Notice of Deficiency for Clean Air Operating Permits Program; Maricopa County, AZ, 32243-32247 [05-10995]
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 105 / Thursday, June 2, 2005 / Rules and Regulations
technical standards (e.g., specifications
of materials, performance, design, or
operation; test methods; sampling
procedures; and related management
systems practices) that are developed or
adopted by voluntary consensus
standards bodies.
This rule does not use technical
standards. Therefore, we did not
consider the use of voluntary consensus
standards.
unless authorized by the Coast Guard
Captain of the Port, Buffalo.
(2) In accordance with the general
regulations in § 165.23 of this part, entry
into this safety zone is prohibited unless
authorized by the Coast Guard Captain
of the Port Buffalo, or his designated onscene representative.
(c) Effective time and date. This
section is effective from 10 p.m. through
10:30 p.m. (local) on June 21, 2005.
Environment
Dated: May 19, 2005.
K.C. Burke,
Commander, U.S. Coast Guard, Acting
Captain of the Port Buffalo.
[FR Doc. 05–10941 Filed 6–1–05; 8:45 am]
We have analyzed this rule under
Commandant Instruction M16475.1D,
which guides the Coast Guard in
complying with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321–4370f) and
have determined that there are no
factors in this case that limit the use of
a categorical exclusion under section
2.B.2 of the Instruction. Therefore, this
rule is categorically excluded, under
figure 2–1, paragraph (34)(g), of the
Instruction from further environmental
documentation. Paragraph (34)(g) is
applicable to this event because this
rule establishes a safety zone.
Under figure 2–1, paragraph (34)(g), of
the Instruction, an ‘‘Environmental
Analysis Check List’’ and a ‘‘Categorical
Exclusion Determination’’ are not
required for this.
List of Subjects in 33 CFR Part 165
Harbors, Marine safety, Navigation
(water), Reporting and record keeping
requirements, Security measures,
Waterways.
For the reasons discussed in the
preamble, the Coast Guard amends 33
CFR Part 165 as follows:
I
PART 165—REGULATED NAVIGATION
AREAS AND LIMITED ACCESS AREAS
1. The authority citation for part 165
continues to read as follows:
I
Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1226, 1231; 46 U.S.C.
Chapter 701; 50 U.S.C. 191, 195; 33 CFR
1.05–1(g), 6.04–1, 6.04–6, and 160.5; Pub. L.
107–295, 116 Stat. 2064; Department of
Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1.
I 2. Add new temporary § 165.T09–016
to read as follows:
§ 165.T09–016 Safety Zone; Presque Isle
Bay, Dobbins Landing, Erie, PA.
(a) Location. The following area is a
temporary safety zone: All waters of
Presque Isle Bay within an 800-foot
radius around the fireworks launch
platform located at 42°08′19″ N,
080°05′30″ W. These coordinates are
based upon NAD 83.
(b) Regulations. (1) Entry into or
remaining in this zone is prohibited
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BILLING CODE 4910–15–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 70
[AZ–ND–127; FRL–7919–5]
Notice of Deficiency for Clean Air
Operating Permits Program; Maricopa
County, AZ
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of deficiency.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Pursuant to its authority
under section 502(i) of the Clean Air
Act, EPA is publishing this notice of
deficiency for the Clean Air Act title V
operating permits program of Maricopa
County, Arizona. The notice of
deficiency is based upon EPA’s finding
that Maricopa County’s title V program
does not comply with the requirements
of the Clean Air Act or with the
implementing regulations of the
Operating Permit Program in two
respects: permit fees and permit
processing. With respect to permit fees,
specific deficiencies include the
following: Maricopa County has failed
to demonstrate that its title V program
requires owners or operators of
Operating Permit Program sources to
pay fees that are sufficient to cover the
costs of the County’s title V program,
and has failed to adequately ensure that
its title V program funds are used solely
for title V permit program costs; and
Maricopa County’s fee rule and the
implementation of this rule have
contributed to delay in issuance of
initial title V permits. With respect to
permit processing, specific deficiencies
include the following: Maricopa County
has issued title V permits that do not
assure compliance with all applicable
requirements; Maricopa County’s
processing of permit revisions is
deficient; and Maricopa County has not
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32243
demonstrated that it is providing
sufficient staffing. Publication of this
action is a prerequisite for withdrawal
of Maricopa County’s title V program
approval, but does not effect such
withdrawal.
EFFECTIVE DATE: May 17, 2005. Because
this Notice of Deficiency is an
adjudication and not a final rule, the
Administrative Procedure Act’s 30-day
deferral of the effective date of a rule
does not apply.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Gerardo Rios, EPA, Region 9, Air
Division (AIR–3), 75 Hawthorne Street,
San Francisco, CA 94105, (415) 972–
3974, or r9airpermits@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
I. Background
II. Description of Action
III. Federal Oversight and Sanctions
IV. Administrative Requirements
I. Background
The Clean Air Act (CAA or Act)
requires all State and local permitting
authorities to develop operating permits
programs that meet the requirements of
title V of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 7661–7661f,
and its implementing regulations, 40
CFR part 70. On November 15, 1993, the
Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality (ADEQ) submitted, on behalf of
Maricopa County, a proposed title V
program to the Administrator for
approval. Maricopa County’s title V
program was granted final interim
approval by EPA on November 29, 1996
and was granted full approval on
November 30, 2001.
In March 2002, the Office of Inspector
General (OIG) issued a report on the
progress of title V permit issuance based
on its evaluation of several selected
state and local air pollution control
agencies. In response to OIG’s
recommendations, EPA made a
commitment in July 2002 to conduct
comprehensive title V program
evaluations throughout the nation. EPA
Region 9 began its program evaluations
in 2003, with Maricopa County
Environmental Services Department
(MCESD) as the second permitting
agency on its program evaluation
schedule. Region 9 informed MCESD of
the start of the title V program
evaluation in a letter, dated May 27,
2004, in which Region 9 also expressed
existing concerns about MCESD’s
implementation of its title V permitting
program. Over the next several months
of EPA’s title V program evaluation,
Region 9 learned more details of
MCESD’s implementation practices and
procedures, including many instances
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in which MCESD failed to meet the
requirements of title V of the Act and 40
CFR part 70.
Section 503(c) of the Act requires
permitting authorities to act on all
initial permit applications within three
years of program approval, which would
have been November 29, 1999 for
Maricopa County. In a January 28, 2002
letter to EPA, MCESD stated that it had
issued sixteen of its fifty-six initial title
V permits. MCESD committed to issue
its remaining forty initial permits by
December 1, 2003, completing ten
permits every six months. MCESD failed
to meet each six month milestone for
permit issuance as well as the December
1, 2003 deadline for all initial permits.
As of April 15, 2005, MCESD still has
not completed issuance of all initial title
V permits and has a backlog of title V
renewal permits as well.
For full details of EPA Region 9’s
findings, please see the report,
‘‘Maricopa County Environmental
Services Department Title V Operating
Permit Program Evaluation,’’ which is
available at https://www.epa.gov/
region09/air/titlevevals.html.
Maricopa County has recently
initiated a number of changes to its title
V program. One significant change has
been the formation of a new Air Quality
Department (AQD), separate from
MCESD, within the Regional
Development Services group of
Maricopa County. This reorganization
should allow Maricopa County to focus
its resources on air quality in an area
that has increasingly complex air
permitting issues and, thus, requires a
more concentrated effort. Though
Maricopa County has initiated many
improvements to its title V program
since the start of EPA’s program
evaluation, EPA believes a NOD is
necessary in light of the existing issues,
and to ensure that those issues are
adequately addressed going forward.
II. Description of Action
EPA is publishing a notice of
deficiency for the Clean Air Act title V
operating permits program for Maricopa
County, Arizona. This document is
being published pursuant to 40 CFR
70.10(b)(1), which provides that EPA
shall publish in the Federal Register a
notice of any determination that a title
V permitting authority is not adequately
administering or enforcing its title V
operating permits program. The
deficiencies being noticed today are in
two main categories of (1) permit fees
and (2) permit processing. The specific
deficiencies are described more fully
below.
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A. Permit Fees
1. Maricopa County Has Not
Demonstrated That It Collects Fees
Sufficient To Fund Its Permit Program,
Nor That It Uses Fees Solely for Program
Costs
Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 7661a(b)(3) and
40 CFR 70.9(a), a permitting authority’s
title V program must require that the
owners or operators of part 70 sources
pay annual fees, or the equivalent over
some other period, that are sufficient to
cover the permit program costs, and the
permitting authority must ensure that
any fee collected be used solely for title
V permit program costs. Although 42
U.S.C. 7661a(b)(3) and 40 CFR 70.9(b)
require that a permitting authority’s title
V permit program include a fee
schedule that results in the collection of
sufficient fees to cover all title V permit
program costs, permitting authorities
have flexibility in developing the
components of that fee schedule. See 40
CFR 70.9(b)(3).
a. Maricopa County has not
demonstrated that its revised fee rule
meets the requirements of title V and
part 70.
Maricopa County’s fee rule, as
included in the County’s 1993 initial
title V program submittal, had an annual
emissions-based fee which met the
presumptive minimum prescribed in 40
CFR 70.9(b)(2)(i) for existing sources, in
addition to an annual ‘‘processing and
inspection’’ fee. Maricopa County later
revised its fee rule in 1998, 2000, 2003,
and 2004. Currently, permit fees are
imposed based on a combination of an
application fee, hourly-based processing
fee, annual administrative fee, and
annual emissions-based fee. The
emissions-based fee is less than EPA’s
presumptive minimum. Since other
components of the permit fees are not
assessed on a per-ton basis, it is difficult
to determine if the aggregate of the fees
meets EPA’s presumptive minimum.
Maricopa County has never submitted
any of its fee rule revisions to EPA as
a program revision submittal or
provided a demonstration to EPA, based
on the current fee rule, that it collects
title V fees sufficient to cover the title
V permit program costs and that title V
fees collected are used solely for title V
permit program costs.
b. A clear accounting of costs is
necessary
Maricopa County is not able to
demonstrate that title V permit fees
collected are sufficient to fund its title
V program and that title V permit fees
are used solely for title V program costs,
because it does not have a clear
accounting of costs incurred under title
V (separate from costs incurred under
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other non-title V programs). Maricopa
County is able to account for title V
revenues quite accurately because
payment of permit fees by each
applicant is recorded in the permitting
agency’s Environmental Management
System database. However, Maricopa
County has more difficulty tracking title
V costs.
Maricopa County maintains a single
account for title V fees, non-title V fees,
and enforcement penalties. Both title V
and non-title V costs are paid from this
account. Maricopa County title V
permitting staff are required to log in the
number of hours spent preparing title V
permits. However, Maricopa County
does not maintain an accounting of total
salary costs for title V activities, nor has
Maricopa County kept an accounting of
other actual costs of the title V program
such as training, equipment, and travel.
Maricopa County has provided EPA
with workload assessments that project
future costs by estimating an average
number of hours required to write a
permit in each source category (e.g.,
cement plants, compressor stations,
lime plants, landfills) and an average
number of permits issued per source
category. Maricopa County’s projections
also use averages of salaries for a
category of an entire group such as
‘‘technical’’ staff of the title V permitting
group.
While this broad approach could be
considered adequate for the purpose of
projecting future costs, Maricopa
County should be able to provide a more
accurate, detailed accounting of actual
title V revenues, costs, and expenditures
to demonstrate that title V fees are not
being directed to do non-title V work.
For an accounting of costs, a direct
approach, based on employee-specific
salaries and the number of hours logged
for title V activities for each employee
would be more accurate.
Because Maricopa County has not
instituted a system that provides a clear
accounting of costs incurred for title V
activities (separate from non-title V
activities), it has been unable to detail
its permit program costs and
demonstrate that its title V revenues
cover those program costs. Maricopa
County has also been unable to
demonstrate that title V revenues are
used solely for title V program costs.
EPA would consider correction of this
deficiency to include submittal of a
demonstration that Maricopa County
has the systematic ability to provide a
detailed accounting of title V program
costs separately from other program
costs. This accounting should also
provide a clear demonstration that total
title V revenues are sufficient to fund
total title V costs. The accounting
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should also clearly show that title V
revenues are used solely for title V
costs.
B. Permit Processing
2. Maricopa County’s Fee Rule and the
Implementation of This Rule Have
Contributed to the Delay in Issuance of
Initial Title V Permits
Maricopa County’s fee rule, Rule 280,
prevents the permitting authority from
issuing a final initial title V permit,
permit revision, or renewal permit if the
source has not paid the balance of fees
due. MCESD’s Rule 280 section 301.1
states, ‘‘Before issuance of a permit to
construct and operate a source, an
applicant shall pay to the Control
Officer a fee billed by the Control
Officer representing the total actual cost
of reviewing and acting upon the
application minus any application fee
remitted.’’ Maricopa County has
encountered problems with issuing
permits when sources refuse to pay their
permit fee balances because they are
dissatisfied with their proposed permits.
It would appear that existing sources
retain the initial application shield
granted upon submittal of a complete
application; thus, these sources can
continue to operate without a title V
operating permit. The problem is further
exacerbated by the fact that Maricopa
County has not enforced against those
sources that refused to pay fees.
The end result is that issuance of
certain title V permits can be delayed if
sources refuse to pay fees, and the delay
may extend until Maricopa County
revises the permit conditions in
question. The rule could cause similar
problems during permit renewal. This
situation is inconsistent with Maricopa
County’s obligation under the Act to
have sufficient authority to issue
permits and assure compliance with
each applicable requirement, as well as
its obligation to take final action on
complete applications in a timely
fashion, as specified in part 70.
EPA would consider correction of this
deficiency to include a revision to Rule
280 and submittal of a standard set of
policies and procedures. The rule
revision should eliminate the possibility
that a source could prevent Maricopa
County from issuing a final permit by
withholding fees. The standard set of
policies and procedures would provide
a procedure for addressing non-payment
of permit fees through enforcement,
collection activities, or other means.1
1 It may be worth noting that if EPA takes over
a fee program, EPA is required by the Act to charge
a penalty of 50% of the fee amount, plus interest,
on any unpaid permit fees. See 42 U.S.C.
7661a(b)(3)(C)(ii); 40 CFR 71.9(l)(2).
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1. Maricopa County Has Issued Title V
Permits That Do Not Assure Compliance
With All Applicable Requirements
Maricopa County issues combined
preconstruction/operating permits, with
the intention of meeting both the new
source review (NSR) requirements
contained in Maricopa County’s
approved State Implementation Plan
(SIP) and the part 70 requirements
contained in Maricopa County’s
approved title V program. Maricopa
County’s approved title V program
contains Rule 200, which establishes
permit requirements and describes the
different types of permits, and Rule 210,
which establishes the requirements for
title V permitting in particular.
Maricopa County’s SIP, approved by
EPA, contains rules for implementing its
NSR program (both major and minor). In
particular, SIP Rule 20 establishes the
requirement for sources to obtain
installation (preconstruction) permits
for all new and modified sources, and
SIP Rule 21 establishes the procedures
for obtaining an installation permit.
Pursuant to 40 CFR 70.7(a)(1)(iv), title
V permits must assure compliance with
all applicable requirements, including
NSR requirements. Maricopa County
has, at times, implemented the title V
rule, Rule 210, without proper
consideration of the requirements of the
NSR SIP Rule 20, resulting in the
submittal to EPA of title V permits that
do not contain all applicable
requirements.
Sections 403 and 403.2 of Rule 210
allow title V sources to make certain
changes without a permit revision if
specific conditions are met.2 SIP Rule
20, however, does not contain a similar
exemption from installation permitting
requirements. Specifically, SIP Rule 20
requires that ‘‘any person erecting,
installing, replacing, or making a major
alteration to any machine, equipment,
incinerator, device or other article
which may cause or contribute to air
pollution or the use of which may
eliminate or reduce or control the
emission of air pollutants, shall first
obtain an Installation Permit from the
Control Officer.’’
Permitting authorities may issue
combined NSR/title V permits.
However, a source may not avoid a
requirement to obtain a preconstruction
permit by relying on the operational
2 These conditions, as listed in Maricopa County’s
Rule 210 Section 403.1, include the following: that
the changes are not title I modifications, do not
exceed emissions allowable under the permit, meet
the criteria for processing as a minor title V permit
revision, and do not violate applicable
requirements.
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flexibility provisions of a title V
permit.3 Maricopa County’s practice
typically follows only the requirements
of Rule 210 Section 403 without proper
implementation of SIP Rule 20.
EPA would consider correction of this
deficiency to include submittal of an
implementation guidance document
that ensures that Maricopa County’s title
V permits assure compliance with all
applicable requirements, including SIPapproved NSR requirements. An
implementation guidance document
might include the following elements:
(1) An explanation that Maricopa
County’s title V rules may not be used
to avoid obtaining an otherwiserequired preconstruction permit; (2) a
demonstration that Maricopa County’s
title V permits assure compliance with
SIP-approved preconstruction
requirements; (3) a plan for evaluating
applications and issuing permit
revisions that include all applicable
requirements, including any applicable
preconstruction review requirements;
(4) any necessary revisions to
Maricopa’s standard application form to
ensure that pre-construction review
requirements are addressed; and (5)
guidance to affected sources advising
them of Maricopa’s new procedures for
issuing preconstruction and operating
permit revisions for title V sources,
including the requirement to ensure that
all preconstruction review required
under the SIP occurs. Maricopa County
might also consider rule changes that
assure that all facility changes comply
with preconstruction review
requirements under the SIP.
2. Maricopa County’s Processing of
Permit Revisions Is Deficient
a. Incorrect processing of significant
revisions as minor revisions
EPA has found that Maricopa County
does not take adequate steps to ensure
that significant permit revisions are not
incorrectly processed as minor permit
revisions. A change that requires a
significant permit revision may not be
implemented before the permit revision
is subject to public notice and comment,
approved by the permitting authority,
and reviewed by EPA. Maricopa
County’s incorrect processing of
significant revisions has allowed
sources to bypass these requirements.
Maricopa’s Rule 210 Section 405.1
specifies the criteria by which changes
3 In addition, NSR permit conditions do not
expire, so permitting authorities must ensure that
NSR conditions remain in effect even after the
expiration of a title V permit that incorporates the
conditions.
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at a source can be processed as a minor
revision.4
b. Incorrect administrative processing
of minor revisions
Maricopa County typically has not
issued a separate revised permit
document or technical support
document when processing its minor
permit revisions. EPA has found many
minor permit revisions that do not
contain any revision to the title V
permit but, instead, the permittee’s
application is signed by an MCESD
permit engineer and initialed by the title
V supervisor. This application then
serves as the permit revision.
The signed application does not
contain an engineering analysis or
revised permit conditions to support the
application approval. This practice of
issuing the signed permit application
instead of a revised permit document
compromises the enforceability of
Maricopa County’s permits.
This practice is also inconsistent with
40 CFR part 70, which requires the
permitting authority to issue a revised
permit and statement of basis. See 40
CFR 70.7(a)(1) and 70.7(a)(5).5
c. Policies and procedures on permit
revisions
In order to address parts 2.a. and b.
of the deficiency above, EPA would
consider correction of the deficiency to
include development and submittal of a
standard set of policies and procedures
on permit revision procedures for title V
sources. EPA envisions that such a
document would include the following
elements: (1) Criteria for determining if
a proposed revision is significant, minor
or administrative; (2) procedures for
developing appropriate permit
conditions and statements of basis for
significant and minor permit revisions;
and (3) Maricopa’s permit processing
procedures from receipt of application
to permit issuance.
3. Maricopa County Has Not
Demonstrated That It Is Providing
Sufficient Staffing
Section 502(b) of the Act, 42 U.S.C.
7661a(b), and 40 CFR 70.4 provide that
a permitting authority must have
adequate personnel to ensure that the
permitting authority can carry out
implementation of its title V program.
As noted above, Maricopa County has
experienced a significant delay in
4 See Finding 5.5 of EPA’s program evaluation
report for specific examples.
5 In addition, Maricopa County has made it a
practice to have the permit engineer sign the minor
permit revision application. Authorizations to
approve minor permit revisions have not been
delegated to the permit engineer from the Director.
Thus, Maricopa County has not been following the
proper administrative procedures for issuance of
minor permit revisions.
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issuing initial title V permits. In
addition, Maricopa County has had
problems with the quality of the title V
permits issued, specifically, ensuring
that the permit assures compliance with
all applicable requirements.
In 1993, Maricopa County submitted
a workload assessment (WLA) with its
title V program submittal. In the WLA,
Maricopa County projected the number
of hours required for each task of
implementing its title V program, the
corresponding number of full-time
employees (FTE) required, and the
corresponding costs based on salary
averages. In 2003, Maricopa County
updated its WLA to provide a basis for
a change to its fee structure and fee
amounts. The 2003 WLA found that the
1993 WLA had underestimated the
initial assumptions for title V program
implementation. As far as staffing
needs, the 2003 WLA increased FTE
projections, compared to 1993
projections, for all sections or groups. In
particular, the 1993 WLA projected a
need for 7 FTE ‘‘air quality engineers’’
in permitting and 26 total FTEs in the
Permits & Compliance Section (these
two functions were in one section at the
time). The 2003 WLA projected a need
for 21.3 FTEs for the Permits Section
alone.6 The 2003 WLA also stated that
the Permits Section had, at that time, 13
FTEs and that, at this staffing level, ‘‘the
Section struggles to meet permit
issuance timelines, keep up with rule
revisions * * * and to implement
community outreach.’’
Maricopa County appears to
acknowledge a history of being
understaffed. The 2003 WLA states,
when referring to the 1993 FTE
projections, that Maricopa County was
not able ‘‘to fill all the positions because
of high turnover and inability to find
qualified applicants.’’ In addition,
Maricopa County has left the position of
Permits Section Manager vacant for
many years. As of the beginning of April
2005, the Permits Section has 9
permitting staffpersons, at least 11 FTEs
short of its own projected need for
‘‘technical’’ staff. Maricopa County
failed to meet all of its deadlines for
issuing initial title V permits and, as of
April 15, 2005, still has not issued all
initial title V permits. In its 2003 WLA,
Maricopa County admitted that it is
understaffed and cannot meet permit
issuance deadlines.
EPA would consider correction of this
deficiency to include submittal to EPA
6 Out of the 21.3 FTEs, Maricopa County
categorized 16.5 of these FTEs as ‘‘technical.’’ Since
Maricopa County labeled another category as
‘‘manager,’’ EPA is inferring that the ‘‘technical’’
category includes only technical staff-level
employees and does not include managers.
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of a strategy that Maricopa County will
implement to hire and retain adequate
staffing to successfully implement its
title V program. The strategy could be
based either on the 2003 WLA or an
updated WLA, should include
milestones with corresponding dates,
and should describe contingency
options to fill positions if Maricopa
County is unable to meet these
milestones.
C. Significant Action and Correction of
Deficiencies
EPA would consider significant action
within 90 days after the date of the NOD
to be submittal of a workplan containing
associated milestones for resolution of
each deficiency, for review and
approval by EPA. The workplan should
clearly describe Maricopa County’s
proposed correction for each deficiency
and a completion date no later than 18
months after the date of the NOD. The
milestones in the workplan should
include not only the completion of the
resolution of each deficiency but also
intermediate steps and corresponding
dates.
Each subsection of this notice which
contains a description of a deficiency
also contains a suggested correction of
the deficiency. EPA will also consider
alternative resolutions proposed by
Maricopa County to correct deficiencies.
These alternative resolutions should be
described in the workplan for the
significant action submittal. After
Maricopa County’s submittal of the
workplan, EPA intends to have an active
role in tracking Maricopa County’s
progress towards correcting the
deficiencies identified in this notice
within the specified timeframes.
III. Federal Oversight and Sanctions
Part 70 provides that EPA may
withdraw a part 70 program approval, in
whole or in part, whenever the
approved program no longer complies
with the requirements of part 70 and the
permitting authority fails to take
corrective action. 40 CFR 70.10(c)(1).
This section goes on to list a number of
potential bases for program withdrawal,
including inadequate fee collection and
failure to comply with the requirements
of part 70 in administering the program.
40 CFR 70.10(b) sets forth the
procedures for withdrawal of program
approval, and requires as a prerequisite
to withdrawal that the permitting
authority be notified of any finding of
deficiency by the Administrator and
that the notice be published in the
Federal Register. Today’s notice
satisfies this requirement and
constitutes a finding of program
deficiency. If the permitting authority
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02JNR1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 105 / Thursday, June 2, 2005 / Rules and Regulations
has not taken ‘‘significant action to
assure adequate administration and
enforcement of the program’’ within 90
days after the date of a notice of
deficiency, EPA may withdraw approval
of the permitting authority’s program,
apply either of the sanctions specified
in section 179(b) of the Act, or
promulgate, administer, and enforce a
Federal title V program. 40 CFR
70.10(b)(2). Section 70.10(b)(3) provides
that if a permitting authority has not
corrected the deficiency within 18
months of the finding of deficiency,
EPA will apply the sanctions under
section 179(b) of the Act, in accordance
with section 179(a) of the Act.7 In
addition, section 70.10(b)(4) provides
that, if the permitting authority has not
corrected the deficiency within 18
months after the date of notice of
deficiency, EPA must promulgate,
administer, and enforce a whole or
partial program within 2 years of the
date of the finding.
This document is not a proposal to
withdraw approval of Maricopa
County’s title V program. Consistent
with 40 CFR 70.10(b)(2), EPA will wait
at least 90 days before determining
whether Maricopa County has taken
significant action to correct the
deficiencies outlined in this notice.
IV. Administrative Requirements
Under section 307(b)(1) of the Clean
Air Act, petitions for judicial review of
today’s action may be filed in the
United States Court of Appeals for the
appropriate circuit within 60 days of
June 2, 2005.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 70
Environmental protection,
Administrative practice and procedure,
Air pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Intergovernmental relations,
Operating permits, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements.
Dated: May 17, 2005.
Wayne Nastri,
Regional Administrator, Region 9.
[FR Doc. 05–10995 Filed 6–1–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
7 Section 179(a) provides that unless such
deficiency has been corrected within 18 months
after the finding, one of the sanctions in section
179(b) of the Act shall apply as selected by the
Administrator. If the Administrator has selected one
of the sanctions and the deficiency has not been
corrected within 6 months thereafter, then
sanctions under both sections 179(b)(1) and
179(b)(2) shall apply until the Administrator
determines that the permitting authority has come
into compliance.
VerDate jul<14>2003
15:00 Jun 01, 2005
Jkt 205001
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 271
[FRL–7920–6]
Alabama: Final Authorization of State
Hazardous Waste Management
Program Revision
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Immediate final rule.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Alabama has applied to EPA
for final authorization of the changes to
its hazardous waste program under the
Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (RCRA). EPA has determined that
these changes satisfy all requirements
needed to qualify for final authorization,
and is authorizing the State’s changes
through this immediate final action.
EPA is publishing this rule to authorize
the changes without a prior proposal
because we believe this action is not
controversial and do not expect
comments that oppose it. Unless we get
written comments which oppose this
authorization during the comment
period, the decision to authorize
Alabama’s changes to its hazardous
waste program will take effect. If we get
comments that oppose this action, we
will publish a document in the Federal
Register withdrawing this rule before it
takes effect and a separate document in
the proposed rules section of this
Federal Register will serve as a proposal
to authorize the changes.
DATES: This final authorization will
become effective on August 1, 2005
unless EPA receives adverse written
comments by July 5, 2005. If EPA
receives such comments, it will publish
a timely withdrawal of this immediate
final rule in the Federal Register and
inform the public that this authorization
will not take effect.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments by
one of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line
instructions for submitting comments.
• E-mail: middlebrooks.gail@epa.gov.
• Fax: (404) 562–8439 (prior to
faxing, please notify the EPA contact
listed below).
• Mail: Send written comments to
Gail Middlebrooks at the address listed
below.
Instructions: Do not submit
information that you consider to be CBI
or otherwise protected through https://
www.regulations.gov, or e-mail. The
Federal regulations.gov Web site is an
‘‘anonymous access’’ system, which
means EPA will not know your identity
PO 00000
Frm 00029
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
32247
or contact information unless you
provide it in the body of your
comments. If you submit an electronic
comment, EPA recommends that you
include your name and other contact
information in the body of your
comment and with any disk or CD–ROM
you submit.
You can view and copy Alabama’s
application from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the
following addresses: Alabama
Department of Environmental
Management, 1400 Coliseum Blvd.,
Montgomery, Alabama 36130–1463;
(334) 271–7700 and EPA Region 4,
Library, 9th Floor, The Sam Nunn
Atlanta Federal Center, 61 Forsyth
Street, SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303–
3104; (404) 562–8190.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gail
Middlebrooks, RCRA Services Section,
RCRA Programs Branch, Waste
Management Division, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 4, The Sam Nunn Atlanta
Federal Center, 61 Forsyth Street, SW.,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303–3104; (404) 562–
8494.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Why Are Revisions to State
Programs Necessary?
States which have received Final
authorization from EPA under RCRA
section 3006(b), 42 U.S.C. 6926(b), must
maintain a hazardous waste program
that is equivalent to, consistent with,
and no less stringent than the Federal
program. As the Federal program
changes, States must change their
programs and ask EPA to authorize the
changes. Changes to State programs may
be necessary when Federal or State
statutory or regulatory authority is
modified or when certain other changes
occur. Most commonly, States must
change their programs because of
changes to EPA’s regulations in 40 Code
of Federal Regulations (CFR) parts 124,
260 through 266, 268, 270, 273 and 279.
B. What Decisions Have We Made in
This Rule?
We conclude that Alabama’s
applications to revise its authorized
program meet all of the statutory and
regulatory requirements established by
RCRA. Therefore, we grant Alabama
Final authorization to operate its
hazardous waste program with the
changes described in the authorization
application. Alabama has responsibility
for permitting Treatment, Storage, and
Disposal Facilities (TSDFs) within its
borders (except in Indian Country) and
for carrying out the aspects of the RCRA
program described in its revised
program application, subject to the
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 105 (Thursday, June 2, 2005)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 32243-32247]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-10995]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 70
[AZ-ND-127; FRL-7919-5]
Notice of Deficiency for Clean Air Operating Permits Program;
Maricopa County, AZ
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of deficiency.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to its authority under section 502(i) of the Clean
Air Act, EPA is publishing this notice of deficiency for the Clean Air
Act title V operating permits program of Maricopa County, Arizona. The
notice of deficiency is based upon EPA's finding that Maricopa County's
title V program does not comply with the requirements of the Clean Air
Act or with the implementing regulations of the Operating Permit
Program in two respects: permit fees and permit processing. With
respect to permit fees, specific deficiencies include the following:
Maricopa County has failed to demonstrate that its title V program
requires owners or operators of Operating Permit Program sources to pay
fees that are sufficient to cover the costs of the County's title V
program, and has failed to adequately ensure that its title V program
funds are used solely for title V permit program costs; and Maricopa
County's fee rule and the implementation of this rule have contributed
to delay in issuance of initial title V permits. With respect to permit
processing, specific deficiencies include the following: Maricopa
County has issued title V permits that do not assure compliance with
all applicable requirements; Maricopa County's processing of permit
revisions is deficient; and Maricopa County has not demonstrated that
it is providing sufficient staffing. Publication of this action is a
prerequisite for withdrawal of Maricopa County's title V program
approval, but does not effect such withdrawal.
EFFECTIVE DATE: May 17, 2005. Because this Notice of Deficiency is an
adjudication and not a final rule, the Administrative Procedure Act's
30-day deferral of the effective date of a rule does not apply.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gerardo Rios, EPA, Region 9, Air
Division (AIR-3), 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, (415)
972-3974, or r9airpermits@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
I. Background
II. Description of Action
III. Federal Oversight and Sanctions
IV. Administrative Requirements
I. Background
The Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) requires all State and local
permitting authorities to develop operating permits programs that meet
the requirements of title V of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 7661-7661f, and its
implementing regulations, 40 CFR part 70. On November 15, 1993, the
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) submitted, on behalf
of Maricopa County, a proposed title V program to the Administrator for
approval. Maricopa County's title V program was granted final interim
approval by EPA on November 29, 1996 and was granted full approval on
November 30, 2001.
In March 2002, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a
report on the progress of title V permit issuance based on its
evaluation of several selected state and local air pollution control
agencies. In response to OIG's recommendations, EPA made a commitment
in July 2002 to conduct comprehensive title V program evaluations
throughout the nation. EPA Region 9 began its program evaluations in
2003, with Maricopa County Environmental Services Department (MCESD) as
the second permitting agency on its program evaluation schedule. Region
9 informed MCESD of the start of the title V program evaluation in a
letter, dated May 27, 2004, in which Region 9 also expressed existing
concerns about MCESD's implementation of its title V permitting
program. Over the next several months of EPA's title V program
evaluation, Region 9 learned more details of MCESD's implementation
practices and procedures, including many instances
[[Page 32244]]
in which MCESD failed to meet the requirements of title V of the Act
and 40 CFR part 70.
Section 503(c) of the Act requires permitting authorities to act on
all initial permit applications within three years of program approval,
which would have been November 29, 1999 for Maricopa County. In a
January 28, 2002 letter to EPA, MCESD stated that it had issued sixteen
of its fifty-six initial title V permits. MCESD committed to issue its
remaining forty initial permits by December 1, 2003, completing ten
permits every six months. MCESD failed to meet each six month milestone
for permit issuance as well as the December 1, 2003 deadline for all
initial permits. As of April 15, 2005, MCESD still has not completed
issuance of all initial title V permits and has a backlog of title V
renewal permits as well.
For full details of EPA Region 9's findings, please see the report,
``Maricopa County Environmental Services Department Title V Operating
Permit Program Evaluation,'' which is available at https://www.epa.gov/
region09/air/titlevevals.html.
Maricopa County has recently initiated a number of changes to its
title V program. One significant change has been the formation of a new
Air Quality Department (AQD), separate from MCESD, within the Regional
Development Services group of Maricopa County. This reorganization
should allow Maricopa County to focus its resources on air quality in
an area that has increasingly complex air permitting issues and, thus,
requires a more concentrated effort. Though Maricopa County has
initiated many improvements to its title V program since the start of
EPA's program evaluation, EPA believes a NOD is necessary in light of
the existing issues, and to ensure that those issues are adequately
addressed going forward.
II. Description of Action
EPA is publishing a notice of deficiency for the Clean Air Act
title V operating permits program for Maricopa County, Arizona. This
document is being published pursuant to 40 CFR 70.10(b)(1), which
provides that EPA shall publish in the Federal Register a notice of any
determination that a title V permitting authority is not adequately
administering or enforcing its title V operating permits program. The
deficiencies being noticed today are in two main categories of (1)
permit fees and (2) permit processing. The specific deficiencies are
described more fully below.
A. Permit Fees
1. Maricopa County Has Not Demonstrated That It Collects Fees
Sufficient To Fund Its Permit Program, Nor That It Uses Fees Solely for
Program Costs
Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 7661a(b)(3) and 40 CFR 70.9(a), a permitting
authority's title V program must require that the owners or operators
of part 70 sources pay annual fees, or the equivalent over some other
period, that are sufficient to cover the permit program costs, and the
permitting authority must ensure that any fee collected be used solely
for title V permit program costs. Although 42 U.S.C. 7661a(b)(3) and 40
CFR 70.9(b) require that a permitting authority's title V permit
program include a fee schedule that results in the collection of
sufficient fees to cover all title V permit program costs, permitting
authorities have flexibility in developing the components of that fee
schedule. See 40 CFR 70.9(b)(3).
a. Maricopa County has not demonstrated that its revised fee rule
meets the requirements of title V and part 70.
Maricopa County's fee rule, as included in the County's 1993
initial title V program submittal, had an annual emissions-based fee
which met the presumptive minimum prescribed in 40 CFR 70.9(b)(2)(i)
for existing sources, in addition to an annual ``processing and
inspection'' fee. Maricopa County later revised its fee rule in 1998,
2000, 2003, and 2004. Currently, permit fees are imposed based on a
combination of an application fee, hourly-based processing fee, annual
administrative fee, and annual emissions-based fee. The emissions-based
fee is less than EPA's presumptive minimum. Since other components of
the permit fees are not assessed on a per-ton basis, it is difficult to
determine if the aggregate of the fees meets EPA's presumptive minimum.
Maricopa County has never submitted any of its fee rule revisions to
EPA as a program revision submittal or provided a demonstration to EPA,
based on the current fee rule, that it collects title V fees sufficient
to cover the title V permit program costs and that title V fees
collected are used solely for title V permit program costs.
b. A clear accounting of costs is necessary
Maricopa County is not able to demonstrate that title V permit fees
collected are sufficient to fund its title V program and that title V
permit fees are used solely for title V program costs, because it does
not have a clear accounting of costs incurred under title V (separate
from costs incurred under other non-title V programs). Maricopa County
is able to account for title V revenues quite accurately because
payment of permit fees by each applicant is recorded in the permitting
agency's Environmental Management System database. However, Maricopa
County has more difficulty tracking title V costs.
Maricopa County maintains a single account for title V fees, non-
title V fees, and enforcement penalties. Both title V and non-title V
costs are paid from this account. Maricopa County title V permitting
staff are required to log in the number of hours spent preparing title
V permits. However, Maricopa County does not maintain an accounting of
total salary costs for title V activities, nor has Maricopa County kept
an accounting of other actual costs of the title V program such as
training, equipment, and travel.
Maricopa County has provided EPA with workload assessments that
project future costs by estimating an average number of hours required
to write a permit in each source category (e.g., cement plants,
compressor stations, lime plants, landfills) and an average number of
permits issued per source category. Maricopa County's projections also
use averages of salaries for a category of an entire group such as
``technical'' staff of the title V permitting group.
While this broad approach could be considered adequate for the
purpose of projecting future costs, Maricopa County should be able to
provide a more accurate, detailed accounting of actual title V
revenues, costs, and expenditures to demonstrate that title V fees are
not being directed to do non-title V work. For an accounting of costs,
a direct approach, based on employee-specific salaries and the number
of hours logged for title V activities for each employee would be more
accurate.
Because Maricopa County has not instituted a system that provides a
clear accounting of costs incurred for title V activities (separate
from non-title V activities), it has been unable to detail its permit
program costs and demonstrate that its title V revenues cover those
program costs. Maricopa County has also been unable to demonstrate that
title V revenues are used solely for title V program costs.
EPA would consider correction of this deficiency to include
submittal of a demonstration that Maricopa County has the systematic
ability to provide a detailed accounting of title V program costs
separately from other program costs. This accounting should also
provide a clear demonstration that total title V revenues are
sufficient to fund total title V costs. The accounting
[[Page 32245]]
should also clearly show that title V revenues are used solely for
title V costs.
2. Maricopa County's Fee Rule and the Implementation of This Rule Have
Contributed to the Delay in Issuance of Initial Title V Permits
Maricopa County's fee rule, Rule 280, prevents the permitting
authority from issuing a final initial title V permit, permit revision,
or renewal permit if the source has not paid the balance of fees due.
MCESD's Rule 280 section 301.1 states, ``Before issuance of a permit to
construct and operate a source, an applicant shall pay to the Control
Officer a fee billed by the Control Officer representing the total
actual cost of reviewing and acting upon the application minus any
application fee remitted.'' Maricopa County has encountered problems
with issuing permits when sources refuse to pay their permit fee
balances because they are dissatisfied with their proposed permits. It
would appear that existing sources retain the initial application
shield granted upon submittal of a complete application; thus, these
sources can continue to operate without a title V operating permit. The
problem is further exacerbated by the fact that Maricopa County has not
enforced against those sources that refused to pay fees.
The end result is that issuance of certain title V permits can be
delayed if sources refuse to pay fees, and the delay may extend until
Maricopa County revises the permit conditions in question. The rule
could cause similar problems during permit renewal. This situation is
inconsistent with Maricopa County's obligation under the Act to have
sufficient authority to issue permits and assure compliance with each
applicable requirement, as well as its obligation to take final action
on complete applications in a timely fashion, as specified in part 70.
EPA would consider correction of this deficiency to include a
revision to Rule 280 and submittal of a standard set of policies and
procedures. The rule revision should eliminate the possibility that a
source could prevent Maricopa County from issuing a final permit by
withholding fees. The standard set of policies and procedures would
provide a procedure for addressing non-payment of permit fees through
enforcement, collection activities, or other means.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ It may be worth noting that if EPA takes over a fee program,
EPA is required by the Act to charge a penalty of 50% of the fee
amount, plus interest, on any unpaid permit fees. See 42 U.S.C.
7661a(b)(3)(C)(ii); 40 CFR 71.9(l)(2).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
B. Permit Processing
1. Maricopa County Has Issued Title V Permits That Do Not Assure
Compliance With All Applicable Requirements
Maricopa County issues combined preconstruction/operating permits,
with the intention of meeting both the new source review (NSR)
requirements contained in Maricopa County's approved State
Implementation Plan (SIP) and the part 70 requirements contained in
Maricopa County's approved title V program. Maricopa County's approved
title V program contains Rule 200, which establishes permit
requirements and describes the different types of permits, and Rule
210, which establishes the requirements for title V permitting in
particular. Maricopa County's SIP, approved by EPA, contains rules for
implementing its NSR program (both major and minor). In particular, SIP
Rule 20 establishes the requirement for sources to obtain installation
(preconstruction) permits for all new and modified sources, and SIP
Rule 21 establishes the procedures for obtaining an installation
permit.
Pursuant to 40 CFR 70.7(a)(1)(iv), title V permits must assure
compliance with all applicable requirements, including NSR
requirements. Maricopa County has, at times, implemented the title V
rule, Rule 210, without proper consideration of the requirements of the
NSR SIP Rule 20, resulting in the submittal to EPA of title V permits
that do not contain all applicable requirements.
Sections 403 and 403.2 of Rule 210 allow title V sources to make
certain changes without a permit revision if specific conditions are
met.\2\ SIP Rule 20, however, does not contain a similar exemption from
installation permitting requirements. Specifically, SIP Rule 20
requires that ``any person erecting, installing, replacing, or making a
major alteration to any machine, equipment, incinerator, device or
other article which may cause or contribute to air pollution or the use
of which may eliminate or reduce or control the emission of air
pollutants, shall first obtain an Installation Permit from the Control
Officer.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ These conditions, as listed in Maricopa County's Rule 210
Section 403.1, include the following: that the changes are not title
I modifications, do not exceed emissions allowable under the permit,
meet the criteria for processing as a minor title V permit revision,
and do not violate applicable requirements.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Permitting authorities may issue combined NSR/title V permits.
However, a source may not avoid a requirement to obtain a
preconstruction permit by relying on the operational flexibility
provisions of a title V permit.\3\ Maricopa County's practice typically
follows only the requirements of Rule 210 Section 403 without proper
implementation of SIP Rule 20.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ In addition, NSR permit conditions do not expire, so
permitting authorities must ensure that NSR conditions remain in
effect even after the expiration of a title V permit that
incorporates the conditions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPA would consider correction of this deficiency to include
submittal of an implementation guidance document that ensures that
Maricopa County's title V permits assure compliance with all applicable
requirements, including SIP-approved NSR requirements. An
implementation guidance document might include the following elements:
(1) An explanation that Maricopa County's title V rules may not be used
to avoid obtaining an otherwise-required preconstruction permit; (2) a
demonstration that Maricopa County's title V permits assure compliance
with SIP-approved preconstruction requirements; (3) a plan for
evaluating applications and issuing permit revisions that include all
applicable requirements, including any applicable preconstruction
review requirements; (4) any necessary revisions to Maricopa's standard
application form to ensure that pre-construction review requirements
are addressed; and (5) guidance to affected sources advising them of
Maricopa's new procedures for issuing preconstruction and operating
permit revisions for title V sources, including the requirement to
ensure that all preconstruction review required under the SIP occurs.
Maricopa County might also consider rule changes that assure that all
facility changes comply with preconstruction review requirements under
the SIP.
2. Maricopa County's Processing of Permit Revisions Is Deficient
a. Incorrect processing of significant revisions as minor revisions
EPA has found that Maricopa County does not take adequate steps to
ensure that significant permit revisions are not incorrectly processed
as minor permit revisions. A change that requires a significant permit
revision may not be implemented before the permit revision is subject
to public notice and comment, approved by the permitting authority, and
reviewed by EPA. Maricopa County's incorrect processing of significant
revisions has allowed sources to bypass these requirements. Maricopa's
Rule 210 Section 405.1 specifies the criteria by which changes
[[Page 32246]]
at a source can be processed as a minor revision.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ See Finding 5.5 of EPA's program evaluation report for
specific examples.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
b. Incorrect administrative processing of minor revisions
Maricopa County typically has not issued a separate revised permit
document or technical support document when processing its minor permit
revisions. EPA has found many minor permit revisions that do not
contain any revision to the title V permit but, instead, the
permittee's application is signed by an MCESD permit engineer and
initialed by the title V supervisor. This application then serves as
the permit revision.
The signed application does not contain an engineering analysis or
revised permit conditions to support the application approval. This
practice of issuing the signed permit application instead of a revised
permit document compromises the enforceability of Maricopa County's
permits.
This practice is also inconsistent with 40 CFR part 70, which
requires the permitting authority to issue a revised permit and
statement of basis. See 40 CFR 70.7(a)(1) and 70.7(a)(5).\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ In addition, Maricopa County has made it a practice to have
the permit engineer sign the minor permit revision application.
Authorizations to approve minor permit revisions have not been
delegated to the permit engineer from the Director. Thus, Maricopa
County has not been following the proper administrative procedures
for issuance of minor permit revisions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
c. Policies and procedures on permit revisions
In order to address parts 2.a. and b. of the deficiency above, EPA
would consider correction of the deficiency to include development and
submittal of a standard set of policies and procedures on permit
revision procedures for title V sources. EPA envisions that such a
document would include the following elements: (1) Criteria for
determining if a proposed revision is significant, minor or
administrative; (2) procedures for developing appropriate permit
conditions and statements of basis for significant and minor permit
revisions; and (3) Maricopa's permit processing procedures from receipt
of application to permit issuance.
3. Maricopa County Has Not Demonstrated That It Is Providing Sufficient
Staffing
Section 502(b) of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 7661a(b), and 40 CFR 70.4
provide that a permitting authority must have adequate personnel to
ensure that the permitting authority can carry out implementation of
its title V program. As noted above, Maricopa County has experienced a
significant delay in issuing initial title V permits. In addition,
Maricopa County has had problems with the quality of the title V
permits issued, specifically, ensuring that the permit assures
compliance with all applicable requirements.
In 1993, Maricopa County submitted a workload assessment (WLA) with
its title V program submittal. In the WLA, Maricopa County projected
the number of hours required for each task of implementing its title V
program, the corresponding number of full-time employees (FTE)
required, and the corresponding costs based on salary averages. In
2003, Maricopa County updated its WLA to provide a basis for a change
to its fee structure and fee amounts. The 2003 WLA found that the 1993
WLA had underestimated the initial assumptions for title V program
implementation. As far as staffing needs, the 2003 WLA increased FTE
projections, compared to 1993 projections, for all sections or groups.
In particular, the 1993 WLA projected a need for 7 FTE ``air quality
engineers'' in permitting and 26 total FTEs in the Permits & Compliance
Section (these two functions were in one section at the time). The 2003
WLA projected a need for 21.3 FTEs for the Permits Section alone.\6\
The 2003 WLA also stated that the Permits Section had, at that time, 13
FTEs and that, at this staffing level, ``the Section struggles to meet
permit issuance timelines, keep up with rule revisions * * * and to
implement community outreach.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ Out of the 21.3 FTEs, Maricopa County categorized 16.5 of
these FTEs as ``technical.'' Since Maricopa County labeled another
category as ``manager,'' EPA is inferring that the ``technical''
category includes only technical staff-level employees and does not
include managers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maricopa County appears to acknowledge a history of being
understaffed. The 2003 WLA states, when referring to the 1993 FTE
projections, that Maricopa County was not able ``to fill all the
positions because of high turnover and inability to find qualified
applicants.'' In addition, Maricopa County has left the position of
Permits Section Manager vacant for many years. As of the beginning of
April 2005, the Permits Section has 9 permitting staffpersons, at least
11 FTEs short of its own projected need for ``technical'' staff.
Maricopa County failed to meet all of its deadlines for issuing initial
title V permits and, as of April 15, 2005, still has not issued all
initial title V permits. In its 2003 WLA, Maricopa County admitted that
it is understaffed and cannot meet permit issuance deadlines.
EPA would consider correction of this deficiency to include
submittal to EPA of a strategy that Maricopa County will implement to
hire and retain adequate staffing to successfully implement its title V
program. The strategy could be based either on the 2003 WLA or an
updated WLA, should include milestones with corresponding dates, and
should describe contingency options to fill positions if Maricopa
County is unable to meet these milestones.
C. Significant Action and Correction of Deficiencies
EPA would consider significant action within 90 days after the date
of the NOD to be submittal of a workplan containing associated
milestones for resolution of each deficiency, for review and approval
by EPA. The workplan should clearly describe Maricopa County's proposed
correction for each deficiency and a completion date no later than 18
months after the date of the NOD. The milestones in the workplan should
include not only the completion of the resolution of each deficiency
but also intermediate steps and corresponding dates.
Each subsection of this notice which contains a description of a
deficiency also contains a suggested correction of the deficiency. EPA
will also consider alternative resolutions proposed by Maricopa County
to correct deficiencies. These alternative resolutions should be
described in the workplan for the significant action submittal. After
Maricopa County's submittal of the workplan, EPA intends to have an
active role in tracking Maricopa County's progress towards correcting
the deficiencies identified in this notice within the specified
timeframes.
III. Federal Oversight and Sanctions
Part 70 provides that EPA may withdraw a part 70 program approval,
in whole or in part, whenever the approved program no longer complies
with the requirements of part 70 and the permitting authority fails to
take corrective action. 40 CFR 70.10(c)(1). This section goes on to
list a number of potential bases for program withdrawal, including
inadequate fee collection and failure to comply with the requirements
of part 70 in administering the program. 40 CFR 70.10(b) sets forth the
procedures for withdrawal of program approval, and requires as a
prerequisite to withdrawal that the permitting authority be notified of
any finding of deficiency by the Administrator and that the notice be
published in the Federal Register. Today's notice satisfies this
requirement and constitutes a finding of program deficiency. If the
permitting authority
[[Page 32247]]
has not taken ``significant action to assure adequate administration
and enforcement of the program'' within 90 days after the date of a
notice of deficiency, EPA may withdraw approval of the permitting
authority's program, apply either of the sanctions specified in section
179(b) of the Act, or promulgate, administer, and enforce a Federal
title V program. 40 CFR 70.10(b)(2). Section 70.10(b)(3) provides that
if a permitting authority has not corrected the deficiency within 18
months of the finding of deficiency, EPA will apply the sanctions under
section 179(b) of the Act, in accordance with section 179(a) of the
Act.\7\ In addition, section 70.10(b)(4) provides that, if the
permitting authority has not corrected the deficiency within 18 months
after the date of notice of deficiency, EPA must promulgate,
administer, and enforce a whole or partial program within 2 years of
the date of the finding.
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\7\ Section 179(a) provides that unless such deficiency has been
corrected within 18 months after the finding, one of the sanctions
in section 179(b) of the Act shall apply as selected by the
Administrator. If the Administrator has selected one of the
sanctions and the deficiency has not been corrected within 6 months
thereafter, then sanctions under both sections 179(b)(1) and
179(b)(2) shall apply until the Administrator determines that the
permitting authority has come into compliance.
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This document is not a proposal to withdraw approval of Maricopa
County's title V program. Consistent with 40 CFR 70.10(b)(2), EPA will
wait at least 90 days before determining whether Maricopa County has
taken significant action to correct the deficiencies outlined in this
notice.
IV. Administrative Requirements
Under section 307(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act, petitions for
judicial review of today's action may be filed in the United States
Court of Appeals for the appropriate circuit within 60 days of June 2,
2005.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 70
Environmental protection, Administrative practice and procedure,
Air pollution control, Incorporation by reference, Intergovernmental
relations, Operating permits, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Dated: May 17, 2005.
Wayne Nastri,
Regional Administrator, Region 9.
[FR Doc. 05-10995 Filed 6-1-05; 8:45 am]
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