Si necesita esta información en español, comuníquese con Shawn Taylor llamando al 919-707-8446 o enviando un correo electrónico Shawn.Taylor@deq.nc.gov.
Purpose
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Air Quality (DAQ), hereby gives notice regarding its Pre-hearing Draft of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) Revision and Clean Air Act (CAA) Section 110(l) Noninterference Demonstration to Remove 19 Counties from North Carolina’s Motor Vehicle Emissions Inspection and Maintenance (I&M) Program. Section 12.7 of Session Law 2023-134 amended North Carolina General Statute (NCGS) §143-215.107A(c) to remove 18 of the 19 counties from North Carolina’s I&M program and changed the vehicle model year coverage for Mecklenburg County which is the only county retained in the program. After consultation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the DAQ is also proposing to remove Mecklenburg County from the I&M program.
Based on a technical study of county-level emissions increases associated with the proposed I&M program change, and current ambient air quality data, the DAQ concludes that removing the 19 counties from the I&M SIP will not interfere with continued attainment or maintenance of any applicable National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). With these submittals, the DAQ is requesting EPA’s approval to remove the 19 counties from North Carolina’s I&M SIP, which is required before North Carolina can officially remove the counties from the I&M program. Persons wishing to submit comments are invited to do so.
Comment Procedures
Any person wishing to comment may submit a written statement for inclusion in the record of proceedings regarding the Pre-hearing Draft of the proposed SIP Revision and CAA Section 110(l) Noninterference Demonstration to Remove 19 Counties from North Carolina's I&M Program. Written comments should be submitted electronically to daq.publiccomments@deq.nc.gov or postmarked no later than Wednesday, September 4, 2024. (Please type “Remove 19 Counties from IM Program” in the subject line)
Public Hearing Information
A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, if requests for a public hearing are received on or before Friday, August 16, 2024. If no request is received, the public hearing will be cancelled.
September 4, 2024, at 3:00 pm
DEQ Green Square Office Building, 1st Floor Training Room (#1210)
217 West Jones Street, Raleigh, NC 27603; or
Cisco WebEx, Digital Hearing Link: https://tinyurl.com/4wxhrjh9 Event password: NCDAQ
Audio conference: To receive a call back, provide your phone number when you join the event, or call the number below and enter the access code.
US TOLL +1-415-655-0003, Access code: 2434 766 8725
- If you wish to speak at the digital public hearing, you must register, provide the required information, and follow instructions on ways to join the public hearing. Registration must be completed by 1:00 PM on September 4, 2024. To register, please click the following link: https://forms.office.com/g/z91ZPuGBQ5
- For instructions on ways to join the public hearing, please refer to the following link: https://www.deq.nc.gov/about/boards-and-commissions/how-attend-webex-meeting
- If you have technical difficulties, the following automated voicemail has been set up to receive your verbal comments: 919-707-8429
All persons interested in these matters are invited to attend the public hearing.
Any person desiring to comment is requested to submit a written statement for inclusion in the record of proceedings at the public hearing. Please note that the hearing officer may limit the length of oral presentations if many people wish to speak. The public comment period is open beginning August 1, 2024, through September 4, 2024. To be included in the hearing record, all comments must be postmarked, emailed, or received by the Division (if delivering in person) no later than September 4, 2024.
Information
Copies of the Pre-hearing Draft of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) Revision and Clean Air Act (CAA) Section 110(l) Noninterference Demonstration to Remove 19 counties from North Carolina’s Motor Vehicle Emissions Inspection and Maintenance (I&M) Program may be downloaded from the DAQ website.
Alternatively, comments or requests for a public hearing can be mailed or faxed to:
Randy Strait
NC Division of Air Quality
1641 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1641
919-707-8721 Fax
daq.publiccomments@deq.nc.gov
(Please type “Remove 19 Counties from IM Program” in the subject line)
Copies of the proposals may also be reviewed at the regional offices of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Air Quality, located at the following DAQ offices:
- Raleigh Central Office, Planning Section (919) 707-8403
- Raleigh Regional Office (919) 791-4274
- Asheville Regional Office (828) 296-4500
- Fayetteville Regional Office (910) 433-3300
- Mooresville Regional Office (704) 235-2100
- Wilmington Regional Office (910) 796-7215
- Winston-Salem Regional Office (336) 776-9800