Aviation Emissions and Air Quality Handbook  As discussed in  Section 2  ( Regulatory Framework ), the Conformity Rule of the federal CAA  ensures that federally-funded, permitted, or supported  actions occurring in EPA -designated  nonattainment and maintenance areas are accounted for within, and do not in any way interfere  with, the approved SIP. Of note, the CAA Conformity Rule does not apply to attainment areas.  With a focus on FAA actions and General Conformity, this section provides further guidance on  this requirement. 97  General Conformity covers most aspects of airport activities funded by federal agencies.  In  summary, the purpose of the General Conformity Rule is to:  The General Conformity process begins with an  “applicability analysis” whereby the federal  agency (or agencies) with jurisdiction over the action determines how and to what General Conformity applies. If General Conformity applies, the agency must  prepare a General  Conformity Determination outlining the process by which the subject action is assessed, whether  or not the action conforms to an approved SIP(s), whether offsetting is required, and any other  necessary actions. Then federal, state, and local air quality control governance, as well as the  general public, are engaged in a formal “public review process” of the agency’s determination.  These three elements  – (i) Applicability Analysis,  (ii) Preparing a General Conformity  Determination, and (iii) Interagency and Public Review Process  –  are each presented in greater  detail as follows.  Although General Conformity is a separate requirement from NEPA, the two processes share  aspects and are often combined. When a Conformity Determination is required, it  is generally  disclosed in the NEPA document and included as an appendix . Notably, if a Determination is  required, the FAA may not finalize a NEPA document (i.e., issue the Finding of No  Significant  Impact), or sign the Record of Decision, until the Conformity Determination is completed.  When preparing a General Conformity  applicability analysis, the FAA considers a range of  factors to determine if the rule applies to a project or action. In some cases (but not necessarily  all), these considerations are made in consultation with other federal, state and local air quality  agencies. These factors include the following  97 EPA,  General Conformity , http://www.epa.gov/air/genconform/index.html.  • If the action will occur in a nonattainment or maintenance area(s);  8.1.1.  Applicability Analysis  8.1. General Conformity  • Ensure that federal activities do not cause or contribute to new violations of the NAAQS;  • Ensure that actions do not increase the frequency or severity of any existing violation  of  the NAAQS; and  • Ensure that attainment of the NAAQS is not delayed.  8.  Conformity  69$_{ }$