Partial Approval and Partial Disapproval of Air Quality Implementation Plans and Determination of Attainment by the Attainment Date; California; San Joaquin Valley Serious Area and Section 189(d) Plan for Attainment of the 1997 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final action to approve in part and disapprove in part portions of state implementation plan (SIP) revisions submitted by California to address Clean Air Act (CAA) requirements for the 1997 24-hour fine particulate matter (PM<INF>2.5</INF>) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS or "standards") in the San Joaquin Valley PM<INF>2.5</INF> nonattainment area. Specifically, the EPA is approving all but the contingency measures element of the submitted SIP revisions as meeting all applicable "Serious" area and CAA section 189(d) requirements for the 1997 24-hour PM<INF>2.5</INF> NAAQS and is disapproving the contingency measures element. The EPA is also finalizing a determination that the San Joaquin Valley air quality planning area has attained the 1997 24-hour PM<INF>2.5</INF> NAAQS by the applicable attainment date. This determination is based on sufficient, quality-assured, and certified data for 2018-2020. Based on our finding that the San Joaquin Valley area has attained the 1997 24- hour PM<INF>2.5</INF> NAAQS by the applicable attainment date, we are also finalizing a determination that the requirement for contingency measures will no longer apply to the San Joaquin Valley nonattainment area for the 1997 24-hour PM<INF>2.5</INF> NAAQS. Lastly, the EPA is issuing a protective finding for transportation conformity determinations for the disapproval of the contingency measures element.