[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 181 (Monday, September 18, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56310-56311]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-23939]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[MT-001-0021 and SD-001-0009; FRL-6871-6]


Availability of Reports on Progress Made Toward the National 
Visibility Goal in Montana and South Dakota

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Federal regulations require states to develop a long-term 
strategy for achieving the National goal of preventing any future and 
remedying any existing manmade visibility impairment in mandatory Class 
I Federal areas. The long-term strategy must be periodically reviewed, 
and revised as appropriate, and a report must be provided to the public 
and the EPA Administrator. Since Montana and South Dakota never adopted 
long-term strategies, EPA incorporated a federal long-term strategy 
into their State Implementation Plans (SIPs) which commits EPA to 
periodically review the strategies and report its findings to the 
public. EPA has conducted the required reviews and is announcing the 
availability of the reports.
    In Montana, visibility data were available for about half of the 12 
mandatory Class I Federal areas. There were no clear visibility 
improvement or degradation trends at any of the areas for which data 
were available. Although optical data for Glacier National Park showed 
no trend through 1996, there was an apparent decline in visibility in 
1997. Additional data are required to determine if 1997 marks the 
beginning of a trend or represents an anomaly.
    In South Dakota, visibility data were available for the two 
mandatory Class I Federal areas. Long-term trends for Badlands National 
Park are difficult to determine due to inconsistencies in the data, 
however, some data indicate a slight degradation on the most-impaired 
days. Although the results of this review are inconclusive, there is a 
particular need to monitor trends closely in this park.
    New visibility monitoring sites are planned for installation at 
several Montana mandatory Class I Federal areas in the near future and 
other new visibility monitoring sites already have been installed in 
the region of the South Dakota Class I areas. Data from these and other 
existing monitoring sites will be useful in evaluating visibility 
impairment in future long-term strategy reviews.

EFFECTIVE DATE: September 18, 2000.

[[Page 56311]]


ADDRESSES: The reports are available for public inspection during 
normal business hours at the Air and Radiation Program, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Region VIII, 999 18th Street, Suite 500, Denver, 
Colorado, 80202-2405. Interested persons should contact the person 
listed below to arrange a time to view these documents.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Platt, Environmental Protection 
Agency, Region VIII, (303) 312-6449.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 169A of the Clean Air Act requires 
visibility protection for mandatory Class I Federal areas where 
visibility has been determined to be an important value. The National 
visibility goal set forth in Section 169A(a)(1) is to prevent any 
future and remedy any existing manmade visibility impairment in these 
mandatory Class I Federal areas.
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated 
regulations governing visibility on December 2, 1980 (codified in 40 
CFR 51.300-51.307). These regulations include, among other things, 
requirements for states to revise their State Implementation Plans 
(SIPs) to ensure reasonable progress toward achieving the National 
visibility goal through the implementation of visibility monitoring, 
visibility new source review, and a long-term strategy (a 10-15 year 
plan for achieving the National visibility goal).
    Neither Montana nor South Dakota adopted a visibility long-term 
strategy to meet the requirements of 40 CFR 51.306.
    Therefore, on November 24, 1987 (see 52 FR 45132) EPA promulgated a 
new Sec. 52.29 which incorporated a federal long-term strategy into the 
SIPs for Montana and South Dakota. This new section commits EPA to 
periodic reviews of the long-term strategy and reporting required by 40 
CFR 51.306(c).
    Under 40 CFR 52.29, EPA must conduct a periodic review, and 
revision if appropriate, of the long-term strategy. The resulting 
report on progress made toward the National visibility goal must be 
made available to the public. EPA has completed the review for Montana 
and South Dakota and is fulfilling the reporting requirements.
    This notice today informs the public and identifies the appropriate
    EPA regional office from which the public may gain further 
information and view the reports on progress made toward the National 
visibility goal in Montana and South Dakota.

    Dated: September 12, 2000.
Carol M. Browner,
EPA Administrator.
[FR Doc. 00-23939 Filed 9-15-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-U