Approval and Promulgation of State Implementation Plans; New Jersey; RACT Certifications for the 2008 and 2015 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards
Key claim: EPA is signing off that New Jersey’s existing air-pollution rules already meet federal Reasonably Available Control Technology requirements for the 2008 and 2015 ozone standards, including Ozone Transport Region duties.
Abstract
(Rule · Environmental Protection Agency) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of New Jersey for purposes of certifying and meeting the requirements for Reasonably Available Control Technology (RACT) for the Serious classification of the 2008 and the Moderate classification of the 2015 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The EPA is also approving that the SIP revisions fulfill SIP requirements pertaining to the Ozone Transport Region (OTR) for the 2015 ozone NAAQS. These actions are being taken in accordance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA).
Why this matters
RACT certifications are the workhorse mechanism by which EPA confirms that a state’s existing VOC and NOx control rules satisfy ozone NAAQS obligations without triggering new source-category requirements. For New Jersey — a long-standing Ozone Transport Region state — this sign-off keeps the current control regime in place and avoids additional SIP-driven tightening on industrial sources.