Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; West Virginia; Approval of Redesignation Requests of the West Virginia Portion of the Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV Nonattainment Area for the 1997 Annual and 2006 24-Hour Fine Particulate Matter Standards

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving the State of West Virginia's requests to redesignate to attainment the West Virginia portion of the Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV nonattainment area (hereafter "the Steubenville-Weirton Area" or "the Area") for both the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour fine particulate matter (PM<INF>2.5</INF>) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS or standards). EPA is also approving as a revision to the West Virginia State Implementation Plan (SIP), the associated maintenance plans to show maintenance of the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM<INF>2.5</INF> NAAQS through 2025 for the West Virginia portion of the Area. West Virginia's maintenance plans include insignificance findings for the mobile source contribution of PM<INF>2.5</INF> and nitrogen oxides (NO<INF>X</INF>) emissions to the West Virginia portion of the Area for both the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM<INF>2.5</INF> standards, which EPA agrees with and is approving for transportation conformity purposes. In addition, EPA is approving the 2008 emissions inventory for the West Virginia portion of the Area for the 2006 24- hour PM<INF>2.5</INF> NAAQS. EPA has taken a separate rulemaking action to approve the redesignation of the Ohio portion of the Steubenville- Weirton Area for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM<INF>2.5</INF> NAAQS. These actions are being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).