# 2026-22647: Arizona Drivers Could Help Polluters Earn Emissions Credits

2026-22647, Air Plan Revisions; Arizona; Maricopa County Air Quality Department; New Source Review; Emission Reduction Credits, is a Federal Register rule from Environmental Protection Agency published 2026-11-05, effective 2026-12-07; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-06).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22647
- As of: 2026-11-06
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-22647
- Title: Air Plan Revisions; Arizona; Maricopa County Air Quality Department; New Source Review; Emission Reduction Credits
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Environmental Protection Agency
- Citation: 91 FR 69694
- Published: 2026-11-05
- Effective: 2026-12-07
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-11-06

## In one line

Arizona Drivers Could Help Polluters Earn Emissions Credits

## Summary

The EPA just gave a thumbs-up to Maricopa County’s new plan that lets folks earn credits by swapping old cars for cleaner ones. These credits help big polluters balance out their emissions, making the air fresher for everyone. This change kicks in on December 7, 2026, and could save money by encouraging cleaner rides instead of costly pollution fixes.

## Abstract

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final action to approve a revision to the Maricopa County Air Quality Department (MCAQD or "Department") portion of the Arizona State Implementation Plan (SIP). This revision establishes a federally enforceable program allowing for the generation of emission reduction credits (ERCs) by retrofitting or replacing existing on-road vehicles with lower emitting vehicles while meeting other Clean Air Act (CAA or "Act") requirements. These ERCs are intended to be used as offsets for major stationary sources under the Department's Nonattainment New Source Review (NNSR) program. The EPA is approving this SIP revision because we find that it meets the applicable CAA requirements.

## Effects PRIA read

- Fleet owners can earn emission credits: benefit, medium. If you operate a captive on‑road vehicle fleet in Maricopa County, you can generate emission reduction credits (MERCs) by permanently retrofitting or replacing existing vehicles with lower‑emitting vehicles under MCAQD Rule 205. Rule 205 is federally enforceable as of December 7, 2026, and requires…
- Major sources may use MERCs for NNSR offsets: benefit, medium. If you own or run a major stationary source in Maricopa County proposing increased NOX or VOC emissions, you may use MERCs generated under Rule 205 as offsets to meet Nonattainment New Source Review (NNSR) permit requirements. The major source thresholds noted in the rule background are 100 tons pe…
- Cap on total mobile‑source credits: cost, medium. Maricopa planners (MAG) will add a line item of 1,000 tpy of NOX and 500 tpy of VOC into the emissions inventory to represent the maximum number of MERCs and nonroad engine credits (NERCs) that will be creditable through Rule 205 and Rule 204. This effectively caps the total amount of MERCs/NERCs t…
- Long‑term compliance and permit obligations: cost, medium. If you generate MERCs, your MERC authorization will be reflected in permits that include monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements; Rule 205 requires tracking (including a 20‑year tracking requirement for replacement vehicles), and permit transfer procedures under MCAQD Rule 200 apply i…

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- [2026-19071](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19071): Partial Repeal of the Carbon Pollution Standards for Fossil Fuel-Fired Electric Generating Units, 2026-09-17
- [2026-18317](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-18317): Updated Definition of “Waters of the United States”, 2026-09-09

## Sources
- [2026-22647 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/11/05/2026-22647/air-plan-revisions-arizona-maricopa-county-air-quality-department-new-source-review-emission)
- [2026-22647 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-11-05/pdf/2026-22647.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-22642, Modification of Class D and Class E Airspace Areas; Roberts Field/Redmond Munic…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22642)
- [Next: 2026-22649, Cost Standards and Procedures; Purchasing and Property Management](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22649)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22647 (as of 2026-11-06).