Stay of the Eight-Hour Portion of the Findings of Significant Contribution and Rulemaking for Purposes of Reducing Interstate Ozone Transport

요약

In today's action, EPA is amending a final rule it issued under section 110 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) related to interstate transport of pollutants. The EPA is staying its findings in the nitrogen oxides State Implementation Plan call (NO X SIP call) related to the 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). In the final NO X SIP call, EPA found that emissions of NO X from 22 States and the District of Columbia (23 States) significantly contribute to downwind areas' nonattainment of the 1-hour ozone NAAQS. The EPA also separately found that NO X emissions from the same 23 States significantly contribute to downwind nonattainment of the 8-hour ozone NAAQS. Subsequently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) remanded the 8-hour ozone NAAQS. American Trucking Associations, Inc. v. EPA, 175 F.3d 1027 on rehearing 195 F.3d 4 (D.C. Cir. 1999). The EPA proposed to stay the 8-hour basis of the NO X SIP call rule based on the uncertainty created by the D.C. Circuit's decision. Four parties commented on the proposed rule which was published on March 1, 2000 (65 FR 11024). No requests were made to hold a public hearing. After consideri