Purpose
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Division of Air Quality (DAQ), hereby gives notice regarding its pre-hearing draft of the Second Ten-Year Maintenance Plan for The Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, North Carolina Maintenance Area for the 2008 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated the Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, North Carolina area attainment of the 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS effective August 27, 2015 (80 FR 44873). This maintenance plan covers the last 10 years of the 20-year maintenance period, from August 27, 2025, to August 27, 2035, to fulfill the requirements of Section 175A(b) of the federal Clean Air Act (CAA), as amended. Based on the information provided in this second 10-year maintenance plan and criteria established in Section 107(d)(3)(E) of the CAA, North Carolina proposes to request that EPA approve this maintenance plan for the Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury maintenance area. The ozone monitoring data demonstrate that the maintenance area has attained the 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS and maintained the NAAQS every year after redesignation. The maintenance plan also demonstrates that the projected emissions inventories for 2035, the final year of the maintenance plan, as well as the interim year of 2026, are all less than the 2018 base year emissions inventory. In addition, the maintenance plan includes contingency measures to be evaluated for implementation in the event of an air quality violation or other indications of an impending violation. Therefore, maintenance of the 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS will continue to be maintained through the end of the 20-year maintenance period of August 27, 2035.
In addition, the DAQ completed an Interagency Consultation process with its federal, state, and local transportation partners to develop motor vehicle emission budgets (MVEBs) for oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds to support transportation conformity planning analyses. In this submittal, the DAQ proposes to request EPA approval of new MVEBs for 2018 and 2035, and removal of the MVEBs for 2014 and 2026 associated with the first 10-year maintenance plan. The DAQ is not requesting EPA to deem the new budgets for 2018 and 2035 adequate prior to it completing action on this submittal. The DAQ intends to submit a final version of this pre-hearing draft for incorporation into North Carolina’s State Implementation Plan through EPAs State Planning Electronic Collaboration System (SPeCS) web-based system after considering relevant public comments.
Comment Proceedures
Any person wishing to comment may submit a written statement for inclusion in the record of proceedings regarding the pre-hearing draft of the Second Ten-Year Maintenance Plan for The Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, North Carolina Maintenance Area for the 2008 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). Written comments should be submitted electronically to daq.publiccomments@deq.nc.gov or postmarked no later than Friday, December 20, 2024. (Please type “Charlotte Maintenance Plan” in the subject line).
Request for a Public Hearing
Requests for a public hearing must be in writing and include a statement supporting the need for such a hearing, an indication of your interest in the subject, and a brief summary of the information intended to be offered. A public hearing will be scheduled if requested. A separate notice will be announced for the hearing including the date, time, location, and other details.
Information
Copies of the pre-hearing draft of the Second Ten-Year Maintenance Plan for The Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, North Carolina Maintenance Area for the 2008 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) may be downloaded from the DAQ website at https://www.deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/air-quality/air-quality-planning/state-implementation-plans-sips/charlottegastoniasalisbury-nc-2008-8-hour-ozone-area.
Alternatively, comments or requests for a public hearing can be mailed to:
Tammy Manning
NC Division of Air Quality
1641 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1641
919-707-8717 Phone
daq.publiccomments@deq.nc.gov
(Please type “Charlotte Maintenance Plan” in the subject line)
Copies of the proposals may also be reviewed at the DAQ’s Mooresville Regional Office, (704) 235-2100.
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.