Notice of Public Comment Period - Certifying NOx and VOC RACT Under Moderate Attainment

NOTICE OF PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD - AIR QUALITY ISSUES
Certifying NOx and VOC RACT Under "Moderate" Attainment

Notice is hereby given that pursuant to 42 U.S. Code § 7410(a)(1), the Air Quality Division (AQD) of the Department of Energy and Environment (Department), located at 1200 First Street NE, 5th Floor, Washington DC, is seeking public comment on a proposed revision of the approved State Implementation Plan ("SIP") for the Reasonably Available Control Technology (RACT) for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) Determination and Certification for the 2015 8-hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

Background

On October 7, 2022, EPA reclassified the District from marginal to moderate nonattainment area for the 2015 8-hour Ozone NAAQS because our ambient ozone levels continued to exceed the marginal requirements at the attainment deadline. (87 Fed. Reg. 60897, October 7, 2022.) The Implementation of the 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone: State Implementation Plan Requirements (83 Fed. Reg. 62998, December 6, 2018) states that areas classified as "moderate" non-attainment for ozone must submit a certification that their existing rules fulfill the 2015 8-hour ozone RACT requirements.

Both NOx and VOCs are significant precursors to the formation of ground-level ozone and therefore need to be regulated to control ground-level ozone. Attaining and maintaining concentrations of ground-level ozone below the health-based standard is crucial because ozone poses a significant threat to human health and can also cause damage to important food crops, forests, and wildlife.

VOC RACT Certification

With this proposed SIP revision, DOEE certifies that the District of Columbia's existing federally-approved SIP meets the Clean Air Act (CAA) RACT moderate nonattainment requirements regarding control of VOCs under the 2015 8-hour ozone NAAQS, except for regulation of screen printing sources. DOEE is currently waiting for EPA SIP approval for our updated Screen Printing Regulations and their accompanying certification (67 DCR 011990). The VOC RACT analysis in this notice has no substantive changes from DOEE's proposal to meet the Ozone Transport Region VOC RACT requirements.

NOx RACT Certification

DOEE is also certifying through this proposed SIP revision that the District's existing federally approved SIP meets the CAA RACT moderate nonattainment requirements regarding control of NOx under the 2015 8-hour ozone NAAQS, with the exceptions of its presumptive NOx RACT regulations and the Alternative NOx RACT provisions. DOEE submitted the previous certification (86 DCR 12420) as an amendment to the District's SIP and is currently waiting for its approval from EPA. DOEE will complete its SIP certification of the three Alternative NOx RACT permits separately from this action. Through this notice, DOEE also proposes to fix a technical error regarding NOx RACT engine limits in Table 18 of the certification analysis.

Proposed SIP revision is in the attachments section below.

Parties wishing to provide comments on this submission as an amendment to the District's SIP must submit their comments in writing within thirty (30) days after publication of this notice in the District of Columbia Register to Mr. Joseph Jakuta by email at [email protected] or by mail or hand delivery to the following address:

DOEE Air Quality Division
ATTN: Joseph Jakuta: NOX & VOC RACT Certification
1200 First Street NE, Fifth Floor
Washington, DC 20002

Interested parties may also request a public hearing concerning submitting this proposed amendment to the District's SIP to the above email or address within 30 days after the publication of this notice. If a request for a public hearing is received too late to hold a hearing during the public comment period, the comment period will be extended through publication of a subsequent notice.