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17 <br />In order to ensure the conformity requirements are met, Section 176 (c) of the Clean Air Act <br />authorizes the USEPA Administrator to "promulgate criteria and procedures for demonstrating and <br />assuring conformity in the case of transportation plans, programs, and projects." This is <br />accomplished through the Transportation Conformity Rule, developed by the USEPA to outline all <br />federal requirements associated with transportation conformity. The Transportation Conformity <br />Rule in conjunction with the Metropolitan Planning Regulations direct transportation plan and <br />program development as well as the conformity process. <br />The purpose of this report is to comply with the provisions of the Clean Air Act Amendments of <br />1990 in concurrence with all conformity requirements as detailed in 40 CFR Parts 51 and 93 (the <br />Transportation Conformity Rule) and 23 CFR Part 450 (the Metropolitan Planning Regulations). <br />It demonstrates that the financially constrained long-range transportation plans and the <br />transportation improvement programs (TIPS) eliminate or reduce future violation of the National <br />Ambient Air Quality Standazds (NAAQS) in the following jurisdictions: <br />• The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), <br />• The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO), <br />• The Burlington-Graham Metropolitan Planning Organization (BG MPO). <br />• The portions of the Triangle Area Rural Planning Organization (TARPO) which aze in the <br />Triangle Ozone Maintenance Area (Orange County and four townships in Chatham County), <br />• The portions of the Kerr-Taz Rural Planning Organization (Kerr-Tar RPO) which are in the <br />Triangle Ozone Maintenance Area (Franklin, Granville and Person Counties), and <br />• Johnston County in the Upper Coastal Plain Rural Planning Organization. <br />The plan accomplishes the intent of the North Cazolina State Implementation Plan (SIP). This <br />conformity determination is based on a regional emissions analysis that uses the transportation <br />network approved by each of the above-named Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and <br />Rural Planning Organizations (RPOs) for the 20351ong-range transportation plan, and the emissions <br />factors developed in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural <br />Resources (DENR). The above-named MPOs and portions of RPOs combine to form a region <br />known as the "Triangle." The entire Triangle maintenance region is shown as a map in Figure 1. <br />All Federally funded projects and regionally significant projects, regardless of funding source, in <br />azeas designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) as air quality <br />non-attainment or maintenance azeas must come from a conforming long-range transportation plan <br />and transportation improvement program (TIP). The Triangle region is required by 40 CFR 51 and <br />93 to make a conformity determination on any newly adopted or amended fiscally constrained <br />long-range transportation plan and TIP. In addition, the United States Department of <br />Transportation (USDOT), specifically, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the <br />Federal Transit Administration (FTA), must make a conformity determination on the three MPO <br />Plans in the Triangle region and the related TIPs in all non-attainment and maintenance azeas. <br />9 <br />