Air Quality Implementation Plans; California; San Joaquin Valley; 2015 8-Hour Ozone Nonattainment Area Requirements; and California Consumer Products Regulations
Key claim: The EPA is proposing to approve California’s Clean Air Act plan for meeting the 2015 ozone standard in the San Joaquin Valley, as well as statewide regulations limiting volatile organic compounds in consumer products like deodorants and aerosol coatings.
Abstract
(Proposed Rule · Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to approve State implementation plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of California to meet Clean Air Act (CAA or “Act”) requirements for the 2015 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS or “standards”) in the San Joaquin Valley ozone nonattainment area (“San Joaquin Valley” or “SJV”). In this document, the EPA refers to these submissions collectively as the “SJV 70 ppb Ozone SIP.” The EPA proposes to approve the SJV 70 parts per billion (ppb) Ozone SIP as meeting the applicable ozone nonattainment area requirements for emissions inventories, reasonably available control measures, attainment demonstration, rate of progress and reasonable further progress, motor vehicle emissions budgets, and enhanced monitoring. The EPA is also initiating the adequacy process for the budgets included in this SIP submission through this proposed rule. The EPA also proposes to approve two SIP revisions amending the SIP to incorporate changes reflecting updates to California Air Resources Board (CARB) Consumer Products Regulations and Method 310, which apply statewide and upon which the SJV 70 ppb Ozone SIP relies. These regulations concern emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from antiperspirants, deodorants, consumer products, and aerosol coating products, and Method 310 is used to determine the VOC and reactive organic compounds content of these products. The EPA proposes to approve these regulations for purposes of the State’s SIP under the CAA.
Why this matters
The proposal links San Joaquin Valley ozone planning with statewide consumer-product VOC controls intended to reduce ozone-forming emissions. Final approval would make the incorporated state rules federally enforceable, but the proposal itself neither establishes that the Valley meets the ozone standard nor quantifies changes in compliance costs or health outcomes.