Partial Removal of Direct Final Rule Provisions Concerning the California State Implementation Plan, Bay Area Air Quality Management District

On October 30, 2003 (68 FR 61753), EPA published a direct final approval of a revision to the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). This revision concerned the following Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) rules: Rule 8-14--Surface Preparation and Coating of Large Appliances and Metal Furniture; BAAQMD Rule 8-19-- Surface Preparation and Coating of Miscellaneous Metal Parts and Products; BAAQMD Rule 8-31--Surface Preparation and Coating of Plastic Parts and Products; and, BAAQMD Rule 8-43--Surface Preparation and Coating of Marine Vessels. The direct final action was published without prior proposal because EPA anticipated no adverse comment. The direct final rule stated that if adverse comments were received by December 1, 2003, EPA would publish a timely withdrawal in the Federal Register. EPA received timely adverse comments. Consequently, with this revision, we are removing the direct final approval of BAAQMD Rules 8- 14 and 8-19. EPA will either address the comments in a subsequent final action based on the parallel proposal also published on October 30, 2003 (68 FR 61782), or repropose an alternative action. As stated in the parallel proposal, EPA will not institute a second comment period on the subsequent final action. The other rules approved in the October 30, 2003, direct final action, BAAQMD Rules 8-31 and 8-43, are not affected by this partial removal and are incorporated into the SIP as of the effective date of the October 30, 2003, direct final action.