Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Pennsylvania; VOC and NOX, 61750-61752 [05-21372]

Agencies

• ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 206 (Wednesday, October 26, 2005)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 61750-61752]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-21372]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[R03-OAR-2005-PA-0015; FRL-7988-3]


Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; 
Pennsylvania; VOC and NOX RACT Determinations for Two Individual 
Sources

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: EPA proposes to approve revisions to the Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania State Implementation Plan (SIP). The revisions were 
submitted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection 
(PADEP) to establish and require reasonably available control 
technology (RACT) for two major sources of volatile organic compounds 
(VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) pursuant to the Commonwealth 
of Pennsylvania's (Pennsylvania or the Commonwealth) SIP-approved 
generic RACT regulations. EPA is proposing to approve these revisions 
in accordance with the Clean Air Act (CAA).

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before November 25, 
2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Regional Material in 
EDocket (RME) ID Number R03-OAR-2005-PA-0015 by one of the following 
methods:
    A. Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
    B. Agency Web site: https://docket.epa.gov/rmepub/ RME, EPA's 
electronic public docket and comment system, is EPA's preferred method 
for receiving comments. Follow the on-line instructions for submitting 
comments.
    C. E-mail: morris.makeba@epa.gov.
    D. Mail: R03-OAR-2005-PA-0015, Makeba Morris, Chief, Air Quality 
Planning Branch, Mailcode 3AP21, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 
Region III, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103.
    E. Hand Delivery: At the previously listed EPA Region III address. 
Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of 
operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of 
boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to RME ID No. R03-OAR-2005-PA-
0015. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in 
the public docket without change, and may be made available online at 
https://docket.epa.gov/rmepub/, including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you 
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through RME, regulations.gov 
or e-mail. The EPA RME and the Federal regulations.gov websites are an 
``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your 
identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of 
your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without 
going through RME or regulations.gov, your e-mail address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. 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. If EPA cannot read your comment due to 
technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA 
may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid 
the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of 
any defects or viruses.
    Docket: All documents in the electronic docket are listed in the 
RME index at https://docket.epa.gov/rmepub/. Although listed in the 
index, some information is not publicly available, i.e., CBI or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other 
material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet 
and will be publicly available only in hard copy form.

[[Page 61751]]

Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically 
in RME or in hard copy during normal business hours at the Air 
Protection Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, 
1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103. Copies of the State 
submittal are available at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental 
Protection, Bureau of Air Quality, P.O. Box 8468, 400 Market Street, 
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17105.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pauline De Vose, (215) 814-2186, or by 
e-mail at devose.pauline@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 15, 2003, PADEP submitted 
revisions to the Pennsylvania SIP. These SIP revisions consist of 
source-specific operating permits and/or plan approvals issued by PADEP 
to establish and require RACT for two sources included in 
Pennsylvania's submittal letter pursuant to Pennsylvania's SIP-approved 
generic RACT regulations. This proposed rulemaking covers the 
Commonwealth's source-specific RACT determinations for two of those 
sources The remaining RACT determinations submitted by PADEP on August 
15, 2003, are or will be the subject of separate rulemakings.

I. Background

    Pursuant to sections 182(b)(2) and 182(f) of the CAA, Pennsylvania 
is required to establish and implement RACT for all major VOC and 
NOX sources. The major source size is determined by its 
location, the classification of that area and whether it is located in 
the ozone transport region (OTR). Under section 184 of the CAA, RACT as 
specified in sections 182(b)(2) and 182(f) applies throughout the OTR. 
The entire Commonwealth is located within the OTR. Therefore, RACT is 
applicable statewide in Pennsylvania.
    State implementation plan revisions imposing RACT for three classes 
of VOC sources are required under section 182(b)(2). The categories 
are:
    (1) All sources covered by a Control Technique Guideline (CTG) 
document issued between November 15, 1990 and the date of attainment;
    (2) All sources covered by a CTG issued prior to November 15, 1990; 
and
    (3) All major non-CTG sources.
    The Pennsylvania SIP already has approved RACT regulations and 
requirements for all sources and source categories covered by the CTGs. 
The Pennsylvania SIP also has approved regulations to require major 
sources of NOX and additional major sources of VOC emissions 
(not covered by a CTG) to implement RACT. These regulations are 
commonly termed the ``generic RACT regulations.'' A generic RACT 
regulation is one that does not, itself, specifically define RACT for a 
source or source categories but instead establishes procedures for 
imposing case-by-case RACT determinations. The Commonwealth's SIP-
approved generic RACT regulations consist of the procedures PADEP uses 
to establish and impose RACT for subject sources of VOC and 
NOX. Pursuant to the SIP-approved generic RACT rules, PADEP 
imposes RACT on each subject source in an enforceable document, usually 
a Plan Approval (PA) or Operating Permit (OP). The Commonwealth then 
submits these PAs and OPs to EPA for approval as source-specific SIP 
revisions. EPA reviews these SIP revisions to ensure that the 
Pennsylvania DEP has determined and imposed RACT in accordance with the 
provisions of the SIP-approved generic RACT rules.
    It must be noted that the Commonwealth has adopted and is 
implementing additional ``post RACT requirements'' to reduce seasonal 
NOX emissions in the form of a NOX cap and trade 
regulation, 25 Pa Code Chapters 121 and 123, based upon a model rule 
developed by the States in the OTR. That regulation was approved as SIP 
revision on June 6, 2000 (65 FR 35842). Pennsylvania has also adopted 
25 Pa Code Chapter 145 to satisfy Phase I of the NOX SIP 
call. That regulation was approved as a SIP revision on August 21, 2001 
(66 FR 43795). Federal approval of a source-specific RACT determination 
for a major source of NOX in no way relieves that source 
from any applicable requirements found in 25 PA Code Chapters 121, 123 
and 145.

II. Summary of the SIP Revisions

    The following table identifies the sources and the individual plan 
approvals (PAs) and operating permits (OPs) which are the subject of 
this rulemaking.

                      Pennsylvania--VOC AND NOX Ract Determinations for Individual Sources
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                       Plan approval (PA
                                                          )                           ``Major source''
          Source's name                 County         Operating permit       Source type          pollutant
                                                        (OP )
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The International Metals          Lawrence..........  Op 37-243.........  Metals Recovery     VOC.
 Reclamation Co.                                                           Facility.
Petrowax PA Inc.................  Venango...........  PA 61-020.........  Refinery..........  VOC and NOX.
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    Interested parties are advised that copies of Pennsylvania's SIP 
submittals for these sources, including the actual PAs and OPs imposing 
RACT, PADEP's evaluation memoranda and the sources' RACT proposals 
(referenced in PADEP's evaluation memoranda) are included and may be 
viewed in their entirety in both the electronic and hard copy versions 
of the docket for this final rule. As previously stated, all documents 
in the electronic docket are listed in the RME index at https://
docket.epa.gov/rmepub/. Publicly available docket materials are 
available either electronically in RME or in hard copy during normal 
business hours at the Air Protection Division, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Region III, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania 19103. Copies of the State submittal are available at the 
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Air 
Quality, P.O. Box 8468, 400 Market Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 
17105.
    EPA is approving these RACT SIP submittals because PADEP 
established and imposed these RACT requirements in accordance with the 
criteria set forth in its SIP-approved generic RACT regulations 
applicable to these sources. In accordance with its SIP-approved 
generic RACT rule, the Commonwealth has also imposed record-keeping, 
monitoring, and testing requirements on these have a substantial direct 
effect on one or more Indian tribes, on the relationship between the 
Federal Government and Indian tribes, or on the distribution of power 
and responsibilities between the Federal Government and Indian tribes, 
as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9, 2000), 
nor will it have substantial direct effects on the States, on the 
relationship between the national government and the States, or on the 
distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of 
government, as specified in Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 
10, 1999), because it merely proposes to approve a state rule

[[Page 61752]]

implementing a Federal standard, and does not alter the relationship or 
the distribution of power and responsibilities established in the Clean 
Air Act. This proposed rule also is not subject to Executive Order 
13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997), because it is not economically 
significant.
    In reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve state 
choices, provided that they meet the criteria of the Clean Air Act. In 
this context, in the absence of a prior existing requirement for the 
State to use voluntary consensus standards (VCS), EPA has no authority 
to disapprove a SIP submission for failure to use VCS. It would thus be 
inconsistent with applicable law for EPA, when it reviews a SIP 
submission, to use VCS in place of a SIP submission that otherwise 
satisfies the provisions of the Clean Air Act. Thus, the requirements 
of section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement 
Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) do not apply. As required by section 3 
of Executive Order 12988 (61 FR 4729, February 7, 1996), in issuing 
this proposed rule, EPA has taken the necessary steps to eliminate 
drafting errors and ambiguity, minimize potential litigation, and 
provide a clear legal standard for affected conduct. EPA has complied 
with Executive Order 12630 (53 FR 8859, March 15, 1988) by examining 
the takings implications of the rule in accordance with the ``Attorney 
General's Supplemental Guidelines for the Evaluation of Risk and 
Avoidance of Unanticipated Takings' issued under the executive order. 
This proposed rule to approve source-specific RACT determinations 
established and imposed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania pursuant to 
its SIP-approved generic RACT regulations does not impose an 
information collection burden under the provisions of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Nitrogen dioxide, 
Ozone, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Volatile organic 
compounds.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.

    Dated: October 18, 2005.
Donald S. Welsh,
Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. 05-21372 Filed 10-25-05; 8:45 am]
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