Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Maryland; Metropolitan Washington, DC 1-Hour Ozone Attainment Plan, Lifting of Earlier Rules Resulting in Removal of Sanctions and Federal Implementation Clocks

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EPA is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Maryland. This SIP revision is Maryland's attainment plan for the Metropolitan Washington, DC severe 1-hour ozone nonattainment area (the Washington area). EPA previously disapproved in part a 1-hour ozone attainment plan for the Maryland portion of the Washington area and issued a protective finding. This approval lifts the protective finding. EPA is also now determining that Maryland has submitted all required elements of a severe-area 1-hour ozone attainment demonstration and is thus stopping the sanctions and FIP clocks that were started through a finding that the State of Maryland had failed to submit one of the required elements of a severe-area 1- hour attainment plan. The intended effect of this action is to approve Maryland's 1-hour ozone attainment plan for the Washington area and determine that Maryland now has a fully-approved 1-hour attainment plan and thus to turn off the sanctions and FIP clocks started based on a finding that one element of the plan was missing and to lift the protective finding that was issued when EPA disapproved Maryland's earlier plan in part. These final actio