Findings of Informal Review of the State of Michigan's Approved Clean Water Act Section 404 Program, 44721-44725 [E8-17588]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 148 / Thursday, July 31, 2008 / Notices
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[FRL–8699–5]
Notice of Availability of Final NPDES
General Permits for Noncontact
Cooling Water Discharges in the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
(Including Both Commonwealth and
Indian Country Lands) and the State of
New Hampshire
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Final
NPDES General Permits MAG250000
and NHG250000.
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AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Director of the Office of
Ecosystem Protection, EPA-New
England, is today providing notice of
availability of the final National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) general permits for noncontact
cooling water (NCCW) discharges to
certain waters of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts (including both
Commonwealth and Indian country
lands) and the State of New Hampshire.
The general permits replace the
NCCW general permits which expired
on April 25, 2005. The general permits
establish permit eligibility conditions,
Notice of Intent (NOI) requirements,
effluent limitations, standards,
prohibitions, and management practices
for facilities discharging NCCW. Owners
and/or operators of facilities discharging
NCCW, including those currently
authorized to discharge under the
expired general permits, are required to
submit an NOI to be covered by one of
the general permits to both EPA-New
England and the appropriate State
agency. EPA and the State will review
the NOI and the facility will receive
written notification from EPA stating
whether permit coverage and
authorization to discharge under one of
the general permits is approved. The
eligibility requirements for coverage
under the general permits are discussed
in detail under Part 3 of the permits.
The reader is strongly urged to go to that
section of the general permits to
determine eligibility. The general
permits do not cover new sources as
defined at 40 CFR 122.2.
DATES: The general permits shall be
effective on July 31, 2008, and they will
expire at midnight, five (5) years from
the last day of the month preceding the
effective date.
ADDRESSES: The required notification
information to obtain permit coverage is
provided for in the general permits. This
information shall be submitted to both
EPA and the appropriate State.
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Notification information may be sent via
USPS, email or fax to EPA at EPARegion 1, Office of Ecosystem Protection
(CMU), One Congress Street, Boston,
Massachusetts, 02114–2023; e-mail
address NCCWGP@EPA.GOVRegion01;
or fax number (617) 918–2188.
Notification information shall be
submitted to the appropriate State
agency at the addresses listed in the
general permits, Part 5.9. See also
Appendix 6, State Agency Notification
Requirements and Mailing Addresses.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Additional information concerning the
final general permits may be obtained
between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Monday through Friday, excluding
holidays, from Austine Frawley at
Frawley.Austine@EPA.GOV or (617)
918–1065.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
general permits may be viewed over the
Internet at the EPA Web site https://
www.epa.gov/region1/npdes/
nccwgp.html. To obtain a paper copy of
the general permits, please contact Ms.
Frawley using the contact information
provided above. A reasonable fee may
be charged for copying requests.
Dated: July 24, 2008.
Ira W. Leighton,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 1.
[FR Doc. E8–17599 Filed 7–30–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[FRL–8697–3]
Findings of Informal Review of the
State of Michigan’s Approved Clean
Water Act Section 404 Program
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This Notice announces EPA’s
findings from its informal review of the
state of Michigan’s approved Clean
Water Act (CWA) Section 404 program.
EPA finds that, at this time, formal
program withdrawal proceedings should
not be initiated for Michigan’s approved
CWA Section 404 program. EPA’s Final
Report of this review is now available.
EPA has identified several deficiencies
in Michigan’s approved CWA Section
404 program; those are identified in the
Final Report along with corrective
actions which Michigan has proposed to
take and a schedule for implementing
the corrective actions.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sue
Elston, Watersheds and Wetlands
Branch, at the EPA address noted above
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or by telephone at (312) 886–6115. The
Final Report containing EPA’s findings
is available via the Internet at the
following location: https://www.epa.gov/
region5/water/wshednps/notices.htm. In
addition, a hard copy of the information
supporting today’s notice is available for
review at EPA Region 5, 77 West
Jackson Boulevard, 16th floor, Chicago,
Illinois and Library of Michigan, 702
Kalamazoo Street, Lansing, Michigan.
To arrange for access to the docket
materials in Chicago call (312) 886–6115
or in Lansing call (517) 373–1300.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On October 16, 1984, EPA approved
the regulatory permitting program that
the state of Michigan had submitted
pursuant to the requirements and
guidelines contained in Subsections
404(g) and 404(h) of the CWA. 33 U.S.C.
1344(g) and (h) (See 49 FR 38947,
October 2, 1984.) In that notice of
approval, EPA noted that the
Administrator was required to approve
a program submitted by a state pursuant
to Subsection 404(g) of the CWA unless
that program does not meet the
requirements of Subsection 404(h) of the
CWA. EPA stated in the notice that it
had determined the program submitted
by the state of Michigan met those
statutory requirements. The components
of the approved CWA Section 404
program are stated at 40 CFR 233.70.
The Michigan state agency authorized
in 1984 to administer the approved
CWA Section 404 program was the
Department of Natural Resources. Later
the state of Michigan reorganized its
agencies and transferred authority to
administer the approved CWA Section
404 program to the Department of
Environmental Quality (MDEQ). EPA
approved this transfer on November 14,
1997 (62 FR 61173, November 14, 1997).
On February 4, 1997 EPA received a
request to review claims that Michigan’s
approved CWA Section 404 program
had serious deficiencies and to either
insist Michigan take specific remedial
measures or withdraw Michigan’s
administration of CWA Section 404.
EPA decided to treat the request as a
petition to withdraw program approval
and to informally review all aspects of
Michigan’s approved CWA Section 404
program. The EPA Regional
Administrator of Region 5 informed the
Director of MDEQ of the commencement
of the CWA Section 404 program review
in a letter dated January 22, 1998.
II. Overview of EPA Review of
Michigan’s CWA Section 404 Program
The scope of EPA’s informal review
included MDEQ permit processing,
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decision making, and enforcement of
Section 404 permits; and a
comprehensive review of the adequacy
of Michigan’s current legal authorities
which establish Michigan’s CWA
Section 404 program. EPA’s review
included materials submitted by MDEQ
between June 1999 and the date of this
Notice. Those materials included an
updated program description (40 CFR
233.11); a new Michigan Attorney
General statement confirming that state
laws and regulations provide adequate
authority to administer the CWA
Section 404 program and addressing the
other subjects mentioned at 40 CFR
233.12; and a compilation of all current,
relevant Michigan laws and regulations.
During its program review EPA
reviewed hundreds of permitting files,
enforcement files, and citizen complaint
files that MDEQ generated between 1995
and 1999. Additionally, EPA reviewed
MDEQ written decisions issued in
contested permitting cases between
January 1994 and early 1999. The
contested case decisions represent final
agency action by MDEQ in matters
involving individual permits processed
under the approved CWA Section 404
program. Also as part of the program
review, EPA consulted with offices of
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS) and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (Corps) which interact with
MDEQ during its administration of the
program. Finally, during January and
May of 1999, EPA held four availability
sessions to receive comments from
interested persons.
In November 2002, EPA completed its
preliminary review and analysis of all
materials and concluded that the review
findings did not warrant a
recommendation to the Administrator to
initiate formal program withdrawal
proceedings, but did warrant corrective
actions by the state of Michigan. EPA’s
preliminary findings and the necessary
corrective actions were identified in the
document titled Results of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
Region 5 Review of Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality’s
Section 404 Program (Preliminary
Report). EPA announced its preliminary
findings in a Federal Register Notice
published on January 7, 2003 (68 FR
772, January 7, 2003). EPA invited
public comment, for a period of sixty
(60) days, on that notice and the
Preliminary Report. In a November 7,
2003 letter to the EPA Regional
Administrator of Region 5, the Director
of MDEQ responded to the content of
EPA’s Preliminary Report and proposed
a series of corrective actions to be
undertaken by the state in order to
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achieve and maintain full consistency
with the CWA Section 404 program
requirements. EPA completed its review
of the submitted public comments,
communicated further with Michigan,
and performed additional analysis both
as prompted by public comments and as
considered appropriate by EPA. EPA
has also completed its review and
analysis of the corrective actions
proposed by MDEQ. EPA’s final
findings are presented in the document
titled—Results of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
Region 5 Review of Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality’s
Section 404 Program (Final Report).
EPA found both strengths and
deficiencies in Michigan’s legal
authorities establishing the approved
CWA Section 404 program and in the
program’s administration by MDEQ.
EPA has concluded that program
withdrawal proceedings should not be
initiated at this time. However, this
Notice and the Final Report are not
EPA’s final action on the petition to
withdraw. Within 36 months of the date
of this notice, EPA will review all
corrective actions completed by
Michigan and determine whether
initiating formal withdrawal
proceedings is warranted. A summary of
the major program deficiencies
identified by EPA and the corrective
actions proposed by the state follow; a
more detailed analysis is contained in
the Final Report. EPA considers the
schedule for completion of the
corrective actions to be reasonable and
has adopted it in the Final Report.
III. Deficiencies in Michigan’s CWA
Section 404 Program and Proposed
Corrective Actions
A. CWA Jurisdiction
EPA had concerns that the scope of
jurisdiction provided by Michigan law
was not as broad as federal CWA
Section 404 jurisdiction. One major
concern was that Michigan had not
completed its wetland inventories and
Michigan law did not extend
jurisdiction over non-contiguous
wetlands in any county in Michigan that
had a population of less than 100,000
residents unless a wetland inventory
was performed. Michigan made the
commitment to perform wetland
inventories in all counties with less
than 100,000 residents. In January 2007,
Michigan certified that MDEQ had
completed the statewide wetland
inventory.
During EPA’s program review the U.S.
Supreme Court issued two decisions
which address jurisdiction over waters
of the United States under the CWA.
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Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook
County v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
531 U.S. 159 (2001) (SWANCC);
Rapanos v. United States, 547 U.S. 715
(2006). EPA considered those decisions
when reviewing Michigan’s CWA
Section 404 program.
EPA completed its review of the
jurisdictional scope of Michigan’s
approved CWA Section 404 program,
considering the fact Michigan
completed its statewide wetland
inventory, the recent U.S. Supreme
Court decisions and additional factors
outlined in the Final Report. EPA finds
the scope of jurisdiction provided by
Michigan law is at least as broad as the
scope of federal CWA Section 404
jurisdiction.
B. Exemptions From CWA Jurisdiction
Michigan law appears to exempt a
broader range of activities than does the
CWA under Subsection 404(f),
including exemptions for discharges
occurring as part of certain agricultural
activities; discharges related to drain
creation and improvement; and
discharges associated with iron and
copper mining tailings basins. There is
no federal exemption for these
activities. MDEQ has agreed to seek
amendment of Part 303, the state’s
Wetlands Protection Act, to: (1) Limit
the exemptions available under M.C.L.
Section 324.30305(2)(e) to areas of
established agricultural or silvicultural
operations in accordance with federal
law; (2) delete the exemption of
agricultural drainage under M.C.L.
Section 324.30305(2)(j); (3) amend
M.C.L. Section 324.30305(2)(h) to delete
mention of straightening, widening or
deepening; (4) eliminate the exemption
for iron and copper mining tailings
basins under M.C.L. Section
324.30305(2)(o); and (5) delete
exemption for utility and maintenance
activities found at M.C.L. Sections
324.30305(2)(l) and (m) to the extent
these activities are regulated under
CWA Section 404. MDEQ has
committed to initiating these corrective
actions within 6 months of the date of
this Notice and completing these
corrective actions within 36 months of
the date of this Notice.
C. Minor Permits Under Part 301
EPA is concerned that Part 301’s
provisions for minor permits do not
ensure that each minor permit category
will cause only minimal adverse
environmental effects when performed
separately and will have only minimal
cumulative adverse effects on the
environment as required under the
federal law. MDEQ has agreed to
promulgate a new Part 301 rule
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requiring the consideration of
cumulative impacts before new minor
permit categories are established. MDEQ
has agreed to promulgate the rule within
24 months of the date of this Notice.
D. CWA 401(b)(1) Guidelines
EPA is concerned that Michigan law
fails to incorporate the CWA Section
404(b)(1) Guidelines into its permit
decision making process. One element
of EPA’s concern is the absence from
Michigan law of a clear prohibition on
the issuance of permits that will
jeopardize the continued existence of a
threatened or endangered (T & E)
species or their critical habitat, as
required by the CWA Section 404(b)(1)
Guidelines. During the course of this
program review, MDEQ developed
administrative rules under Part 303
which have addressed some of EPA’s
concerns regarding the application of a
feasible and prudent alternatives
analysis, water dependency analysis,
and burdens of proof. MDEQ has now
proposed to implement a more
comprehensive corrective action by
promulgating administrative rules for
Parts 301 and 303 that will incorporate
the federal Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines
by reference. MDEQ has agreed to
promulgate these rules within 24
months of the date of this Notice.
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E. Public Participation in Permitting
Process
A state that is administering a CWA
Section 404 program must provide an
opportunity for public participation in
the state’s enforcement process by
fulfilling the requirements of either 40
CFR 233.41(e)(1) or (e)(2). While MDEQ
has stated that it will comply with 40
CFR 233.41(e)(2), EPA finds that
Michigan’s laws and rules do not clearly
require the state to observe two of the
three public participation requirements
of 40 CFR 233.41(e)(2). To correct this
situation, MDEQ has agreed to work
with EPA to revise the EPA–MDEQ
Memorandum of Agreement to contain
two additional commitments: (1) MDEQ
will not oppose intervention by any
citizen when permissive intervention in
a state enforcement action is authorized
by Michigan law, and (2) MDEQ will
ensure that all proposed settlement
agreements of enforcement actions filed
in state court are publicly noticed with
a 30-day public comment period
provided.
F. General Administration of CWA
Section 404 Program
The program review found that in
general, MDEQ is doing a good job of
administering its CWA Section 404
program, however, EPA did identify
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several problems. EPA identified the
need for MDEQ to modify its procedures
for providing public notice of certain
permit-related actions to make these
procedures consistent with 40 CFR
233.32. EPA alerted MDEQ that it needs
to ensure that interested persons receive
public notices of permitting actions
with enough time to provide comment,
and that it needs to ensure that all
adjacent property owners receive copies
of the public notices. During this
program review, MDEQ addressed the
first problem by developing an internetbased system that makes public notices
more readily available to the public.
MDEQ has addressed the second
problem by providing public notices to
all adjacent landowners, not just
riparian landowners.
G. Endangered Species Act
EPA found that coordination under
the federal Endangered Species Act
(ESA) is effective for larger projects. Yet
our review found that it was not clear
that minor permit projects were being
effectively screened for potential
impacts on T & E species. MDEQ has
worked with the USFWS and EPA to
develop procedures for screening minor
and walk-in permits for the potential to
impact T & E species and their critical
habitat. These procedures will be
finalized within 6 months of the date of
this Notice.
H. Enforcement
The program review concludes that
MDEQ has maintained a satisfactory
enforcement program. MDEQ has
designed the enforcement program to
identify un-permitted activities and
initiates enforcement responses in a
timely manner. Overall, Michigan’s
enforcement program achieves
appropriate injunctive relief through
wetland restoration and wetland
mitigation and seeks and obtains
adequate penalties.
IV. Summary of Comments Received
and EPA Response
While not required to do so according
to the 404 state program regulations at
40 CFR part 233, EPA chose to invite
public comment on EPA’s January 2003
notice and Preliminary Report. In
response to the notice (68 FR 772), EPA
received 26 comment letters or e-mail
responses. Commenters included two
federal agencies (USFWS and the U.S.
Forest Service (USFS)); the Grand
Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa
Indians; two county drain
commissioners; two representatives of
the Michigan Drain Code Coalition; a
member of the Indian Mission
Conservation Club; and 19 individual
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citizens. In addition, the Michigan
Wetland Action Coalition representing
52 conservation organizations provided
extensive comments.
The majority of commenters agreed
with the findings of EPA’s Preliminary
Report and were supportive of the
proposed corrective actions. Four
commenters stated that Michigan
should continue to administer the CWA
Section 404 program since they felt the
state program was more stringent than
the federal program and the state was
doing a better job of protecting the Great
Lakes than would the federal
government if it administered the
program under federal law. A summary
of the comments received and EPA
responses follow.
A. Federal Agency Comments
The USFWS provided comments on a
number of issues addressed in the
program review. With regard to
Michigan’s scope of jurisdiction, the
USFWS expressed concern over the lack
of a mechanism to ensure that the state’s
program will remain as rigorous as any
program the Corps would administer,
even as changes occur to CWA Section
404 jurisdiction, and to the federal
Section 404 program, over time. The
only remedy that EPA can identify to
ensure that Michigan’s CWA Section
404 program remains in compliance
with the standards set forth at 40 CFR
233.1 is EPA’s periodic review of the
state’s program and EPA’s ongoing
review of individual permits and cases.
The USFWS continues to have
concerns with Michigan’s Part 303
which provides that if MDEQ does not
approve or disapprove a permit
application within 90 days the
application shall be considered
approved. The USFWS asserts that this
time constraint unduly limits the
amount of time that federal agencies
have to review projects. The USFWS
would prefer to have the 90 day time
frame deleted from state law or amend
the law to make it explicit that if a
permit is issued pursuant to the 90 day
timeframe, the permit is considered to
have been issued under state law only,
and is not a CWA Section 404 permit.
EPA agrees that MDEQ’s 90 day time
frame is not congruent with the time
frames allowed under 40 CFR 233.50.
However, EPA has concluded that, to
date, MDEQ, EPA, and other reviewing
federal agencies have been able to work
to ensure that problems are resolved, or
that a permit is denied, before the 90
day deadline is reached. MDEQ asserts
that it will ensure that any future
permits issued by MDEQ due to the
existence of the 90 day deadline,
without confirmation of compliance
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with the CWA 404(b)(1) Guidelines, will
have the legal status of a state-only
permit, and not a CWA Section 404
permit. For this reason EPA does not
find a corrective action is warranted.
The USFWS commented that EPA
needs to submit the informal program
review and EPA’s review and approval
of the state’s corrective actions to the
consultation requirements of Section 7
of the ESA. The USFWS argued that
EPA is taking a federal action which
imposes on EPA the obligation to
formally consult with the USFWS
pursuant to Section 7(a)(2) of the ESA,
in order to ensure that these actions are
not likely to jeopardize the continued
existence of a listed species or the
destruction or adverse modification of
designated critical habitat. EPA
disagrees with the USFWS’ position on
this issue. We do not intend to enter
into formal consultation with the
USFWS pursuant to Section 7(a)(2) of
the ESA. EPA does not consider its
conduct of performing this informal
program review and its agreements with
Michigan on corrective actions the state
will implement to be a ‘‘Federal action’’
which triggers ESA Section 7
consultation. In March 2004, EPA
shared its legal conclusions regarding
the ESA Section 7 consultation issue
with the East Lansing Field Office of the
USFWS. EPA has emphasized that it is
committed to working with USFWS and
MDEQ to address concerns regarding
whether the state’s administration of the
CWA Section 404 program is potentially
jeopardizing T & E species or their
critical habitat.
USFWS also expressed concerns that
the MDEQ’s process for screening
proposed projects to ensure that they
will not jeopardize T & E species or
their critical habitat is inadequate. The
USFWS offered its cooperation to
remedy the shortcomings it perceived in
MDEQ’s review process. The USFWS
also suggested that a Memorandum of
Agreement between MDEQ, EPA and
the USFWS be developed to address the
issues the USFWS has raised with
regard to T & E species issues. EPA will
work with the USFWS and MDEQ on
the development of a MOA to address
these USFWS concerns. In addition,
EPA, MDEQ and the USFWS have
recently developed a new procedure for
screening minor permit projects to
ensure that impacts to T & E species are
adequately assessed. Finally, other than
the subjects discussed above, the
USFWS commends the EPA’s review of
Michigan’s CWA Section 404 program
and Michigan’s cooperation during the
review and subsequent development of
corrective actions.
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The USFS indicated that it had
concerns with how MDEQ is handling
permitting on Wild and Scenic Rivers in
Michigan. The USFS indicated that
Michigan’s assumption of the CWA
Section 404 program did not waive the
need for federal review of applications
involving discharges within
components of the National Wild and
Scenic Rivers System. The USFS
indicated that there have been instances
of MDEQ staff either issuing a permit for
activities for which the USFS has made
an adverse finding due to Wild and
Scenic River concerns, or issuing
modifications to permits after a Section
7 determination was made by the USFS
without coordinating with the USFS on
the proposed modifications. The USFS
requested EPA’s support in improving
coordination between the USFS and
MDEQ. The MOA between EPA and the
state currently requires all public
notices of CWA Section 404 permit
applications for projects proposed in
Wild and Scenic Rivers be sent to the
appropriate federal agencies for review.
EPA notes that provisions in the federal
regulations for federal review of CWA
Section 404 permit public notices does
not require EPA to provide the USFS
with copies of the public notices.
However, MDEQ does send the USFS
public notices for projects proposed on
Wild and Scenic Rivers. In the past, the
USFS has not provided EPA with any
comments on public notices for
proposed projects that may involve
Wild and Scenic Rivers issues for EPA
to include in the federal comment letter
that EPA sends to MDEQ pursuant to 40
CFR 233.50. EPA has informed the
USFS that EPA is willing to include
USFS comments which relate to CWA
issues, in the federal comment letter
EPA sends to MDEQ provided the USFS
meets the time frames established by 40
CFR 233.50.
B. Public Comments
With regard to the state’s scope of
jurisdiction several commenters
expressed the desire for greater
protection over small and isolated
wetlands. Several commenters wanted
the state’s inventory of wetlands in
counties with populations below
100,000 expedited. Other commenters
were skeptical that the inventories
would be completed or believed that the
inventories would be of little use.
Finally, one comment indicated that
amending the Michigan statute to
address the jurisdictional issue would
be a more timely and cost effective
action. EPA acknowledges that
amending the statute may be more cost
effective, however, the state has already
completed the inventories for the
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majority of the state and has committed
to providing the necessary resources to
complete the inventory during 2006.
EPA continues to consider the
performance of the wetland inventories
to be an adequate corrective action.
A number of commenters concurred
with EPA’s findings that Michigan’s
exemptions for drainage, farming and
construction of tailings basins for iron
and copper mining were less stringent
than the federal regulations and
supported EPA’s position that the
statute needs to be amended. MDEQ has
agreed to seek amendments to Part 303
to make state exemptions as stringent as
the federal exemptions.
Several commenters supported the
development of new rules to prescribe
best management practices for certain
utility work in wetlands. They also
stated that if MDEQ could not provide
enforcement of the best management
practices, that the exemption found at
M.C.L. Section 324.30305(l) and (m)
should be deleted. MDEQ has agreed to
limit these exemptions to activities not
regulated under the CWA, to develop
general permit categories to authorize
the remainder of activities currently
exempted, and to define best
management practices for these types of
utility crossings.
With regard to permitting authority
issues, one group of commenters
concurred with the EPA’s concerns
regarding Part 301 provisions for minor
permits and agreed that rule changes
were needed to ensure that cumulative
adverse impacts will be considered
before general permit categories are
established. MDEQ has agreed to make
the necessary rule changes.
One group of commenters disagreed
with EPA’s finding that the absence of
an explicit recapture provision does not
render the permitting program
inadequate. EPA’s position continues to
be that part 301 has provisions that are
at least as stringent as the recapture
clause of the CWA Section 404(f)(2) and
that the absence of an explicit recapture
provision in part 303 does not render
the state’s CWA Section 404 permitting
program inadequate because the strict
application of the exemptions
provisions in part 303 should prevent
the need to rely on any type of recapture
provision.
One group of commenters agreed with
EPA’s finding that there is a need to
make sure that the Michigan permitting
program is consistent with the Section
404(b)(1) Guidelines. These same
commenters were concerned about EPA
and MDEQ’s contention that MDEQ can
issue a state-only permit which may not
adhere to the CWA Section 404(b)(1)
Guidelines. These commenters felt that
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the issuance of a state-only permit was
confusing to the public and supports the
notion that Michigan wetland permits
are governed solely by Michigan law.
EPA notes that Michigan permits are
based on Michigan state law and agrees
that the issuance of a state-only permit
can be confusing in light of the fact that
the Michigan program is supposed to be
consistent with the CWA Section 404. It
is EPA’s expectation that once the
proposed corrective actions are
implemented, the Michigan program
will be consistent with the federal
program and MDEQ no longer will feel
compelled by circumstances to issue
state-only permits, except in cases
where the 90-day timeframe for
approval or disapproval has lapsed and
the permit will be a state-only permit.
The federal regulations do, however,
recognize that there may be cases when
the state neither satisfies EPA’s
objections nor denies the permit. In
such an instance the regulations at
233.50(j) state that the Corps shall
process the permit application.
A number of commenters criticized
MDEQ’s enforcement efforts in general.
Other commenters disagreed with EPA’s
finding that MDEQ is adequately
authorized to and is observing the
federal requirements with regard to
investigation of citizen complaints.
Some commenters also expressed
disagreement with EPA’s findings that
MDEQ conducts an adequate wetland
enforcement program. Commenters
expressed concern that MDEQ issues
after-the-fact permits too often, rather
than take an enforcement action.
Commenters also stated that they did
not think that MDEQ was adequately
monitoring permittees’ compliance with
permit conditions. EPA agrees that an
increase in MDEQ enforcement activity
and monitoring of compliance with
permit conditions would be beneficial
to the resources and would strengthen
Michigan’s permitting program. EPA
finds, however, that MDEQ’s
enforcement program as administered is
adequate and effective. While EPA is
not requiring that MDEQ implement any
specific corrective actions with regard to
its enforcement program, EPA has made
a number of recommendations for
improvement in the Final Report. EPA
also notes that MDEQ is currently taking
steps to increase the number of
enforcement staff.
Summary of Findings
EPA’s informal review of Michigan’s
CWA Section 404 program included
consideration of all the information
submitted by MDEQ and the comments
received in response to the January 7,
2003 Federal Register Notice. EPA has
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:53 Jul 30, 2008
Jkt 214001
identified several deficiencies in
Michigan’s CWA Section 404 program.
In order to remedy these deficiencies,
MDEQ has proposed certain corrective
actions and a timetable for completion
of these actions. EPA agrees that the
state’s proposed corrective actions, once
implemented, will address the
deficiencies identified in Michigan’s
CWA Section 404 program. The
deficiencies and the corrective actions
proposed by the state of Michigan are
contained in the Final Report and in
documents located in the public docket
that support this Notice. EPA has
concluded that program withdrawal
proceedings should not be initiated at
this time. However, this Notice and the
Final Report are not EPA’s final action
on the petition to withdraw. Within 36
months of the date of this notice, EPA
will review all corrective actions
completed by Michigan and determine
whether initiating formal withdrawal
proceedings is warranted.
Dated: July 22, 2008.
Bharat Mathur,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.
[FR Doc. E8–17588 Filed 7–30–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[FRL–8699–4]
Proposed Past Cost Administrative
Settlement Under Section 122(h)(1) of
CERCLA for the Sterling Morton High
School Superfund Site, Town of
Cicero, Cook County, IL
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice; Request for public
comment.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In accordance with section
122(i) of the Comprehensive
Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act, as
amended ((CERCLA(), 42 U.S.C. 9622(i),
notice is hereby given of a proposed
administrative settlement agreement
pursuant to section 122(h)(1) of
CERCLA for recovery of past response
costs incurred by EPA in connection
with the Sterling Morton High School
Superfund Site, located in the Town of
Cicero, Cook County, Illinois (the
‘‘Site’’). The proposed settlement has
been approved by the Deputy Section
Chief of the Environmental Enforcement
Section of the Environment and Natural
Resources Division of the U.S.
Department of Justice.
Under the terms of the proposed
settlement agreement, within fifteen (15)
PO 00000
Frm 00024
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
44725
days of its effective date the following
parties will pay $550,000 to the
Hazardous Substances Superfund: J.
Sterling Morton High School District
201; Amphenol Corporation; Berkshire
Investments LLC; Chemtura
Corporation; CSX Transportation, Inc.;
E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company;
Getronics NV; Honeywell International
Inc.; Total Logistics Control, LLC; and
Vesper Holdings LLC. In each of the
nine years subsequent to the effective
date of the proposed agreement, J.
Sterling Morton High School District
201 will pay an additional $50,000. The
settlement represents recovery of
approximately 91% of the response
costs incurred by the Agency in
connection with the time-critical
removal action conducted by EPA at the
Site, plus interest. In exchange for
payment, the United States covenants
not to sue or take administrative action
pursuant to section 107(a) of CERCLA,
42 U.S.C. 9607(a), to recover past
response costs. In addition, the settling
parties are entitled to protection from
contribution actions or claims for past
response costs, as provided by sections
113(f)(2) and 122(h)(4) of CERCLA, 42
U.S.C. 9613(f)(2) and 9622(h)(4).
For thirty (30) days after the date of
publication of this notice, the Agency
will receive written comments relating
to the proposed settlement. The Agency
will consider all comments received,
and may withdraw its consent to the
settlement if comments received
disclose facts or considerations which
indicate that the settlement is
inappropriate, improper, or inadequate.
DATES: Comments on the proposed
settlement must be submitted on or
before September 2, 2008.
ADDRESSES: A copy of the proposed
settlement agreement is available for
public inspection at EPA’s Record
Center, 7th floor, 77 W. Jackson Blvd.,
Chicago, Illinois 60604. A copy may
also be obtained from Eileen L. Furey,
Chief, Multi-Media II, Section 3, U.S.
EPA Region 5, 77 W. Jackson Blvd.
(Mail Code C–14J), Chicago, Illinois
60604; telephone (312) 886–7950.
Written comments on the proposed
settlement should be addressed to
Eileen Furey at the address specified
above, and should reference the Sterling
Morton High School Superfund Site,
Town of Cicero, Cook County, Illinois,
EPA Docket No. V–W–08–C–907.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Eileen Furey at the address and phone
number specified above.
Authority: The Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act of 1980, as amended, 42 U.S.C.
9601 et seq.
E:\FR\FM\31JYN1.SGM
31JYN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 148 (Thursday, July 31, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44721-44725]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-17588]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8697-3]
Findings of Informal Review of the State of Michigan's Approved
Clean Water Act Section 404 Program
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This Notice announces EPA's findings from its informal review
of the state of Michigan's approved Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404
program. EPA finds that, at this time, formal program withdrawal
proceedings should not be initiated for Michigan's approved CWA Section
404 program. EPA's Final Report of this review is now available. EPA
has identified several deficiencies in Michigan's approved CWA Section
404 program; those are identified in the Final Report along with
corrective actions which Michigan has proposed to take and a schedule
for implementing the corrective actions.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sue Elston, Watersheds and Wetlands
Branch, at the EPA address noted above or by telephone at (312) 886-
6115. The Final Report containing EPA's findings is available via the
Internet at the following location: https://www.epa.gov/region5/water/
wshednps/notices.htm. In addition, a hard copy of the information
supporting today's notice is available for review at EPA Region 5, 77
West Jackson Boulevard, 16th floor, Chicago, Illinois and Library of
Michigan, 702 Kalamazoo Street, Lansing, Michigan. To arrange for
access to the docket materials in Chicago call (312) 886-6115 or in
Lansing call (517) 373-1300.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On October 16, 1984, EPA approved the regulatory permitting program
that the state of Michigan had submitted pursuant to the requirements
and guidelines contained in Subsections 404(g) and 404(h) of the CWA.
33 U.S.C. 1344(g) and (h) (See 49 FR 38947, October 2, 1984.) In that
notice of approval, EPA noted that the Administrator was required to
approve a program submitted by a state pursuant to Subsection 404(g) of
the CWA unless that program does not meet the requirements of
Subsection 404(h) of the CWA. EPA stated in the notice that it had
determined the program submitted by the state of Michigan met those
statutory requirements. The components of the approved CWA Section 404
program are stated at 40 CFR 233.70.
The Michigan state agency authorized in 1984 to administer the
approved CWA Section 404 program was the Department of Natural
Resources. Later the state of Michigan reorganized its agencies and
transferred authority to administer the approved CWA Section 404
program to the Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). EPA approved
this transfer on November 14, 1997 (62 FR 61173, November 14, 1997).
On February 4, 1997 EPA received a request to review claims that
Michigan's approved CWA Section 404 program had serious deficiencies
and to either insist Michigan take specific remedial measures or
withdraw Michigan's administration of CWA Section 404. EPA decided to
treat the request as a petition to withdraw program approval and to
informally review all aspects of Michigan's approved CWA Section 404
program. The EPA Regional Administrator of Region 5 informed the
Director of MDEQ of the commencement of the CWA Section 404 program
review in a letter dated January 22, 1998.
II. Overview of EPA Review of Michigan's CWA Section 404 Program
The scope of EPA's informal review included MDEQ permit processing,
[[Page 44722]]
decision making, and enforcement of Section 404 permits; and a
comprehensive review of the adequacy of Michigan's current legal
authorities which establish Michigan's CWA Section 404 program. EPA's
review included materials submitted by MDEQ between June 1999 and the
date of this Notice. Those materials included an updated program
description (40 CFR 233.11); a new Michigan Attorney General statement
confirming that state laws and regulations provide adequate authority
to administer the CWA Section 404 program and addressing the other
subjects mentioned at 40 CFR 233.12; and a compilation of all current,
relevant Michigan laws and regulations. During its program review EPA
reviewed hundreds of permitting files, enforcement files, and citizen
complaint files that MDEQ generated between 1995 and 1999.
Additionally, EPA reviewed MDEQ written decisions issued in contested
permitting cases between January 1994 and early 1999. The contested
case decisions represent final agency action by MDEQ in matters
involving individual permits processed under the approved CWA Section
404 program. Also as part of the program review, EPA consulted with
offices of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (Corps) which interact with MDEQ during its
administration of the program. Finally, during January and May of 1999,
EPA held four availability sessions to receive comments from interested
persons.
In November 2002, EPA completed its preliminary review and analysis
of all materials and concluded that the review findings did not warrant
a recommendation to the Administrator to initiate formal program
withdrawal proceedings, but did warrant corrective actions by the state
of Michigan. EPA's preliminary findings and the necessary corrective
actions were identified in the document titled Results of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Review of Michigan Department
of Environmental Quality's Section 404 Program (Preliminary Report).
EPA announced its preliminary findings in a Federal Register Notice
published on January 7, 2003 (68 FR 772, January 7, 2003). EPA invited
public comment, for a period of sixty (60) days, on that notice and the
Preliminary Report. In a November 7, 2003 letter to the EPA Regional
Administrator of Region 5, the Director of MDEQ responded to the
content of EPA's Preliminary Report and proposed a series of corrective
actions to be undertaken by the state in order to achieve and maintain
full consistency with the CWA Section 404 program requirements. EPA
completed its review of the submitted public comments, communicated
further with Michigan, and performed additional analysis both as
prompted by public comments and as considered appropriate by EPA. EPA
has also completed its review and analysis of the corrective actions
proposed by MDEQ. EPA's final findings are presented in the document
titled--Results of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5
Review of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality's Section 404
Program (Final Report).
EPA found both strengths and deficiencies in Michigan's legal
authorities establishing the approved CWA Section 404 program and in
the program's administration by MDEQ. EPA has concluded that program
withdrawal proceedings should not be initiated at this time. However,
this Notice and the Final Report are not EPA's final action on the
petition to withdraw. Within 36 months of the date of this notice, EPA
will review all corrective actions completed by Michigan and determine
whether initiating formal withdrawal proceedings is warranted. A
summary of the major program deficiencies identified by EPA and the
corrective actions proposed by the state follow; a more detailed
analysis is contained in the Final Report. EPA considers the schedule
for completion of the corrective actions to be reasonable and has
adopted it in the Final Report.
III. Deficiencies in Michigan's CWA Section 404 Program and Proposed
Corrective Actions
A. CWA Jurisdiction
EPA had concerns that the scope of jurisdiction provided by
Michigan law was not as broad as federal CWA Section 404 jurisdiction.
One major concern was that Michigan had not completed its wetland
inventories and Michigan law did not extend jurisdiction over non-
contiguous wetlands in any county in Michigan that had a population of
less than 100,000 residents unless a wetland inventory was performed.
Michigan made the commitment to perform wetland inventories in all
counties with less than 100,000 residents. In January 2007, Michigan
certified that MDEQ had completed the statewide wetland inventory.
During EPA's program review the U.S. Supreme Court issued two
decisions which address jurisdiction over waters of the United States
under the CWA. Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, 531 U.S. 159 (2001) (SWANCC); Rapanos v. United
States, 547 U.S. 715 (2006). EPA considered those decisions when
reviewing Michigan's CWA Section 404 program.
EPA completed its review of the jurisdictional scope of Michigan's
approved CWA Section 404 program, considering the fact Michigan
completed its statewide wetland inventory, the recent U.S. Supreme
Court decisions and additional factors outlined in the Final Report.
EPA finds the scope of jurisdiction provided by Michigan law is at
least as broad as the scope of federal CWA Section 404 jurisdiction.
B. Exemptions From CWA Jurisdiction
Michigan law appears to exempt a broader range of activities than
does the CWA under Subsection 404(f), including exemptions for
discharges occurring as part of certain agricultural activities;
discharges related to drain creation and improvement; and discharges
associated with iron and copper mining tailings basins. There is no
federal exemption for these activities. MDEQ has agreed to seek
amendment of Part 303, the state's Wetlands Protection Act, to: (1)
Limit the exemptions available under M.C.L. Section 324.30305(2)(e) to
areas of established agricultural or silvicultural operations in
accordance with federal law; (2) delete the exemption of agricultural
drainage under M.C.L. Section 324.30305(2)(j); (3) amend M.C.L. Section
324.30305(2)(h) to delete mention of straightening, widening or
deepening; (4) eliminate the exemption for iron and copper mining
tailings basins under M.C.L. Section 324.30305(2)(o); and (5) delete
exemption for utility and maintenance activities found at M.C.L.
Sections 324.30305(2)(l) and (m) to the extent these activities are
regulated under CWA Section 404. MDEQ has committed to initiating these
corrective actions within 6 months of the date of this Notice and
completing these corrective actions within 36 months of the date of
this Notice.
C. Minor Permits Under Part 301
EPA is concerned that Part 301's provisions for minor permits do
not ensure that each minor permit category will cause only minimal
adverse environmental effects when performed separately and will have
only minimal cumulative adverse effects on the environment as required
under the federal law. MDEQ has agreed to promulgate a new Part 301
rule
[[Page 44723]]
requiring the consideration of cumulative impacts before new minor
permit categories are established. MDEQ has agreed to promulgate the
rule within 24 months of the date of this Notice.
D. CWA 401(b)(1) Guidelines
EPA is concerned that Michigan law fails to incorporate the CWA
Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines into its permit decision making process.
One element of EPA's concern is the absence from Michigan law of a
clear prohibition on the issuance of permits that will jeopardize the
continued existence of a threatened or endangered (T & E) species or
their critical habitat, as required by the CWA Section 404(b)(1)
Guidelines. During the course of this program review, MDEQ developed
administrative rules under Part 303 which have addressed some of EPA's
concerns regarding the application of a feasible and prudent
alternatives analysis, water dependency analysis, and burdens of proof.
MDEQ has now proposed to implement a more comprehensive corrective
action by promulgating administrative rules for Parts 301 and 303 that
will incorporate the federal Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines by reference.
MDEQ has agreed to promulgate these rules within 24 months of the date
of this Notice.
E. Public Participation in Permitting Process
A state that is administering a CWA Section 404 program must
provide an opportunity for public participation in the state's
enforcement process by fulfilling the requirements of either 40 CFR
233.41(e)(1) or (e)(2). While MDEQ has stated that it will comply with
40 CFR 233.41(e)(2), EPA finds that Michigan's laws and rules do not
clearly require the state to observe two of the three public
participation requirements of 40 CFR 233.41(e)(2). To correct this
situation, MDEQ has agreed to work with EPA to revise the EPA-MDEQ
Memorandum of Agreement to contain two additional commitments: (1) MDEQ
will not oppose intervention by any citizen when permissive
intervention in a state enforcement action is authorized by Michigan
law, and (2) MDEQ will ensure that all proposed settlement agreements
of enforcement actions filed in state court are publicly noticed with a
30-day public comment period provided.
F. General Administration of CWA Section 404 Program
The program review found that in general, MDEQ is doing a good job
of administering its CWA Section 404 program, however, EPA did identify
several problems. EPA identified the need for MDEQ to modify its
procedures for providing public notice of certain permit-related
actions to make these procedures consistent with 40 CFR 233.32. EPA
alerted MDEQ that it needs to ensure that interested persons receive
public notices of permitting actions with enough time to provide
comment, and that it needs to ensure that all adjacent property owners
receive copies of the public notices. During this program review, MDEQ
addressed the first problem by developing an internet-based system that
makes public notices more readily available to the public. MDEQ has
addressed the second problem by providing public notices to all
adjacent landowners, not just riparian landowners.
G. Endangered Species Act
EPA found that coordination under the federal Endangered Species
Act (ESA) is effective for larger projects. Yet our review found that
it was not clear that minor permit projects were being effectively
screened for potential impacts on T & E species. MDEQ has worked with
the USFWS and EPA to develop procedures for screening minor and walk-in
permits for the potential to impact T & E species and their critical
habitat. These procedures will be finalized within 6 months of the date
of this Notice.
H. Enforcement
The program review concludes that MDEQ has maintained a
satisfactory enforcement program. MDEQ has designed the enforcement
program to identify un-permitted activities and initiates enforcement
responses in a timely manner. Overall, Michigan's enforcement program
achieves appropriate injunctive relief through wetland restoration and
wetland mitigation and seeks and obtains adequate penalties.
IV. Summary of Comments Received and EPA Response
While not required to do so according to the 404 state program
regulations at 40 CFR part 233, EPA chose to invite public comment on
EPA's January 2003 notice and Preliminary Report. In response to the
notice (68 FR 772), EPA received 26 comment letters or e-mail
responses. Commenters included two federal agencies (USFWS and the U.S.
Forest Service (USFS)); the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa
Indians; two county drain commissioners; two representatives of the
Michigan Drain Code Coalition; a member of the Indian Mission
Conservation Club; and 19 individual citizens. In addition, the
Michigan Wetland Action Coalition representing 52 conservation
organizations provided extensive comments.
The majority of commenters agreed with the findings of EPA's
Preliminary Report and were supportive of the proposed corrective
actions. Four commenters stated that Michigan should continue to
administer the CWA Section 404 program since they felt the state
program was more stringent than the federal program and the state was
doing a better job of protecting the Great Lakes than would the federal
government if it administered the program under federal law. A summary
of the comments received and EPA responses follow.
A. Federal Agency Comments
The USFWS provided comments on a number of issues addressed in the
program review. With regard to Michigan's scope of jurisdiction, the
USFWS expressed concern over the lack of a mechanism to ensure that the
state's program will remain as rigorous as any program the Corps would
administer, even as changes occur to CWA Section 404 jurisdiction, and
to the federal Section 404 program, over time. The only remedy that EPA
can identify to ensure that Michigan's CWA Section 404 program remains
in compliance with the standards set forth at 40 CFR 233.1 is EPA's
periodic review of the state's program and EPA's ongoing review of
individual permits and cases.
The USFWS continues to have concerns with Michigan's Part 303 which
provides that if MDEQ does not approve or disapprove a permit
application within 90 days the application shall be considered
approved. The USFWS asserts that this time constraint unduly limits the
amount of time that federal agencies have to review projects. The USFWS
would prefer to have the 90 day time frame deleted from state law or
amend the law to make it explicit that if a permit is issued pursuant
to the 90 day timeframe, the permit is considered to have been issued
under state law only, and is not a CWA Section 404 permit. EPA agrees
that MDEQ's 90 day time frame is not congruent with the time frames
allowed under 40 CFR 233.50. However, EPA has concluded that, to date,
MDEQ, EPA, and other reviewing federal agencies have been able to work
to ensure that problems are resolved, or that a permit is denied,
before the 90 day deadline is reached. MDEQ asserts that it will ensure
that any future permits issued by MDEQ due to the existence of the 90
day deadline, without confirmation of compliance
[[Page 44724]]
with the CWA 404(b)(1) Guidelines, will have the legal status of a
state-only permit, and not a CWA Section 404 permit. For this reason
EPA does not find a corrective action is warranted.
The USFWS commented that EPA needs to submit the informal program
review and EPA's review and approval of the state's corrective actions
to the consultation requirements of Section 7 of the ESA. The USFWS
argued that EPA is taking a federal action which imposes on EPA the
obligation to formally consult with the USFWS pursuant to Section
7(a)(2) of the ESA, in order to ensure that these actions are not
likely to jeopardize the continued existence of a listed species or the
destruction or adverse modification of designated critical habitat. EPA
disagrees with the USFWS' position on this issue. We do not intend to
enter into formal consultation with the USFWS pursuant to Section
7(a)(2) of the ESA. EPA does not consider its conduct of performing
this informal program review and its agreements with Michigan on
corrective actions the state will implement to be a ``Federal action''
which triggers ESA Section 7 consultation. In March 2004, EPA shared
its legal conclusions regarding the ESA Section 7 consultation issue
with the East Lansing Field Office of the USFWS. EPA has emphasized
that it is committed to working with USFWS and MDEQ to address concerns
regarding whether the state's administration of the CWA Section 404
program is potentially jeopardizing T & E species or their critical
habitat.
USFWS also expressed concerns that the MDEQ's process for screening
proposed projects to ensure that they will not jeopardize T & E species
or their critical habitat is inadequate. The USFWS offered its
cooperation to remedy the shortcomings it perceived in MDEQ's review
process. The USFWS also suggested that a Memorandum of Agreement
between MDEQ, EPA and the USFWS be developed to address the issues the
USFWS has raised with regard to T & E species issues. EPA will work
with the USFWS and MDEQ on the development of a MOA to address these
USFWS concerns. In addition, EPA, MDEQ and the USFWS have recently
developed a new procedure for screening minor permit projects to ensure
that impacts to T & E species are adequately assessed. Finally, other
than the subjects discussed above, the USFWS commends the EPA's review
of Michigan's CWA Section 404 program and Michigan's cooperation during
the review and subsequent development of corrective actions.
The USFS indicated that it had concerns with how MDEQ is handling
permitting on Wild and Scenic Rivers in Michigan. The USFS indicated
that Michigan's assumption of the CWA Section 404 program did not waive
the need for federal review of applications involving discharges within
components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The USFS
indicated that there have been instances of MDEQ staff either issuing a
permit for activities for which the USFS has made an adverse finding
due to Wild and Scenic River concerns, or issuing modifications to
permits after a Section 7 determination was made by the USFS without
coordinating with the USFS on the proposed modifications. The USFS
requested EPA's support in improving coordination between the USFS and
MDEQ. The MOA between EPA and the state currently requires all public
notices of CWA Section 404 permit applications for projects proposed in
Wild and Scenic Rivers be sent to the appropriate federal agencies for
review. EPA notes that provisions in the federal regulations for
federal review of CWA Section 404 permit public notices does not
require EPA to provide the USFS with copies of the public notices.
However, MDEQ does send the USFS public notices for projects proposed
on Wild and Scenic Rivers. In the past, the USFS has not provided EPA
with any comments on public notices for proposed projects that may
involve Wild and Scenic Rivers issues for EPA to include in the federal
comment letter that EPA sends to MDEQ pursuant to 40 CFR 233.50. EPA
has informed the USFS that EPA is willing to include USFS comments
which relate to CWA issues, in the federal comment letter EPA sends to
MDEQ provided the USFS meets the time frames established by 40 CFR
233.50.
B. Public Comments
With regard to the state's scope of jurisdiction several commenters
expressed the desire for greater protection over small and isolated
wetlands. Several commenters wanted the state's inventory of wetlands
in counties with populations below 100,000 expedited. Other commenters
were skeptical that the inventories would be completed or believed that
the inventories would be of little use. Finally, one comment indicated
that amending the Michigan statute to address the jurisdictional issue
would be a more timely and cost effective action. EPA acknowledges that
amending the statute may be more cost effective, however, the state has
already completed the inventories for the majority of the state and has
committed to providing the necessary resources to complete the
inventory during 2006. EPA continues to consider the performance of the
wetland inventories to be an adequate corrective action.
A number of commenters concurred with EPA's findings that
Michigan's exemptions for drainage, farming and construction of
tailings basins for iron and copper mining were less stringent than the
federal regulations and supported EPA's position that the statute needs
to be amended. MDEQ has agreed to seek amendments to Part 303 to make
state exemptions as stringent as the federal exemptions.
Several commenters supported the development of new rules to
prescribe best management practices for certain utility work in
wetlands. They also stated that if MDEQ could not provide enforcement
of the best management practices, that the exemption found at M.C.L.
Section 324.30305(l) and (m) should be deleted. MDEQ has agreed to
limit these exemptions to activities not regulated under the CWA, to
develop general permit categories to authorize the remainder of
activities currently exempted, and to define best management practices
for these types of utility crossings.
With regard to permitting authority issues, one group of commenters
concurred with the EPA's concerns regarding Part 301 provisions for
minor permits and agreed that rule changes were needed to ensure that
cumulative adverse impacts will be considered before general permit
categories are established. MDEQ has agreed to make the necessary rule
changes.
One group of commenters disagreed with EPA's finding that the
absence of an explicit recapture provision does not render the
permitting program inadequate. EPA's position continues to be that part
301 has provisions that are at least as stringent as the recapture
clause of the CWA Section 404(f)(2) and that the absence of an explicit
recapture provision in part 303 does not render the state's CWA Section
404 permitting program inadequate because the strict application of the
exemptions provisions in part 303 should prevent the need to rely on
any type of recapture provision.
One group of commenters agreed with EPA's finding that there is a
need to make sure that the Michigan permitting program is consistent
with the Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines. These same commenters were
concerned about EPA and MDEQ's contention that MDEQ can issue a state-
only permit which may not adhere to the CWA Section 404(b)(1)
Guidelines. These commenters felt that
[[Page 44725]]
the issuance of a state-only permit was confusing to the public and
supports the notion that Michigan wetland permits are governed solely
by Michigan law. EPA notes that Michigan permits are based on Michigan
state law and agrees that the issuance of a state-only permit can be
confusing in light of the fact that the Michigan program is supposed to
be consistent with the CWA Section 404. It is EPA's expectation that
once the proposed corrective actions are implemented, the Michigan
program will be consistent with the federal program and MDEQ no longer
will feel compelled by circumstances to issue state-only permits,
except in cases where the 90-day timeframe for approval or disapproval
has lapsed and the permit will be a state-only permit. The federal
regulations do, however, recognize that there may be cases when the
state neither satisfies EPA's objections nor denies the permit. In such
an instance the regulations at 233.50(j) state that the Corps shall
process the permit application.
A number of commenters criticized MDEQ's enforcement efforts in
general. Other commenters disagreed with EPA's finding that MDEQ is
adequately authorized to and is observing the federal requirements with
regard to investigation of citizen complaints. Some commenters also
expressed disagreement with EPA's findings that MDEQ conducts an
adequate wetland enforcement program. Commenters expressed concern that
MDEQ issues after-the-fact permits too often, rather than take an
enforcement action. Commenters also stated that they did not think that
MDEQ was adequately monitoring permittees' compliance with permit
conditions. EPA agrees that an increase in MDEQ enforcement activity
and monitoring of compliance with permit conditions would be beneficial
to the resources and would strengthen Michigan's permitting program.
EPA finds, however, that MDEQ's enforcement program as administered is
adequate and effective. While EPA is not requiring that MDEQ implement
any specific corrective actions with regard to its enforcement program,
EPA has made a number of recommendations for improvement in the Final
Report. EPA also notes that MDEQ is currently taking steps to increase
the number of enforcement staff.
Summary of Findings
EPA's informal review of Michigan's CWA Section 404 program
included consideration of all the information submitted by MDEQ and the
comments received in response to the January 7, 2003 Federal Register
Notice. EPA has identified several deficiencies in Michigan's CWA
Section 404 program. In order to remedy these deficiencies, MDEQ has
proposed certain corrective actions and a timetable for completion of
these actions. EPA agrees that the state's proposed corrective actions,
once implemented, will address the deficiencies identified in
Michigan's CWA Section 404 program. The deficiencies and the corrective
actions proposed by the state of Michigan are contained in the Final
Report and in documents located in the public docket that support this
Notice. EPA has concluded that program withdrawal proceedings should
not be initiated at this time. However, this Notice and the Final
Report are not EPA's final action on the petition to withdraw. Within
36 months of the date of this notice, EPA will review all corrective
actions completed by Michigan and determine whether initiating formal
withdrawal proceedings is warranted.
Dated: July 22, 2008.
Bharat Mathur,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.
[FR Doc. E8-17588 Filed 7-30-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P