Determination of Attainment, Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans and Designation of Areas for Air Quality Planning Purposes; Indiana; Redesignation of LaPorte County to Attainment for Ozone

On May 30, 2006, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) submitted a request for EPA approval of redesignation of LaPorte County to attainment of the 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). In this submittal, IDEM also requested EPA approval of an Indiana State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision containing a plan to maintain the ozone standard in LaPorte County through 2020 and established 2020 motor vehicle Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and Nitrogen Oxides (NO<INF>X</INF>) emission budgets for LaPorte County. EPA is making a determination that LaPorte County, Indiana has attained the 8-hour ozone NAAQS. This determination is based on three years of complete, quality assured ambient air quality monitoring data for the 2003-2005 ozone seasons that demonstrate that the 8-hour ozone NAAQS has been attained in LaPorte County. Quality assured monitoring data for 2006 show that the area continues to attain the ozone standard. EPA is approving, as a SIP revision, the State's ozone maintenance plan for LaPorte County. As a result, Indiana has satisfied the criteria for redesignation of LaPorte County to attainment of the 8-hour ozone NAAQS, and EPA is approving Indiana's ozone redesignation request for this area. Further, EPA is approving, for purposes of transportation conformity, the motor vehicle emission budgets (MVEBs) for VOC and NO<INF>X</INF> for the year 2020 that are contained in the 8-hour ozone maintenance plan for this area.