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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 44 / Tuesday, March 9, 2021 / Proposed Rules
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or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions audio, video, etc. must be accompanied by a written comment.
The written comment is considered the official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish to make. EPA will generally not consider comments or comment contents located outside of the primary submission i.e.
on the web, cloud, or other file sharing system. For additional submission methods, please contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section. For the full EPA public comment policy, information about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general guidance on making effective comments, please visit http www2.epa.gov/dockets/
commenting-epa-dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Amy Johansen, Permits Branch 3AD10, Air & Radiation Division, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103. The telephone number is 215 8142156.
Ms. Johansen can also be reached via electronic mail at johansen.amy@
epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 10, 2020, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania formally submitted a SIP
revision to the Pennsylvania SIP. This SIP submission amends PADEPs 25 Pa.
Code Chapters 121 relating to general provisions and 127, Subchapter E
relating to new source review. This proposed SIP revision establishes that emissions of volatile organic compounds VOC and ammonia are precursors to PM2.5 for new and modified major sources emitting PM2.5
in Pennsylvania nonattainment areas;
establishes a significance level for PM2.5;
proposes emission offset ratios for emissions of VOC and ammonia as PM2.5 precursors; and amends relevant definitions. The relevant PADEP
regulations were adopted by PADEP and became effective upon publication on December 21, 2019.
For more information related to EPAs proposed approval of this SIP revision, please refer to EPAs Technical Support Document TSD, located in Docket ID
No. EPAR03OAR20200416 at https www.regulations.gov.
I. Background A. 2012 PM2.5 NAAQS
Airborne particulate matter with a nominal aerodynamic diameter of 2.5
micrometers or less are fine particles, and are also known as PM2.5. See 77 FR
44198 July 27, 2012. Fine particles in the atmosphere are made up of a
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complex mixture of components, including sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, elemental carbon, organic compounds, and inorganic material. There are substantial health effects associated with exposure to PM2.5 emissions.
Epidemiological studies have shown a significant correlation between elevated PM2.5 levels and premature mortality.
Other important health effects associated with PM2.5 exposure include aggravation of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, lung disease, decreased lung function, asthma attacks, and certain cardiovascular problems.
Individuals particularly sensitive to PM2.5 exposure include older adults, people with heart and lung disease, and children. See 70 FR 65984 November 1, 2005.
EPA has revised the NAAQS for PM2.5
on multiple occasions, most recently in 2012. On December 14, 2012, the annual primary standard for PM2.5 was lowered from 15 micrograms per meter cubed mg/m3 to 12 mg/m3. See 78 FR 3087
January 15, 2013. The existing 24-hour standards primary and secondary were retained at 35 mg/m3, as was the annual secondary standard of 15 mg/m3. Upon promulgation of the 2012 PM2.5 NAAQS, EPA formally classified all of Delaware County and Lebanon County, Pennsylvania as moderate nonattainment for the 2012 annual PM2.5 standard. See 80 FR 2206 January 15, 2015.1
B. Purpose of SIP Revision For areas designated as nonattainment for one or more NAAQS, the SIP must include preconstruction permit requirements for new or modified major stationary sources of such nonattainment pollutants, commonly referred to as Nonattainment New Source Review. See CAA section 172c5.
PADEPs SIP revision revises NNSR
permit requirements for major sources of PM2.5. Specifically, PADEPs 25 Pa.
Code Chapters 121 and 127 have been amended to implement additional provisions pertaining to PM2.5
precursors, as promulgated in EPAs rule entitled Fine Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards: State Implementation Plan Requirements 2016 Implementation Rule. 81 FR 58010 August 24, 2016.
As required by EPAs 2016
Implementation Rule, which implements the D.C. Circuit courts
January 2013 decision in NRDC v. EPA,2
areas classified as nonattainment for any PM2.5 NAAQS are required to comply with the parts of CAA subpart 4 section 189e 3 that require the control of major sources of PM10 precursors and hence under the court decision, PM2.5
precursors except where the Administrator determines that such sources do not contribute significantly to PM10 levels which exceed the standard in the area. The 2016
Implementation Rule amended the definitions of 1 regulated NSR
pollutant with regard to PM2.5
precursors; 2 major stationary source with regard to major sources of direct PM2.5 emissions and PM2.5
precursors locating in PM2.5
nonattainment areas classified as moderate and serious; and 3
significant with regard to emissions of direct PM2.5 and its precursors.
C. EPAs Findings of Failure To Submit On April 6, 2018, EPA issued its final Findings of Failure to Submit PM2.5 SIP
revisions Findings to three states, including Pennsylvania. See 83 FR
14759. EPAs Findings apply to states with overdue SIP revisions for areas initially designated as nonattainment and classified as moderate for the 2012
PM2.5 NAAQS on April 15, 2015, which included both Delaware and Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. In its Findings, EPA found that Pennsylvania failed to submit a timely revision to their SIP as required to satisfy CAA requirements for implementation of the 2012 PM2.5
NAAQS for those counties.
Specific to this rulemaking is PADEPs remedying its previous failure to submit revisions to its NNSR
requirements related to the 2012 PM2.5
NAAQS. PADEP was required to submit its NNSR SIP revision to EPA for approval by October 15, 2016. See 83 FR
14759 April 6, 2018. PADEP did not meet this deadline, hence EPAs issuance of its April 6, 2018 Findings, which became effective as of May 7, 2018. As a result of EPAs Findings, PADEP was given 18 months after the effective date of EPAs Findings to submit all applicable moderate area requirements or the imposition of sanctions would occur for the affected moderate 2012 PM2.5 nonattainment area, the Delaware County and Lebanon County, Pennsylvania nonattainment areas.4 This proposed SIP revision 2 706

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subsequently issued Additional Air Quality Designations and Technical Amendment to Correct Inadvertent Error in Air Quality Designations for the 2012 Primary Annual Fine Particle PM2.5, which impacted Delaware and Lebanon counties.
80 FR 18535, 18549 April 7, 2015.

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F.3d 428 D.C. Cir. 2013.
requirement was codified in 40 CFR
51.165a13. See 81 FR 58010 August 24, 2016.
4 Because EPAs April 6, 2018 Findings became effective on May 7, 2018, the 18-month sanctions clock for PADEP to submit its NNSR SIP revision ended on November 7, 2019.
3 This
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