Approval of Air Quality Implementation Plans; California; Eastern Kern; 8-Hour Ozone Nonattainment Area Requirements

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final action to approve, or conditionally approve, all or portions of three state implementation plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of California to meet Clean Air Act (CAA or "the Act") requirements for the 2008 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS or "standards") in the Eastern Kern, California ("Eastern Kern") ozone nonattainment area. In this action, the EPA refers to these submittals collectively as the "2017 Eastern Kern Ozone SIP." The 2017 Eastern Kern Ozone SIP addresses certain nonattainment area requirements for the 2008 ozone NAAQS, including the requirements for an emissions inventory, attainment demonstration, reasonable further progress, reasonably available control measures, contingency measures, among others; and establishes motor vehicle emissions budgets. The EPA is taking final action to approve the 2017 Eastern Kern Ozone SIP as meeting all the applicable ozone nonattainment area requirements except for the contingency measure requirement, for which the EPA is taking final action to conditionally approve, and the reasonably available control measures and attainment demonstration requirements, for which the EPA is deferring action at this time.