Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Plans; Wisconsin; Post-1996 Rate of Progress Plan for the Milwaukee-Racine Ozone Nonattainment Area

The EPA is approving the post-1996 Rate-Of-Progress (ROP) plan submitted by the State of Wisconsin for the Milwaukee-Racine ozone nonattainment area, as a requested revision of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) for ozone. A post-1996 ROP plan is required for the Milwaukee-Racine ozone nonattainment area under the Clean Air Act (Act). The purpose of the post-1996 ROP plan is to incrementally provide for progress toward attainment of the 1-hour ozone standard in the Milwaukee-Racine ozone nonattainment area by reducing ground-level ozone precursor emissions. The submitted plan, which covers the period of 1996 through 1999 and emission reductions occurring by November 15, 1999, shows that Wisconsin reduced emissions of volatile organic (VOC), ozone-forming pollutants, by the amounts required by the Act. We proposed approval of this SIP revision submittal on June 22, 2001.