Pennsylvania Code
Pennsylvania Code & Bulletin
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA

• No statutes or acts will be found at this website.

The Pennsylvania Bulletin website includes the following: Rulemakings by State agencies; Proposed Rulemakings by State agencies; State agency notices; the Governor’s Proclamations and Executive Orders; Actions by the General Assembly; and Statewide and local court rules.

PA Bulletin, Doc. No. 17-201

NOTICES

Proposed State Implementation Plan Revision; Base Year Inventory for the Delaware County Nonattainment Area for the 2012 Annual PM2.5 Fine Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standard; Public Hearing

[47 Pa.B. 734]
[Saturday, February 4, 2017]

 On January 15, 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated Delaware County as a moderate nonattainment area for the 2012 annual fine particulate matter (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS), effective April 15, 2015, 80 FR 2206 (January 15, 2015). As required by section 189(a)(2)(B) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C.A. § 7513a(a)(2)(B)), a revision to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) demonstrating attainment of the 2012 annual PM2.5 NAAQS is due to the EPA no later than 18 months after the area's designation as nonattainment, which in this case was October 15, 2016. However, with significant improvements in air quality in the Delaware County Area, this nonattainment area now meets the 2012 annual PM2.5 NAAQS based on 2013—2015 quality assured, quality controlled and certified ambient monitoring data.

 On December 13, 2016, the EPA finalized a direct final rule indicating that the Delaware County Area is monitoring attainment of the 2012 annual PM2.5 NAAQS, also known as a ''Clean Data Determination.'' See 81 FR 89868 (December 13, 2016). The issuance of a Clean Data Determination by the EPA suspends certain planning requirements as long as the area continues to attain the 2012 annual PM2.5 NAAQS, including the attainment demonstration, reasonably available control measures, a reasonable further progress plan and contingency measures. The Clean Data Determination does not suspend the base year inventory requirement in section 172(c)(3) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C.A. § 7502(c)(3)). In anticipation of the effective date of the EPA's rule, the Department is proposing the proposed base year inventory SIP revision for the Delaware County nonattainment area.

 The Department is seeking public comment on a proposed SIP revision containing the 2011 comprehensive base year inventory, as required under section 172(c)(3) of the Clean Air Act, for a nonattainment area. The proposed SIP revision is available on the Department's web site at http://www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/eComment.

 The Department will provide the opportunity for a public hearing to receive comments on the proposal on March 8, 2017, at 1 p.m. at the Department's Southeast Regional Office, 2 East Main Street, Norristown, PA.

 Persons wishing to present testimony should contact Roma Monteiro, P.O. Box 8468, Harrisburg, PA 17105, at (717) 787-9495 or rmonteiro@pa.gov to reserve a time. Witnesses will be limited to 10 minutes and should provide two written copies of their comments.

 If by Friday, March 3, 2017, no person has expressed an interest in testifying at the hearing, the hearing will be cancelled. The Department will provide public notice on the Bureau of Air Quality webpage at http://www.dep.pa.gov/Business/Air/BAQ/Pages/default.aspx if the hearing is cancelled. Persons may also contact the Department to find out if the hearing is cancelled by contacting Roma Monteiro at (717) 787-9495 or rmonteiro@pa.gov.

 Persons with a disability who wish to attend a hearing and require an auxiliary aid, service or other accommodation to participate in the proceeding should contact Roma Monteiro at (717) 787-9495 or rmonteiro@pa.gov. TDD users may contact the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Service at (800) 654-5984 to discuss how the Department can best accommodate their needs.

 The Department must receive comments no later than March 10, 2017. Commentators are encouraged to submit comments using the Department's eComment system at www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/eComment or by e-mail to ecomment@pa.gov. Written comments can be submitted to the Policy Office, Department of Environmental Protection, Rachel Carson State Office Building, P.O. Box 2063, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2063. Use ''Delaware County PM2.5'' as the subject line in written communication.

PATRICK McDONNELL, 
Acting Secretary

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 17-201. Filed for public inspection February 3, 2017, 9:00 a.m.]


No part of the information on this site may be reproduced for profit or sold for profit.

This material has been drawn directly from the official Pennsylvania Bulletin full text database. Due to the limitations of HTML or differences in display capabilities of different browsers, this version may differ slightly from the official printed version.