Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Louisiana; Section 110(a)(2) Infrastructure Requirements for 1997 8-Hour Ozone and Fine Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards, 42549-42557 [2011-18061]
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 138 / Tuesday, July 19, 2011 / Rules and Regulations
Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1226, 1231; 46 U.S.C.
Chapter 701, 50 U.S.C. 191, 195; 33 CFR
1.05–1, 6.04–1, 6.04–6, and 160.5; Pub. L.
107–295, 116 Stat. 2064; Department of
Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1.
2. Add § 165.T01–0536 to read as
follows:
■
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§ 165.T01–0536 Regulated Navigation
Area; Chelsea Street Bridge Construction,
Chelsea, MA.
(a) Location. The following area is a
regulated navigation area: All navigable
waters of the Chelsea River in Chelsea,
MA, from surface to bottom, within the
following points (NAD 83): from
42°23.10′ N, 071°01.26′ W; thence to
42°23.15′ N, 071°01.20′ W; thence to
42°23.10′ N, 071°01.17′ W; thence to
42°23.07′ N, 071°01.24′ W; thence back
to the first point.
(b) Regulations. (1) The general
regulations contained in 33 CFR 165.10,
165.11, and 165.13 apply.
(2) In accordance with the general
regulations, entering into, transiting
through, mooring or anchoring within
this regulated area is prohibited unless
authorized by the Captain of the Port
(COTP) Boston.
(3) All persons and vessels must
comply with the Coast Guard Captain of
the Port or the designated on-scene
patrol personnel.
(4) Upon being hailed by a U.S. Coast
Guard vessel by siren, radio, flashing
light or other means, the operator of the
vessel must proceed as directed.
(5) Vessels may request permission to
enter the zone during periods of
enforcement on VHF–16 or via phone at
617–223–5757.
(6) All other relevant regulations,
including but not limited to the Rules of
the Road (33 CFR part 84—Subchapter
E, Inland Navigational Rules) remain in
effect within the regulated area and
should be strictly followed at all times.
(c) Effective Period. This rule is
effective from July 8, 2011 to 11:59 p.m.
on May 31, 2012.
(d) Enforcement Period. (1) This
regulated navigation area is enforceable
24 hours a day from July 8, 2011 until
May 31, 2012.
(2) Notice of suspension of
enforcement. If enforcement is
suspended, the COTP will cause a
notice of the suspension of enforcement
by all appropriate means to affect the
widest publicity among the affected
segments of the public. Such means of
notification may also include, but are
not limited to, Broadcast Notice to
Mariners and Local Notice to Mariners.
Such notification will include the date
and time that enforcement is suspended
as well as the date and time that
enforcement will resume.
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(3) Notice of waterway closure. In the
event of a complete waterway closure,
the COTP will make advance notice of
the closure by all means available to
affect the widest public distribution
including, but not limited to, Broadcast
Notice to Mariners and Local Notice to
Mariners. Such notification will include
the date and time of the closure as well
as the date and time that normal vessel
traffic can resume.
(4) Violations of this regulated
navigation area may be reported to the
COTP Sector Boston, at 617–223–5757
or on VHF–Channel 16.
Dated: July 7, 2011.
J.B. McPherson,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Acting
Commander, First Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2011–18044 Filed 7–18–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–04–P
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Coast Guard
42549
found in 33 CFR 100.1303 restricting
regular navigation and anchoring
activities on the Columbia River during
the periods specified in the DATES
section.
Under the provisions of 33 CFR
100.1303, no person or vessel may enter
or remain in the area without
permission of the Captain of the Port,
Columbia River or his designated onscene Patrol Commander. Persons or
vessels wishing to enter the area may
request permission to do so from the onscene Captain of the Port representative
via VHF Channel 16 or 13. The Coast
Guard may be assisted by other Federal,
State, or local enforcement agencies in
enforcing this regulation.
This notice is issued under authority
of 33 CFR 165.1318 and 5 U.S.C. 552 (a).
In addition to this notice in the Federal
Register , the Coast Guard will provide
the maritime community with
notification of these enforcement
periods via the Local Notice to
Mariners.
Dated: July 5, 2011.
L.R. Tumabarello,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Acting Captain
of the Port, Sector Columbia River.
33 CFR Part 165
[Docket No. USCG–2011–0595]
Columbia Unlimited Hydroplane
Races; Kennewick, WA
Coast Guard, DHS.
Notice of enforcement of
regulation.
[FR Doc. 2011–18045 Filed 7–18–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–04–P
AGENCY:
ACTION:
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
SUMMARY: The Coast Guard will enforce
the Special Local Regulation for the
Columbia Unlimited Hydroplane Races.
This regulation which restricts
navigation and anchorage on the
Columbia River for six days at the end
of July. This action is necessary to
ensure the safety of the vessels involved
in the Annual Kennewick, Washington,
Columbia Unlimited Hydroplane Races
(Water Follies). During the enforcement
period, no person or vessel may operate
their vessels in this area without
permission from the on scene Patrol
Commander.
DATES: The regulations in 33 CFR
100.1303 will be enforced from
Tuesday, July 26, through Sunday, July
31, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. until the last
race is completed each day at
approximately 7:30 p.m., unless sooner
terminated by the Patrol Commander.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If
you have questions on this notice, call
or e-mail BM1 Silvestre Suga III, Coast
Guard Marine Safety Unit Portland;
telephone 503–240–9327, e-mail
Silvestre.G.Suga@USCG.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Coast
Guard will enforce the regulations
40 CFR Part 52
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[EPA–R06–OAR–2008–0635; FRL–9437–8]
Approval and Promulgation of Air
Quality Implementation Plans;
Louisiana; Section 110(a)(2)
Infrastructure Requirements for 1997
8-Hour Ozone and Fine Particulate
Matter National Ambient Air Quality
Standards
AGENCY: Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA)
ACTION: Final rule.
SUMMARY: EPA is approving submittals
from the state of Louisiana pursuant to
the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) that
address the infrastructure elements
specified in the CAA section 110(a)(2),
necessary to implement, maintain, and
enforce the 1997 8-hour ozone and 1997
fine particulate matter (PM2.5) national
ambient air quality standards (NAAQS
or standards). We are determining that
the current Louisiana State
Implementation Plan (SIP) meets the
following infrastructure elements which
were subject to EPA’s completeness
findings pursuant to CAA section
110(k)(1) for the 1997 8-hour ozone
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NAAQS dated March 27, 2008, and the
1997 PM2.5 NAAQS dated October 22,
2008: 110(a)(2)(A), (B), (C), (D)(ii), (E),
(F), (G), (H), (J), (K), (L), and (M). EPA
is also approving SIP revisions that
modify Louisiana’s Prevention of
Significant Deterioration (PSD) SIP for
the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS to
include nitrogen oxides (NOX) as an
ozone precursor. This action is being
taken under section 110 and part C of
the Act.
DATES: This rule is effective on August
18, 2011.
ADDRESSES: EPA established a docket
for this action under Docket ID No.
EPA–R06–OAR–2008–0635. All
documents in the docket are listed at
https://www.regulations.gov. Although
listed in the index, some information is
not publicly available, e.g., Confidential
Business Information 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. Publicly available docket
materials are available either
electronically through https://
www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at
the Air Planning Section (6PD–L),
Environmental Protection Agency, 1445
Ross Avenue, Suite 700, Dallas, Texas
75202–2733. The file will be made
available by appointment for public
inspection in the Region 6 Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) Review Room
between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30
p.m. weekdays except for legal holidays.
Contact the person listed in the FOR
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FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
paragraph below or Mr. Bill Deese at
214–665–7253 to make an appointment.
Please make the appointment at least
two working days in advance of your
visit. There is a fee of 15 cents per page
for making photocopies of documents.
On the day of the visit, please check in
at the EPA Region 6 reception area at
1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 700, Dallas,
Texas.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Carrie Paige, Air Planning Section
(6PD–L), Environmental Protection
Agency, Region 6, 1445 Ross Avenue,
Suite 700, Dallas, Texas 75202–2733,
telephone 214–665–6521; fax number
214–665–6762; e-mail address
paige.carrie@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Throughout this document, ‘‘we,’’ ‘‘us,’’
and ‘‘our’’ means EPA.
Table of Contents
I. Background
II. Additional Background Information
III. What action is EPA taking?
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IV. Comments
V. Final Action
VI. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Background
The background for today’s actions is
discussed in detail in our April 18, 2011
proposal to approve revisions to the
Louisiana SIP (76 FR 21682). In that
action, we proposed to find the current
Louisiana SIP meets the provisions of
the CAA sections 110(a)(1) and 110(a)(2)
(i.e., 110(a)(2)(A)–(C), (D)(ii), (E)–(H),
and (J)–(M)) for the 1997 ozone and
1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. We also proposed
to approve four revisions to the
Louisiana PSD SIP that address NOX as
a precursor to ozone.
Our April 18, 2011 proposal provides
a detailed description of the revisions
and the rationale for EPA’s proposed
actions, together with a discussion of
the opportunity to comment. The public
comment period for these actions closed
on May 18, 2011. See the Technical
Support Document (TSD) and our
proposed rulemaking at 76 FR 21682 for
more information.
II. Additional Background Information
EPA is currently acting upon SIPs that
address the infrastructure requirements
of CAA section 110(a)(1) and (2) for
ozone and PM2.5 NAAQS for various
states across the country. Commenters
on EPA’s recent proposals for some
states raised concerns about EPA
statements that it was not addressing
certain substantive issues in the context
of acting on the infrastructure SIP
submissions.1 The commenters
specifically raised concerns involving
provisions in existing SIPs and with
EPA’s statements that it would address
two issues separately and not as part of
actions on the infrastructure SIP
submissions: (i) Existing provisions
related to excess emissions during
periods of start-up, shutdown, or
malfunction at sources, that may be
contrary to the CAA and EPA’s policies
addressing such excess emissions
(‘‘SSM’’); and (ii) existing provisions
related to ‘‘director’s variance’’ or
‘‘director’s discretion’’ that purport to
permit revisions to SIP approved
emissions limits with limited public
process or without requiring further
approval by EPA, that may be contrary
to the CAA (‘‘director’s discretion’’).
EPA notes that there are two other
1 See, Comments of Midwest Environmental
Defense Center, dated May 31, 2011. Docket # EPA–
R05–OAR–2007–1179 (adverse comments on
proposals for three states in Region 5). EPA notes
that these public comments on another proposal are
not relevant to this rulemaking and do not have to
be directly addressed in this rulemaking. EPA will
respond to these comments in the appropriate
rulemaking action to which they apply.
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substantive issues for which EPA
likewise stated that it would address the
issues separately: (i) Existing provisions
for minor source new source review
programs that may be inconsistent with
the requirements of the CAA and EPA’s
regulations that pertain to such
programs (‘‘minor source NSR’’); and (ii)
existing provisions for Prevention of
Significant Deterioration programs that
may be inconsistent with current
requirements of EPA’s ‘‘Final NSR
Improvement Rule,’’ 67 FR 80186
(December 31, 2002), as amended by 72
FR 32526 (June 13, 2007) (‘‘NSR
Reform’’). In light of the comments, EPA
now believes that its statements in
various proposed actions on
infrastructure SIPs with respect to these
four individual issues should be
explained in greater depth with respect
to these issues. EPA notes that we did
not receive comments on these issues in
response to our Louisiana proposal (76
FR 21682), but because of the concern
raised in the context of action on other
state infrastructure SIP submissions,
EPA feels it important to further clarify
our proposal.
EPA intended the statements in the
proposals concerning these four issues
merely to be informational, and to
provide general notice of the potential
existence of provisions within the
existing SIPs of some states that might
require future corrective action. EPA did
not want states, regulated entities, or
members of the public to be under the
misconception that the Agency’s
approval of the infrastructure SIP
submission of a given state should be
interpreted as a reapproval of certain
types of provisions that might exist
buried in the larger existing SIP for such
state. Thus, for example, EPA explicitly
noted that the Agency believes that
some states may have existing SIP
approved SSM provisions that are
contrary to the CAA and EPA policy,
but that ‘‘in this rulemaking, EPA is not
proposing to approve or disapprove any
existing State provisions with regard to
excess emissions during SSM of
operations at facilities.’’ EPA further
explained, for informational purposes,
that ‘‘EPA plans to address such State
regulations in the future.’’ EPA made
similar statements, for similar reasons,
with respect to the director’s discretion,
minor source NSR, and NSR Reform
issues. EPA’s objective was to make
clear that approval of an infrastructure
SIP for these ozone and PM2.5 NAAQS
should not be construed as explicit or
implicit reapproval of any existing
provisions that relate to these four
substantive issues.
Unfortunately, the commenters and
others evidently interpreted these
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statements to mean that EPA considered
action upon the SSM provisions and the
other three substantive issues to be
integral parts of acting on an
infrastructure SIP submission, and
therefore that EPA was merely
postponing taking final action on the
issue in the context of the infrastructure
SIPs. This was not EPA’s intention. To
the contrary, EPA only meant to convey
its awareness of the potential for certain
types of deficiencies in existing SIPs,
and to prevent any misunderstanding
that it was reapproving any such
existing provisions. EPA’s intention was
to convey its position that the statute
does not require that infrastructure SIPs
address these specific substantive issues
in existing SIPs and that these issues
may be dealt with separately, outside
the context of acting on the
infrastructure SIP submission of a state.
To be clear, EPA did not mean to imply
that it was not taking a full final agency
action on the infrastructure SIP
submission with respect to any
substantive issue that EPA considers to
be a required part of acting on such
submissions under section 110(k) or
under section 110(c). Given the
confusion evidently resulting from
EPA’s statements, however, we want to
explain more fully the Agency’s reasons
for concluding that these four potential
substantive issues in existing SIPs may
be addressed separately.
The requirement for the SIP
submissions at issue arises out of CAA
section 110(a)(1). That provision
requires that states must make a SIP
submission ‘‘within 3 years (or such
shorter period as the Administrator may
prescribe) after the promulgation of a
national primary ambient air quality
standard (or any revision thereof)’’ and
that these SIPS are to provide for the
‘‘implementation, maintenance, and
enforcement’’ of such NAAQS. Section
110(a)(2) includes a list of specific
elements that ‘‘[e]ach such plan’’
submission must meet. EPA has
historically referred to these particular
submissions that states must make after
the promulgation of a new or revised
NAAQS as ‘‘infrastructure SIPs.’’ This
specific term does not appear in the
statute, but EPA uses the term to
distinguish this particular type of SIP
submission designed to address basic
structural requirements of a SIP from
other types of SIP submissions designed
to address other different requirements,
such as ‘‘nonattainment SIP’’
submissions required to address the
nonattainment planning requirements of
part D, ‘‘regional haze SIP’’ submissions
required to address the visibility
protection requirements of CAA section
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169A, new source review permitting
program submissions required to
address the requirements of part D, and
a host of other specific types of SIP
submissions that address other specific
matters.
Although section 110(a)(1) addresses
the timing and general requirements for
these infrastructure SIPs, and section
110(a)(2) provides more details
concerning the required contents of
these infrastructure SIPs, EPA believes
that many of the specific statutory
provisions are facially ambiguous. In
particular, the list of required elements
provided in section 110(a)(2) contains a
wide variety of disparate provisions,
some of which pertain to required legal
authority, some of which pertain to
required substantive provisions, and
some of which pertain to requirements
for both authority and substantive
provisions.2 Some of the elements of
section 110(a)(2) are relatively
straightforward, but others clearly
require interpretation by EPA through
rulemaking, or recommendations
through guidance, in order to give
specific meaning for a particular
NAAQS.3
Notwithstanding that section 110(a)(2)
states that ‘‘each’’ SIP submission must
meet the list of requirements therein,
EPA has long noted that this literal
reading of the statute is internally
inconsistent, insofar as section
110(a)(2)(I) pertains to nonattainment
SIP requirements that could not be met
on the schedule provided for these SIP
submissions in section 110(a)(1).4 This
illustrates that EPA must determine
which provisions of section 110(a)(2)
may be applicable for a given
infrastructure SIP submission.
Similarly, EPA has previously decided
2 For example, section 110(a)(2)(E) provides that
states must provide assurances that they have
adequate legal authority under state and local law
to carry out the SIP; section 110(a)(2)(C) provides
that states must have a substantive program to
address certain sources as required by part C of the
CAA; section 110(a)(2)(G) provides that states must
have both legal authority to address emergencies
and substantive contingency plans in the event of
such an emergency.
3 For example, section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) requires
EPA to be sure that each state’s SIP contains
adequate provisions to prevent significant
contribution to nonattainment of the NAAQS in
other states. This provision contains numerous
terms that require substantial rulemaking by EPA in
order to determine such basic points as what
constitutes significant contribution. See, e.g., ‘‘Rule
To Reduce Interstate Transport of Fine Particulate
Matter and Ozone (Clean Air Interstate Rule);
Revisions to Acid Rain Program; Revisions to the
NOX SIP Call; Final Rule,’’ 70 FR 25162 (May 12,
2005) (defining, among other things, the phrase
‘‘contribute significantly to nonattainment’’).
4 See, e.g., Id., 70 FR 25162, at 63–65 (May 12,
2005) (explaining relationship between timing
requirement of section 110(a)(2)(D) versus section
110(a)(2)(I)).
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42551
that it could take action on different
parts of the larger, general
‘‘infrastructure SIP’’ for a given NAAQS
without concurrent action on all
subsections, such as section
110(a)(2)(D)(i), because the Agency
bifurcated the action on these latter
‘‘interstate transport’’ provisions within
section 110(a)(2) and worked with states
to address each of the four prongs of
section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) with substantive
administrative actions proceeding on
different tracks with different
schedules.5 This illustrates that EPA
may conclude that subdividing the
applicable requirements of section
110(a)(2) into separate SIP actions may
sometimes be appropriate for a given
NAAQS where a specific substantive
action is necessitated, beyond a mere
submission addressing basic structural
aspects of the state’s SIP. Finally, EPA
notes that not every element of section
110(a)(2) would be relevant, or as
relevant, or relevant in the same way,
for each new or revised NAAQS and the
attendant infrastructure SIP submission
for that NAAQS. For example, the
monitoring requirements that might be
necessary for purposes of section
110(a)(2)(B) for one NAAQS could be
very different than what might be
necessary for a different pollutant. Thus,
the content of an infrastructure SIP
submission to meet this element from a
state might be very different for an
entirely new NAAQS, versus a minor
revision to an existing NAAQS.6
Similarly, EPA notes that other types
of SIP submissions required under the
statute also must meet the requirements
of section 110(a)(2), and this also
demonstrates the need to identify the
applicable elements for other SIP
submissions. For example,
nonattainment SIPs required by part D
likewise have to meet the relevant
subsections of section 110(a)(2) such as
section 110(a)(2)(A) or (E). By contrast,
it is clear that nonattainment SIPs
would not need to meet the portion of
section 110(a)(2)(C) that pertains to part
C, i.e., the PSD requirement applicable
in attainment areas. Nonattainment SIPs
required by part D also would not need
5 EPA issued separate guidance to states with
respect to SIP submissions to meet section
110(a)(2)(D)(i) for the 1997 ozone and 1997 PM2.5
NAAQS. See, ‘‘Guidance for State Implementation
Plan (SIP) Submissions to Meet Current
Outstanding Obligations Under Section
110(a)(2)(D)(i) for the 8-Hour Ozone and PM2.5
National Ambient Air Quality Standards,’’ from
William T. Harnett, Director Air Quality Policy
Division OAQPS, to Regional Air Division Director,
Regions I–X, dated August 15, 2006.
6 For example, implementation of the 1997 PM
2.5
NAAQS required the deployment of a system of
new monitors to measure ambient levels of that new
indicator species for the new NAAQS.
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to address the requirements of section
110(a)(2)(G) with respect to emergency
episodes, as such requirements would
not be limited to nonattainment areas.
As this example illustrates, each type of
SIP submission may implicate some
subsections of section 110(a)(2) and not
others.
Given the potential for ambiguity of
the statutory language of section
110(a)(1) and (2), EPA believes that it is
appropriate for EPA to interpret that
language in the context of acting on the
infrastructure SIPs for a given NAAQS.
Because of the inherent ambiguity of the
list of requirements in section 110(a)(2),
EPA has adopted an approach in which
it reviews infrastructure SIPs against
this list of elements ‘‘as applicable.’’ In
other words, EPA assumes that Congress
could not have intended that each and
every SIP submission, regardless of the
purpose of the submission or the
NAAQS in question, would meet each
of the requirements, or meet each of
them in the same way. EPA elected to
use guidance to make recommendations
for infrastructure SIPs for these NAAQS.
On October 2, 2007, EPA issued
guidance making recommendations for
the infrastructure SIP submissions for
both the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS and
the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS.7 Within this
guidance document, EPA described the
duty of states to make these submissions
to meet what the Agency characterized
as the ‘‘infrastructure’’ elements for
SIPs, which it further described as the
‘‘basic SIP requirements, including
emissions inventories, monitoring, and
modeling to assure attainment and
maintenance of the standards.’’ 8 As
further identification of these basic
structural SIP requirements,
‘‘attachment A’’ to the guidance
document included a short description
of the various elements of section
110(a)(2) and additional information
about the types of issues that EPA
considered germane in the context of
such infrastructure SIPs. EPA
emphasized that the description of the
basic requirements listed on attachment
A was not intended ‘‘to constitute an
interpretation of’’ the requirements, and
7 See, ‘‘Guidance on SIP Elements Required
Under Section 110(a)(1) and (2) for the 1997 8-hour
Ozone and PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality
Standards,’’ from William T. Harnett, Director Air
Quality Policy Division, to Air Division Directors,
Regions I–X, dated October 2, 2007 (the ‘‘2007
Guidance’’). EPA issued comparable guidance for
the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS entitled ‘‘Guidance on SIP
Elements Required Under Sections 110(a)(1) and (2)
for the 2006 24-Hour Fine Particle (PM2.5) National
Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS),’’ from
William T. Harnett, Director Air Quality Policy
Division, to Regional Air Division Directors,
Regions I–X, dated September 25, 2009 (the ‘‘2009
Guidance’’).
8 Id., at page 2.
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was merely a ‘‘brief description of the
required elements.’’ 9 EPA also stated its
belief that with one exception, these
requirements were ‘‘relatively self
explanatory, and past experience with
SIPs for other NAAQS should enable
States to meet these requirements with
assistance from EPA Regions.’’ 10 For the
one exception to that general
assumption, however, i.e., how states
should proceed with respect to the
requirements of section 110(a)(2)(G) for
the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS, EPA gave much
more specific recommendations. But for
other infrastructure SIP submittals, and
for certain elements of the submittals for
the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS, EPA assumed
that each State would work with its
corresponding EPA regional office to
refine the scope of a State’s submittal
based on an assessment of how the
requirements of section 110(a)(2) should
reasonably apply to the basic structure
of the State’s SIP for the NAAQS in
question.
Significantly, the 2007 Guidance did
not explicitly refer to the SSM,
director’s discretion, minor source NSR,
or NSR Reform issues as among specific
substantive issues EPA expected states
to address in the context of the
infrastructure SIPs, nor did EPA give
any more specific recommendations
with respect to how states might address
such issues even if they elected to do so.
The SSM and director’s discretion
issues implicate section 110(a)(2)(A),
and the minor source NSR and NSR
Reform issues implicate section
110(a)(2)(C). In the 2007 Guidance,
however, EPA did not indicate to states
that it intended to interpret these
provisions as requiring a substantive
submission to address these specific
issues in the context of the
infrastructure SIPs for these NAAQS.
Instead, EPA’s 2007 Guidance merely
indicated its belief that the states should
make submissions in which they
established that they have the basic SIP
structure necessary to implement,
maintain, and enforce the NAAQS. EPA
believes that states can establish that
they have the basic SIP structure,
notwithstanding that there may be
potential deficiencies within the
existing SIP. Thus, EPA’s proposals
mentioned these issues not because the
Agency considers them issues that must
at attachment A, page 1.
at page 4. In retrospect, the concerns raised
by commenters with respect to EPA’s approach to
some substantive issues indicates that the statute is
not so ‘‘self explanatory,’’ and indeed is sufficiently
ambiguous that EPA needs to interpret it in order
to explain why these substantive issues do not need
to be addressed in the context of infrastructure SIPs
and may be addressed at other times and by other
means.
PO 00000
9 Id.,
10 Id.,
Frm 00084
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
be addressed in the context of an
infrastructure SIP as required by section
110(a)(1) and (2), but rather because
EPA wanted to be clear that it considers
these potential existing SIP problems as
separate from the pending infrastructure
SIP actions.
EPA believes that this approach to the
infrastructure SIP requirement is
reasonable, because it would not be
feasible to read section 110(a)(1) and (2)
to require a top to bottom, stem to stern,
review of each and every provision of an
existing SIP merely for purposes of
assuring that the state in question has
the basic structural elements for a
functioning SIP for a new or revised
NAAQS. Because SIPs have grown by
accretion over the decades as statutory
and regulatory requirements under the
CAA have evolved, they may include
some outmoded provisions and
historical artifacts that, while not fully
up to date, nevertheless may not pose a
significant problem for the purposes of
‘‘implementation, maintenance, and
enforcement’’ of a new or revised
NAAQS when EPA considers the overall
effectiveness of the SIP. To the contrary,
EPA believes that a better approach is
for EPA to determine which specific SIP
elements from section 110(a)(2) are
applicable to an infrastructure SIP for a
given NAAQS, and to focus attention on
those elements that are most likely to
need a specific SIP revision in light of
the new or revised NAAQS. Thus, for
example, EPA’s 2007 Guidance
specifically directed states to focus on
the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(G)
for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS because of
the absence of underlying EPA
regulations for emergency episodes for
this NAAQS and an anticipated absence
of relevant provisions in existing SIPs.
Finally, EPA believes that its
approach is a reasonable reading of
section 110(a)(1) and (2) because the
statute provides other avenues and
mechanisms to address specific
substantive deficiencies in existing SIPs.
These other statutory tools allow the
Agency to take appropriate tailored
action, depending upon the nature and
severity of the alleged SIP deficiency.
Section 110(k)(5) authorizes EPA to
issue a ‘‘SIP call’’ whenever the Agency
determines that a state’s SIP is
substantially inadequate to attain or
maintain the NAAQS, to mitigate
interstate transport, or otherwise to
comply with the CAA.11 Section
110(k)(6) authorizes EPA to correct
11 EPA has recently issued a SIP call to rectify a
specific SIP deficiency related to the SSM issue.
See, ‘‘Finding of Substantial Inadequacy of
Implementation Plan; Call for Utah State
Implementation Plan Revision,’’ 74 FR 21639 (April
18, 2011).
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errors in past actions, such as past
approvals of SIP submissions.12
Significantly, EPA’s determination that
an action on the infrastructure SIP is not
the appropriate time and place to
address all potential existing SIP
problems does not preclude the
Agency’s subsequent reliance on
provisions in section 110(a)(2) as part of
the basis for action at a later time. For
example, although it may not be
appropriate to require a state to
eliminate all existing inappropriate
director’s discretion provisions in the
course of acting on the infrastructure
SIP, EPA believes that section
110(a)(2)(A) may be among the statutory
bases that the Agency cites in the course
of addressing the issue in a subsequent
action.13
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III. What action is EPA taking?
The EPA is approving the Louisiana
SIP submittals that identify where and
how the 14 basic infrastructure elements
are in the EPA-approved SIP as
specified in section 110(a)(2) of the Act.
We are determining that the following
section 110(a)(2) elements are contained
in the current Louisiana SIP: emission
limits and other control measures
(section 110(a)(2)(A)); ambient air
quality monitoring/data system (section
110(a)(2)(B)); program for enforcement
of control measures (section
110(a)(2)(C)); international and
interstate pollution abatement (section
110(a)(2)(D)(ii); adequate resources
(section 110(a)(2)(E)); stationary source
monitoring system (section 110(a)(2)(F));
emergency power (section 110(a)(2)(G));
future SIP revisions (section
110(a)(2)(H)); consultation with
government officials (section
110(a)(2)(J)); public notification (section
110(a)(2)(J)); PSD and visibility
protection (section 110(a)(2)(J)); air
quality modeling/data (section
12 EPA has recently utilized this authority to
correct errors in past actions on SIP submissions
related to PSD programs. See, ‘‘Limitation of
Approval of Prevention of Significant Deterioration
Provisions Concerning Greenhouse Gas EmittingSources in State Implementation Plans; Final Rule,’’
75 FR 82536 (Dec. 30, 2010). EPA has previously
used its authority under CAA 110(k)(6) to remove
numerous other SIP provisions that the Agency
determined it had approved in error. See, e.g., 61
FR 38664 (July 25, 1996) and 62 FR 34641 (June 27,
1997) (corrections to American Samoa, Arizona,
California, Hawaii, and Nevada SIPs); 69 FR 67062
(November 16, 2004) (corrections to California SIP);
and 74 FR 57051 (November 3, 2009) (corrections
to Arizona and Nevada SIPs).
13 EPA has recently disapproved a SIP submission
from Colorado on the grounds that it would have
included a director’s discretion provision
inconsistent with CAA requirements, including
section 110(a)(2)(A). See, e.g., 75 FR 42342 at 42344
(July 21, 2010) (proposed disapproval of director’s
discretion provisions); 76 FR 4540 (January 26,
2011) (final disapproval of such provisions).
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14:19 Jul 18, 2011
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110(a)(2)(K)); permitting fees (section
110(a)(2)(L)); and consultation/
participation by affected local entities
(section 110(a)(2)(M)).
In conjunction with our
determination that the Louisiana SIP
meets the section 110(a)(1) and (2)
infrastructure SIP elements listed above,
we are also approving four severable
portions of two SIP revisions submitted
by the LDEQ to EPA on December 20,
2005 and November 9, 2007. These
portions contain rule revisions by LDEQ
to (1) regulate NOX emissions in its PSD
permit program as a precursor to ozone;
(2) add NOX to the PSD definitions for
Major Modification and Major
Stationary Source; 3) under the PSD
definition for Significant, add the
emission rate for NOX, as a precursor to
ozone, as 40 tons per year (tpy); and 4)
under the PSD requirements, allow for
an exemption with respect to ambient
air quality monitoring data for a source
with a net emissions increase less than
100 tpy of NOX. At this time, EPA is not
taking action on other portions of the
December 20, 2005 and November 9,
2007 SIP revisions submitted by LDEQ;
EPA intends to act on the other
revisions at a later time.
IV. Comments
We received one comment letter on
the proposed rulemaking. The comment
letter is available for review in the
docket for this rulemaking. The
comment letter came from the Tulane
Environmental Law Clinic, on behalf of
the Louisiana Environmental Action
Network (LEAN, hereinafter referred to
as ‘‘the commenter’’).
Generally, the commenter’s concerns
relate to whether EPA’s approval of
Louisiana’s infrastructure SIP
submissions are in compliance with
section 110(a)(2)(E) and 110(a)(2)(L) of
the CAA, and whether EPA’s approval
is arbitrary and capricious in finding the
State has provided necessary assurances
in compliance with the CAA’s adequate
funding and personnel requirements. To
the extent comments 1 through 4
address adequate funding for
Louisiana’s Title V program with
respect to elements 110(a)(2)(C), D(ii),
(E), and (L), the commenter addresses
issues that are subject to statutory and
regulatory evaluation beyond the
statutory scope of this rulemaking.
Section 110(a)(2) falls under Title I of
the CAA and governs the
implementation, maintenance, and
enforcement of the NAAQS, in this
instance 1997 ozone and 1997 PM2.5,
through the federally approved SIP.
Section 110 and 40 CFR part 51 also
provide mechanisms for programmatic
remedies with respect to the SIP.
PO 00000
Frm 00085
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
42553
Furthermore, Title I addresses Minor
and Major New Source Review SIP
preconstruction permits. The Title V
program, by contrast, governs operating
permits and is addressed by CAA
sections 502 through 507. Any
evaluation of the Title V program and
any consequent programmatic remedies
must be done pursuant to CAA section
502 and 40 CFR part 70. The scope of
this action is limited to determining
whether the Louisiana SIP meets certain
infrastructure requirements of CAA
110(a)(2) with respect to the 1997 ozone
and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS.14 A summary
of the comments and EPA’s responses
are provided below.
Comment 1: The commenter states
that because the record contains no
evidence of adequate funding, EPA
cannot approve Louisiana’s
infrastructure SIP. The commenter also
states that EPA’s approval of various
Title I and Title V revisions to
Louisiana’s permit fee system is more
than 15 years out of date and therefore
cannot support a finding that Louisiana
has adequate personnel and funding to
carry out its program today. The
commenter also states that Louisiana’s
fee average is less than the presumptive
minimum set out by Title V of the CAA
under section 502(b)(3)(B)(i) and (v).
The commenter further states that it
would be unlawful for EPA to approve
Louisiana’s infrastructure SIP
submissions without specifically
considering LDEQ’s annual reviews of
their Fee Schedule as required by the
Louisiana Administrative Code. The
commenter also states that EPA cannot
lawfully conclude Louisiana can
adequately implement its program for
less than half of EPA’s presumptive fee
based on the record which does not
include Louisiana’s annual reviews of
their fees.
Response: We disagree with the
commenter’s statement that the record
contains no evidence of adequate
funding. Our TSD was posted in the
docket for this rulemaking on April 18,
2011, which is the date the rulemaking
was published in the Federal Register.
The TSD evaluates where and how the
Louisiana SIP addresses each of the
section 110(a)(2) infrastructure
elements, including 110(a)(2)(E), which
begins on page 12 of the TSD. Within
the TSD section evaluating 110(a)(2)(E),
we include the various funds the state
14 Region 6 intends to evaluate Louisiana’s Title
V program in fiscal year 2012, pursuant to the
statutory and regulatory procedure in CAA section
502 and 40 CFR part 70 that are separate from the
procedures in CAA section 110 and 40 CFR part 51.
This evaluation would be outside the programmatic
scope of section 110 and 40 CFR part 51 evaluated
here.
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receives to support the 1997 ozone and
1997 PM2.5 NAAQS.
Section 110(a)(2)(E) requires that the
state provide necessary assurances that
it will have adequate funding under
state law to carry out the SIP. As cited
in our TSD, to address adequate
funding, Louisiana statute charges the
LDEQ with preparing and developing
the SIP, and provides the secretary of
the LDEQ with the powers and duties to
‘‘ * * * receive and budget duly
appropriated monies and to accept,
receive, and administer grants or other
funds or gifts from public and private
agencies, including the federal
government, to carry out the provisions
and purposes of this Subtitle’’ (LA RS
30:2011.D.10). As cited in our TSD,
these state statute-assured funds are
supplemented by federal funds,
including CAA section 103 and section
105 grants. Consequently, there are
additional monetary sources, including
Louisiana’s Environmental Trust Fund
monies provided for under LA RS
30:2015, which contribute to
Louisiana’s ability to provide adequate
personnel and funding to implement the
SIP for the 1997 ozone and 1997 PM2.5
NAAQS.
Funding necessary to implement the
SIP, as discussed prior in this Response
and in the TSD, is provided for pursuant
to section 110(a)(2)(E) by Louisiana state
statute and various sources of funding.
While Louisiana’s various permitting fee
system and revisions were approved
into the SIP over a decade ago, the rules
approved into the Louisiana SIP
continue today to mandate Major and
Minor NSR SIP preconstruction
permitting application and annual
maintenance fees pursuant to section
110(a)(2)(E) and (L). EPA’s previous SIP
approvals, as contained within the
record and cited to by the commenter,
include required fees as described by
110(a)(2)(E) and (L).
The presumptive $25.00 fee minimum
under CAA section 502(b)(3) the
commenter refers to is part of Title V,
which as previously stated in Section
IV, second paragraph, is subject to
evaluation under different statutory and
regulatory mechanisms provided for
outside the SIP parameters for
evaluation and remedies under CAA
section 110 and 40 CFR part 51.
Section 110(a)(2) does not require a
specific quantitative metric or
methodology for determining adequate
resources. The commenter also did not
point to specific program deficiencies or
implementation issues due to the
perceived lack of resources. As
described in our proposal, TSD, and
previously in this response, EPA’s
evaluation and approval of Louisiana’s
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fee system and resources is based, in
part, upon various sources of funding,
state statutes and rules pursuant to
section 110(a)(2), and LDEQ’s
fulfillment of grant obligations. As
explained in the TSD, section 105 grants
provide monies to help support the
foundation of the State’s air quality
program, including air monitoring,
enforcement and SIP development.
States are required to provide matching
monies to receive their grant and EPA
evaluates the performance of the State
each year. In fiscal year 2010, Louisiana
successfully completed all of their air
program obligations as called for under
the section 105 grant with some minor
exceptions.15 EPA noted no significant
deficiencies thus indicating that LDEQ
has sufficient resources to implement its
SIP. For example, as described in our
proposal and TSD, apart from the grant
review, Louisiana’s statewide air quality
surveillance network as required by
section 110(a)(2)(B) undergoes annual
review and EPA’s most recent approval
of this monitoring network dates
January 12, 2011. Therefore, we disagree
that the record does not support a
finding of adequate resources. The fact
that the fee requirement that provides
the basis for some of these resources
was approved by EPA some time ago
does not change this conclusion.
Furthermore, we disagree with the
commenter’s statement that the record
does not support a finding of adequate
resources solely because the annual fee
review is absent from the record. In
response to the commenter’s concerns,
LDEQ explained their fee review
process and stated that the fee review is
conducted as part of the budget process
and essentially insures that sufficient
fees are collected to pay for the staff
associated with new source review
permitting.16 Though evaluation of the
annual fee review was not part of the
proposal for this action, EPA’s
evaluation and approval of Louisiana’s
fee system and resources under sections
110(a)(2)(L) and 110(a)(2)(E) is based, in
part, upon various sources of funding,
state statutes and rules pursuant to
section 110(a)(2), and LDEQ’s
fulfillment of grant obligations as
described in the proposal, TSD, the
supplemental TSD, and this response. In
addition, on September 9, 2010, the EPA
determined that the Baton Rouge
moderate 8-hour ozone nonattainment
area (BRNA) had attained the
1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS (75 FR
15 See Supplemental TSD for the LDEQ 2010 Air
Program End-of-Year Report, in the docket for this
rulemaking.
16 Per communication with Bryan Johnston,
LDEQ, dated June 27, 2011; see the Supplemental
TSD.
PO 00000
Frm 00086
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
54778). On August 31, 2010, the state
submitted a request to EPA to
redesignate the BRNA to attainment and
EPA is reviewing that submission in a
separate action. This submission was
not statutorily required under the Act
and was resource intensive for the
LDEQ. This exercise provides additional
support that the state has adequate
resources to comply with the
enforceable emission limitations and
other control measures requirement of
110(a)(2)(A).
In sum, the record does support a
finding of adequate resources. As
discussed in the record for this action,
the State has the statutory authority to
receive monies. The State does, in fact,
collect various fees, revenues and
federal grants. Section 110 does not
provide a specific methodology for
determining the adequacy of resources.
The commenter does not specify
deficiencies or implementation
problems. Our reasons for finding that
the Louisiana SIP meets section
110(a)(2)(E) for adequate resources for
the 1997 ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS
are reiterated in our response above, and
described in the proposed rulemaking
(76 FR 21682) and the TSD. The fact
that the fee requirement that provides
for some of these resources was
approved some time ago does not
change this conclusion.17 Insofar as the
commenter states EPA cannot lawfully
conclude LDEQ can adequately
implement its program for less than half
of EPA’s presumptive fee, the
presumptive fee the commenter is
referring to is the Title V presumptive
fee. Evaluation of this presumptive fee
minimum must be conducted under
different statutory and regulatory
mechanisms provided for outside the
SIP parameters for evaluation and
remedies under CAA section 110 and 40
CFR part 51.
Comment 2: Inflation alone shows
that EPA cannot rely on its 1995
approval.
Response: The 1995 approval the
commenter refers to is found at 60 FR
47296, and was approved pursuant to
section 502(b)(3) of the Act and 40 CFR
70.9, the regulations implementing Title
V. Title V is not part of the federally
approved SIP, and as previously
explained in this rulemaking, the
mechanism for evaluating the Title V
program is legally outside the scope of
this rulemaking. The scope of this
action is limited to determining whether
the existing Louisiana SIP meets certain
17 See Supplemental TSD for revisions to the Fee
System of the Louisiana Air Quality Control
Programs submitted by Bryan Johnston, LDEQ.
These revisions were not submitted to EPA for
approval into the SIP.
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infrastructure requirements of CAA
110(a)(2) with respect to the 1997 ozone
and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS.
Comment 3: Louisiana’s program will
need increased resources to achieve
attainment in expanded sulfur dioxide
(SO2) and NOX non-attainment areas.
Response: The scope of this action is
limited to determining whether the
Louisiana SIP meets the requirements of
CAA 110(a)(2) with respect to the 1997
ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS in
attainment areas. We will evaluate
whether or not the Louisiana SIP meets
the requirements of section 110(a)(2)
with respect to the SO2 and NO2
standards in one or more separate
rulemaking actions.18
Comment 4: EPA’s proposed approval
ignores a 2002 audit report by the EPA’s
Inspector General, which concluded
that Louisiana’s average fee of $19.00
per ton is well below the EPAdetermined presumptive minimum
amount of $35.00 to adequately run a
state Title V program.
Response: The audit report referred to
by the commenter wholly addresses the
Louisiana Title V program and thus is
outside the legal parameters of
evaluating the Louisiana SIP in meeting
the requirements of section 110(a)(2) of
the Act with respect to the 1997 ozone
and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. Any evaluation
of the Title V program must be done
pursuant to the procedural mechanisms
in CAA section 502 and 40 CFR part 70.
Comment 5: The commenter states
Louisiana’s March 24, 2011
(supplemental) certification letter does
not list permitting fees as an area of
compliance. EPA must evaluate the
adequacy of LDEQ’s plan, and there is
nothing in the record to support a
finding that LDEQ’s resources are
sufficient to run its program.
Response: The March 24, 2011 letter
from LDEQ was not intended to replace
the December 11, 2007 and January 7,
2008 certification letters, and the March
2011 letter states that it clarifies and
amends the prior two certifications. In
its January 7, 2008 certification
submitted to EPA, Louisiana listed
permitting fees as an area of
compliance. We therefore disagree with
the commenter that the State did not
certify Major and Minor NSR SIP
preconstruction permitting fees as an
area of compliance. EPA evaluated the
Louisiana SIP in the April 18, 2011
proposal and TSD, and this evaluation
is based on the two certification letters
submitted by the state, dated December
18 The commenter incorrectly refers to a ‘‘NO
X
standard.’’ EPA assumes the commenter is referring
to the NO2 standard announced on February 9, 2010
(75 FR 6474).
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11, 2007 and January 7, 2008, and the
supplemental certification letter dated
March 24, 2011.
Major and Minor NSR SIP
preconstruction permitting application
and annual maintenance fees and
adequate resources sufficient to
implement the Louisiana SIP pursuant
to sections 110(a)(2)(E) and 110(a)(2)(L)
are provided for under the EPAapproved SIP, state statute, and
augmented by other sources of funding
as described in EPA’s Response to
Comment 1 of this final action and in
the TSD.
The commenter does not specify
where Louisiana might be failing to
implement any portions of the 1997
ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS SIP, thus
we have no specific basis of evaluation
or point of reference to evince support
of the commenter’s allegations of
inadequate resources with regards to
Louisiana’s SIP. Our reasons for finding
that the Louisiana SIP meets section
110(a)(2)(E) for adequate resources for
the 1997 ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS
are reiterated in our response above,19
and described in the proposed
rulemaking (76 FR 21682) and the TSD.
V. Final Action
We are approving the submittals
provided by the State of Louisiana to
demonstrate that the Louisiana SIP
meets the following requirements of
Section 110(a)(1) and (2) of the Act:
Emission limits and other control
measures (110(a)(2)(A) of the Act);
Ambient air quality monitoring/data
system (110(a)(2)(B) of the Act);
Program for enforcement of control
measures (110(a)(2)(C) of the Act);
Interstate Transport (110(a)(2)(D)(ii) of
the Act);
Adequate resources (110(a)(2)(E) of
the Act);
Stationary source monitoring system
(110(a)(2)(F) of the Act);
Emergency power (110(a)(2)(G) of the
Act);
Future SIP revisions (110(a)(2)(H) of
the Act);
Consultation with government
officials (110(a)(2)(J) of the Act);
Public notification (110(a)(2)(J) of the
Act);
Prevention of significant deterioration
and visibility protection (110(a)(2)(J) of
the Act);
Air quality modeling data
(110(a)(2)(K) of the Act);
Permitting fees (110(a)(2)(L) of the
Act); and
Consultation/participation by affected
local entities (110(a)(2)(M) of the Act).
EPA is also approving the following
revisions to 33 LAC 5–509, submitted by
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19 Response
Frm 00087
to Comment 1.
Fmt 4700
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42555
LDEQ on December 20, 2005 and
November 9, 2007:
1. The 2005 non-substantive
recodification of the definition for Major
Modification subsection 2 to subsection
b, and the 2007 substantive change
adding NOX to the definition of Major
Modification.
2. The 2005 non-substantive
recodification at of the definition for
Major Stationary Source at subsection 4
to subsection d, and the 2007
substantive change adding NOX to the
definition of Major Stationary Source.
3. The 2005 non-substantive
recodification of the first paragraph of
the definition for Significant at
subsection 1 to subsection a, and the
2007 substantive change adding NOX as
a precursor to the table’s criteria and
other pollutants listing for ozone.
4. The 2005 non-substantive
recodification of the first paragraph of
subsection I.8 to subsection I.5, and the
2007 substantive change allowing for an
exemption with respect to ozone
monitoring for a source with a net
emissions increase less than 100 tpy of
NOX.
EPA is approving these actions in
accordance with section 110 of the Act
and EPA’s regulations and consistent
with EPA guidance.
VI. Statutory and Executive Order
Reviews
Under the CAA, the Administrator is
required to approve a SIP submission
that complies with the provisions of the
Act and applicable Federal regulations.
42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a).
Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions,
EPA’s role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of
the CAA. Accordingly, this action
merely approves state law as meeting
Federal requirements and does not
impose additional requirements beyond
those imposed by state law. For that
reason, this action:
• Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory
action’’ subject to review by the Office
of Management and Budget under
Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735,
October 4, 1993);
• Does not impose an information
collection burden under the provisions
of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
• Is certified as not having a
significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities
under the Regulatory Flexibility Act
(5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
• Does not contain any unfunded
mandate or significantly or uniquely
affect small governments, as described
in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–4);
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• Does not have Federalism
implications as specified in Executive
Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10,
1999);
• Is not an economically significant
regulatory action based on health or
safety risks subject to Executive Order
13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997);
• Is not a significant regulatory action
subject to Executive Order 13211 (66 FR
28355, May 22, 2001);
• Is not subject to requirements of
Section 12(d) of the National
Technology Transfer and Advancement
Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) because
application of those requirements would
be inconsistent with the CAA; and
• Does not provide EPA with the
discretionary authority to address, as
appropriate, disproportionate human
health or environmental effects, using
practicable and legally permissible
methods, under Executive Order 12898
(59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994). In
addition, this rule does not have tribal
implications as specified by Executive
Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9,
2000), because the SIP is not approved
to apply in Indian country located in the
state, and EPA notes that it will not
impose substantial direct costs on tribal
governments or preempt tribal law.
The Congressional Review Act, 5
U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the Small
Business Regulatory Enforcement
Fairness Act of 1996, generally provides
that before a rule may take effect, the
agency promulgating the rule must
submit a rule report, which includes a
copy of the rule, to each House of the
Congress and to the Comptroller General
of the United States. EPA will submit a
report containing this action and other
required information to the U.S. Senate,
the U.S. House of Representatives, and
the Comptroller General of the United
States prior to publication of the rule in
the Federal Register. A major rule
cannot take effect until 60 days after it
is published in the Federal Register.
This action is not a ‘‘major rule’’ as
defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2).
Under section 307(b)(1) of the CAA,
petitions for judicial review of this
action must be filed in the United States
Court of Appeals for the appropriate
circuit by September 19, 2011. Filing a
petition for reconsideration by the
Administrator of this final rule does not
affect the finality of this action for the
purposes of judicial review nor does it
extend the time within which a petition
for judicial review may be filed, and
shall not postpone the effectiveness of
such rule or action. This action may not
be challenged later in proceedings to
enforce its requirements. (See section
307(b)(2).)
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air
pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Intergovernmental relations,
Nitrogen dioxides, Ozone, Particulate
matter, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Volatile organic
compounds.
Dated: June 30, 2011.
Al Armendariz,
Regional Administrator, Region 6.
40 CFR part 52 is amended as follows:
PART 52—[AMENDED]
1. The authority citation for part 52
continues to read as follows:
■
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Subpart T—Louisiana
2. Section 52.970 is amended:
a. In paragraph (c) by revising the
entry for Section 509 under ‘‘Chapter 5
Permit Procedures’’.
■ b. In paragraph (e) by adding a new
entry for ‘‘Infrastructure for the 1997
Ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS’’ at the
end of the second table in paragraph (e)
entitled ‘‘EPA Approved Louisiana
Nonregulatory Provisions and QuasiRegulatory Measures’’.
The amendments read as follows:
■
■
§ 52.970
*
Identification of plan.
*
*
(c) * * *
*
*
EPA APPROVED LOUISIANA REGULATIONS IN THE LOUISIANA SIP
State citation
Title/subject
*
Section 509 .........
*
Prevention of Significant
Deterioration.
*
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*
*
*
(e) * * *
*
*
*
VerDate Mar<15>2010
State approval date
*
*
*
2/20/1995
*
10/15/1996,
61 FR 53639
*
Comments
*
*
*
The following revisions approved by the State on
12/20/2005 and 9/20/2006 are EPA approved on
7/19/2011, [Insert FR page number where document begins]:
(a) Section 509(B)—Only the revisions to recodify and add NOX to the definitions of
Major Modification and Major Stationary
Source; and only the revisions to recodify
and add NOX as a precursor to the definition
of Significant;
(b) Section 509(I)—Only the revisions to the
table under I.5(a).
*
*
*
*
*
EPA approval date
*
14:19 Jul 18, 2011
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*
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 138 / Tuesday, July 19, 2011 / Rules and Regulations
42557
EPA APPROVED LOUISIANA NONREGULATORY PROVISIONS AND QUASI-REGULATORY MEASURES
Name of SIP provision
Applicable geographic or
nonattainment area
*
Infrastructure for the 1997
Ozone and 1997 PM2.5
NAAQS.
*
*
Statewide .........................
[FR Doc. 2011–18061 Filed 7–18–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R03–OAR–2011–0289; FRL–9440–1]
Approval and Promulgation of Air
Quality Implementation Plans;
Delaware; Regional Haze State
Implementation Plan
SUMMARY: EPA is approving the
Delaware Regional Haze Plan, a revision
to the Delaware State Implementation
Plan (SIP) addressing Clean Air Act
(CAA) requirements and EPA’s rules for
states to prevent and remedy future and
existing anthropogenic impairment of
visibility in mandatory Class I areas
through a regional haze program. EPA is
also approving this revision since it
meets the requirements of
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) and 110(a)(2)(J),
relating to visibility protection for the
1997 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient
Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) and the
1997 and 2006 fine particulate matter
(PM2.5) NAAQS.
DATES: Effective Date: This final rule is
effective on August 18, 2011.
ADDRESSES: EPA has established a
docket for this action under Docket ID
Number EPA–R03–OAR–2011–0289. All
documents in the docket are listed in
the https://www.regulations.gov Web
site. Although listed in the electronic
docket, some information is not publicly
available, i.e., confidential business
information (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.
Publicly available docket materials are
available either electronically through
https://www.regulations.gov or in hard
copy for public inspection during
VerDate Mar<15>2010
14:19 Jul 18, 2011
Jkt 223001
*
12/11/2007
1/7/2008
3/24/2011
EPA approval date
Explanation
*
7/19/2011, [Insert FR page
number where document begins].
*
*
Approval for CAA sections
110(a)(2)(A), (B), (C), (D)(ii),
(E), (F), (G), (H), (J), (K), (L),
and (M).
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 Delaware Department of
Natural Resources and Environmental
Control, 89 Kings Highway, P.O. Box
1401, Dover, Delaware 19903.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jacqueline Lewis, (215) 814–2037, or by
e-mail at lewis.jacqueline@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
AGENCY: Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Final rule.
wwoods2 on DSK1DXX6B1PROD with RULES_PART 1
State submittal
date/effective
date
Throughout this document, whenever
‘‘we,’’ ‘‘us,’’ or ‘‘our’’ is used, we mean
EPA. On May 13, 2011, (76 FR 27973)
EPA published a notice of proposed
rulemaking (NPR) for the State of
Delaware. The NPR proposed approval
of Delaware’s regional haze plan for the
first implementation period, through
2018. EPA proposed to approve this
revision since it assures reasonable
progress toward the national goal of
achieving natural visibility conditions
in Class I areas for the first
implementation period. This revision
also meets the requirements of
110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) and 110(a)(2)(J),
relating to visibility protection for the
1997 8-Hour Ozone NAAQS and the
1997 and PM2.5 NAAQS. An explanation
of the CAA’s visibility requirements and
EPA regional haze rule as they apply to
Delaware and EPA’s rationale for
approving this SIP revision was
provided in the NPR and will not be
restated here.
II. Summary of SIP Revision
The revision includes a long term
strategy with enforceable measures
ensuring reasonable progress towards
meeting the reasonable progress goals
for the first planning period, through
2018. Delaware’s Regional Haze Plan
contains the emission reductions
needed to achieve Delaware’s share of
emission reductions agreed upon
through the regional planning process.
Other specific requirements of the CAA
and EPA’s Regional Haze Rule and the
rationale for EPA’s proposed action are
PO 00000
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explained in the NPR and will not be
restated here. No public comments were
received on the NPR.
III. Final Action
EPA is approving a revision to the
Delaware State Implementation Plan
submitted by the State of Delaware,
through the Delaware Department of
Natural Resources and Environmental
Control, on September 25, 2008, that
addresses regional haze for the first
implementation period. EPA is making
a determination that the Delaware
Regional Haze SIP contains the emission
reductions needed to achieve
Delaware’s share of emission reductions
agreed upon through the regional
planning process. Furthermore,
Delaware’s Regional Haze Plan ensures
that emissions from the State will not
interfere with the reasonable progress
goals for neighboring states’ Class I
areas. In addition, EPA is approving this
revision because it meets the applicable
visibility related requirements of the
CAA section 110(a)(2) including, but not
limited to 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(II) and
110(a)(2)(J), relating to visibility
protection for the 1997 8-Hour Ozone
NAAQS and the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5
NAAQS.
IV. Statutory and Executive Order
Reviews
A. General Requirements
Under the CAA, the Administrator is
required to approve a SIP submission
that complies with the provisions of the
CAA and applicable Federal regulations.
42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a).
Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions,
EPA’s role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of
the CAA. Accordingly, this action
merely approves state law as meeting
Federal requirements and does not
impose additional requirements beyond
those imposed by state law. For that
reason, this action:
• Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory
action’’ subject to review by the Office
of Management and Budget under
Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735,
October 4, 1993);
E:\FR\FM\19JYR1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 138 (Tuesday, July 19, 2011)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 42549-42557]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-18061]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA-R06-OAR-2008-0635; FRL-9437-8]
Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans;
Louisiana; Section 110(a)(2) Infrastructure Requirements for 1997 8-
Hour Ozone and Fine Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality
Standards
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
ACTION: Final rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: EPA is approving submittals from the state of Louisiana
pursuant to the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) that address the
infrastructure elements specified in the CAA section 110(a)(2),
necessary to implement, maintain, and enforce the 1997 8-hour ozone and
1997 fine particulate matter (PM2.5) national ambient air
quality standards (NAAQS or standards). We are determining that the
current Louisiana State Implementation Plan (SIP) meets the following
infrastructure elements which were subject to EPA's completeness
findings pursuant to CAA section 110(k)(1) for the 1997 8-hour ozone
[[Page 42550]]
NAAQS dated March 27, 2008, and the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS dated
October 22, 2008: 110(a)(2)(A), (B), (C), (D)(ii), (E), (F), (G), (H),
(J), (K), (L), and (M). EPA is also approving SIP revisions that modify
Louisiana's Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) SIP for the
1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS to include nitrogen oxides (NOX) as
an ozone precursor. This action is being taken under section 110 and
part C of the Act.
DATES: This rule is effective on August 18, 2011.
ADDRESSES: EPA established a docket for this action under Docket ID No.
EPA-R06-OAR-2008-0635. All documents in the docket are listed at https://www.regulations.gov. Although listed in the index, some information is
not publicly available, e.g., Confidential Business Information 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.
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically
through https://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the Air Planning
Section (6PD-L), Environmental Protection Agency, 1445 Ross Avenue,
Suite 700, Dallas, Texas 75202-2733. The file will be made available by
appointment for public inspection in the Region 6 Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) Review Room between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and
4:30 p.m. weekdays except for legal holidays. Contact the person listed
in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT paragraph below or Mr. Bill
Deese at 214-665-7253 to make an appointment. Please make the
appointment at least two working days in advance of your visit. There
is a fee of 15 cents per page for making photocopies of documents. On
the day of the visit, please check in at the EPA Region 6 reception
area at 1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 700, Dallas, Texas.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Carrie Paige, Air Planning Section
(6PD-L), Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6, 1445 Ross Avenue,
Suite 700, Dallas, Texas 75202-2733, telephone 214-665-6521; fax number
214-665-6762; e-mail address paige.carrie@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, ``we,'' ``us,''
and ``our'' means EPA.
Table of Contents
I. Background
II. Additional Background Information
III. What action is EPA taking?
IV. Comments
V. Final Action
VI. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Background
The background for today's actions is discussed in detail in our
April 18, 2011 proposal to approve revisions to the Louisiana SIP (76
FR 21682). In that action, we proposed to find the current Louisiana
SIP meets the provisions of the CAA sections 110(a)(1) and 110(a)(2)
(i.e., 110(a)(2)(A)-(C), (D)(ii), (E)-(H), and (J)-(M)) for the 1997
ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. We also proposed to approve four
revisions to the Louisiana PSD SIP that address NOX as a
precursor to ozone.
Our April 18, 2011 proposal provides a detailed description of the
revisions and the rationale for EPA's proposed actions, together with a
discussion of the opportunity to comment. The public comment period for
these actions closed on May 18, 2011. See the Technical Support
Document (TSD) and our proposed rulemaking at 76 FR 21682 for more
information.
II. Additional Background Information
EPA is currently acting upon SIPs that address the infrastructure
requirements of CAA section 110(a)(1) and (2) for ozone and
PM2.5 NAAQS for various states across the country.
Commenters on EPA's recent proposals for some states raised concerns
about EPA statements that it was not addressing certain substantive
issues in the context of acting on the infrastructure SIP
submissions.\1\ The commenters specifically raised concerns involving
provisions in existing SIPs and with EPA's statements that it would
address two issues separately and not as part of actions on the
infrastructure SIP submissions: (i) Existing provisions related to
excess emissions during periods of start-up, shutdown, or malfunction
at sources, that may be contrary to the CAA and EPA's policies
addressing such excess emissions (``SSM''); and (ii) existing
provisions related to ``director's variance'' or ``director's
discretion'' that purport to permit revisions to SIP approved emissions
limits with limited public process or without requiring further
approval by EPA, that may be contrary to the CAA (``director's
discretion''). EPA notes that there are two other substantive issues
for which EPA likewise stated that it would address the issues
separately: (i) Existing provisions for minor source new source review
programs that may be inconsistent with the requirements of the CAA and
EPA's regulations that pertain to such programs (``minor source NSR'');
and (ii) existing provisions for Prevention of Significant
Deterioration programs that may be inconsistent with current
requirements of EPA's ``Final NSR Improvement Rule,'' 67 FR 80186
(December 31, 2002), as amended by 72 FR 32526 (June 13, 2007) (``NSR
Reform''). In light of the comments, EPA now believes that its
statements in various proposed actions on infrastructure SIPs with
respect to these four individual issues should be explained in greater
depth with respect to these issues. EPA notes that we did not receive
comments on these issues in response to our Louisiana proposal (76 FR
21682), but because of the concern raised in the context of action on
other state infrastructure SIP submissions, EPA feels it important to
further clarify our proposal.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ See, Comments of Midwest Environmental Defense Center, dated
May 31, 2011. Docket EPA-R05-OAR-2007-1179 (adverse
comments on proposals for three states in Region 5). EPA notes that
these public comments on another proposal are not relevant to this
rulemaking and do not have to be directly addressed in this
rulemaking. EPA will respond to these comments in the appropriate
rulemaking action to which they apply.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPA intended the statements in the proposals concerning these four
issues merely to be informational, and to provide general notice of the
potential existence of provisions within the existing SIPs of some
states that might require future corrective action. EPA did not want
states, regulated entities, or members of the public to be under the
misconception that the Agency's approval of the infrastructure SIP
submission of a given state should be interpreted as a reapproval of
certain types of provisions that might exist buried in the larger
existing SIP for such state. Thus, for example, EPA explicitly noted
that the Agency believes that some states may have existing SIP
approved SSM provisions that are contrary to the CAA and EPA policy,
but that ``in this rulemaking, EPA is not proposing to approve or
disapprove any existing State provisions with regard to excess
emissions during SSM of operations at facilities.'' EPA further
explained, for informational purposes, that ``EPA plans to address such
State regulations in the future.'' EPA made similar statements, for
similar reasons, with respect to the director's discretion, minor
source NSR, and NSR Reform issues. EPA's objective was to make clear
that approval of an infrastructure SIP for these ozone and
PM2.5 NAAQS should not be construed as explicit or implicit
reapproval of any existing provisions that relate to these four
substantive issues.
Unfortunately, the commenters and others evidently interpreted
these
[[Page 42551]]
statements to mean that EPA considered action upon the SSM provisions
and the other three substantive issues to be integral parts of acting
on an infrastructure SIP submission, and therefore that EPA was merely
postponing taking final action on the issue in the context of the
infrastructure SIPs. This was not EPA's intention. To the contrary, EPA
only meant to convey its awareness of the potential for certain types
of deficiencies in existing SIPs, and to prevent any misunderstanding
that it was reapproving any such existing provisions. EPA's intention
was to convey its position that the statute does not require that
infrastructure SIPs address these specific substantive issues in
existing SIPs and that these issues may be dealt with separately,
outside the context of acting on the infrastructure SIP submission of a
state. To be clear, EPA did not mean to imply that it was not taking a
full final agency action on the infrastructure SIP submission with
respect to any substantive issue that EPA considers to be a required
part of acting on such submissions under section 110(k) or under
section 110(c). Given the confusion evidently resulting from EPA's
statements, however, we want to explain more fully the Agency's reasons
for concluding that these four potential substantive issues in existing
SIPs may be addressed separately.
The requirement for the SIP submissions at issue arises out of CAA
section 110(a)(1). That provision requires that states must make a SIP
submission ``within 3 years (or such shorter period as the
Administrator may prescribe) after the promulgation of a national
primary ambient air quality standard (or any revision thereof)'' and
that these SIPS are to provide for the ``implementation, maintenance,
and enforcement'' of such NAAQS. Section 110(a)(2) includes a list of
specific elements that ``[e]ach such plan'' submission must meet. EPA
has historically referred to these particular submissions that states
must make after the promulgation of a new or revised NAAQS as
``infrastructure SIPs.'' This specific term does not appear in the
statute, but EPA uses the term to distinguish this particular type of
SIP submission designed to address basic structural requirements of a
SIP from other types of SIP submissions designed to address other
different requirements, such as ``nonattainment SIP'' submissions
required to address the nonattainment planning requirements of part D,
``regional haze SIP'' submissions required to address the visibility
protection requirements of CAA section 169A, new source review
permitting program submissions required to address the requirements of
part D, and a host of other specific types of SIP submissions that
address other specific matters.
Although section 110(a)(1) addresses the timing and general
requirements for these infrastructure SIPs, and section 110(a)(2)
provides more details concerning the required contents of these
infrastructure SIPs, EPA believes that many of the specific statutory
provisions are facially ambiguous. In particular, the list of required
elements provided in section 110(a)(2) contains a wide variety of
disparate provisions, some of which pertain to required legal
authority, some of which pertain to required substantive provisions,
and some of which pertain to requirements for both authority and
substantive provisions.\2\ Some of the elements of section 110(a)(2)
are relatively straightforward, but others clearly require
interpretation by EPA through rulemaking, or recommendations through
guidance, in order to give specific meaning for a particular NAAQS.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ For example, section 110(a)(2)(E) provides that states must
provide assurances that they have adequate legal authority under
state and local law to carry out the SIP; section 110(a)(2)(C)
provides that states must have a substantive program to address
certain sources as required by part C of the CAA; section
110(a)(2)(G) provides that states must have both legal authority to
address emergencies and substantive contingency plans in the event
of such an emergency.
\3\ For example, section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) requires EPA to be sure
that each state's SIP contains adequate provisions to prevent
significant contribution to nonattainment of the NAAQS in other
states. This provision contains numerous terms that require
substantial rulemaking by EPA in order to determine such basic
points as what constitutes significant contribution. See, e.g.,
``Rule To Reduce Interstate Transport of Fine Particulate Matter and
Ozone (Clean Air Interstate Rule); Revisions to Acid Rain Program;
Revisions to the NOX SIP Call; Final Rule,'' 70 FR 25162
(May 12, 2005) (defining, among other things, the phrase
``contribute significantly to nonattainment'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notwithstanding that section 110(a)(2) states that ``each'' SIP
submission must meet the list of requirements therein, EPA has long
noted that this literal reading of the statute is internally
inconsistent, insofar as section 110(a)(2)(I) pertains to nonattainment
SIP requirements that could not be met on the schedule provided for
these SIP submissions in section 110(a)(1).\4\ This illustrates that
EPA must determine which provisions of section 110(a)(2) may be
applicable for a given infrastructure SIP submission. Similarly, EPA
has previously decided that it could take action on different parts of
the larger, general ``infrastructure SIP'' for a given NAAQS without
concurrent action on all subsections, such as section 110(a)(2)(D)(i),
because the Agency bifurcated the action on these latter ``interstate
transport'' provisions within section 110(a)(2) and worked with states
to address each of the four prongs of section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) with
substantive administrative actions proceeding on different tracks with
different schedules.\5\ This illustrates that EPA may conclude that
subdividing the applicable requirements of section 110(a)(2) into
separate SIP actions may sometimes be appropriate for a given NAAQS
where a specific substantive action is necessitated, beyond a mere
submission addressing basic structural aspects of the state's SIP.
Finally, EPA notes that not every element of section 110(a)(2) would be
relevant, or as relevant, or relevant in the same way, for each new or
revised NAAQS and the attendant infrastructure SIP submission for that
NAAQS. For example, the monitoring requirements that might be necessary
for purposes of section 110(a)(2)(B) for one NAAQS could be very
different than what might be necessary for a different pollutant. Thus,
the content of an infrastructure SIP submission to meet this element
from a state might be very different for an entirely new NAAQS, versus
a minor revision to an existing NAAQS.\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ See, e.g., Id., 70 FR 25162, at 63-65 (May 12, 2005)
(explaining relationship between timing requirement of section
110(a)(2)(D) versus section 110(a)(2)(I)).
\5\ EPA issued separate guidance to states with respect to SIP
submissions to meet section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) for the 1997 ozone and
1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. See, ``Guidance for State
Implementation Plan (SIP) Submissions to Meet Current Outstanding
Obligations Under Section 110(a)(2)(D)(i) for the 8-Hour Ozone and
PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards,'' from
William T. Harnett, Director Air Quality Policy Division OAQPS, to
Regional Air Division Director, Regions I-X, dated August 15, 2006.
\6\ For example, implementation of the 1997 PM2.5
NAAQS required the deployment of a system of new monitors to measure
ambient levels of that new indicator species for the new NAAQS.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Similarly, EPA notes that other types of SIP submissions required
under the statute also must meet the requirements of section 110(a)(2),
and this also demonstrates the need to identify the applicable elements
for other SIP submissions. For example, nonattainment SIPs required by
part D likewise have to meet the relevant subsections of section
110(a)(2) such as section 110(a)(2)(A) or (E). By contrast, it is clear
that nonattainment SIPs would not need to meet the portion of section
110(a)(2)(C) that pertains to part C, i.e., the PSD requirement
applicable in attainment areas. Nonattainment SIPs required by part D
also would not need
[[Page 42552]]
to address the requirements of section 110(a)(2)(G) with respect to
emergency episodes, as such requirements would not be limited to
nonattainment areas. As this example illustrates, each type of SIP
submission may implicate some subsections of section 110(a)(2) and not
others.
Given the potential for ambiguity of the statutory language of
section 110(a)(1) and (2), EPA believes that it is appropriate for EPA
to interpret that language in the context of acting on the
infrastructure SIPs for a given NAAQS. Because of the inherent
ambiguity of the list of requirements in section 110(a)(2), EPA has
adopted an approach in which it reviews infrastructure SIPs against
this list of elements ``as applicable.'' In other words, EPA assumes
that Congress could not have intended that each and every SIP
submission, regardless of the purpose of the submission or the NAAQS in
question, would meet each of the requirements, or meet each of them in
the same way. EPA elected to use guidance to make recommendations for
infrastructure SIPs for these NAAQS.
On October 2, 2007, EPA issued guidance making recommendations for
the infrastructure SIP submissions for both the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS
and the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS.\7\ Within this guidance document,
EPA described the duty of states to make these submissions to meet what
the Agency characterized as the ``infrastructure'' elements for SIPs,
which it further described as the ``basic SIP requirements, including
emissions inventories, monitoring, and modeling to assure attainment
and maintenance of the standards.'' \8\ As further identification of
these basic structural SIP requirements, ``attachment A'' to the
guidance document included a short description of the various elements
of section 110(a)(2) and additional information about the types of
issues that EPA considered germane in the context of such
infrastructure SIPs. EPA emphasized that the description of the basic
requirements listed on attachment A was not intended ``to constitute an
interpretation of'' the requirements, and was merely a ``brief
description of the required elements.'' \9\ EPA also stated its belief
that with one exception, these requirements were ``relatively self
explanatory, and past experience with SIPs for other NAAQS should
enable States to meet these requirements with assistance from EPA
Regions.'' \10\ For the one exception to that general assumption,
however, i.e., how states should proceed with respect to the
requirements of section 110(a)(2)(G) for the 1997 PM2.5
NAAQS, EPA gave much more specific recommendations. But for other
infrastructure SIP submittals, and for certain elements of the
submittals for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS, EPA assumed that each
State would work with its corresponding EPA regional office to refine
the scope of a State's submittal based on an assessment of how the
requirements of section 110(a)(2) should reasonably apply to the basic
structure of the State's SIP for the NAAQS in question.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ See, ``Guidance on SIP Elements Required Under Section
110(a)(1) and (2) for the 1997 8-hour Ozone and PM2.5
National Ambient Air Quality Standards,'' from William T. Harnett,
Director Air Quality Policy Division, to Air Division Directors,
Regions I-X, dated October 2, 2007 (the ``2007 Guidance''). EPA
issued comparable guidance for the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS
entitled ``Guidance on SIP Elements Required Under Sections
110(a)(1) and (2) for the 2006 24-Hour Fine Particle
(PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS),''
from William T. Harnett, Director Air Quality Policy Division, to
Regional Air Division Directors, Regions I-X, dated September 25,
2009 (the ``2009 Guidance'').
\8\ Id., at page 2.
\9\ Id., at attachment A, page 1.
\10\ Id., at page 4. In retrospect, the concerns raised by
commenters with respect to EPA's approach to some substantive issues
indicates that the statute is not so ``self explanatory,'' and
indeed is sufficiently ambiguous that EPA needs to interpret it in
order to explain why these substantive issues do not need to be
addressed in the context of infrastructure SIPs and may be addressed
at other times and by other means.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Significantly, the 2007 Guidance did not explicitly refer to the
SSM, director's discretion, minor source NSR, or NSR Reform issues as
among specific substantive issues EPA expected states to address in the
context of the infrastructure SIPs, nor did EPA give any more specific
recommendations with respect to how states might address such issues
even if they elected to do so. The SSM and director's discretion issues
implicate section 110(a)(2)(A), and the minor source NSR and NSR Reform
issues implicate section 110(a)(2)(C). In the 2007 Guidance, however,
EPA did not indicate to states that it intended to interpret these
provisions as requiring a substantive submission to address these
specific issues in the context of the infrastructure SIPs for these
NAAQS. Instead, EPA's 2007 Guidance merely indicated its belief that
the states should make submissions in which they established that they
have the basic SIP structure necessary to implement, maintain, and
enforce the NAAQS. EPA believes that states can establish that they
have the basic SIP structure, notwithstanding that there may be
potential deficiencies within the existing SIP. Thus, EPA's proposals
mentioned these issues not because the Agency considers them issues
that must be addressed in the context of an infrastructure SIP as
required by section 110(a)(1) and (2), but rather because EPA wanted to
be clear that it considers these potential existing SIP problems as
separate from the pending infrastructure SIP actions.
EPA believes that this approach to the infrastructure SIP
requirement is reasonable, because it would not be feasible to read
section 110(a)(1) and (2) to require a top to bottom, stem to stern,
review of each and every provision of an existing SIP merely for
purposes of assuring that the state in question has the basic
structural elements for a functioning SIP for a new or revised NAAQS.
Because SIPs have grown by accretion over the decades as statutory and
regulatory requirements under the CAA have evolved, they may include
some outmoded provisions and historical artifacts that, while not fully
up to date, nevertheless may not pose a significant problem for the
purposes of ``implementation, maintenance, and enforcement'' of a new
or revised NAAQS when EPA considers the overall effectiveness of the
SIP. To the contrary, EPA believes that a better approach is for EPA to
determine which specific SIP elements from section 110(a)(2) are
applicable to an infrastructure SIP for a given NAAQS, and to focus
attention on those elements that are most likely to need a specific SIP
revision in light of the new or revised NAAQS. Thus, for example, EPA's
2007 Guidance specifically directed states to focus on the requirements
of section 110(a)(2)(G) for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS because of
the absence of underlying EPA regulations for emergency episodes for
this NAAQS and an anticipated absence of relevant provisions in
existing SIPs.
Finally, EPA believes that its approach is a reasonable reading of
section 110(a)(1) and (2) because the statute provides other avenues
and mechanisms to address specific substantive deficiencies in existing
SIPs. These other statutory tools allow the Agency to take appropriate
tailored action, depending upon the nature and severity of the alleged
SIP deficiency. Section 110(k)(5) authorizes EPA to issue a ``SIP
call'' whenever the Agency determines that a state's SIP is
substantially inadequate to attain or maintain the NAAQS, to mitigate
interstate transport, or otherwise to comply with the CAA.\11\ Section
110(k)(6) authorizes EPA to correct
[[Page 42553]]
errors in past actions, such as past approvals of SIP submissions.\12\
Significantly, EPA's determination that an action on the infrastructure
SIP is not the appropriate time and place to address all potential
existing SIP problems does not preclude the Agency's subsequent
reliance on provisions in section 110(a)(2) as part of the basis for
action at a later time. For example, although it may not be appropriate
to require a state to eliminate all existing inappropriate director's
discretion provisions in the course of acting on the infrastructure
SIP, EPA believes that section 110(a)(2)(A) may be among the statutory
bases that the Agency cites in the course of addressing the issue in a
subsequent action.\13\
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\11\ EPA has recently issued a SIP call to rectify a specific
SIP deficiency related to the SSM issue. See, ``Finding of
Substantial Inadequacy of Implementation Plan; Call for Utah State
Implementation Plan Revision,'' 74 FR 21639 (April 18, 2011).
\12\ EPA has recently utilized this authority to correct errors
in past actions on SIP submissions related to PSD programs. See,
``Limitation of Approval of Prevention of Significant Deterioration
Provisions Concerning Greenhouse Gas Emitting-Sources in State
Implementation Plans; Final Rule,'' 75 FR 82536 (Dec. 30, 2010). EPA
has previously used its authority under CAA 110(k)(6) to remove
numerous other SIP provisions that the Agency determined it had
approved in error. See, e.g., 61 FR 38664 (July 25, 1996) and 62 FR
34641 (June 27, 1997) (corrections to American Samoa, Arizona,
California, Hawaii, and Nevada SIPs); 69 FR 67062 (November 16,
2004) (corrections to California SIP); and 74 FR 57051 (November 3,
2009) (corrections to Arizona and Nevada SIPs).
\13\ EPA has recently disapproved a SIP submission from Colorado
on the grounds that it would have included a director's discretion
provision inconsistent with CAA requirements, including section
110(a)(2)(A). See, e.g., 75 FR 42342 at 42344 (July 21, 2010)
(proposed disapproval of director's discretion provisions); 76 FR
4540 (January 26, 2011) (final disapproval of such provisions).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
III. What action is EPA taking?
The EPA is approving the Louisiana SIP submittals that identify
where and how the 14 basic infrastructure elements are in the EPA-
approved SIP as specified in section 110(a)(2) of the Act. We are
determining that the following section 110(a)(2) elements are contained
in the current Louisiana SIP: emission limits and other control
measures (section 110(a)(2)(A)); ambient air quality monitoring/data
system (section 110(a)(2)(B)); program for enforcement of control
measures (section 110(a)(2)(C)); international and interstate pollution
abatement (section 110(a)(2)(D)(ii); adequate resources (section
110(a)(2)(E)); stationary source monitoring system (section
110(a)(2)(F)); emergency power (section 110(a)(2)(G)); future SIP
revisions (section 110(a)(2)(H)); consultation with government
officials (section 110(a)(2)(J)); public notification (section
110(a)(2)(J)); PSD and visibility protection (section 110(a)(2)(J));
air quality modeling/data (section 110(a)(2)(K)); permitting fees
(section 110(a)(2)(L)); and consultation/participation by affected
local entities (section 110(a)(2)(M)).
In conjunction with our determination that the Louisiana SIP meets
the section 110(a)(1) and (2) infrastructure SIP elements listed above,
we are also approving four severable portions of two SIP revisions
submitted by the LDEQ to EPA on December 20, 2005 and November 9, 2007.
These portions contain rule revisions by LDEQ to (1) regulate
NOX emissions in its PSD permit program as a precursor to
ozone; (2) add NOX to the PSD definitions for Major
Modification and Major Stationary Source; 3) under the PSD definition
for Significant, add the emission rate for NOX, as a
precursor to ozone, as 40 tons per year (tpy); and 4) under the PSD
requirements, allow for an exemption with respect to ambient air
quality monitoring data for a source with a net emissions increase less
than 100 tpy of NOX. At this time, EPA is not taking action
on other portions of the December 20, 2005 and November 9, 2007 SIP
revisions submitted by LDEQ; EPA intends to act on the other revisions
at a later time.
IV. Comments
We received one comment letter on the proposed rulemaking. The
comment letter is available for review in the docket for this
rulemaking. The comment letter came from the Tulane Environmental Law
Clinic, on behalf of the Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN,
hereinafter referred to as ``the commenter'').
Generally, the commenter's concerns relate to whether EPA's
approval of Louisiana's infrastructure SIP submissions are in
compliance with section 110(a)(2)(E) and 110(a)(2)(L) of the CAA, and
whether EPA's approval is arbitrary and capricious in finding the State
has provided necessary assurances in compliance with the CAA's adequate
funding and personnel requirements. To the extent comments 1 through 4
address adequate funding for Louisiana's Title V program with respect
to elements 110(a)(2)(C), D(ii), (E), and (L), the commenter addresses
issues that are subject to statutory and regulatory evaluation beyond
the statutory scope of this rulemaking. Section 110(a)(2) falls under
Title I of the CAA and governs the implementation, maintenance, and
enforcement of the NAAQS, in this instance 1997 ozone and 1997
PM2.5, through the federally approved SIP. Section 110 and
40 CFR part 51 also provide mechanisms for programmatic remedies with
respect to the SIP. Furthermore, Title I addresses Minor and Major New
Source Review SIP preconstruction permits. The Title V program, by
contrast, governs operating permits and is addressed by CAA sections
502 through 507. Any evaluation of the Title V program and any
consequent programmatic remedies must be done pursuant to CAA section
502 and 40 CFR part 70. The scope of this action is limited to
determining whether the Louisiana SIP meets certain infrastructure
requirements of CAA 110(a)(2) with respect to the 1997 ozone and 1997
PM2.5 NAAQS.\14\ A summary of the comments and EPA's
responses are provided below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\14\ Region 6 intends to evaluate Louisiana's Title V program in
fiscal year 2012, pursuant to the statutory and regulatory procedure
in CAA section 502 and 40 CFR part 70 that are separate from the
procedures in CAA section 110 and 40 CFR part 51. This evaluation
would be outside the programmatic scope of section 110 and 40 CFR
part 51 evaluated here.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comment 1: The commenter states that because the record contains no
evidence of adequate funding, EPA cannot approve Louisiana's
infrastructure SIP. The commenter also states that EPA's approval of
various Title I and Title V revisions to Louisiana's permit fee system
is more than 15 years out of date and therefore cannot support a
finding that Louisiana has adequate personnel and funding to carry out
its program today. The commenter also states that Louisiana's fee
average is less than the presumptive minimum set out by Title V of the
CAA under section 502(b)(3)(B)(i) and (v). The commenter further states
that it would be unlawful for EPA to approve Louisiana's infrastructure
SIP submissions without specifically considering LDEQ's annual reviews
of their Fee Schedule as required by the Louisiana Administrative Code.
The commenter also states that EPA cannot lawfully conclude Louisiana
can adequately implement its program for less than half of EPA's
presumptive fee based on the record which does not include Louisiana's
annual reviews of their fees.
Response: We disagree with the commenter's statement that the
record contains no evidence of adequate funding. Our TSD was posted in
the docket for this rulemaking on April 18, 2011, which is the date the
rulemaking was published in the Federal Register. The TSD evaluates
where and how the Louisiana SIP addresses each of the section 110(a)(2)
infrastructure elements, including 110(a)(2)(E), which begins on page
12 of the TSD. Within the TSD section evaluating 110(a)(2)(E), we
include the various funds the state
[[Page 42554]]
receives to support the 1997 ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS.
Section 110(a)(2)(E) requires that the state provide necessary
assurances that it will have adequate funding under state law to carry
out the SIP. As cited in our TSD, to address adequate funding,
Louisiana statute charges the LDEQ with preparing and developing the
SIP, and provides the secretary of the LDEQ with the powers and duties
to `` * * * receive and budget duly appropriated monies and to accept,
receive, and administer grants or other funds or gifts from public and
private agencies, including the federal government, to carry out the
provisions and purposes of this Subtitle'' (LA RS 30:2011.D.10). As
cited in our TSD, these state statute-assured funds are supplemented by
federal funds, including CAA section 103 and section 105 grants.
Consequently, there are additional monetary sources, including
Louisiana's Environmental Trust Fund monies provided for under LA RS
30:2015, which contribute to Louisiana's ability to provide adequate
personnel and funding to implement the SIP for the 1997 ozone and 1997
PM2.5 NAAQS.
Funding necessary to implement the SIP, as discussed prior in this
Response and in the TSD, is provided for pursuant to section
110(a)(2)(E) by Louisiana state statute and various sources of funding.
While Louisiana's various permitting fee system and revisions were
approved into the SIP over a decade ago, the rules approved into the
Louisiana SIP continue today to mandate Major and Minor NSR SIP
preconstruction permitting application and annual maintenance fees
pursuant to section 110(a)(2)(E) and (L). EPA's previous SIP approvals,
as contained within the record and cited to by the commenter, include
required fees as described by 110(a)(2)(E) and (L).
The presumptive $25.00 fee minimum under CAA section 502(b)(3) the
commenter refers to is part of Title V, which as previously stated in
Section IV, second paragraph, is subject to evaluation under different
statutory and regulatory mechanisms provided for outside the SIP
parameters for evaluation and remedies under CAA section 110 and 40 CFR
part 51.
Section 110(a)(2) does not require a specific quantitative metric
or methodology for determining adequate resources. The commenter also
did not point to specific program deficiencies or implementation issues
due to the perceived lack of resources. As described in our proposal,
TSD, and previously in this response, EPA's evaluation and approval of
Louisiana's fee system and resources is based, in part, upon various
sources of funding, state statutes and rules pursuant to section
110(a)(2), and LDEQ's fulfillment of grant obligations. As explained in
the TSD, section 105 grants provide monies to help support the
foundation of the State's air quality program, including air
monitoring, enforcement and SIP development. States are required to
provide matching monies to receive their grant and EPA evaluates the
performance of the State each year. In fiscal year 2010, Louisiana
successfully completed all of their air program obligations as called
for under the section 105 grant with some minor exceptions.\15\ EPA
noted no significant deficiencies thus indicating that LDEQ has
sufficient resources to implement its SIP. For example, as described in
our proposal and TSD, apart from the grant review, Louisiana's
statewide air quality surveillance network as required by section
110(a)(2)(B) undergoes annual review and EPA's most recent approval of
this monitoring network dates January 12, 2011. Therefore, we disagree
that the record does not support a finding of adequate resources. The
fact that the fee requirement that provides the basis for some of these
resources was approved by EPA some time ago does not change this
conclusion.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\15\ See Supplemental TSD for the LDEQ 2010 Air Program End-of-
Year Report, in the docket for this rulemaking.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Furthermore, we disagree with the commenter's statement that the
record does not support a finding of adequate resources solely because
the annual fee review is absent from the record. In response to the
commenter's concerns, LDEQ explained their fee review process and
stated that the fee review is conducted as part of the budget process
and essentially insures that sufficient fees are collected to pay for
the staff associated with new source review permitting.\16\ Though
evaluation of the annual fee review was not part of the proposal for
this action, EPA's evaluation and approval of Louisiana's fee system
and resources under sections 110(a)(2)(L) and 110(a)(2)(E) is based, in
part, upon various sources of funding, state statutes and rules
pursuant to section 110(a)(2), and LDEQ's fulfillment of grant
obligations as described in the proposal, TSD, the supplemental TSD,
and this response. In addition, on September 9, 2010, the EPA
determined that the Baton Rouge moderate 8-hour ozone nonattainment
area (BRNA) had attained the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS (75 FR 54778). On
August 31, 2010, the state submitted a request to EPA to redesignate
the BRNA to attainment and EPA is reviewing that submission in a
separate action. This submission was not statutorily required under the
Act and was resource intensive for the LDEQ. This exercise provides
additional support that the state has adequate resources to comply with
the enforceable emission limitations and other control measures
requirement of 110(a)(2)(A).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\16\ Per communication with Bryan Johnston, LDEQ, dated June 27,
2011; see the Supplemental TSD.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In sum, the record does support a finding of adequate resources. As
discussed in the record for this action, the State has the statutory
authority to receive monies. The State does, in fact, collect various
fees, revenues and federal grants. Section 110 does not provide a
specific methodology for determining the adequacy of resources. The
commenter does not specify deficiencies or implementation problems. Our
reasons for finding that the Louisiana SIP meets section 110(a)(2)(E)
for adequate resources for the 1997 ozone and 1997 PM2.5
NAAQS are reiterated in our response above, and described in the
proposed rulemaking (76 FR 21682) and the TSD. The fact that the fee
requirement that provides for some of these resources was approved some
time ago does not change this conclusion.\17\ Insofar as the commenter
states EPA cannot lawfully conclude LDEQ can adequately implement its
program for less than half of EPA's presumptive fee, the presumptive
fee the commenter is referring to is the Title V presumptive fee.
Evaluation of this presumptive fee minimum must be conducted under
different statutory and regulatory mechanisms provided for outside the
SIP parameters for evaluation and remedies under CAA section 110 and 40
CFR part 51.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\17\ See Supplemental TSD for revisions to the Fee System of the
Louisiana Air Quality Control Programs submitted by Bryan Johnston,
LDEQ. These revisions were not submitted to EPA for approval into
the SIP.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comment 2: Inflation alone shows that EPA cannot rely on its 1995
approval.
Response: The 1995 approval the commenter refers to is found at 60
FR 47296, and was approved pursuant to section 502(b)(3) of the Act and
40 CFR 70.9, the regulations implementing Title V. Title V is not part
of the federally approved SIP, and as previously explained in this
rulemaking, the mechanism for evaluating the Title V program is legally
outside the scope of this rulemaking. The scope of this action is
limited to determining whether the existing Louisiana SIP meets certain
[[Page 42555]]
infrastructure requirements of CAA 110(a)(2) with respect to the 1997
ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS.
Comment 3: Louisiana's program will need increased resources to
achieve attainment in expanded sulfur dioxide (SO2) and
NOX non-attainment areas.
Response: The scope of this action is limited to determining
whether the Louisiana SIP meets the requirements of CAA 110(a)(2) with
respect to the 1997 ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS in attainment
areas. We will evaluate whether or not the Louisiana SIP meets the
requirements of section 110(a)(2) with respect to the SO2
and NO2 standards in one or more separate rulemaking
actions.\18\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\18\ The commenter incorrectly refers to a ``NOX
standard.'' EPA assumes the commenter is referring to the
NO2 standard announced on February 9, 2010 (75 FR 6474).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comment 4: EPA's proposed approval ignores a 2002 audit report by
the EPA's Inspector General, which concluded that Louisiana's average
fee of $19.00 per ton is well below the EPA-determined presumptive
minimum amount of $35.00 to adequately run a state Title V program.
Response: The audit report referred to by the commenter wholly
addresses the Louisiana Title V program and thus is outside the legal
parameters of evaluating the Louisiana SIP in meeting the requirements
of section 110(a)(2) of the Act with respect to the 1997 ozone and 1997
PM2.5 NAAQS. Any evaluation of the Title V program must be
done pursuant to the procedural mechanisms in CAA section 502 and 40
CFR part 70.
Comment 5: The commenter states Louisiana's March 24, 2011
(supplemental) certification letter does not list permitting fees as an
area of compliance. EPA must evaluate the adequacy of LDEQ's plan, and
there is nothing in the record to support a finding that LDEQ's
resources are sufficient to run its program.
Response: The March 24, 2011 letter from LDEQ was not intended to
replace the December 11, 2007 and January 7, 2008 certification
letters, and the March 2011 letter states that it clarifies and amends
the prior two certifications. In its January 7, 2008 certification
submitted to EPA, Louisiana listed permitting fees as an area of
compliance. We therefore disagree with the commenter that the State did
not certify Major and Minor NSR SIP preconstruction permitting fees as
an area of compliance. EPA evaluated the Louisiana SIP in the April 18,
2011 proposal and TSD, and this evaluation is based on the two
certification letters submitted by the state, dated December 11, 2007
and January 7, 2008, and the supplemental certification letter dated
March 24, 2011.
Major and Minor NSR SIP preconstruction permitting application and
annual maintenance fees and adequate resources sufficient to implement
the Louisiana SIP pursuant to sections 110(a)(2)(E) and 110(a)(2)(L)
are provided for under the EPA-approved SIP, state statute, and
augmented by other sources of funding as described in EPA's Response to
Comment 1 of this final action and in the TSD.
The commenter does not specify where Louisiana might be failing to
implement any portions of the 1997 ozone and 1997 PM2.5
NAAQS SIP, thus we have no specific basis of evaluation or point of
reference to evince support of the commenter's allegations of
inadequate resources with regards to Louisiana's SIP. Our reasons for
finding that the Louisiana SIP meets section 110(a)(2)(E) for adequate
resources for the 1997 ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS are
reiterated in our response above,\19\ and described in the proposed
rulemaking (76 FR 21682) and the TSD.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\19\ Response to Comment 1.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
V. Final Action
We are approving the submittals provided by the State of Louisiana
to demonstrate that the Louisiana SIP meets the following requirements
of Section 110(a)(1) and (2) of the Act:
Emission limits and other control measures (110(a)(2)(A) of the
Act);
Ambient air quality monitoring/data system (110(a)(2)(B) of the
Act);
Program for enforcement of control measures (110(a)(2)(C) of the
Act);
Interstate Transport (110(a)(2)(D)(ii) of the Act);
Adequate resources (110(a)(2)(E) of the Act);
Stationary source monitoring system (110(a)(2)(F) of the Act);
Emergency power (110(a)(2)(G) of the Act);
Future SIP revisions (110(a)(2)(H) of the Act);
Consultation with government officials (110(a)(2)(J) of the Act);
Public notification (110(a)(2)(J) of the Act);
Prevention of significant deterioration and visibility protection
(110(a)(2)(J) of the Act);
Air quality modeling data (110(a)(2)(K) of the Act);
Permitting fees (110(a)(2)(L) of the Act); and
Consultation/participation by affected local entities (110(a)(2)(M)
of the Act).
EPA is also approving the following revisions to 33 LAC 5-509,
submitted by LDEQ on December 20, 2005 and November 9, 2007:
1. The 2005 non-substantive recodification of the definition for
Major Modification subsection 2 to subsection b, and the 2007
substantive change adding NOX to the definition of Major
Modification.
2. The 2005 non-substantive recodification at of the definition for
Major Stationary Source at subsection 4 to subsection d, and the 2007
substantive change adding NOX to the definition of Major
Stationary Source.
3. The 2005 non-substantive recodification of the first paragraph
of the definition for Significant at subsection 1 to subsection a, and
the 2007 substantive change adding NOX as a precursor to the
table's criteria and other pollutants listing for ozone.
4. The 2005 non-substantive recodification of the first paragraph
of subsection I.8 to subsection I.5, and the 2007 substantive change
allowing for an exemption with respect to ozone monitoring for a source
with a net emissions increase less than 100 tpy of NOX.
EPA is approving these actions in accordance with section 110 of the
Act and EPA's regulations and consistent with EPA guidance.
VI. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
Under the CAA, the Administrator is required to approve a SIP
submission that complies with the provisions of the Act and applicable
Federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a). Thus, in
reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of the CAA. Accordingly, this
action merely approves state law as meeting Federal requirements and
does not impose additional requirements beyond those imposed by state
law. For that reason, this action:
Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' subject to
review by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Order
12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993);
Does not impose an information collection burden under the
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
Is certified as not having a significant economic impact
on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
Does not contain any unfunded mandate or significantly or
uniquely affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4);
[[Page 42556]]
Does not have Federalism implications as specified in
Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999);
Is not an economically significant regulatory action based
on health or safety risks subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR
19885, April 23, 1997);
Is not a significant regulatory action subject to
Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001);
Is not subject to requirements of Section 12(d) of the
National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272
note) because application of those requirements would be inconsistent
with the CAA; and
Does not provide EPA with the discretionary authority to
address, as appropriate, disproportionate human health or environmental
effects, using practicable and legally permissible methods, under
Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994). In addition,
this rule does not have tribal implications as specified by Executive
Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9, 2000), because the SIP is not
approved to apply in Indian country located in the state, and EPA notes
that it will not impose substantial direct costs on tribal governments
or preempt tribal law.
The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, generally
provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency promulgating
the rule must submit a rule report, which includes a copy of the rule,
to each House of the Congress and to the Comptroller General of the
United States. EPA will submit a report containing this action and
other required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of
Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United States prior
to publication of the rule in the Federal Register. A major rule cannot
take effect until 60 days after it is published in the Federal
Register. This action is not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C.
804(2).
Under section 307(b)(1) of the CAA, petitions for judicial review
of this action must be filed in the United States Court of Appeals for
the appropriate circuit by September 19, 2011. Filing a petition for
reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule does not affect
the finality of this action for the purposes of judicial review nor
does it extend the time within which a petition for judicial review may
be filed, and shall not postpone the effectiveness of such rule or
action. This action may not be challenged later in proceedings to
enforce its requirements. (See section 307(b)(2).)
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Intergovernmental relations, Nitrogen dioxides, Ozone,
Particulate matter, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Volatile
organic compounds.
Dated: June 30, 2011.
Al Armendariz,
Regional Administrator, Region 6.
40 CFR part 52 is amended as follows:
PART 52--[AMENDED]
0
1. The authority citation for part 52 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Subpart T--Louisiana
0
2. Section 52.970 is amended:
0
a. In paragraph (c) by revising the entry for Section 509 under
``Chapter 5 Permit Procedures''.
0
b. In paragraph (e) by adding a new entry for ``Infrastructure for the
1997 Ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS'' at the end of the second
table in paragraph (e) entitled ``EPA Approved Louisiana Nonregulatory
Provisions and Quasi-Regulatory Measures''.
The amendments read as follows:
Sec. 52.970 Identification of plan.
* * * * *
(c) * * *
EPA Approved Louisiana Regulations in the Louisiana SIP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State approval
State citation Title/subject date EPA approval date Comments
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* * * * * * *
Section 509............................. Prevention of Significant 2/20/1995 10/15/1996, The following revisions approved by the
Deterioration. 61 FR 53639 State on 12/20/2005 and 9/20/2006 are
EPA approved on 7/19/2011, [Insert FR
page number where document begins]:
(a) Section 509(B)--Only the revisions to
recodify and add NOX to the definitions
of Major Modification and Major
Stationary Source; and only the
revisions to recodify and add NOX as a
precursor to the definition of
Significant;
(b) Section 509(I)--Only the revisions to
the table under I.5(a).
* * * * * * *
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* * * * *
(e) * * *
* * * * *
[[Page 42557]]
EPA Approved Louisiana Nonregulatory Provisions and Quasi-Regulatory Measures
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applicable State submittal
Name of SIP provision geographic or date/effective EPA approval date Explanation
nonattainment area date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* * * * * * *
Infrastructure for the 1997 Statewide.......... 12/11/2007 7/19/2011, [Insert Approval for CAA
Ozone and 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. 1/7/2008 FR page number sections
3/24/2011 where document 110(a)(2)(A),
begins]. (B), (C),
(D)(ii), (E),
(F), (G), (H),
(J), (K), (L),
and (M).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[FR Doc. 2011-18061 Filed 7-18-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P