Finding of Substantial Inadequacy of Implementation Plan; Call for California State Implementation Plan Revision; South Coast

In response to a remand by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and pursuant to the Clean Air Act, EPA is taking final action to find that the California State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the Los Angeles-South Coast Air Basin is substantially inadequate to comply with the obligation to adopt and implement a plan providing for attainment of the 1-hour ozone standard. In response to this finding, California is required to submit a SIP revision correcting this deficiency within 12 months of the effective date of this rule. If EPA finds that California has failed to submit a complete SIP revision as required by this final rule, or if EPA disapproves such a revision, such finding or disapproval would trigger clocks for mandatory sanctions and an obligation for EPA to impose a Federal Implementation Plan. EPA is also taking final action establishing the order in which mandatory sanctions would apply in the event that EPA makes a finding of failure to submit a SIP revision or disapproves the SIP revision. Specifically, the offset sanction would apply 18 months after such finding or disapproval and highway funding restrictions would apply six months later. Sanctions would not apply if EPA first takes action to stay the imposition of the sanctions or to stop the sanctions clock based on a preliminary or final determination that the State has corrected the SIP deficiencies.