Summary

EPA is taking final action to find that California has failed to submit complete state implementation plans (SIPs) required under the Clean Air Act (CAA or “Act”) to implement the 1997, 2006, and 2012 national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS or “standards”) for fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) in the San Joaquin Valley. For the 1997 annual and 24-hour PM_2.5 NAAQS, California was required to submit by December 31, 2016, a SIP submission that provides for, among other things, annual reductions in emissions of direct PM_2.5 or a PM_2.5 plan precursor pollutant within the area of not less than five percent of the amount of such emissions as reported in the most recent inventory for the area. For the 2006 24-hour PM_2.5 NAAQS, California was required to submit by August 21, 2017, a SIP submission that meets the requirements for Serious PM_2.5 nonattainment areas, including the requirement for best available control measures (BACM). For the 2012 annual PM_2.5 NAAQS, California was required to submit by October 15, 2016, a SIP submission that meets the requirements for Moderate PM_2.5 nonattainment areas, including the requirement for reasonably available control measures (RACM). California submitted substantial portions of each of these required SIP submissions as part of an integrated plan on November 16, 2018, but each of these submissions fails to meet the EPA's minimum criteria for completeness.

If the EPA has not affirmatively found that the State has submitted complete SIPs that correct the deficiencies in each of these SIP submissions within 18 months of this finding, the offset sanction will apply in the area. If within 6 additional months the EPA still has not affirmatively determined that the State has submitted complete SIPs that  correct the deficiencies, the highway funding sanction will apply in the area. No later than 2 years after the EPA makes these findings, if the State has not submitted, and the EPA has not approved, each of the required SIP submissions, the EPA must promulgate a federal implementation plan (FIP) to address any remaining requirements.

Action

Final Rule

Dates

This action will be effective on January 7, 2019.

Addresses

EPA has established a docket for this action under Docket ID No. EPA-R09-OAR-2018-0778. Generally, documents in the docket are listed and publicly available at www.regulations.gov. Although listed in the index, some information is not 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 in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically at www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at EPA Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-3901. To inspect the hard copy materials, please schedule an appointment during normal business hours with the contact listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.

For Further Information Contact

Wienke Tax (tax.wienke@epa.gov), EPA Region IX, (415) 947-4192