Air Quality Designations for the 2010 Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard-Round 3

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Environmental Protection Agency 40 CFR Part 81 [EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0003; FRL-9972-73-OAR] AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This final rule establishes the initial air quality designations for certain areas in the United States (U.S.) for the 2010 sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is designating the areas as either Nonattainment, Attainment/Unclassifiable, or Unclassifiable. The designations are based on application of the EPA's nationwide analytical approach and technical analysis, including evaluation of monitoring data and air quality modeling, to determine the appropriate designation based on the weight of evidence for each area. The Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) directs areas designated Nonattainment by this rule to undertake certain planning and pollution control activities to attain the SO 2 NAAQS as expeditiously as practicable. This is the third of four expected sets of actions to designate areas of the U.S. for the 2010 SO 2 NAAQS. DATES: The final rule is effective on April 9, 2018. ADDRESSES: The EPA has established a docket for this action under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0003. All documents in the docket are listed in the index at http://www.regulations.gov website. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., Confidential Business Information or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute…