Notice of action: The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking comments and announcing a public comment period on a proposed update to the mobile vehicle emission budgets (MVEBs) for nitrogen oxides (NO_X) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) applicable to the Northern Virginia 2008 ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) maintenance area.  The Commonwealth intends to submit the updated MVEBs as a revision to the Virginia State Implementation Plan (SIP) in accordance with the federal Clean Air Act.  The SIP is the plan developed by Virginia to fulfill its responsibilities under the Act to attain and maintain the NAAQS promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Purpose of notice: DEQ is seeking comments on the MVEB updates associated with the 2008 ozone maintenance plan covering the Northern Virginia portion of the Metropolitan Washington, DC-MD-VA 2008 ozone NAAQS maintenance area.  The Northern Virginia portion of the Metropolitan Washington, DC-MD-VA 2008 ozone maintenance area consists of the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park.

Public comment period: July 17, 2023, to August 16, 2023.

Public hearing: DEQ will hold a public hearing on August 16, 2023, 11:00 a.m. EDT in Conference Room #2 at the Northern Regional Office, 13901 Crown Court, Woodbridge, VA, 22193.

Description of proposal: The proposal consists of updates to the MVEBs as well as a description of the techniques used to develop those budgets.  The proposal was prepared by the Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee (MWAQC), which consists of elected officials from the affected localities and representatives of state transportation and air quality planning agencies.

The complete proposal is available at: https://www.mwcog.org/documents/2023/06/13/washington-dc-md-va-2008-ozone-naaqs-maintenance-plan-air-quality-air-quality-conformity-ozone/.

Federal information: This notice is being given to satisfy the public participation requirements of federal regulations (40 CFR 51.102). The proposed inventory and supporting technical documents will be submitted as a revision to the Commonwealth of Virginia SIP under § 110(a) of the federal Clean Air Act in accordance with 40 CFR 51.104.

How to comment: DEQ accepts written comments by email, fax, and postal mail.  To be considered, comments must include the full name, address, and telephone number of the person commenting and be received by DEQ no later than the last day of the comment period.  A cover page with recipient designation must be part of each fax. DEQ prefers that all comments be provided in writing, along with any supporting documents or exhibits. Comments must be submitted to Doris A. McLeod, Air Quality Planner, Department of Environmental Quality, 1111 East Main St, P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, Virginia 23219 (phone 804-659-1990, fax 804-698-4178, email doris.mcleod@deq.virginia.gov). All materials received are part of the public record.

To review the proposal: The proposal and any supporting documents are available on the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments web site:  https://www.mwcog.org/documents/2023/06/13/washington-dc-md-va-2008-ozone-naaqs-maintenance-plan-air-quality-air-quality-conformity-ozone/

The documents may also be obtained by contacting the DEQ representative named above. The public may review the documents between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm of each business day until the close of the public comment period at the following DEQ locations: 1) DEQ Main Street Office, 22nd Floor, 1111 E. Main St, Richmond VA, 804-659-1990 and 2) Northern Regional Office, 13901 Crown Court, Woodbridge VA, 703-583-3800.