Air Plan Approval; GA; Updates to the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule

<RULE> ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY <CFR>40 CFR Part 52</CFR> <DEPDOC>[EPA-R04-OAR-2024-0606; FRL-12862-02-R4]</DEPDOC> <SUBJECT>Air Plan Approval; GA; Updates to the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule</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 a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted through the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA EPD) on July 18, 2024, regarding updates to the State's Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) emissions trading programs. The SIP revision incorporates by reference (IBRs) certain amendments EPA has made to the regulations for the Federal CSAPR trading programs for annual emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO <E T="52">X</E> ) and sulfur dioxide (SO <E T="52">2</E> ) and NO <E T="52">X</E> ozone season (from May 1 to September 30), all three of which apply to large electric generating units (EGUs). The SIP revision also updates the definition for “Volatile organic compound.” EPA is approving Georgia's July 18, 2024, SIP revision because it is consistent with the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act). </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> This rule is effective November 3, 2025. </EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">ADDRESSES:</HD> EPA has established a docket for this action under Docket Identification No. EPA-R04-OAR-2024-0606. All documents in the docket are listed on the <E T="03">regulations.gov</E> website. Although listed in the index, some information may not be publicly available, <E T="03">i.e.,</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 <E T="03">www.regulations.gov</E> 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. EPA requests that if at all possible, you contact the person listed in the <E T="02">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT</E> 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. <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Josue Ortiz Borrero, 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. Mr. Ortiz can be reached via phone number (404) 562-8085 or via electronic mail at <E T="03">ortizborrero.josue@epa.gov.</E> </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED"> SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: </HD> <HD SOURCE="HD1">I. This Action</HD> In this final rule EPA is approving a revision to the Georgia SIP, submitted by the GA EPD on July 18, 2024. The revision updates Georgia's incorporation by reference of Federal rules for the CSAPR NO <E T="52">X</E> Annual, SO <E T="52">2</E> Group 2, and NO <E T="52">X</E> Ozone Season Group 1 Trading Programs at: Rule 391-3-1-.02(12), “Cross State Air Pollution Rule NO <E T="52">X</E> Annual Trading Program;” Rule 391-3-1-.02(13), “Cross State Air Pollution Rule SO <E T="52">2</E> Annual Trading Program;” and Rule 391-3-1-.02(14), “Cross State Air Pollution Rule NO <E T="52">X</E> Ozone Season Trading Program. The SIP submission also updates the State's definition of “Volatile organic compounds” (VOC) at Rule 391-3-1-.01, <E T="03">Definitions,</E> at subparagraph (llll) to align with the federal definition at 40 CFR 51.100(s). EPA has determined that the IBR update at Rules 391-3-1-.02(12), 391-3-1-.02(13), and 391-3-1-.02(14) included in Georgia's SIP revision is consistent with the Federal CSAPR NO <E T="52">X</E> Annual, CSAPR SO <E T="52">2</E> Group 2, and CSAPR NO <E T="52">X</E> Ozone Season Group 1 Trading Program regulations. EPA has determined, that, with these updates, Georgia's State CSAPR rules will continue to satisfy the State's “good neighbor” obligations under CAA section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) to prohibit emissions that significantly contribute to nonattainment or interfere with maintenance of the 1997 annual fine particulate matter (PM <E T="52">2.5</E> ) NAAQS, the 2006 24-hour PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS, and the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS in downwind states. EPA is finalizing this action because the changes are consistent with the CAA and EPA's regulations. <HD SOURCE="HD1">II. Background</HD> On July 18, 2024, GA EPD transmitted a SIP revision  <SU>1</SU> <FTREF/> to update the State's CSAPR emissions trading programs to incorporate by reference (IBR) certain amendments EPA has made to the regulations for the Federal CSAPR NO <E T="52">X</E> Annual, SO <E T="52">2</E> Group 2, and NO <E T="52">X</E> Ozone Season Group 1 trading programs for EGUs. EPA created these Federal trading programs in 2011 as market-based mechanisms for Georgia and other states to address their obligations to downwind states under the CAA section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) good neighbor provision with respect to the 1997 PM <E T="52">2.5</E> and ground-level ozone NAAQS and 2006 PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS. <SU>2</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>1</SU>  EPA is not acting on proposed changes in Georgia's July 18, 2024, submittal regarding Rule 391-3-1-.02(8), <E T="03">New Source Performance Standards,</E> and 391-3-1-.02(9), <E T="03">Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants</E> because these rules are not included in EPD's federally approved SIP and are not submitted as SIP revisions. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>2</SU>  Georgia has been subject to CSAPR since its inception, with EGUs required to participate in Federal trading programs for NO <E T="52">X</E> and SO <E T="52">2</E> emissions. As part of the original CSAPR in 2011, EPA determined that emissions from Georgia significantly contributed to nonattainment or interference with maintenance of the 1997 ozone NAAQS, 1997 annual PM <E T="52">2.5</E> NAAQS, and 2006 24-hour PM <E T="52">2.5</E> in other states. <E T="03">See</E> 76 FR at 48213. </FTNT> Through a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published on August 14, 2025 (90 FR 39144), EPA proposed to approve the portions of Georgia's July 18, 2024, <SU>3</SU> <FTREF/> SIP submission that update 391-3-1-.02(12), 391-3-1-.02(13), and 391-3-1-.02(14) by incorporating into the Georgia SIP the amendments to the Federal CSAPR NO <E T="52">X</E> Annual and SO <E T="52">2</E> Group 2 trading programs at 40 CFR part 97, subparts AAAAA and DDDDD, respectively, and the NO <E T="52">X</E> Ozone Season Group 1 Trading Program established in subpart BBBBB promulgated in EPA's 2021 Revised CSAPR Update  <SU>4</SU> <FTREF/> and 2022 Recordation Rule  <SU>5</SU> <FTREF/> and the technical corrections or cross-references in the 2023 Good Neighbor Plan (GNP). <SU>6</SU> <FTREF/> Georgia Rules 391-3-1-.02(12)(a) and 391-3-1-.02(13)(a) are revised to update the IBR date from October 26, 2016, to June 5, 2023, for the NO <E T="52">X</E> Annual and Group 2 SO <E T="52">2</E> Trading Programs respectively. Georgia Rule 391-3-1-.02(14)(a) is revised to update the IBR date from October 26, 2016, to July 31, 2023, for the NO <E T="52">X</E> ozone season to incorporate the relevant amendments to the Federal rules at 40 CFR part 97 Subpart AAAAA, DDDDD, and BBBBB, respectively. Specifically, Georgia's SIP revision replaces these citations with the updated citations to June 5, 2023 (88 FR 36654) for subparts AAAAA and DDDDD at Rules 391-3-1-.02(12) and 391-3-1-.02(13), and to July 31, 2023 (88 FR 49295) for subpart BBBBB at Rule 391-3-1-.02(14). Georgia's July 18, 2024, SIP revision also updates the portions of the emissions budgets reserved in the new unit set-asides (NUSAs) for all three trading programs  <SU>7</SU> <FTREF/> from 1,075 tons to 1,074 tons for the CSAPR NO <E T="52">X</E> Annual allowances at Georgia Rule 391-3-1-.02(12)(f)2.; from 2,711 tons to 2,721 tons for the CSAPR SO <E T="52">2</E> Group 2 allowances at Georgia Rule 391-3-1-.02(13)(f)2.; and from 481 tons to 485 tons for the CSAPR NO <E T="52">X</E> Ozone Season Group 1 allowances at Georgia Rule 391-3-1-.02(14)(f)2. <FTNT> <SU>3</SU>  EPA is not acting on changes reflected in this submittal to South Carolina Regulation 61-62.60, subpart XXX, subpart IIII, subpart JJJJ, and South Carolina Regulation 61-62.63, subpart C, subpart AAAA, subpart YYYY, subpart ZZZZ, subpart DDDDD, subpart GGGGG, subpart IIIII, and subpart HHHHHH, since these rules are not part of the SIP. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>4</SU>  Revised Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Update for the 2008 Ozone NAAQS, 86 FR 23054 (Apr. 30, 2021). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>5</SU>  Deadlines for Submission and Recordation of Allowance Allocations Under the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) Trading Programs and the Texas SO <E T="52">2</E> Trading Program, 87 FR 52473 (Aug. 26, 2022). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>6</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> 88 FR 36654 (June 5, 2023). For additional context on Georgia's July 18, 2024, SIP submittal and the GNP, see EPA's August 14, 2025, NPRM (90 FR 39144). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>7</SU>  In 2021, EPA promulgated the corrected NUSA amounts in part 97 in the Revised CSAPR Update. The Revised CSAPR Update also included revised regulatory text in 40 CFR part 52 that authorizes EPA to administer the trading programs using the corrected NUSA amounts even in instances where a state's approved SIP still includes the previous uncorrect ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 22k characters. Full document text is stored and available for version comparison. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━