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United States: EcoZone Blog: Approvals And Promulgations Of Implementation Plans: Texas; Reasonably Available Control Technology For 1997 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard
The EPA is proposing to approve revisions to the Texas State
Implementation Plan (SIP) for the Houston/Galveston/Brazoria (HGB)
1997 8-Hour ozone nonattainment Area (Area). The HGB Area consists
of Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty,
Montgomery and Waller counties.
EPA is proposing to approve portions of two revisions to the
Texas SIP submitted by the Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality (TCEQ) as meeting certain Reasonably Available Control
Technology (RACT) requirements for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
and Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX) in the HGB Area. Voluntary mobile
source strategies complement existing regulatory programs through
voluntary, non-regulatory changes in local transportation
activities or changes in in-use vehicle and engine composition. The
EPA believes that the Act allows SIP credit for new approaches to
reducing mobile source emissions, where supported by enforceable
commitments to monitor and assess implementation and backfill any
emissions reductions shortfall in a timely fashion. This flexible
approach is consistent with the Clean Air Act section 110. Economic
incentive provisions are also available in sections 182 and 108 of
the Act. Credits generated through VMEP can be counted toward
attainment and maintenance of the NAAQS.
Comment Submission Date: October 19,2012
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