Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans: Revisions to the Alabama Nitrogen Oxides Budget and Allowance Trading Program

Résumé

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to approve revisions to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management's nitrogen oxides budget and allowance trading program submitted on September 13, 2002, by the State of Alabama. These revisions are designed to provide greater flexibility to reward sources that achieve quantifiable reductions ahead of the compliance deadline by allowing sources to request credit for early reductions obtained during the 2001 control period. In the Final Rules Section of this Federal Register, the EPA is approving the State's SIP revision as a direct final rule without prior proposal because the Agency views this as a noncontroversial submittal and anticipates no adverse comments. A detailed rationale for the approval is set forth in the direct final rule. If no adverse comments are received in response to this action, no further activity is contemplated. If EPA receives adverse comments, the direct final rule will be withdrawn and all public comments received will be addressed in a subsequent final rule based on this proposed rule. The EPA will not institute a second comment period on this document. Any parties interested in commenting on thi