Notice of action: The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking comments and announcing a public comment period on a proposed second maintenance plan for the Richmond-Petersburg 1997 ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) maintenance area. The plan shows that emission reductions of nitrogen oxides (NO_X) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the area will continue such that air quality is expected to further improve. The Commonwealth intends to submit the plan 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 in order 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 maintenance plan for the Richmond-Petersburg 1997 ozone maintenance area, which consists of the counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, and Prince George, and the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Richmond, and Petersburg.

Public comment period: September 28 - October 28, 2020.

Public hearing: A public hearing will be conducted if a request is made in writing to the contact listed below. In order to be considered, the request must include the full name, address and telephone number of the person requesting the hearing and be received by DEQ by the last day of the comment period. Notice of the date, time, and location of any requested public hearing will be announced in a separate notice, and another 30-day comment period will be conducted.

Description of proposal: The proposal consists of the following:

1. An air quality maintenance plan for the Richmond-Petersburg 1997 ozone maintenance area consisting of the counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, and Prince George, and the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Richmond, and Petersburg.

2. A comprehensive attainment year inventory of actual emissions from all sources of relevant ozone precursor pollutants (carbon monoxide, NO_X, and VOC) for the year 2014.

3. Air quality data from 2000 to 2019 showing that the area is attaining the 1997 ozone NAAQS with a significant margin of safety.

4. Contingency measures in the unlikely situation where air quality monitors within the area record an exceedance of the 1997 ozone NAAQS.

5. Assurance that the Commonwealth will continue to operate an ozone monitoring network in accordance with 40 CFR Part 58 within the area.

Federal information: This notice is being given to satisfy the public participation requirements of federal regulations (40 CFR 51.102). The proposal will be submitted as a revision to the Virginia SIP under § 110(a) of the federal Clean Air Act in accordance with 40 CFR 51.104. It is planned to submit all provisions of the proposal as a revision to the Commonwealth of Virginia SIP.

How to comment: DEQ accepts written comments by email, fax, and postal mail.  In order 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 the recipient's full mailing address as listed below must be part of each fax. Comments must be submitted to the contact person listed below. All materials received are part of the public record.

To review the proposal: The proposal and any supporting documents are available on the DEQ Air Public Notices for Plans and Programs web site:  https://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Air/PublicNotices/airplansandprograms.aspx.  The documents may also be obtained by contacting the DEQ representative named above. The public may schedule an appointment to 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, 804-698-4249 and 2) Piedmont Regional Office, 4949-A Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA, 804-527-5020.