Air Plan Approval; GA: Non-Interference Demonstration and Maintenance Plan Revision for Federal Low-Reid Vapor Pressure Requirement in the Atlanta Area

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision that supports a change to the Federal Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) requirements in 13 counties in Atlanta, Georgia. They comprise the following counties: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding, and Rockdale (Atlanta fuel volatility Area). The Atlanta fuel volatility Area is a subset of the Atlanta 15-county 2008 8-hour ozone maintenance area. The 15-county 2008 8-hour ozone maintenance area is comprised of the following counties: Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding, and Rockdale (Atlanta maintenance Area). This approval is based in part on EPA's analysis of whether the SIP revision would interfere with the Atlanta maintenance Area's ability to meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act). On August 15, 2018, Georgia, through the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA EPD), submitted a noninterference demonstration to support its SIP revision requesting that EPA relax the Federal RVP requirements for the Atlanta fuel volatility Area. This SIP revision updates Georgia's 2008 8-hour ozone maintenance plan for the Atlanta maintenance Area and its emissions inventory, the associated motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs), and includes measures to offset the emissions increases expected from the relaxation of the Federal RVP requirements. Georgia's noninterference demonstration concludes that relaxing the Federal RVP requirement from 7.8 pounds per square inch (psi) to 9.0 psi for gasoline sold between June 1 and September 15 of each year in the Atlanta fuel volatility Area would not interfere with attainment or maintenance of any national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS or standards) or with any other CAA requirement. EPA is approving this SIP revision because EPA has determined that the revision is consistent w