Air Plan Approval; Pennsylvania; Redesignation Request and Associated Maintenance Plan for the Liberty-Clairton Area for the 1997 Annual and 2006 24-Hour Fine Particulate Matter Standard and Maintenance Plan for the Allegheny County Area for the 2012 Annual Fine Particulate Matter Standard

<RULE> ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY <CFR>40 CFR Parts 52 and 81</CFR> <DEPDOC>[EPA-R03-OAR-2024-0586; FRL-10536-02-R3]</DEPDOC> <SUBJECT>Air Plan Approval; Pennsylvania; Redesignation Request and Associated Maintenance Plan for the Liberty-Clairton Area for the 1997 Annual and 2006 24-Hour Fine Particulate Matter Standard and Maintenance Plan for the Allegheny County Area for the 2012 Annual Fine Particulate Matter Standard</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Final rule. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's request to redesignate to attainment the Liberty-Clairton, Pennsylvania nonattainment area (Liberty-Clairton Area) for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour fine particulate matter (PM <E T="52">2.5</E> ) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS or standard). The EPA has determined that the Liberty-Clairton Area attained both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS and has met the statutory requirements for redesignation. The EPA is approving, as a revision to the Pennsylvania State Implementation Plan (SIP), the Commonwealth's plan for maintaining the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS through 2035 for the Liberty-Clairton Area. Additionally, the EPA is approving the maintenance plan for the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania nonattainment area (Allegheny County Area) for the 2012 annual PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS through 2035. The maintenance plan includes 2017, 2026, and 2035 mobile vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) for mobile sources of PM <E T="52">2.5</E> and nitrogen oxides (NO <E T="52">X</E> ) for the Allegheny County Area for the 2012 annual PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS, which the EPA is approving for transportation conformity purposes. This action does not redesignate the Allegheny County Area to attainment for the 2012 annual PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS. Both the redesignation request and maintenance plan were submitted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP or Pennsylvania) on behalf of the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD). This action is being taken under the CAA. </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> This final rule is effective on August 25, 2025. </EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">ADDRESSES:</HD> The EPA has established a docket for this action under Docket ID Number EPA-R03-OAR-2024-0586. All documents in the docket are listed on the <E T="03">www.regulations.gov</E> website. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, <E T="03">e.g.,</E> 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 <E T="03">www.regulations.gov,</E> or please contact the person identified in the <E T="02">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT</E> section for additional availability information. <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Ian Neiswinter, Planning & Implementation Branch (3AD30), Air & Radiation Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, 1600 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103. The telephone number is (215) 814-2011. Mr. Neiswinter can also be reached via electronic mail at <E T="03">neiswinter.ian@epa.gov.</E> </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> Throughout this document, wherever “we,” “us,” or “our” are used, it is intended to refer to the EPA. <HD SOURCE="HD1">I. Background</HD> On January 5, 2005 (70 FR 944), the EPA published air quality area designations for the 1997 PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS based upon air quality monitoring data for calendar years 2001-2003. In that rulemaking action, the EPA designated the Liberty-Clairton Area as nonattainment for the 1997 annual PM <E T="52">2.5</E> and 24-hour PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS. <SU>1</SU> <FTREF/> On November 13, 2009 (74 FR 58688), the EPA published designations for the 2006 24-hour PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS based on certified air quality data from 2006-2008, which became effective on December 14, 2009. In that action, the EPA designated the Liberty-Clairton Area as nonattainment for the 2006 24-hour PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS, retaining the same geographical boundaries as for the 1997 annual PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS. In that same action, the EPA clarified that the Liberty-Clairton Area is designated as unclassifiable/attainment for the 1997 24-hour PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS but retained the 1997 annual PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS nonattainment designation. On January 15, 2015 (80 FR 2206), the EPA published air quality designations for the 2012 annual PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS based on certified air quality data from 2011-2013. In that action, the EPA designated all municipalities in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (Allegheny County Area) as one nonattainment area for the 2012 annual PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS. <SU>2</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>1</SU>  The Liberty-Clairton Area is comprised of the following municipalities in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: the boroughs of Liberty, Lincoln, Port Vue, and Glassport, and the City of Clairton. The table listed at 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 81.339 defines NAAQS area designations within Pennsylvania. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>2</SU>  The Allegheny County Area is comprised of all municipalities within Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and subsumes the municipalities which comprise the Liberty-Clairton Area. The table listed at 40 CFR 81.339 defines NAAQS area designations within Pennsylvania. </FTNT> Section 107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA allows redesignation of an area to attainment of the NAAQS provided that: (1) the Administrator (EPA) determines that the area has attained the applicable NAAQS; (2) the Administrator has fully approved the applicable implementation plan for the area under section 110(k) of the CAA; (3) the Administrator determines that the improvement in air quality is due to permanent and enforceable reductions in emissions resulting from implementation of the applicable SIP, applicable Federal air pollutant control regulations, and other permanent and enforceable emission reductions; (4) the Administrator has fully approved a maintenance plan for the area as meeting the requirements of section 175A of the CAA; and (5) the State containing the area has met all requirements applicable to the area for purposes of redesignation under section 110 and part D of the CAA. On November 30, 2022, PADEP on behalf of ACHD, formally submitted a redesignation request for the Liberty-Clairton Area for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS and for the Allegheny County Area for the 2012 annual PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS. As part of the request, PADEP submitted, as a Pennsylvania SIP revision, a combined maintenance plan for each area's respective NAAQS to ensure continued attainment throughout the areas through 2035, as required by CAA section 107(d)(3)(E)(iv). <SU>3</SU> <FTREF/> On May 2, 2024, PADEP submitted to the EPA a partial withdrawal of the November 30, 2022 SIP revision. Specifically, PADEP withdrew only the portion of the SIP revision pertaining to the request to redesignate the Allegheny County Area to attainment for the 2012 annual PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS. However, PADEP retained the portion of the SIP revision pertaining to the maintenance plan for the Allegheny County Area for the 2012 annual PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS. PADEP also retained the request to redesignate the Liberty-Clairton Area for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS to attainment along with the associated maintenance plan for the Liberty-Clairton Area. <FTNT> <SU>3</SU>  CAA section 175A(a) mandates that the initial maintenance plan submission must cover at least 10 years from the effective date of redesignation. </FTNT> On April 7, 2025 (90 FR 14939), the EPA published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In the NPRM, the EPA proposed approval of Pennsylvania's November 30, 2022 request to redesignate the Liberty-Clairton Area to attainment for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS. The EPA also proposed approval of the maintenance plan, as a revision to the Pennsylvania SIP, for the Liberty-Clairton Area for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS, and for the Allegheny County Area for the 2012 annual PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS. The maintenance plan includes the 2017, 2026, and 2035 PM <E T="52">2.5</E> and NO <E T="52">X</E> MVEBs for the Allegheny County Area for the 2012 annual PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS, which the EPA proposed to approve for purposes of transportation conformity. <HD SOURCE="HD1">II. Summary of SIP Revision and EPA Analysis</HD> The EPA reviewed Pennsylvania's redesignation request and found that the requirements for redesignating the Liberty-Clairton Area to attainment for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS have been satisfied pursuant to CAA section 107(d)(3)(E). As one of the criteria for redesignation to attainment, CAA section 107(d)(3)(E)(iv) requires the EPA to determine that the area has a fully approved maintenance plan pursuant to CAA section 175A that demonstrates continued attainment of the NAAQS for at least 10 years following redesignation to attainment. The EPA reviewed the maintenance plan submitted by Pennsylvania for the Liberty-Clairton Area for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS and for the Allegheny Cou ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 23k characters. Full document text is stored and available for version comparison. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━