, 2025, NPRM. Comments on the NPRM were due on or 
before September 23, 2025. The EPA received one anonymous comment in 
support of this action and one set of adverse comments from the 
Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC). These comments are available 
in the docket for this action.
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    \4\ See 90 FR 42343.
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II. Response to Comments

    In response to the NPRM, the EPA received an adverse comment from 
SELC dated September 23, 2025. Summaries of SELC's significant 
comments, along with the EPA's responses to these comments, are 
provided below.
    Comment 1: SELC states that Atlanta was in compliance with the 2015 
ozone NAAQS when EPD submitted its SIP revision. However, because the 
2024 design values for both the Fulton and Henry County air quality 
monitors exceeded the 2015 ozone NAAQS after submission of the SIP 
revision, SELC argues that the NNSR provisions are just as important 
and applicable now as they were before the Atlanta's redesignation in 
2022. SELC therefore contends that approving the SIP revision to remove 
the NNSR provisions is ill-advised and unlawful.
    Response 1: Effective November 16, 2022, the EPA redesignated the 
Atlanta 2015 8-hour ozone area (hereinafter referred to as the 
``Atlanta Area'' or ``Area'') from nonattainment to attainment.\5\ As a 
result of this redesignation, there are no longer any areas within 
Georgia that are designated as nonattainment for any NAAQS. In the 
EPA's action redesignating the Atlanta Area to attainment, the EPA also 
approved Georgia's maintenance plan for the 2015 ozone NAAQS.\6\
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    \5\ See 87 FR 62733 (October 17, 2022). The Atlanta Area 
consists of the following counties: Bartow, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, 
Fulton, Gwinnett, and Henry. The 2015 8-hour ozone NAAQS is set at 
0.070 ppm based on an annual fourth-highest daily maximum 8-hour 
average concentration averaged over three years.
    \6\ A copy of the Final Submittal for Georgia's Redesignation 
Request and Maintenance Plan for the Atlanta Ozone Nonattainment 
Area for the 2015 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS (February 25, 2022) (2022 
Maintenance Plan) is included in the docket for this action. See id.
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    The EPA disagrees with SELC's assertion that Georgia is required to 
continue to implement NNSR in the Atlanta Area as a result of the 
exceedances. Instead, the CAA requires Georgia to implement contingency 
measures pursuant to its maintenance plan approved by the EPA at the 
time that the EPA redesignated the Area to attainment.\7\
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    \7\ Congress also gave the EPA the option, but not a mandate, to 
redesignate such areas back to nonattainment in CAA section 
107(d)(3).
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    As required by CAA section 175A(d), the maintenance plan contains 
contingency measures necessary to assure that the State will promptly 
correct any violation of the standard which occurs after the 
redesignation of the Area.\8\ Georgia's maintenance plan includes a 
two-tiered triggering mechanism to determine when a contingency measure 
is needed and a process to develop and implement appropriate control 
measures within specified timeframes. A Tier 1 trigger applies where a 
violation of the 2015 8-hour ozone standard has not occurred, but where 
the State finds monitored ozone concentrations indicating that a 
violation may be imminent. A Tier II trigger applies when any quality 
assured ozone design value is equal to or greater than 0.071 ppm at a 
monitor in the Atlanta Area (i.e., a violation of the 2015 ozone NAAQS) 
or the periodic emission inventory updates reveal excessive or 
unanticipated growth greater than 10 percent in NO<INF>X</INF> or VOC 
emissions. Once a Tier II trigger is activated, EPD will conduct a 
comprehensive analysis based on quality-assured ambient data and, 
within 24 months of the trigger, will implement at least one 
contingency measure.
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    \8\ See Section 3.2 of the 2022 Maintenance Plan.
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    There are two major NSR permitting programs under the CAA--the NNSR 
program and the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program. 
The CAA requires SIPs to contain NNSR permitting regulations only for 
areas officially designated or redesignated as nonattainment.\9\ Only 
the PSD program

[[Page 64276]]

is required in areas designated or redesignated as attainment or 
unclassifiable.\10\ Because there are no nonattainment areas in 
Georgia, the State is no longer required to include NNSR regulations in 
its SIP. Furthermore, it is not necessary for Georgia to include NNSR 
as a contingency measure in its maintenance plan because NNSR is not a 
``measure'' under CAA section 175A(d).<SUP>11 12</SUP> See Response 3, 
below, for further discussion of CAA section 175A(d). For these reasons 
and those discussed in the responses below, removing NNSR from the 
Georgia SIP is neither ill-advised nor unlawful.
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    \9\ See CAA section 172(c)(5) (each state with a nonattainment 
area must have a SIP that ``shall require permits for the 
construction and operation of new or modified major stationary 
sources anywhere in the nonattainment area, in accordance with 
section 7503 [(CAA section 173] of this title''); CAA section 173 
(setting forth NNSR requirements); 40 CFR 51.165(a)(2)(i) (``Each 
plan shall adopt a preconstruction review program to satisfy the 
requirements of sections 172(c)(5) and 173 of the Act for any area 
designated nonattainment for any national ambient air quality 
standard under subpart C of 40 CFR part 81.''); and 40 CFR 51.1314 
(``For each nonattainment area [for the 2015 ozone NAAQS], the state 
shall submit a nonattainment NSR plan or plan revision for a 
specific ozone NAAQS no later than 36 months after the effective 
date of the area's designation of nonattainment or redesignation to 
nonattainment for that ozone NAAQS.'').
    \10\ See CAA section 161 (each SIP ``shall contain emission 
limitations and such other measures as may be necessary, as 
determined under regulations promulgated under this part, to prevent 
significant deterioration of air quality in each region (or portion 
thereof) designated pursuant to section 7407 [(CAA section 107)] as 
attainment or unclassifiable''); CAA section 165 (setting forth PSD 
requirements); 40 CFR 51.166(a)(7)(i) (requiring SIPs to include PSD 
requirements for the construction of new major stationary sources or 
any project at an existing major stationary source in areas 
designated as attainment or unclassifiable under sections 
107(d)(1)(A)(ii) or (iii) of the Act).
    \11\ CAA section 175A(d) states ``Each plan revision submitted 
under this section shall contain such contingency provisions as the 
Administrator deems necessary to assure that the State will promptly 
correct any violation of the standard which occurs after the 
redesignation of the area as an attainment area. Such provisions 
shall include a requirement that the State will implement all 
measures with respect to the control of the air pollutant concerned 
which were contained in the State implementation plan for the area 
before redesignation of the area as an attainment area. The failure 
of any area redesignated as an attainment area to maintain the 
national ambient air quality standard concerned shall not result in 
a requirement that the State revise its State implementation plan 
unless the Administrator, in the Administrator's discretion, 
requires the State to submit a revised State implementation plan.''
    \12\ See Greenbaum v. EPA, 370 F.3d 527, 535 (6th Cir. 2004); 
memorandum from Mary D. Nichols, Assistant Administrator for Air and 
Radiation titled ``Part D New Source Review (Part D NSR) 
Requirements for Areas Requesting Redesignation to Attainment'' 
(October 14, 1994) (Nichols Memorandum).
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    Comment 2: SELC asserts that a well-supported non-interference 
finding under CAA section 110(l) must be provided prior to removing 
Georgia's NNSR rules from its SIP because the Atlanta Area has already 
fallen out of attainment with the 2015 ozone NAAQS. According to SELC, 
the EPA and EPD concluded that this SIP revision will not increase air 
pollution without an air quality analysis or any other kind of 
analytical support and instead merely asserted that Georgia's PSD 
program provides an adequate backstop and that other rules (e.g., 
Reasonably Available Control Technology (RACT) requirements) 
established while NNSR was in place will not be modified or removed. 
SELC asserts that neither the PSD program nor RACT requirements are an 
adequate substitute for NNSR due to the Atlanta Area's recent 
exceedances of the 2015 ozone NAAQS and that it is now improper and 
arbitrary for the EPA to approve the SIP revision without analytical 
support showing that NNSR can be removed without further impeding 
attainment of this standard.
    Regarding PSD as a substitute for NNSR, SELC states that NNSR 
provides substantial environmental benefits beyond PSD by, among other 
things, requiring offsets and significantly more effective pollution 
controls. SELC argues that the air pollution reductions from NNSR are 
needed given the recent violations of the 2015 ozone standard in the 
Atlanta Area.
    Regarding RACT, SELC states that the Area's maintenance plan 
suggests that RACT may be inadequate to prevent increased emissions in 
the absence of NNSR, and therefore, it would be improper to remove NNSR 
without validating the sufficiency of RACT to prevent increased 
emissions.
    Response 2: The EPA disagrees with this comment. As discussed in 
Response 1, Congress determined that NNSR permitting is only required 
in areas designated or redesignated as nonattainment. CAA section 175A 
contingency measures are the statutory mechanism to ``promptly correct 
any violation of the standard which occurs after the redesignation of 
the area as an attainment area,'' and NNSR is not a required 
contingency measure. PSD is the statutorily mandated major NSR 
permitting program in areas designated or redesignated as attainment or 
unclassifiable. As required by CAA section 165(a)(3) and 40 CFR 
51.166(k), Georgia's SIP-approved PSD regulations at Rule 391-3-
1-.02(7) prevent the construction or modification of major NSR sources 
whose emissions would, among other things, cause or contribute to air 
pollution in violation of the NAAQS.\13\
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    \13\ See Rule 391-3-1-.02(7)(b)(8) (adopting 40 CFR 52.21(k) by 
reference).
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    Similarly, Georgia's SIP-approved NSR permitting rules prevent the 
State from issuing any NSR permit--including permits for non-PSD minor 
sources--without first making an affirmative finding that, among other 
things, the proposed construction or modification will not cause or 
contribute to a failure to attain or maintain any ambient air quality 
standard.'' \14\ Because these rules prevent interference with the 
NAAQS, collectively cover the same universe of major sources as NNSR, 
and apply in areas redesignated to attainment, they allow for the 
removal of NNSR in those redesignated areas under CAA section 
110(l).\15\ Section 110(l) only prohibits the EPA from approving a SIP 
revision that would interfere with the NAAQS and reasonable further 
progress or any other applicable CAA requirement. It does not prohibit 
the EPA from removing a SIP-approved provision that achieves greater 
reductions than a replacement provision (or provisions) so long as the 
change would not interfere with CAA requirements. By their express 
terms, SIP-approved Rules 391-3-1-.02(7) and 391-3-1-.03(8)(a) prevent 
the construction or modification of sources that would interfere with 
the NAAQS, and therefore, no air quality analysis is necessary.
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    \14\ See Rule 391-3-1-.03(8)(a).
    \15\ NNSR is a prospective permitting program. Therefore, after 
removal of NNSR from Georgia's SIP, the conditions issued pursuant 
to these permits, along with any associated emissions offsets, will 
remain in effect. See NPRM at 42345; 84 FR 47213, 47215 (September 
9, 2019).
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    Regarding SELC's comments on RACT, the statement that the EPA made 
a ``claim regarding the sufficiency of RACT requirements'' is 
inaccurate. The NPRM does not mention RACT, and the EPA is not relying 
on RACT to satisfy CAA section 110(l). As discussed above, the EPA can 
remove NNSR from Georgia's SIP under section 110(l) because SIP-
approved Rules 391-3-1-.02(7) and 391-3-1-.03(8)(a) prevent 
construction or modification that would interfere with the NAAQS. It is 
therefore unnecessary to evaluate the ``sufficiency of RACT'' before 
removing NNSR from Georgia's SIP. Regardless, Georgia's RACT provisions 
remain in the SIP, as they are not being requested to be removed by the 
State in the June 27, 2024, SIP revision, and will therefore continue 
to achieve emissions reductions in the Atlanta Area due to the partial 
overlap between the counties in the Atlanta Area and those in the 1997 
and 2008 Atlanta ozone maintenance areas.\16\
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    \16\ The Atlanta 1-hour ozone NAAQS area consisted of the 
following counties: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, 
Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding, and 
Rockdale. The 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS maintenance area consists of 
the following counties: Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, 
Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, 
Hall, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton. The 
2015 8-hour ozone NAAQS Atlanta Area consists of the following 
counties: Bartow, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, and 
Henry. All current maintenance counties for the 2015 8-hour ozone 
NAAQS have applicable RACT requirements that are not being removed 
from the SIP in this action.
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    Georgia was not required to include RACT in its SIP for the Atlanta 
Area

[[Page 64277]]

because it was a marginal nonattainment area for the 2015 8-hour ozone 
NAAQS.\17\ The EPA previously approved Georgia's RACT submission 
required by CAA section 182(a)(2)(A) in response to the CAA Amendments 
of 1990.\18\ Additionally, the EPA approved specific RACT measures for 
the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS to satisfy the moderate area requirements 
at CAA section 182(b)(2).\19\ The contingency plan portion of Georgia's 
maintenance plan for the Atlanta Area includes the commitment that if 
emissions from the Area are contributing to a Tier II trigger condition 
(i.e., the quality assured ozone design value is equal to or greater 
than 0.071 ppm at a monitor in the Atlanta Area or the periodic 
emission inventory updates reveal excessive or unanticipated growth 
greater than 10 percent in NO<INF>X</INF> or VOC emissions), EPD will 
evaluate, among other things, existing SIP measures ``such as RACT'' to 
see if they are ``adequate or up-to-date'' and additional measures such 
as the adoption of new and revised RACT rules based on Groups II, III, 
and IV Control Techniques Guidelines that may be deemed appropriate and 
effective. From the context of the Tier II discussion, it is clear that 
Georgia is referring to new measures or revisions to existing measures 
such as the SIP-approved RACT requirements that may be ``adequate'' or 
``appropriate and effective'' to remedy a Tier II NAAQS exceedance or 
unanticipated inventory growth. Given that the RACT provisions were 
developed in the past for earlier ozone NAAQS, it is possible that 
Georgia might determine that these control measures could be updated to 
remedy a Tier II exceedance of the 2015 ozone NAAQS. Any specific 
measures being considered by Georgia in response to a Tier II 
exceedance and submitted as a SIP revision would be addressed in a 
separate action.
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    \17\ Under the CAA, marginal ozone nonattainment areas are 
generally not required to implement RACT. RACT requirements formally 
apply for ozone nonattainment areas classified as moderate or 
higher. See 40 CFR 51.1312(a)(1).
    \18\ See 70 FR 34660 (June 15, 2005).
    \19\ See 77 FR 59554 (September 28, 2012) and 78 FR 16783 (March 
19, 2013).
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    Comment 3: SELC asserts that the EPA's action to remove NNSR is 
unlawful because CAA section 175A requires Georgia's NNSR provisions to 
be included in Georgia's maintenance plan as a contingency measure. 
SELC further argues that NNSR is incorporated by reference into the 
maintenance plan, citing a statement in the maintenance plan that says, 
``Under Section 175A(d), the minimum requirement for contingency 
measures is the implementation of all measures that were contained in 
the SIP before the redesignation.''
    SELC states that the Atlanta region has fallen out of attainment 
with the 2015 ozone NAAQS, triggering the precise NNSR provisions that 
the EPA proposes to remove. SELC cites to Webster's Collegiate 
Dictionary and to caselaw regarding plain language and word context to 
argue that the term ``measure'' in section 175A(d) includes NNSR. 
According to SELC, Georgia's NNSR provisions serve `` `as a means to' 
achieving the fundamental goal of controlling ozone pollution so that 
Atlanta can attain compliance with the 2015 ozone NAAQS,'' and NNSR 
provisions ``unambiguously constitute a `measure[ ] with respect to the 
control of the air pollutant concerned.' ''
    SELC's comment discusses Greenbaum v. EPA, 370 F.3d 527 (6th Cir. 
2004), a case decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth 
Circuit (Sixth Circuit) involving a redesignation of the Cleveland, 
Ohio area (Cleveland Area) from nonattainment to attainment of the 1987 
coarse particulate matter NAAQS. SELC notes that Greenbaum is not 
controlling in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and 
argues that that the logic underlying Greenbaum is inapplicable for 
several reasons. SELC points out that Ohio's SIP--unlike Georgia's 
SIP--did not contain NNSR at the time of redesignation, and that the 
Atlanta Area is currently violating the NAAQS whereas the Cleveland 
Area was not. According to SELC, the Greenbaum Court decided Ohio was 
governed by PSD, not NNSR, because the Cleveland Area was attaining the 
NAAQS at the time of the decision. Because the Atlanta Area is 
currently violating the NAAQS, SELC contends that PSD cannot function 
properly and ensure that new or modified sources will not cause or 
contribute to a NAAQS violation. SELC further claims that PSD lacks a 
framework for issuing a construction permit to a source that would 
contribute to a NAAQS violation, but that NNSR is specifically designed 
to accommodate new construction in a nonattainment area by enabling a 
new source to purchase offsetting emission reductions from other 
sources.
    SELC also argues that South Coast v. EPA, 472 F.3d 882 (D.C. Cir. 
2006), a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of 
Columbia (D.C. Circuit), ``casts doubt on the correctness'' of 
Greenbaum because the D.C. Circuit concluded that the term ``control'' 
under section 172(e) includes NNSR. According to SELC, this case is 
relevant because section 175A(d) also uses the term ``control,'' and 
sections 172(e) and 175A(d) ``both address the need to retain SIP 
requirements that serve to constrain pollution levels where an area is 
not attaining the NAAQS.''
    Finally, SELC asserts that Greenbaum ``stands on uncertain legal 
footing as the decision was premised on deference to the EPA's 
interpretation of the statute under the Chevron[\20\] standard.'' SELC 
states that courts must now decide for themselves the best reading of 
the statute rather than deferring to agency interpretations because the 
U.S. Supreme Court overruled Chevron in Loper Bright v. Raimondo, 603 
U.S. 369 (2024).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \20\ Chevron v. NRDC, 467 U.S. 837 (1984).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Response 3: The EPA disagrees that CAA section 175A requires NNSR 
provisions to be included in maintenance plans as contingency measures 
and that NNSR is included as a contingency measure in Georgia's 2015 8-
hour ozone maintenance plan. As discussed below, NNSR is not a 
``measure'' under CAA section 175A, and therefore, repeating the 
statutory text of CAA section 175A(d) regarding ``measures'' could not 
incorporate NNSR by reference as a contingency measure.
    SELC argues that NNSR is a ``measure'' under CAA section 175A(d) 
given the plain meaning of that term and the legal principle that words 
derive meaning from the context in which they are used. Although SELC 
invokes this legal principle, it fails to follow it. SELC turns 
directly from section 175A(d) to Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 
ignoring the context of the statute and relying on the dictionary 
definition to argue that the meaning of the term ``measure'' in section 
175A(d) is plain. However, the fact that a word has a dictionary 
definition is hardly conclusive. It is how the word is employed in the 
context of the statute that determines its meaning.\21\ Once examined 
in the context of CAA section 110 as discussed below, SELC's 
interpretation of the term ``measure'' fails.
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    \21\ See, e.g., Food & Drug Admin. v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco 
Corp., 529 U.S. 120, 132 (2000) (``In determining whether Congress 
has specifically addressed the question at issue, a reviewing court 
should not confine itself to examining a particular statutory 
provision in isolation. The meaning--or ambiguity--of certain words 
or phrases may only become evident when placed in context.''); 
Bailey v. United States, 516 U.S. 137, 145 (1995) (``The meaning of 
statutory language, plain or not, depends on context.'') (quoting 
Brown v. Gardner, 513 U.S. 115, 118 (1994)).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The context in which the term ``measure'' is used in section 
175A(d) does not lead to the conclusion that

[[Page 64278]]

NNSR is such a measure. This section requires implementation of ``all 
measures with respect to the control of the air pollutant concerned'' 
that were in the nonattainment SIP. Therefore, it is clear that 
Congress considered some aspects of the nonattainment SIP to be 
measures to be included as contingency measures in the maintenance 
plan, and some not. Had Congress intended an area to reimplement the 
nonattainment SIP as a whole upon any violation, it would have said so 
by simply requiring an area that violates the NAAQS after redesignation 
to reimplement the nonattainment SIP. But Congress did not do so; 
instead, it requires as contingency measures a subset of the 
nonattainment SIP provisions--those ``measures'' with respect to the 
control of the air pollutant concerned. Section 175A(d) provides no 
indication which provisions of a SIP are appropriately considered 
measures with respect to the control of the air pollutant, so one must 
turn elsewhere in the statute for guidance. The most logical, and 
therefore best, place to find context is section 110, which lists the 
required SIP provisions.
    Among the required components of a SIP, section 110 specifically 
refers to ``control measures.'' \22\ Subparagraph (A) requires SIPs to 
include ``enforceable emission limitations and other control measures, 
means, or techniques, as may be necessary or appropriate to meet the 
requirements of the Act.'' Id. Later in the list, subparagraph (C) 
requires the SIP to also include ``a program to provide for the 
enforcement of the measures described in subparagraph (A), and 
regulation of the modification and construction of any stationary 
source . . . , including a permit program as required in parts C and D 
of this subchapter.'' \23\ If NNSR was among the control measures in 
subparagraph (A), the separate reference in subparagraph (C) to Part D 
(NNSR), in addition to the control measures in subparagraph (A) would 
be unnecessary. Thus, section 110 does not consider the Part D (NNSR) 
or Part C (PSD) permit programs to be among the control measures set 
forth in subparagraph A. Thus, the best reading of the statute is that 
``measures with respect to the control of the air pollutant concerned'' 
in section 175A(d) and the ``control measures'' in section 110(a)(2)(A) 
are one and the same, and do not include NNSR.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \22\ See CAA section 110(a)(2)(A).
    \23\ Id. at CAA section 110(a)(2)(C) (emphasis added).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The nature of the NNSR program itself further supports the 
interpretation that it is not intended to be a contingency measure in 
section 175A(d). Unlike the contingency measures listed in the Atlanta 
Area's maintenance plan, which require immediate emission reductions on 
existing sources and therefore have an immediate effect on air quality 
in response to a violation of the NAAQS, implementing NNSR has no 
immediate effect on emissions. Any violation of the NAAQS that occurs 
after redesignation is the result of emissions by existing sources, and 
as discussed in Response 2, NNSR is a prospective permit program. 
Therefore, implementation of NNSR has no effect on those emissions. 
Unlike the potential contingency measures for the Atlanta Area, which 
require prompt reductions from existing sources, NNSR cannot promptly 
correct a violation of the NAAQS.
    The EPA agrees that the purpose of NNSR provisions is to serve ``as 
a means to'' achieving the fundamental goal of controlling ozone 
pollution so that a nonattainment area can attain compliance, while 
allowing for new or expanded projects in the area. However, once a 
nonattainment area is redesignated to attainment, an NNSR program is no 
longer required in the area, even as a contingency measure. Instead, 
once an area is redesignated to attainment, PSD applies.
    The Sixth Circuit upheld the EPA's longstanding interpretation of 
section 175A(d) in Greenbaum. SELC attempts to distinguish Greenbaum on 
multiple grounds, none of which are compelling. The fact that Georgia 
resides in the Eleventh Circuit does not make the Sixth Circuit's logic 
any less valid or persuasive. SELC points out that no other court has 
adopted Greenbaum's holding that NNSR is not a ``measure'' under 
section 175A(d), but this argument is misleading because there are no 
other published cases addressing this legal question. Notably, SELC 
cannot point to any opinion holding that NNSR is a ``measure'' under 
section 175A(d). SELC claims that the logic in Greenbaum is 
inapplicable because the Ohio SIP did not contain NNSR at the time of 
redesignation and the Atlanta Area is currently violating the NAAQS. 
However, whether a SIP contains NNSR at the time of redesignation and 
whether an area is violating the NAAQS after redesignation are not 
relevant to the question of whether NNSR is a ``measure'' within the 
meaning of section 175A(d).
    Although Ohio did not have NNSR in its SIP at the time of 
redesignation, the Greenbaum Court acted ``as if [NNSR] had been'' 
included in the SIP ``for the purposes of addressing [the] claims 
regarding Sec.  175A.'' \24\ Thus, the outcome in Greenbaum did not 
turn on whether NNSR was in the SIP, and this distinction between the 
Ohio and Georgia SIPs is immaterial. Instead, the EPA's interpretation 
of the term ``measure'' under section 175A(d)--and the Greenbaum 
decision upholding that interpretation--are based on a legal evaluation 
of that term in the context of the CAA as described above. It is also 
illogical to argue that an area's post-redesignation violations have 
any impact on the meaning of ``measures'' under section 175A(d). The 
``measures'' required by CAA section 175A(d) are the air pollution 
control measures ``which were contained in the [SIP] before 
redesignation of the area as an attainment area.'' \25\ Thus, the 
``measures'' required by CAA section 175A(d) are fixed at the time of 
redesignation--they are those air pollution control measures that were 
in the SIP at the time of the redesignation. A post-redesignation 
violation of the NAAQS has no impact on what is or is not a 
``measure.'' Contrary to SELC's suggestion, the fact that ``Atlanta is 
currently violating the NAAQS'' has no impact on Greenbaum's conclusion 
that NNSR is not a ``measure'' within the meaning of section 175A(d).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \24\ 370 F.3d at 535.
    \25\ CAA section 175A(d).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The EPA agrees with the SELC-cited statement from Greenbaum that it 
would make little sense for NNSR to have been included in the post-
attainment SIP because permitting in attainment areas is governed by 
the PSD program, but the Agency disagrees with SELC's assertion that 
PSD cannot function properly and ensure that new or modified sources 
will not cause or contribute to NAAQS violations in areas failing to 
meet the NAAQS. It makes little sense to have NNSR in the post-
attainment SIP because, as the Greenbaum Court points out, the CAA 
unambiguously requires NNSR only in nonattainment areas and PSD only in 
attainment areas: ``According to 42 U.S.C. 7502(c)(5), 7503, SIPs 
governing nonattainment areas must include [N]NSR programs. Under 42 
U.S.C. 7471, by contrast, SIPs governing attainment areas must include 
PSD programs.'' \26\ The application depends on the official 
designation status of an area, not whether air quality is above a 
NAAQS, and a State cannot simultaneously apply PSD and NNSR programs 
for new major sources and major modifications in a redesignated area. 
PSD--not NNSR--is required in

[[Page 64279]]

the Atlanta Area because the EPA redesignated it to attainment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \26\ 370 F.3d at 536.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Regarding the proper function of the PSD program, again, Congress 
mandated that PSD apply in attainment and unclassifiable areas 
regardless of whether air quality in those areas is exceeding a NAAQS 
and designed contingency measures in approved maintenance plans as the 
mechanism to address violations of the NAAQS in areas redesignated from 
nonattainment to attainment. As discussed in Response 2, Georgia's SIP-
approved PSD regulations at Rule 391-3-1-.02(7) prevent the 
construction or modification of major NSR sources whose emissions 
would, among other things, cause or contribute to air pollution in 
violation of the NAAQS, as required by CAA section 165(a)(3)(B) and 40 
CFR 51.166(k).<SUP>27 28</SUP> SELC is wrong in arguing that that 
permitting ``cannot function properly'' in an attainment area that is 
``failing to meet the NAAQS.'' If an area ``is not continuing to meet 
the standard after redesignation to attainment,'' additional 
provisions--namely 40 CFR 51.165(b) and/or 40 CFR part 51, appendix S--
would apply to a major source that would cause or contribute to a 
violation of any NAAQS.<SUP>29 30</SUP>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \27\ The PSD program requires public participation, and the 
public can seek judicial review of issued permits at the state 
level.
    \28\ See Rule 391-3-1-.02(7)(b)(8) (adopting 40 CFR 52.21(k) by 
reference).
    \29\ See Nichols Memorandum.
    \30\ 40 CFR 51.165(b) and 40 CFR part 51, appendix S provide 
compensating protections when the construction or modification of 
major sources would cause or contribute to a violation of any NAAQS, 
including in attainment or unclassifiable areas that are violating 
the NAAQS, and therefore, further support removal of NNSR from 
Georgia's SIP under CAA section 110(l).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    SELC further attempts to support its claim by citing the D.C. 
Circuit's South Coast decision, claiming that the court's decision in 
South Coast regarding what qualifies as a ``control'' under CAA section 
172(e) calls into question Greenbaum's validity. However, South Coast 
involves a different legal question concerning different parts of the 
CAA involving different terms. The South Coast decision addresses this 
exact point, stating ``Greenbaum involved a different ultimate 
question, namely, whether [N]NSR is required for attainment areas, and 
required that court to determine the meaning of a different term, 
`measures.' Because the term `measures' was used in the provision 
providing for redesignation to attainment, the Sixth Circuit found it 
appropriate to refer to other instances of `measures' elsewhere in the 
Act and concluded that [N]NSR was not a `measure.' This has no bearing 
on whether [N]NSR is a `control.' '' \31\ SELC's attempt to use a 
decision regarding the meaning of ``control'' under section 172(e) to 
inform the meaning of the term ``measure'' under section 175A(d) is 
directly contrary to the South Coast Court's opinion. As discussed 
above, section 110 is the best place to find context for the term 
``measure.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \31\ South Coast, 472 F.3d at 902 (emphasis in original, 
citation omitted).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In its final observation for Greenbaum, SELC claims that the 
decision is on ``uncertain legal footing'' as it was ``premised on 
deference'' under Chevron which was overruled by Loper Bright. As an 
initial matter, Greenbaum did not apply Chevron deference to reach its 
conclusion that SIPs governing nonattainment areas must include NNSR 
and SIPs governing attainment areas must include PSD because the court 
found the text of the statute unambiguous.\32\ It is true that, in 
interpreting the term ``measure'' under section 175A(d), the Sixth 
Circuit deferred to the EPA pursuant to Chevron.\33\ But Loper Bright 
does not make Greenbaum any less persuasive and does not change the 
EPA's analysis because the Agency's interpretation is the best reading 
of the statute for the reasons described earlier in this Response 3. 
The EPA's interpretation of ``measure'' is based on the structure and 
text of the CAA and the context in which the term is used.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \32\ Greenbaum, 370 F.3d at 536.
    \33\ Greenbaum, 370 F.3d at 537.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Furthermore, ``discarding Chevron deference does not mean ignoring 
agency interpretations.'' \34\ While Loper Bright requires ``courts to 
do their ordinary job of interpreting statutes,'' it also directs 
courts to give ``due respect for the views of the Executive Branch.'' 
\35\ ``The weight of such a judgment in a particular case will depend 
upon the thoroughness evident in its consideration, the validity of its 
reasoning, its consistency with earlier and later pronouncements, and 
all those factors which give it power to persuade, if lacking power to 
control.'' \36\ As discussed above, the EPA has consistently 
interpreted the term ``measure'' under CAA section 175A(d) to exclude 
NNSR, and that interpretation is supported by a thorough, valid reading 
of the statutory provisions. Thus, even under Loper Bright, the EPA's 
longstanding, consistent interpretation still has the ``power to 
persuade, if lacking power to control.'' \37\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \34\ See Texas v. United States EPA, 137 F.4th 353, 365 (5th 
Cir. 2025) (Texas 2025).
    \35\ 603 U.S. at 403.
    \36\ See Skidmore v. Swift & Co., 323 U.S. 134, 140, 65 S. Ct. 
161, 164 (1944).
    \37\ 603 U.S. at 402 (quoting Skidmore, 323 U.S. at 140).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Comment 4: SELC states that the air quality violations in the 
Atlanta Area have activated the Tier II trigger in the contingency plan 
portion of the Area's maintenance plan and that EPD is therefore 
required to conduct additional analysis and implement one or more 
contingency measures necessary to re-attain the 2015 ozone NAAQS. SELC 
states that the NNSR provisions are intended to address the precise 
situation Atlanta is facing, so it is a ``particularly strange and ill-
advised time'' to propose removing these provisions. SELC also states 
that removing these provisions will complicate and undermine the 
identification of additional contingency measures currently underway 
pursuant to the Tier II trigger. SELC asserts that if the NNSR 
provisions are removed, these new contingency measures will need to 
address both the air pollution causing the Atlanta Area's current 
failure to attain and new pollution that would result from permitted 
new sources under the less stringent PSD program.
    Response 4: The EPA disagrees that NNSR provisions are intended to 
address the situation in the Atlanta Area and that removal of NNSR will 
complicate and undermine the identification of contingency measures 
currently underway. As discussed in the responses above, Congress 
determined that NNSR permitting is only required in areas designated or 
redesignated as nonattainment. CAA section 175A contingency measures 
are the statutory mechanism to ``promptly correct any violation of the 
standard which occurs after the redesignation of the area as an 
attainment area,'' and NNSR is not a required contingency measure. If 
Congress had intended NNSR to address a situation such as the one in 
the Atlanta Area, it would not have made the application of NNSR 
dependent on designation status or it would have mandated NNSR as a 
contingency measure.
    It is also unclear how the removal of NNSR would complicate and 
undermine the identification of contingency measures currently 
underway. First, Georgia's SIP-approved Rules 391-3-1-.02(7) and 391-3-
1-.03(8)(a) prevent construction or modification that would interfere 
with the NAAQS. Second, contingency measures are designed to promptly 
remedy the NAAQS violation that triggered the application of those 
measures, and major NSR permitting is

[[Page 64280]]

a lengthy process that impacts the prospective construction and 
modification of only the largest stationary sources. Any emissions from 
new major NSR sources or modifications moving forward will therefore be 
predicted well in advance of construction and can be accounted for in 
the development of contingency measures. Third, permit conditions 
issued pursuant to NNSR permits in the Area, along with any associated 
emissions offsets, will remain in effect.
    Comment 5: SELC argues that maintaining NNSR is necessary due to 
proposed new major sources of NO<INF>X</INF> emissions in the Atlanta 
Area and that it is imperative that these new sources be held to the 
more rigorous NNSR permitting standards given that the Atlanta Area is 
out of compliance with the 2015 ozone standard. SELC identifies two 
proposed new combined cycle natural gas electrical generating units 
(gas EGUs) at Georgia Power Company's Plant Bowen and two proposed new 
gas EGUs at Georgia Power Company's Plant Wansley. Plant Bowen is in 
the Atlanta Area and Plant Wansley is located outside the Area in 
Carroll County. SELC states that reviewing these and other permit 
applications under PSD rather than NNSR will dramatically impede the 
Area's ability to re-attain the 2015 ozone NAAQS and comply with that 
standard going forward.
    Response 5: The EPA disagrees with this comment. As discussed in 
the responses above, Congress determined that NNSR permitting is only 
required in areas designated or redesignated as nonattainment. CAA 
section 175A contingency measures are the statutory mechanism to 
``promptly correct any violation of the standard which occurs after the 
redesignation of the area as an attainment area,'' NNSR is not a 
required contingency measure, and SIP-approved Georgia Rules 391-3-
1-.02(7) and 391-3-1-.03(8)(a) prevent the construction or modification 
of sources that would interfere with the NAAQS. Any concerns regarding 
specific proposed new major stationary sources or major modifications 
to existing major sources in the Atlanta Area are outside the scope of 
this SIP revision. All proposed PSD permits are subject to a public 
comment period pursuant to SIP-approved Rule 391-3-1-.02(7)(b)14 
(incorporating 40 CFR 52.21(q) by reference), and any comments raised 
during that period must be submitted to EPD as the permitting 
authority.

III. Incorporation by Reference

    In this document, the EPA is finalizing regulatory text that 
includes incorporation by reference. In accordance with requirements of 
1 CFR 51.5, and as discussed in Sections I and II of this preamble, the 
EPA is finalizing the incorporation by reference of Georgia Rule 391-3-
1-.02(1), General Requirement, which is being revised to change 
`nonattainment' to `non-attainment' for consistency; \38\ Rule 391-3-
1-.02(2)(nnn), NOX Emissions from Large Stationary Gas Turbines, which 
is being revised to address a cross-reference impacted by other changes 
approved in this final rule; Rule 391-3-1-.03(6)(j), Construction 
Permit Exemption for Pollution Control Projects, which is being revised 
to address a cross-reference impacted by other changes approved in this 
final rule; \39\ Rule 391-3-1-.03(8), Permit Requirements, which is 
being revised to remove NNSR requirements; and Rule 391-3-1-.03(13), 
Emission Reduction Credits, which is being revised to remove wording 
that allows or refers to the use of emission reduction credits; all of 
which have a State-effective date of June 19, 2023, into the Georgia 
SIP. The EPA has made, and will continue to make, these materials 
generally available through <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> and at the EPA Region 4 
Office (please contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this preamble for more information). 
Therefore, these materials have been approved by the EPA for inclusion 
in the State implementation plan, have been incorporated by reference 
by the EPA into that plan, are fully federally enforceable under 
sections 110 and 113 of the CAA as of the effective date of the final 
rulemaking of the EPA's approval, and will be incorporated by reference 
in the next update to the SIP compilation.\40\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \38\ The table entry for Georgia Rule 391-3-1-.02(1), at 40 CFR 
52.570(c) is revised in this action to correct a typographical error 
in the Rule's title, by changing it from ``General Requirements'' to 
``General Requirement.''
    \39\ Subparagraphs 391-3-1-.03(6)(a) through (i)--except for 
391-3-1-.03(6)(b)16, which is not approved into the SIP--remain in 
the SIP with a state effective date of July 29, 2020. See 87 FR 
19643 (April 5, 2022).
    \40\ See 62 FR 27968 (May 22, 1997).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

IV. Final Action

    The EPA is approving the aforementioned Georgia SIP revision 
consisting of changes to Rule 391-3-1-.02(1), General Requirement; Rule 
391-3-1-.02(2)(nnn), NOX Emissions from Large Stationary Gas Turbines; 
Rule 391-3-1-.03(6), Exemptions, at subsection (j), Construction Permit 
Exemption for Pollution Control Projects; Rule 391-3-1-.03(8), Permit 
Requirements; and Rule 391-3-1-.03(13), Emission Reduction Credits.

V. 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.\41\ 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:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \41\ See 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    <bullet> Is not a significant regulatory action subject to review 
by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Order 12866 (58 
FR 51735, October 4, 1993);
    <bullet> Is not an Executive Order 14192 (90 FR 9065, February 6, 
2025) regulatory action because this action is not significant 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

[[Page 64281]]

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, and the 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 December 7, 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.\42\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \42\ 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: September 25, 2026.
Kevin McOmber,
Regional Administrator, Region 4.

    For the reasons stated in the preamble, the EPA amends 40 CFR part 
52 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 L--Georgia

0
2. In Sec.  52.570(c), amend table 1 by revising the entries for ``391-
3-1-.02(1)'', ``391-3-1-.02(2)(nnn)'', ``391-3-1-.03(6)'', ``391-3-
1-.03(8)'', and ``391-3-1-.03(13)'' to read as follows:


Sec.  52.570   Identification of plan.

* * * * *
    (c) * * *

                           Table 1 to Paragraph (c)--EPA-Approved Georgia Regulations
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        State effective
         State citation              Title/subject           date         EPA approval date       Explanation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
391-3-1-.02(1)..................  General Requirement         6/19/2023  10/8/2026, 91 FR
                                                                          [Insert Federal
                                                                          Register page
                                                                          where the document
                                                                          begins].
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
391-3-1-.02(2)(nnn).............  NOX Emissions from          6/19/2023  10/8/2026, 91 FR
                                   Large Stationary                       [Insert Federal
                                   Gas Turbines.                          Register page
                                                                          where the document
                                                                          begins].
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
391-3-1-.03(6)..................  Exemptions.........         7/29/2020  4/5/2022, 87 FR      Except for
                                                                          19643.               subparagraph 391-
                                                                                               3-1-.03(6)(j)
                                                                                               which was
                                                                                               approved into the
                                                                                               SIP on 10/8/2026
                                                                                               with a state
                                                                                               effective date of
                                                                                               6/19/2023, and
                                                                                               Rule 391-3-1-
                                                                                               .03(6)(b)16,
                                                                                               which is not
                                                                                               approved into the
                                                                                               SIP.
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
391-3-1-.03(8)..................  Permit Requirements         6/19/2023  10/8/2026, 91 FR
                                                                          [Insert Federal
                                                                          Register page
                                                                          where the document
                                                                          begins].
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
391-3-1-.03(13).................  Emission Reduction          6/19/2023  10/8/2026, 91 FR
                                   Credits.                               [Insert Federal
                                                                          Register page
                                                                          where the document
                                                                          begins].
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2026-20636 Filed 10-7-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


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