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FINAL 2008-2011 STATEWIDE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM <br />AIR QUALITY CONFORMITY <br />Air quality provisions of the Clean Air Act (CAA), as amended, and SAFETEA-LU are intended <br />to ensure that integrated transportation and air quality planning occurs in areas designated by US <br />Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as non-attainment or maintenance areas for criteria air <br />pollutants. Conformity with the air quality State Implementation Plan (SIP) must be demon- <br />strated for Regional Transportation Plans (RTP), Metropolitan and State Transportation Im- <br />provement Programs (MTIP/STIP) and amendments to those documents prior to adoption of the <br />STIP. <br />SAFETEA-LU integrated changes that allow better interaction between transportation confor- <br />mity and planning processes. SAFETEA-LU changed the required frequency for updating trans- <br />portation plans and TIPS. Prior to SAFETEA-LU, transportation plans in non-attainment and <br />maintenance areas had to be updated every three years and TIPS updated every two years; now <br />both transportation plans and TIPs and associated conformity determinations in non-attainment <br />and maintenance areas must be updated every four years in these areas. However, conformity <br />may still need to be determined more frequently than every four years, because an updated or <br />amended transportation plan or TIP still must conform before adoption. MPOs without any air <br />quality designations retain the five-year update requirement for plans. <br />The following MPO areas in Oregon are classified as non-attainment or maintenance areas: <br />Portland/Metro Air Quality Maintenance Area <br />The Portland Metro area is designated as maintenance for carbon monoxide (CO). The Portland <br />Metro area is also designated as maintenance for ozone. A regional emissions analysis is re- <br />quired for the pollutant CO, but is not required for ozone. <br />The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) last made a conformity determination <br />on Metro's 2004-2025 RTP on March 5, 2004, and on Metro's 2006-2009 MTIP on November 1, <br />2005. Submittal of the conformity demonstration for the 2008-2011 MTIP to USDOT occurred <br />on August 23, 2007. <br />Salem-Keizer Non-attainment Area <br />The Salem-Keizer Area Transportation Study (SKATS) area is designated as non-attainment for <br />carbon monoxide. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has developed a <br />Carbon Monoxide Limited Maintenance Plan for the SKATS region. On June 21, 2007, the En- <br />vironmental Quality Council (EQC) adopted the CO maintenance plan. After adoption of the <br />EQC, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has 18 months to approve the plan. <br />Areas under a limited maintenance plan are not required to demonstrate that their RTPs or TIPS <br />conform through a regional emissions analysis. It is unknown at this time whether EPA will act <br />on approving the maintenance plan prior to USDOT approval of the 2008-2011 TIP. However, <br />Page 393 <br />