Finding of Failure To Attain the Primary 2010 1-Hour Sulfur Dioxide Standard for the San Juan and Guayama-Salinas Nonattainment Areas; Approval and Conditional Approval of Air Quality State Implementation Plans; Puerto Rico; Attainment Plan for the 2010 1-Hour Sulfur Dioxide Standard for the San Juan and Guayama-Salinas Nonattainment Areas

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY <CFR>40 CFR Part 52</CFR> <DEPDOC>[EPA-R02-OAR-2024-0083; FRL-11767-01-R2]</DEPDOC> <SUBJECT>Finding of Failure To Attain the Primary 2010 1-Hour Sulfur Dioxide Standard for the San Juan and Guayama-Salinas Nonattainment Areas; Approval and Conditional Approval of Air Quality State Implementation Plans; Puerto Rico; Attainment Plan for the 2010 1-Hour Sulfur Dioxide Standard for the San Juan and Guayama-Salinas Nonattainment Areas</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Proposed rule. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing two actions related to attainment of the 2010 primary 1-hour sulfur dioxide (SO <E T="52">2</E> ) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS or “standard”). First, the EPA is proposing to determine that the San Juan and Guayama-Salinas SO <E T="52">2</E> Nonattainment Areas (NAAs) failed to attain the 2010 primary 1-hour SO <E T="52">2</E> NAAQS by the applicable attainment date of April 9, 2023, based upon a technical analysis of various evidence available ( <E T="03">i.e.,</E> weight-of-evidence analysis). If the EPA finalizes this determination as proposed, within one year, Puerto Rico will be required to submit revisions to the Puerto Rico State Implementation Plan (SIP) that, among other elements, provide for expeditious attainment of the 2010 SO <E T="52">2</E> standard no later than five years from the publication date of the final rule. Second, the EPA is proposing to approve certain elements of Puerto Rico's November 22, 2022, SIP revision (hereinafter referred to as the “plan”), which was submitted to demonstrate attainment of the 2010 primary 1-hour SO <E T="52">2</E> standard in the San Juan and Guayama-Salinas NAAs. Elements being proposed for approval include Puerto Rico's nonattainment new source review (NNSR) program and the base year emissions inventory. Finally, the EPA is proposing to approve in part, and conditionally approve in part, for SIP-strengthening purposes, other remaining elements of the plan, including amendments to Puerto Rico's Regulation for the Control of Atmospheric Pollution (or RCAP), which include control measures, emissions limitations, and reporting requirements for sources in the NAAs. </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> <E T="03">Comments:</E> Written comments must be received on or before December 2, 2024. <E T="03">Public Information Sessions:</E> The EPA will hold two public information sessions on this proposed rulemaking in Puerto Rico on dates and locations to be determined and announced at a later date. For more information on the public information sessions, see <E T="02">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION</E> . </EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">ADDRESSES:</HD> Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R02-OAR-2024-0083 at <E T="03">https://www.regulations.gov.</E> Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, <E T="03">e.g.,</E> Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) (formally referred to as 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 electronically through <E T="03">https://www.regulations.gov.</E> Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from <E T="03">Regulations.gov.</E> The EPA may publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to be CUI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered the official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish to make. The EPA will generally not consider comments or comment contents located outside of the primary submission ( <E T="03">i.e.,</E> on the web, cloud, or other file sharing system). For additional submission methods, the full EPA public comment policy, information about CUI or multimedia submissions, and general guidance on making effective comments, please visit <E T="03">https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.</E> <E T="03">Docket:</E> All documents in the electronic docket are listed in the <E T="03">www.regulations.gov</E> index. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, <E T="03">i.e.,</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. The files will also be made available by appointment for public inspection between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays except for legal holidays. Contact the person(s) listed in the <E T="02">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT</E> paragraph below to make an appointment. If possible, please make the appointment at least two working days in advance of your visit. We may charge you a reasonable fee for copying parts of the docket. <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Nicholas Ferreira, Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2, Air Programs Branch, 290 Broadway, New York, New York 10007-1866, at (212) 637-3127, or by email at <E T="03">ferreira.nicholas@epa.gov,</E> and/or Andres Febres, Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2, Caribbean Environmental Protection Division Office, City View Plaza II, #48 RD. 165 km 1.2, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, 00968-8069, at (787) 977-5801, or by email at <E T="03">febres-martinez.andres@epa.gov.</E> </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Public Information Session</HD> The EPA intends to provide two public information sessions concerning this proposed rule. The EPA will announce the date, time, and location for each session on its website. These public information sessions will provide informal opportunities for members of the public to learn about this proposed action. The EPA anticipates these sessions will allow the public to be better informed when submitting formal comments during the 60-day comment period for this proposed action. A translator will be present at the public engagement sessions to ensure participants are able to understand the information provided by the EPA. There will be no recording or transcript of these public information sessions since these sessions are not considered to be formal public hearings. Statements made and/or questions asked at these sessions will not be considered formal comments on the proposed rule and will not be included in the EPA's response to comments, unless submitted as a formal comment on the record. Members of the public who wish to formally comment should do so during the 60-day public comment period provided following the publication of this proposed rule. This notice is organized as follows: <HD SOURCE="HD1">Table of Contents</HD> <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">I. Background</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2"> A. The 2010 SO <E T="52">2</E> NAAQS </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2"> B. Designations and Attainment Date Requirements for the 2010 SO <E T="52">2</E> NAAQS </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. Finding of Failure To Submit and SIP Submittal</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">D. Puerto Rico's Integrated Resource Plan</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">II. What is the EPA proposing?</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">III. Proposed Determination of Failure To Attain and the Associated Consequences</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Applicable Statutory and Regulatory Provisions</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2"> B. San Juan and Guayama-Salinas SO <E T="52">2</E> Monitoring Networks and Considerations </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2"> C. SO <E T="52">2</E> Data Considerations and the EPA's Proposed Determination </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2"> 1. SO <E T="52">2</E> Monitor Data </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Modeling Data and Control Strategy Timeline</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Failure To Implement the Control Strategy</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2"> 4. SO <E T="52">2</E> Emissions Data </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. Weight-of-Evidence Analysis Conclusions and the EPA's Proposed Determination</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2"> D. Consequences for SO <E T="52">2</E> NAAs Failing To Attain Standards by Attainment Dates </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2"> IV. Requirements for SO <E T="52">2</E> Nonattainment Area Plans </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">V. Review of Modeled Attainment Demonstration</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Modeling Approach</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Area of Analysis</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. Receptor Grid</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">D. Meteorological Data</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">E. Source Characterization</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">F. Emissions Data</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">G. Retirements and Emission Limits</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">H. Background Concentrations</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">I. Summary of Results</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">VI. Review of Other Plan Requirements</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Emissions Inventory</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. RACM and RACT and Enforceable Emission Limitations and Control Measures</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. New Source Review</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2"> D. Reasonable Further Progress </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">E. Contingency Measures</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">F. Conformity</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">VII. Puerto Rico's New Source Review Program</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">VIII. The EPA's Evaluation of Rule 425</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">IX. Environmental Justice Considerations</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">X. The EPA's Proposed Action</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">XI. Incorporation by Reference</FP> <FP SOUR ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 162k characters. Full document text is stored and available for version comparison. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━