Texas, Beaumont/Port Arthur Fifteen Percent Rate-of-Progress (15% ROP) Plan Summary


Purpose of Plan:  To reduce volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions in the Beaumont/Port Arthur 1-hour ozone nonattainment area by at least fifteen percent from a 1990 baseline by November 15, 1996.

Areas Covered:  The Beaumont/Port Arthur (BPA) ozone nonattainment area consists of Hardin, Jefferson, and Orange counties in Texas.
Type of Pollutant: Ozone (O₃)

Status of Texas SIP in U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR):

      The status of all State Implementation Plans (SIPs) is given in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 40, Part 52 (40 CFR 52), Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans.  Revisions to State SIPs are published in the Federal Register (FR).

      The status of the Texas SIP is given in 40 CFR Part 52, Subpart SS, Sections 52.2270 to 52.2309.  Until July 7, 1999, Section 52.2270, Identification of plan, was used to identify revisions to the Texas SIP.  On July 7, 1999 (64 FR 36586), EPA moved the Identification-of-plan paragraphs in  52.2270 to a new 52.2299 and replaced the paragraphs in 52.2270 with a list of the elements in Texas SIP.  The purpose of this action was to more clearly identify the provisions that constitute the enforceable elements of the Texas SIP.  None of the other sections in Subpart SS were affected by the July 7, 1999, Federal Register action.  See the Texas SIP Map record in the Region 6 SIP Regulations web site for more information.  The "TXc" and "TXd" numbers used in this summary are cross-references with the Identification-of-plan numbers shown in the Texas SIP Map record.

      The attainment status designation for each NAAQS pollutant for each area in each State is given in 40 CFR Part 81, Subpart C.  The Texas designations are listed in tables in Section 81.344.


Background of Texas 15% Plans:

      The Federal Clean Air Act as amended in 1990 (the Act), authorizes the EPA to designate areas as nonattainment and to classify them according to degree of severity.  Classification, in turn, triggers a set of control requirements designed to bring areas into attainment by their specified attainment dates.

      The Beaumont-Port Arthur Area originally was classified as a serious ozone nonattainment area on November 6, 1991 (56 FR 56694).  The area’s classification was corrected to moderate on April 2, 1996 (61 FR 14496).

     The Act requires all ozone nonattainment areas classified as moderate and above to submit a SIP revision by November 15, 1993, which describes, in part, how these areas will achieve an actual reduction in VOC emissions of at least 15 percent, from a 1990 baseline, during the first six years after enactment of the Act (i.e., by November 15, 1996).  These plans are referred to at the 15 percent rate-of-progress plans or 15% ROP Plans or 15% Plans.  The Act also sets limitations on the credit ability of certain types of reductions.

      The EPA approved on November 8, 1994, (59 FR 55589) the 1990 base year emission inventory for the Beaumont/Port Arthur ozone nonattainment area submitted by Texas on November 17, 1992.   The emission inventory for each area is the base from which a state determines the required reductions in the 15% ROP plan for each area.  As discussed below, EPA approved revisions to the Beaumont/Port Arthur area’s 1990 base year emission inventories.

      Texas first adopted measures for the 15% ROP Plan and its required contingency measures plan for the Beaumont/Port Arthur area in two phases. Phase I was submitted to the EPA on November 13, 1993, and contained measures achieving the bulk of the required reductions.  Phase II was submitted May 9, 1994.  The Phase II submittal was to make up the shortfall in reductions not achieved by the Phase I measures.

      On August 3, 1994, Texas submitted Alternate Means of Control (AMOC) rules contained in Texas TAC Chapter 115, Sections 115.901 to 115.923, which established procedures for a facility to request use of an AMOC plan in lieu of complying with control requirements of Chapter 115, relating to the control of air pollution from volatile organic compounds.  The State adopted on November 9, 1994, and submitted to EPA on November 14, 1994, a narrative explanation and justification of the AMOC process, with their Post-1996 ROP plans for the Houston/Galveston and Beaumont/Port Arthur areas.  When EPA corrected the Beaumont area’s classification to moderate, the area was no longer subject to the Post-1996 ROP plan requirements.

     The EPA analyzed the November 13, 1993, May 9, 1994, and August 3, 1994,  submittals and determined that the measures did not achieve the required 15% reductions. Among other reasons, there was a shortfall because the inspection and maintenance (I/M) program, included in the 15% ROP plan, had subsequently been repealed by the State.  On January 29, 1996 (61 FR 2751) EPA proposed a  limited disapproval of the Beaumont/Port Arthur area’s 15% plan and its contingency plan because the plan did not achieve the total required percentage of reductions.  
     
On August 9, 1996, the State submitted revisions to the 15% ROP plan for the Beaumont/Port Arthur ozone nonattainment area.  This included revisions to the 1990 base year inventories, the 15% ROP Plan, the contingency measures plan, and the motor vehicle emission budgets.  The State submitted control measures in the 15% ROP plan revision to replace the credits lost from the Texas I/M program.  Furthermore, an I/M program was no longer required for the Beaumont/Port Arthur area because the 1995 I/M flexibility amendments (60 FR 48029, September 18, 1995) set a population requirement of 200,000 or more for a 1990 Census_defined urbanized area to implement a program. The EPA fully approved on February 10, 1998 (63 FR 6659, TXc107), the Beaumont/Port Arthur area’s  1990 base year emissions inventory, the 15% ROP plan, the associated contingency measures plan, and the motor vehicle emission budgets.


As stated in the beginning of this summary, on July 7, 1999 (64 FR 36586, TXd01), the EPA moved the Identification_of_plan paragraphs in 40 CFR 52.2270 to a new 40 CFR 52.2299 and replaced the paragraphs in 40 CFR 52.2270 with a list of the elements in Texas SIP.  The purpose of this action was to clearly identify the provisions that constitute the enforceable elements of the Texas SIP.  A list of Texas SIP-approved State regulations was placed in 52.2270(c) "EPA approved regulations" in the table entitled "EPA Approved Regulations in the Texas SIP."  A list of SIP-approved plans that are not regulations was placed in the second table in 52.2270(e) entitled  "EPA Approved Nonregulatory Provisions and Quasi_ Regulatory Measures in the Texas SIP."  Included in this table is the 15% ROP Plan for the Beaumont/Port Arthur nonattainment area approved by EPA February 10, 1998 (63 FR 6659, TXc107) at 52.2270(c)(107).
     

SUMMARY OF THE BEAUMONT/PORT ARTHUR FIFTEEN PERCENT PLAN

Fifteen Percent Rate-of-Progress Plan Narrative:

Approved by EPA February 10, 1998 (63 FR 6663) at 52.2270(c)(107):
      The SIP narrative plan and tables entitled, "Revisions to the State Implementation Plan for the Control of Ozone Air Pollution," as it applies to the Beaumont/Port Arthur area dated July 24, 1996.

1990 Base Year Emissions Inventories:

The emissions inventory approved by the EPA as part of the Texas 15% plans is listed in 40 CFR 52.2309, Emission inventories.

      The EPA approved on November 8, 1994, (59 FR 55589) the original 1990 base year emission inventory for the Beaumont/Port Arthur ozone nonattainment area submitted by the State November 17, 1992.  On February 10, 1998 (63 FR 06659, TXc107) EPA approved at 52.2309(d) the revised 1990 base year emissions inventory submitted by the State August 9, 1996, for the Beaumont/Port Arthur Area.


 1990 Base Year Emissions Inventory for Beaumont/Port Arthur Area
       Source:  63 FR 6661 (February 10, 1998), Table 1
Approved by EPA February 10, 1998 (63 FR 06659, TXc107) at 52.2309(d)

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                         Beaumont / Port Arthur
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    Point        Area       On-Road      Non-Road       Total
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   245.35        30.63        19.11        18.44       313.53

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Control Measures approved as part of the BPA 15% ROP Plan:

      Control measures for the Beaumont/Port Arthur Area 15% ROP Plan approved by EPA February 10, 1998 (63 FR 06659, TXc107) at 52.2270(c)(107).

      Summary Emission Reductions for Beaumont/Port Arthur (Tons/day)
             Source:  63 FR 6662 (February 10, 1998), Table 3
Summary of the control measures and their projected emissions reductions used to achieve the 15 percent target.

________________________________________________________________________
Required reduction (Tons/Day).................................     57.79
  RACT Catchup................................................      9.88
  TSDF........................................................      0.01
  Vehicle Refueling (Stage II)................................      1.96
  General Vent Gas............................................     11.75
  Benzene NESHAPS.............................................      0.28
  FMVCP Tier I................................................      0.21
  Vessel Cleaning.............................................      0.02
  Fugitives...................................................     17.46
  RE Floating Roof Tank.......................................     25.62
  RE Improvements (excluding floating roof tank)..............      5.04
  Gas Utility Engines.........................................      0.95
  Stage I.....................................................      1.49
  Architectural Coatings......................................      0.45
  Consumer/Commercial Products................................      0.38
  Traffic Markings............................................      0.05
  High Performance Maintenance................................      0.05
  Other Special Purpose.......................................      0.12
      Total Estimated Reductions..............................     75.71
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Motor Vehicle Emissions Budgets:

   1996 VOC Motor Vehicle Emissions Budget for Beaumont/Port Arthur Area
             Source:  63 FR 6662 (February 10, 1998), Table 4
 Approved by EPA February 10, 1998 (63 FR 6659, TXc107) at 52.2270(c)(107)
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                                                                    VOC
                             Area                                 (tons/
                                                                    day)

________________________________________________________________________

Beaumont/Port Arthur..........................................     21.66

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Contingency Measures approved by EPA as part of the Texas 15% ROP plans. 

      Contingency measures for the Beaumont/Port Arthur Area approved by EPA February 10, 1998 (63 FR 06659, TXc107) at 52.2270(c)(107).

   Summary of Contingency Measures: Beaumont/Port Arthur (tons/day)
            Source:  63 FR 6662 (February 10, 1998), Table 7
________________________________________________________________________
Required Contingency..........................................      9.41
Creditable Contingency Reductions:
  Gas Utility Engines.........................................      0.08
  Tier I......................................................      0.69
  Excess from existing measures...............................     17.92
      Total...................................................     18.69
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FEDERAL REGISTERS ACTIONS AFFECTING THE BEAUMONT/PORT ARTHUR
AREA 15% RATE-OF-PROGRESS PLAN.
 

EPA Region 6 Contact:

     Bill Deese (214-665-7253), deese.william@epa.gov

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