Air Quality Implementation Plans; Alabama; Attainment Plan for the Alabama Portion of the Chattanooga 1997 Annual PM2.5 Nonattainment Area

EPA is taking final action to approve the State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Alabama, through the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) to EPA on October 7, 2009, for the purpose of providing for attainment of the 1997 fine particulate matter (PM<INF>2.5</INF>) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) in the Alabama portion of the tri-state Chattanooga PM<INF>2.5</INF> nonattainment area (hereafter referred to as the "Chattanooga Area" or "Area"). The Chattanooga Area is comprised of Catoosa and Walker Counties in Georgia; Hamilton County in Tennessee; and a portion of Jackson County in Alabama. The Alabama SIP revision (hereafter referred to as the "attainment plan") pertains only to the Alabama portion of the Chattanooga Area (hereafter referred to as "Jackson County"). EPA is now taking final action to approve Alabama's October 7, 2009, SIP revision regarding reasonably available control technology (RACT) and reasonably available control measures (RACM); reasonable further progress (RFP); contingency measures; and, for transportation conformity purposes, an insignificance determination for PM<INF>2.5</INF> and nitrogen oxides (NO<INF>X</INF>) for the mobile source contribution to ambient PM<INF>2.5</INF> levels for the Alabama portion of the Chattanooga Area. This action is being taken in accordance with the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) and the "Clean Air Fine Particle Implementation Rule," hereafter referred to as the "PM<INF>2.5</INF> Implementation Rule," issued by EPA on April 25, 2007.