Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans and Designation of Areas for Air Quality Planning Purposes; State of Louisiana; Approval of the Maintenance Plan for the New Orleans Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA); Redesignation of the New Orleans CMSA To Attainment

On October 15, 1994, the State of Louisiana submitted a revised maintenance plan and request to redesignate the New Orleans CMSA ozone nonattainment area to attainment. The New Orleans CMSA is comprised of six parishes: Jefferson, Orleans, St. Charles, St. Bernard, St. John the Baptist, and St. Tammany. Maintenance and contingency plans are not included in the action for the parishes of St. John the Baptist and St. Tammany. St. John the Baptist Parish was previously redesignated to attainment, and St. Tammany Parish has never been designated as nonattainment. This maintenance plan and redesignation request was initially submitted to the EPA on April 23, 1993. Although the EPA deemed this initial submittal complete on September 10, 1993, certain approvability issues existed. The State of Louisiana addressed these approvability issues and has revised its submissions. Under the Clean Air Act (CAA), nonattainment areas may be redesignated to attainment if sufficient data are available to warrant the redesignation and the area meets the other CAA redesignation requirements. In this action, EPA is approving Louisiana's redesignation request because it meets the maintenance plan and redesignation requirements set forth in the CAA, and EPA is approving the 1990 base year emissions inventory. The approved maintenance plan will become a federally enforceable part of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) for Louisiana.