Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Illinois

On September 8, 1997, the State of Illinois submitted a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision request to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which tightens Volatile Organic Material (VOM) regulations for cold cleaning degreasing operations in the Chicago and Metro-East ozone nonattainment areas. VOM, as defined by the State of Illinois, is identical to ``Volatile Organic Compounds'' (VOC), as defined by EPA. VOM combines with oxides of nitrogen in the atmosphere to form ground-level ozone, commonly known as smog. Exposure to ozone is associated with a wide variety of human health effects, agricultural crop loss, and damage to forests and ecosystems. The State intends to include the tightened cold cleaning degreasing regulations as part of its 1999 and 2002 Rate-Of-Progress (ROP) Plans. Illinois expects that the control measures specified in this SIP revision will reduce VOM emissions by 11.35 tons per day (TPD) by 1999 in the Chicago area and 0.79 TPD by 1999 in the Metro-East area. This rulemaking action approves, through direct final, the Illinois SIP revision request.