Source Specific Federal Implementation Plan for Implementing Best Available Retrofit Technology for Four Corners Power Plant; Navajo Nation; Extension of Notification Deadline, 60700-60704 [2013-24112]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 191 / Wednesday, October 2, 2013 / Rules and Regulations
PART 165—REGULATED NAVIGATION
AREAS AND LIMITED ACCESS AREAS
1. The authority citation for part 165
continues to read as follows:
■
[FR Doc. 2013–23995 Filed 10–1–13; 8:45 am]
Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1231; 46 U.S.C.
Chapter 701, 3306, 3703; 50 U.S.C. 191, 195;
33 CFR 1.05–1, 6.04–1, 6.04–6, 160.5; Pub. L.
107–295, 116 Stat. 2064; Department of
Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1.
2. Add temporary § 165.T11–596 to
read as follows:
■
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(a) Location. The safety zone includes
the waters of Thompson Bay
encompassed by drawing a line from
point to point along the following
coordinates:
Northern Zone Line:
34°27′57.96″ N, 114°20′48.49″ W
34°27′57.71″ N, 114°20′49.75″ W
North West Zone Line:
34°27′07.99″ N, 114°21′09.93″ W
34°26′51.99″ N, 114°21′03.83″ W
South Zone Line:
34°27′07.99″ N, 114°21′09.93″ W
34°26′51.99″ N, 114°21′03.83″ W
(b) Enforcement period. This safety
zone will be enforced from 7 a.m. to 7
p.m. on October 11, 2013 thru October
13, 2013.
(c) Definitions. The following
definition applies to this section:
designated representative, means any
commissioned, warrant, or petty officer
of the Coast Guard on board Coast
Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary, and
local, state, and federal law enforcement
vessels who have been authorized to act
on the behalf of the Captain of the Port.
(d) Regulations. (1) Entry into, transit
through, or anchoring within this safety
zone is prohibited unless authorized by
the Captain of the Port of San Diego or
his designated representative.
(2) Mariners requesting permission to
transit through the safety zone may
request authorization to do so from the
Coast Guard Captain of the Port, San
Diego, or his designated representative.
(3) All persons and vessels shall
comply with the instructions of the
Coast Guard Captain of the Port or the
designated representative.
(4) Upon being hailed by the Captain
of the Port of San Diego or his
designated representative by siren,
radio, flashing light, or other means, the
operator of a vessel shall proceed as
directed.
(5) The Coast Guard may be assisted
by other federal, state, or local agencies.
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BILLING CODE 9110–04–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 49
§ 165.T11–596 Safety Zone, Lucas Oil Drag
Boat Racing Series; Thompson Bay, Lake
Havasu City, AZ.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
Dated: September 10, 2013.
S.M. Mahoney,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the
Port San Diego.
[EPA–R09–OAR–2013–0489; FRL–9901–58–
Region 9]
Source Specific Federal
Implementation Plan for Implementing
Best Available Retrofit Technology for
Four Corners Power Plant; Navajo
Nation; Extension of Notification
Deadline
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:
On August 24, 2012, EPA
promulgated a Federal Implementation
Plan (FIP) to implement the Best
Available Retrofit Technology (BART)
requirement of the Regional Haze Rule
for the Four Corners Power Plant
(FCPP), which is located on the Navajo
Nation Indian Reservation. Included in
the FIP was a requirement that by July
1, 2013, Arizona Public Service (APS),
co-owner and operator of FCPP must
notify EPA of its selected BART
compliance strategy. On June 19, 2013,
APS requested that EPA extend the
notification date from July 1 to
December 31, 2013, due to new
uncertainties related to the potential
deregulation of the retail electricity
market in Arizona that complicate its
decision for selecting a BART
compliance option. In response to this
request, on July 11, 2013, EPA proposed
to extend the notification date, from July
1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. EPA did
not receive any comments during the
30-day public comment period for the
proposed action. EPA received one
comment that was emailed to EPA on
August 13, 2013, one day after the close
of the comment period. We are
providing a response to the late
comment, however the information in
the late comment did not change the
basis or justification for our proposal to
extend the notification date. Therefore,
EPA is taking final action to extend the
notification date in the FIP from July 1,
2013 to December 31, 2013.
DATES: This rule is effective on
November 1, 2013.
ADDRESSES: EPA established a docket
for this action at EPA–R09–OAR–2013–
SUMMARY:
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0489. Generally, documents in the
docket are available electronically at
www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at
EPA Region 9, 75 Hawthorne Street, San
Francisco, California. While documents
in the docket are listed in the index,
some information may be publicly
available only at EPA Region 9 (e.g.,
maps, voluminous reports, copyrighted
material), and some may not be publicly
available in either location (e.g., CBI).
To inspect the hard copy materials,
please schedule an appointment during
normal business hours with the contact
person listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Anita Lee, EPA Region 9, (415) 972–
3958, r9_airplanning@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Throughout this document, ‘‘we’’, ‘‘us’’,
and ‘‘our’’ refer to EPA.
Table of Contents
I. Background
II. Summary of EPA Action and Response to
Late Comment
III. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Background
FCPP is a privately owned and
operated coal-fired power plant located
on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation
near Farmington, New Mexico. Based on
lease agreements signed in 1960, FCPP
was constructed and has been operating
on real property held in trust by the
Federal government for the Navajo
Nation. The facility consists of five coalfired electric utility steam generating
units with a total capacity of 2,060
megawatts (MW). Units 1, 2, and 3 at
FCPP are owned entirely by APS, which
serves as the facility operator, and are
rated to 170 MW (Units 1 and 2) and
220 MW (Unit 3). Units 4 and 5 are each
rated to a capacity of 750 MW, and are
co-owned by six entities: Southern
California Edison (48 percent), APS (15
percent), Public Service Company of
New Mexico (13 percent), Salt River
Project (10 percent), El Paso Electric
Company (7 percent), and Tucson
Electric Power (7 percent).
On August 24, 2012, EPA
promulgated a FIP that established
limits for emissions of oxides of
nitrogen (NOX) from FCPP under the
BART provision of the Regional Haze
Rule (77 FR 51620). The final FIP
required the owners of FCPP to
implement one of two strategies for
BART compliance: (1) Compliance with
a facility-wide BART emission limit for
NOX of 0.11 pounds per million British
Thermal Units of heat input (lb/MMBtu)
by October 23, 2017, or (2) retirement of
Units 1, 2, and 3 by January 1, 2014, and
compliance with a BART emission limit
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for NOX of 0.098 lb/MMBtu on Units 4
and 5 by July 1, 2018. The second BART
compliance strategy, involving
retirement of Units 1, 2, and 3, was
based on a broader plan put forth by
APS that also called for APS to purchase
Southern California Edison’s 48 percent
ownership interest in Units 4 and 5 at
FCPP. This compliance strategy was
proposed and finalized in the FIP as an
alternative emission control strategy
that achieved greater reasonable
progress than BART. For additional
information regarding EPA’s analyses
regarding BART and the alternative
emission control strategy, see EPA’s
BART proposal (75 FR 64221, October
29, 2010), supplemental proposal (76 FR
10530, February 25, 2011) and final rule
(77 FR 51620, August 24, 2012).
As discussed in our supplemental
proposal published on February 25,
2011, APS’ choice to retire Units 1, 2,
and 3, and comply with BART emission
limits on Units 4 and 5 was contingent
on the resolution of several issues.
These issues included a renewed site
lease with the Navajo Nation, a renewed
coal contract, and regulatory approvals
from the Arizona Corporation
Commission (ACC), California Public
Utilities Commission (CPUC), and
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC) for APS to purchase the 48
percent interest of Units 4 and 5
currently owned by Southern California
Edison (SCE). Because the regulatory
approvals, renewed site lease, and
renewed coal contract were expected to
require significant time and effort by
APS, other owners, and the Navajo
Nation, EPA’s final FIP included
requirements for APS to (1) update EPA
by January 1, 2013, on the status of lease
negotiations and regulatory approvals,
and (2) notify EPA, by July 1, 2013, of
the BART strategy APS would elect to
implement, including a plan and
schedule for compliance with its chosen
strategy.1
On December 31, 2012, APS provided
an update to EPA regarding the status of
the approvals required for implementing
the alternative emission control
strategy.2 APS stated that on March 7,
2011, APS and the Navajo Nation
executed an agreement to extend the
lease for FCPP to July 6, 2041. The lease
renewal must be reviewed and approved
by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs,
which triggers review under the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), and other related reviews,
1 See
40 CFR 49.5512(i)(4).
Letter from Susan Kidd, Director
Environmental Policies and Programs, Arizona
Public Service, to Jared Blumenfeld, Regional
Administrator, EPA Region 9, dated December 31,
2012.
2 See
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including under Section 7 of the
Endangered Species Act. NEPA review
is underway and is expected to
conclude in time to allow for a Record
of Decision by January 2015. EPA is a
cooperating agency in the NEPA
process. In its December 31, 2012
update letter, APS also stated that it is
in ongoing negotiation for a new coal
supply agreement with its coal supplier.
Finally, APS confirmed that it had
obtained regulatory approvals to
purchase SCE’s 48 percent interest of
Units 4 and 5.3
However, in a letter dated June 19,
2013, APS requested that EPA extend
the date by which APS must provide
notification of its BART implementation
strategy for FCPP.4 APS explained that
it had previously expected to meet the
July 1, 2013 notification date because it
had completed the processes to obtain
regulatory approvals to purchase SCE’s
shares of Units 4 and 5, and renewal of
the lease and coal contract were
underway. Then, unexpectedly, in May
2013, the ACC voted to re-examine
deregulation of the retail electric market
in Arizona.5 In its June 19, 2013 letter,
APS explains that, depending on its
structure and reach, a deregulated retail
electric market could significantly
change the BART compliance strategy
for FCPP. Thus, APS stated that it
would no longer be able to make an
informed decision regarding the BART
option by July 1, 2013. APS stated that
its decision concerning a selected
compliance strategy requires more
certainty regarding the likelihood of
deregulation in Arizona. APS also filed
a Form 8–K with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission
disclosing the uncertainty caused by the
ACC decision to examine deregulation.6
APS has requested that EPA extend
the notification date for its selection of
the BART compliance strategy to
December 31, 2013. APS noted that the
potential for deregulation of the retail
electric market in Arizona was not
foreseen at the time of our final
rulemaking in 2012. APS also noted that
3 APS received approval from the ACC on April
24, 2012; from FERC on November 27, 2012; and
from the Department of Justice/Federal Trade
Commission on July 2, 2012. As discussed in our
final rulemaking dated August 24, 2012, EPA
already understood that the CPUC approved the
sale of SCE’s shares of Units 4 and 5 at FCPP to
APS on March 22, 2012.
4 See letter from Ann Becker, Vice President,
Environmental and Chief Sustainability Officer,
Arizona Public Service, to Jared Blumenfeld,
Regional Administrator, EPA Region 9, dated June
19, 2013.
5 https://www.azcc.gov/Divisions/Administration/
About/Letters/5-2313%20Retail%20Competition%2013-0135.pdf.
6 Form 8–K was appended to the June 19, 2013
letter from Ann Becker to Jared Blumenfeld.
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60701
extending the notification date by six
months will not affect public health or
the environment because the BART
compliance dates, in 2017 or 2018,
depending on the compliance strategy
selected, are not linked to the
notification date and remain unchanged.
On July 11, 2013, EPA proposed to
revise the notification date provision in
the existing source-specific federal
implementation plan for FCPP, codified
at 40 CFR 49.5512(i)(4), to extend the
date by which the owner or operator of
FCPP must notify EPA of its selected
BART compliance strategy from July 1,
2013 to December 31, 2013 (78 FR
41731). EPA’s proposal included a
proposed determination that an
extended notification date was
necessary to provide APS with the
needed flexibility in determining
whether to implement BART or the
alternative emission control strategy to
reduce FCPP’s NOX emissions by 80–87
percent. Additionally the proposed
extension would not interfere with
attainment, reasonable further progress,
or any other requirement of the CAA
because the proposed notification date
extension does not change the
compliance dates associated with BART
or the alternative emission control
strategy. The public comment period for
the proposed action closed on August
12, 2013. EPA did not receive any
comments on the proposed action
during the public comment period. On
August 13, 2013, a comment letter dated
August 12, 2013, was sent to EPA via
electronic mail. Although our proposal
stated that comments ‘‘must be
postmarked no later than August 12,
2013,’’ EPA is responding to the late
comment in this final rulemaking.
Because the comment does not change
our basis or justification for our
proposal to extend the notification date,
EPA is finalizing our proposed action.
II. Summary of EPA Action and
Response to Late Comment
EPA is taking final action to extend
the date by which the owner or operator
of FCPP must notify EPA of its selected
BART compliance strategy, from July 1,
2013 to December 31, 2013. This final
action revises one provision in the
existing source-specific FIP for FCPP,
codified at 40 CFR 49.5512(i)(4). The
notification date was not a substantive
requirement of our BART
determination, nor was it a requirement
related to the emission limit
constituting BART or the timeframe for
BART compliance, as defined in the
CAA or the Regional Haze Rule. EPA
notes that the FIP continues to require
FCPP to meet the emission limits
required under BART or the alternative
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emission control strategy by the
compliance dates specified in our final
rulemaking, codified at 40 CFR
49.5512(i)(2) and (3), regardless of the
extension of the notification date in
(i)(4).
On August 13, 2013, EPA received
one late comment via electronic mail on
our proposed notification date
extension. The comment was submitted
by the Law Office of John M. Barth on
behalf of the San Juan Citizens Alliance
(SJCA). SJCA provided four reasons for
contending that the request for an
extension of the notification date was
‘‘not reasonable.’’
First, SJCA contends that APS’s
request for an extension is not
reasonable because APS ‘‘knew or
should have known’’ the ACC might
consider deregulation in the future, but
failed to identify it as a factor that could
influence its choice between BART and
the alternative to BART. It appears that
SJCA is arguing that APS cannot base its
request for a notification date extension
on the potential for deregulation
because APS should have foreseen, but
did not identify, deregulation as an
important factor in its decision. EPA
disagrees. In our final action in August
2012 that, among other things,
established the notification date, EPA
had determined that APS had
adequately justified its requested
notification date of July 1, 2013 based
on when it anticipated receiving
approvals, from the ACC, the California
Public Utilities Commission, and the
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commissions, to purchase SCE’s share
of Units 4 and 5 at FCPP, a key
prerequisite for implementing the
Alternative to BART. SJCA submitted
comments on the proposed action and
did not raise the ACC’s potential
consideration of deregulation as a basis
for not finalizing the July 1, 2013
notification date. SJCA has not provided
any reason that APS may not raise the
ACC’s consideration of deregulation
now as a justification for the notification
date extension. The mere fact that
deregulation may have arisen in the
future, but was not identified as a
potential issue, does not stop APS from
relying on this event as a reasonable
basis to request an extension of the
notification date now. In any event,
SJCA has not provided any explanation
for how it or the public will be harmed
if EPA extends the notification date.
APS is still required to comply with
BART or the alternative emission
control strategy by the dates in our
August 2012 final rule.
Second, SJCA asserts that APS’s
request for the extension, by letter dated
June 19, 2013, was untimely because the
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ACC discussed potential deregulation
on May 9, 2013 and advised APS of this
action on May 23, 2013. SJCA does not
provide any explanation about how this
brief delay in requesting an extension of
the compliance date makes APS’s
request unreasonable. As noted above,
APS has not requested, and EPA has not
proposed, to extend the actual
compliance dates for BART or the
Alternative to BART. SJCA has not
claimed that extension of the
notification date to December 31, 2013,
results in any harm to its members or
the public. In any event, the brief time
that elapsed before APS submitted a
request to EPA for an extension of the
notification date was not unreasonable.
Third, SJCA argues that the ACC is
only conducting an information
gathering proceeding concerning
deregulation and such a proceeding is
not adequate to justify extending the
notification date. Again, EPA disagrees
with the commenter. APS requested a
modest extension of the notification
date based on the current uncertainty
regarding the ACC’s consideration of
deregulation and the potential for a
deregulated electric market to influence
APS’s decisions related to FCPP. None
of the information SJCA submitted is
sufficient to allow EPA to determine
that the ACC’s proceeding to receive
and consider comments on deregulation
is not a reasonable justification for
extending the notification date. SJCA
has not provided any facts showing that
the potential for deregulation would not
affect APS’s decisions related to FCPP
or that it or any other member of the
public is harmed by the notification
date extension. As noted above, EPA is
not extending the dates on which APS
must demonstrate FCPP is in
compliance with the BART emissions
limit or the alternative emission control
strategy.
Finally, SJCA states that it is
unreasonable to extend the notification
date to December 31, 2013 and that
October 31, 2013 should be sufficient.
EPA disagrees. SJCA has not
demonstrated that a six-month
extension for APS to provide
notification is not reasonable. In fact,
Exhibit 2 to the SJCA comment letter
highlights the uncertainty of the timing
of the ACC’s examination of
deregulation. Exhibit 2 shows that, as of
July 1, 2013, the ACC’s timeline for
examining deregulation was ‘‘tentative,’’
and the understanding of Commissioner
Robert L. Burns was ‘‘that the goal is to
address the issue at a September or
October Open Meeting.’’ 7 Thus, Exhibit
7 Exhibit 2 to the SJCA Comment Letter was a
letter dated July 1, 2013 from Robert L. Burns,
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2 does not provide enough certainty in
the timing of ACC’s review and
consideration of comments on
deregulation to indicate that a
notification date of October 31, 2013
would be sufficient or more reasonable
than December 31, 2013. SJCA has also
failed to provide any reason that it or
any other member of the public will be
harmed from the extension of the
notification date. APS is required to
continue to comply with the dates it
will come into compliance with BART
or the alternative.
In summary, the four points raised by
SJCA in its late comment do not provide
sufficient information for EPA to change
its proposal to extend APS’s BART
notification date from July 1, 2013 to
December 31, 2013. EPA is finalizing its
proposal, and APS is required to notify
EPA on December 31, 2013, whether
FCPP will install and operate emissions
controls to meet the BART limitation for
Units 1–5 in 2017, or implement the
alternative emissions control strategy by
closing Units 1, 2 and 3 in January 2014
and installing controls to meet a NOX
emission limit of 0.098 lb/MMBtu on
Units 4 and 5 in July 2018.
III. Statutory and Executive Order
Reviews
A. Executive Order 12866: Regulatory
Planning and Review and Executive
Order 13563: Improving Regulation and
Regulatory Review 13563
This action extends the date for a
single source to notify EPA regarding its
decision to implement BART or an
alternative emission control strategy.
This type of action for a single source
is exempt from review under Executive
Orders (EO) 12866 (58 FR 51735,
October 4, 1993) and EO 13563 (76 FR
3821, January 21, 2011).
B. Paperwork Reduction Act
This action does not impose an
information collection burden under the
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction
Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Burden is
defined at 5 CFR 1320.3(b). Because the
action merely extends a notification
date, it does not impose an information
collection burden and the Paperwork
Reduction Act does not apply.
C. Regulatory Flexibility Act
The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA)
generally requires an agency to prepare
a regulatory flexibility analysis of any
rule subject to notice and comment
Arizona Corporation Commission, to President Ben
Shelly and Speaker Johnny Naize, Navajo Nation,
in response to a letter from President Shelly and
Speaker Naize, dated June 24, 2013, expressing
concern related to the decision of the ACC to
reexamine deregulation in Arizona.
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rulemaking requirements under the
Administrative Procedure Act or any
other statute unless the agency certifies
that the rule will not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities. Small entities
include small businesses, small
organizations, and small governmental
jurisdictions.
For purposes of assessing the impacts
of today’s final rule on small entities,
small entity is defined as: (1) A small
business as defined by the Small
Business Administration’s (SBA)
regulations at 13 CFR 121.201; (2) a
small governmental jurisdiction that is a
government of a city, county, town,
school district or special district with a
population of less than 50,000; and (3)
a small organization that is any not-forprofit enterprise which is independently
owned and operated and is not
dominant in its field.
After considering the economic
impacts of this final action on small
entities, I certify that this final action
will not have a significant economic
impact on a substantial number of small
entities. The owners of FCPP are not
small entities, and the extended
notification date was requested by the
operator and co-owner of FCPP. See
Mid-Tex Electric Cooperative, Inc. v.
FERC, 773 F.2d 327 (DC Cir. 1985).
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D. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
(UMRA)
Title II of the Unfunded Mandates
Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA), 2 U.S.C.
1531–1538, requires Federal agencies,
unless otherwise prohibited by law, to
assess the effects of their regulatory
actions on State, local, and tribal
governments and the private sector.
Federal agencies must also develop a
plan to provide notice to small
governments that might be significantly
or uniquely affected by any regulatory
requirements. The plan must enable
officials of affected small governments
to have meaningful and timely input in
the development of EPA regulatory
proposals with significant Federal
intergovernmental mandates and must
inform, educate, and advise small
governments on compliance with the
regulatory requirements.
This final rule does not contain a
Federal mandate that may result in
expenditures of $100 million or more
for state, local, and tribal governments,
in the aggregate, or the private sector in
any one year. This rule merely extends
a notification date in an existing federal
implementation plan for FCPP by six
months. Thus, this rule is not subject to
the requirements of sections 202 or 205
of UMRA.
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This final rule is also not subject to
the requirements of section 203 of
UMRA because it contains no regulatory
requirements that might significantly or
uniquely affect small governments. This
final rule does not impose regulatory
requirements on any government entity.
E. Executive Order 13132: Federalism
This action does not have federalism
implications. It will not have substantial
direct effects on the states, on the
relationship between the national
government and the states, or in the
distribution of power and
responsibilities among the various
levels of government, as specified in
Executive Order 13132. This action
extends a notification date by six
months. Thus, Executive Order 13132
does not apply to this action.
F. Executive Order 13175: Consultation
and Coordination With Indian Tribal
Governments
Under Executive Order 13175 (65 FR
67249, November 9, 2000), EPA may not
issue a regulation that has tribal
implications, that imposes substantial
direct compliance costs, and that is not
required by statute, unless the federal
government provides the funds
necessary to pay the direct compliance
costs incurred by tribal governments, or
EPA consults with tribal officials early
in the process of developing the
proposed regulation and develops a
tribal summary impact statement.
EPA has concluded that this final rule
may have tribal implications because
FCPP is located on the Navajo Nation
Indian Reservation. However, the rule
will neither impose substantial direct
compliance costs on tribal governments,
nor preempt tribal law.
EPA consulted with tribal officials
early in the process of developing the
BART regulations that were finalized on
August 24, 2012, for FCPP to permit
them to have meaningful and timely
input into its development. During the
comment period for prior EPA actions
related to the EPA’s BART FIP for FCPP,
the Navajo Nation raised concerns to
EPA about the potential economic
impacts of our BART determination on
the Navajo Nation. EPA consulted the
Navajo Nation regarding those concerns.
Additional details of our consultation
with the Navajo Nation are provided in
sections III.H and IV.F of our final
rulemaking published on August 24,
2012 (77 FR 51620). EPA notified the
Navajo Nation Environmental Protection
Agency regarding the request from APS
to extend the notification date on June
25, 2013. EPA did not receive a request
from the Navajo Nation to consult on
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60703
this six-month extension of the
notification date for FCPP.
G. Executive Order 13045: Protection of
Children From Environmental Health
Risks and Safety Risks
EPA interprets EO 13045 (62 FR
19885, April 23, 1997) as applying only
to those regulatory actions that concern
health or safety risks, such that the
analysis required under section 5–501 of
the EO has the potential to influence the
regulation. This action is not subject to
EO 13045 because it does not establish
an environmental standard intended to
mitigate health or safety risks. This
action addresses a notification date
required for regional haze and visibility
protection.
H. Executive Order 13211: Actions
Concerning Regulations That
Significantly Affect Energy Supply,
Distribution, or Use
This action is not subject to Executive
Order 13211 (66 FR 28355 (May 22,
2001)), because it is exempt under
Executive Order 12866.
I. National Technology Transfer and
Advancement Act
Section 12(d) of the National
Technology Transfer and Advancement
Act of 1995 (NTTAA), Public Law 104–
113, 12 (10) (15 U.S.C. 272 note) directs
EPA to use voluntary consensus
standards (VCS) in its regulatory
activities unless to do so would be
inconsistent with applicable law or
otherwise impractical. VCS are
technical standards (e.g., materials
specifications, test methods, sampling
procedures and business practices) that
are developed or adopted by the VCS
bodies. The NTTAA directs EPA to
provide Congress, through annual
reports to OMB, with explanations
when the Agency decides not to use
available and applicable VCS.
This final rulemaking does not
involve technical standards. Therefore,
EPA is not considering the use of any
VCS.
J. Executive Order 12898: Federal
Actions To Address Environmental
Justice in Minority Populations and
Low-Income Populations
Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629,
February 16, 1994), establishes federal
executive policy on environmental
justice. Its main provision directs
federal agencies, to the greatest extent
practicable and permitted by law, to
make environmental justice part of their
mission by identifying and addressing,
as appropriate, disproportionately high
and adverse human health or
environmental effects of their programs,
E:\FR\FM\02OCR1.SGM
02OCR1
60704
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 191 / Wednesday, October 2, 2013 / Rules and Regulations
policies, and activities on minority
populations and low-income
populations in the United States.
EPA has determined that this final
rule will not have disproportionately
high and adverse human health or
environmental effects on minority or
low-income populations because it does
not affect the level of protection
provided to human health or the
environment. This final rule does not
change any applicable emission limit for
FCPP nor does it extend the compliance
deadline under BART or the Alternative
to BART. This final rule merely extends
the date, by six months, by which the
operator of FCPP must notify EPA of its
elected compliance strategy.
K. Congressional Review Act
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. Section 804
exempts from section 801 the following
types of rules (1) rules of particular
applicability; (2) rules relating to agency
management or personnel; and (3) rules
of agency organization, procedure, or
practice that do not substantially affect
the rights or obligations of non-agency
parties. 5 U.S.C. 804(3). EPA is not
required to submit a rule report
regarding today’s final action under
section 801 because this is a rule of
particular applicability and only applies
to one facility, the Four Corner Power
Plant.
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with RULES
L. Petitions for Judicial Review
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 December 2, 2013. Filing a
petition for reconsideration by the
administrator of this final rule does not
affect the finality of this rule 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 CAA
section 307(b)(2)).
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 49
Environmental protection, Air
pollution control, Indians,
Intergovernmental relations, Nitrogen
Dioxide.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:59 Oct 01, 2013
Jkt 232001
Dated: September 24, 2013.
Gina McCarthy,
Administrator.
For the reasons stated in the
preamble, Title 40, chapter I of the Code
of Federal Regulations is amended as
follows:
PART 49—[AMENDED]
1. The authority citation for part 49
continues to read as follows:
■
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401, et seq.
2. Section 49.5512 is amended by
revising paragraph (i)(4) to read as
follows:
■
§ 49.5512 Federal Implementation Plan
Provisions for Four Corners Power Plant,
Navajo Nation.
*
*
*
*
*
(i) * * *
(4) By January 1, 2013, the owner or
operator shall submit a letter to the
Regional Administrator updating EPA of
the status of lease negotiations and
regulatory approvals required to comply
with paragraph (i)(3) of this section. By
December 31, 2013, the owner or
operator shall notify the Regional
Administrator by letter whether it will
comply with paragraph (i)(2) of this
section or whether it will comply with
paragraph (i)(3) of this section and shall
submit a plan and time table for
compliance with either paragraph (i)(2)
or (3) of this section. The owner or
operator shall amend and submit this
amended plan to the Regional
Administrator as changes occur.
*
*
*
*
*
[FR Doc. 2013–24112 Filed 10–1–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Parts 52 and 81
[EPA–R05–OAR–2010–0899; FRL–9901–44–
Region 5]
Approval and Promulgation of Air
Quality Implementation Plan; Illinois;
Redesignation of the Chicago Area to
Attainment of the 1997 Annual Fine
Particulate Matter Standard
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:
EPA is taking several related
actions under the Clean Air Act (CAA)
affecting the Chicago area and the state
of Illinois for the 1997 annual fine
particulate matter (PM2.5) National
Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS
or standard). EPA is determining that
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00052
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
the Chicago-Gary-Lake County, IllinoisIndiana (IL-IN) area is attaining the 1997
annual PM2.5 standard based on quality
assured, state-certified monitoring data
for all PM2.5 monitoring sites in this area
from 2007–2012. EPA is granting a
request from the state of Illinois to
redesignate the Chicago area to
attainment of the 1997 annual PM2.5
standard. EPA is approving, as a
revision of the Illinois State
Implementation Plan (SIP), the state’s
plan for maintaining the 1997 annual
PM2.5 standard in the Chicago-GaryLake County, IL-IN area through 2025.
EPA is approving Illinois’
comprehensive 2002 Nitrogen Oxides
(NOX), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), Volatile
Organic Compound (VOC), ammonia,
and primary PM2.5 emission inventories
for the Chicago area. Finally, EPA is
approving Illinois’ 2008 and 2025 NOX
and primary PM2.5 Motor Vehicle
Emission Budgets (MVEBs) for the
Chicago area and finding these MVEBs
as adequate for use in transportation
conformity determinations. The Chicago
area includes: Cook, DuPage, Kane,
Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties, Aux
Sable and Goose Lake Townships in
Grundy County, and Oswego Township
in Kendall County. The Chicago-GaryLake County, IL-IN area also includes
Lake and Porter Counties in Indiana,
which have been previously
redesignated to attainment of the 1997
annual PM2.5 standard.
DATES: This final rule is effective
October 2, 2013.
ADDRESSES: EPA has established a
docket for this action: Docket ID No.
EPA–R05–OAR–2010–0899. All
documents in the docket are listed on
the www.regulations.gov Web site.
Although listed in the index, 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 hardcopy form.
Publicly available docket materials are
available either electronically in
www.regulations.gov or in hardcopy at
the Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 5, Air and Radiation Division, 77
West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago,
Illinois 60604. This facility is open from
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday, excluding Federal holidays. We
recommend that you telephone Edward
Doty, Environmental Scientist, at (312)
886–6057, before visiting the Region 5
office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Edward Doty, Environmental Scientist,
E:\FR\FM\02OCR1.SGM
02OCR1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 191 (Wednesday, October 2, 2013)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 60700-60704]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-24112]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 49
[EPA-R09-OAR-2013-0489; FRL-9901-58-Region 9]
Source Specific Federal Implementation Plan for Implementing Best
Available Retrofit Technology for Four Corners Power Plant; Navajo
Nation; Extension of Notification Deadline
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Final rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: On August 24, 2012, EPA promulgated a Federal Implementation
Plan (FIP) to implement the Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART)
requirement of the Regional Haze Rule for the Four Corners Power Plant
(FCPP), which is located on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation.
Included in the FIP was a requirement that by July 1, 2013, Arizona
Public Service (APS), co-owner and operator of FCPP must notify EPA of
its selected BART compliance strategy. On June 19, 2013, APS requested
that EPA extend the notification date from July 1 to December 31, 2013,
due to new uncertainties related to the potential deregulation of the
retail electricity market in Arizona that complicate its decision for
selecting a BART compliance option. In response to this request, on
July 11, 2013, EPA proposed to extend the notification date, from July
1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. EPA did not receive any comments during
the 30-day public comment period for the proposed action. EPA received
one comment that was emailed to EPA on August 13, 2013, one day after
the close of the comment period. We are providing a response to the
late comment, however the information in the late comment did not
change the basis or justification for our proposal to extend the
notification date. Therefore, EPA is taking final action to extend the
notification date in the FIP from July 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013.
DATES: This rule is effective on November 1, 2013.
ADDRESSES: EPA established a docket for this action at EPA-R09-OAR-
2013-0489. Generally, documents in the docket are available
electronically at www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at EPA Region 9,
75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California. While documents in the
docket are listed in the index, some information may be publicly
available only at EPA Region 9 (e.g., maps, voluminous reports,
copyrighted material), and some may not be publicly available in either
location (e.g., CBI). To inspect the hard copy materials, please
schedule an appointment during normal business hours with the contact
person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anita Lee, EPA Region 9, (415) 972-
3958, r9_airplanning@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, ``we'', ``us'',
and ``our'' refer to EPA.
Table of Contents
I. Background
II. Summary of EPA Action and Response to Late Comment
III. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Background
FCPP is a privately owned and operated coal-fired power plant
located on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation near Farmington, New
Mexico. Based on lease agreements signed in 1960, FCPP was constructed
and has been operating on real property held in trust by the Federal
government for the Navajo Nation. The facility consists of five coal-
fired electric utility steam generating units with a total capacity of
2,060 megawatts (MW). Units 1, 2, and 3 at FCPP are owned entirely by
APS, which serves as the facility operator, and are rated to 170 MW
(Units 1 and 2) and 220 MW (Unit 3). Units 4 and 5 are each rated to a
capacity of 750 MW, and are co-owned by six entities: Southern
California Edison (48 percent), APS (15 percent), Public Service
Company of New Mexico (13 percent), Salt River Project (10 percent), El
Paso Electric Company (7 percent), and Tucson Electric Power (7
percent).
On August 24, 2012, EPA promulgated a FIP that established limits
for emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOX) from FCPP under
the BART provision of the Regional Haze Rule (77 FR 51620). The final
FIP required the owners of FCPP to implement one of two strategies for
BART compliance: (1) Compliance with a facility-wide BART emission
limit for NOX of 0.11 pounds per million British Thermal
Units of heat input (lb/MMBtu) by October 23, 2017, or (2) retirement
of Units 1, 2, and 3 by January 1, 2014, and compliance with a BART
emission limit
[[Page 60701]]
for NOX of 0.098 lb/MMBtu on Units 4 and 5 by July 1, 2018.
The second BART compliance strategy, involving retirement of Units 1,
2, and 3, was based on a broader plan put forth by APS that also called
for APS to purchase Southern California Edison's 48 percent ownership
interest in Units 4 and 5 at FCPP. This compliance strategy was
proposed and finalized in the FIP as an alternative emission control
strategy that achieved greater reasonable progress than BART. For
additional information regarding EPA's analyses regarding BART and the
alternative emission control strategy, see EPA's BART proposal (75 FR
64221, October 29, 2010), supplemental proposal (76 FR 10530, February
25, 2011) and final rule (77 FR 51620, August 24, 2012).
As discussed in our supplemental proposal published on February 25,
2011, APS' choice to retire Units 1, 2, and 3, and comply with BART
emission limits on Units 4 and 5 was contingent on the resolution of
several issues. These issues included a renewed site lease with the
Navajo Nation, a renewed coal contract, and regulatory approvals from
the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), California Public Utilities
Commission (CPUC), and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for
APS to purchase the 48 percent interest of Units 4 and 5 currently
owned by Southern California Edison (SCE). Because the regulatory
approvals, renewed site lease, and renewed coal contract were expected
to require significant time and effort by APS, other owners, and the
Navajo Nation, EPA's final FIP included requirements for APS to (1)
update EPA by January 1, 2013, on the status of lease negotiations and
regulatory approvals, and (2) notify EPA, by July 1, 2013, of the BART
strategy APS would elect to implement, including a plan and schedule
for compliance with its chosen strategy.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ See 40 CFR 49.5512(i)(4).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On December 31, 2012, APS provided an update to EPA regarding the
status of the approvals required for implementing the alternative
emission control strategy.\2\ APS stated that on March 7, 2011, APS and
the Navajo Nation executed an agreement to extend the lease for FCPP to
July 6, 2041. The lease renewal must be reviewed and approved by the
U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, which triggers review under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and other related reviews, including
under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. NEPA review is underway
and is expected to conclude in time to allow for a Record of Decision
by January 2015. EPA is a cooperating agency in the NEPA process. In
its December 31, 2012 update letter, APS also stated that it is in
ongoing negotiation for a new coal supply agreement with its coal
supplier. Finally, APS confirmed that it had obtained regulatory
approvals to purchase SCE's 48 percent interest of Units 4 and 5.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ See Letter from Susan Kidd, Director Environmental Policies
and Programs, Arizona Public Service, to Jared Blumenfeld, Regional
Administrator, EPA Region 9, dated December 31, 2012.
\3\ APS received approval from the ACC on April 24, 2012; from
FERC on November 27, 2012; and from the Department of Justice/
Federal Trade Commission on July 2, 2012. As discussed in our final
rulemaking dated August 24, 2012, EPA already understood that the
CPUC approved the sale of SCE's shares of Units 4 and 5 at FCPP to
APS on March 22, 2012.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
However, in a letter dated June 19, 2013, APS requested that EPA
extend the date by which APS must provide notification of its BART
implementation strategy for FCPP.\4\ APS explained that it had
previously expected to meet the July 1, 2013 notification date because
it had completed the processes to obtain regulatory approvals to
purchase SCE's shares of Units 4 and 5, and renewal of the lease and
coal contract were underway. Then, unexpectedly, in May 2013, the ACC
voted to re-examine deregulation of the retail electric market in
Arizona.\5\ In its June 19, 2013 letter, APS explains that, depending
on its structure and reach, a deregulated retail electric market could
significantly change the BART compliance strategy for FCPP. Thus, APS
stated that it would no longer be able to make an informed decision
regarding the BART option by July 1, 2013. APS stated that its decision
concerning a selected compliance strategy requires more certainty
regarding the likelihood of deregulation in Arizona. APS also filed a
Form 8-K with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
disclosing the uncertainty caused by the ACC decision to examine
deregulation.\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ See letter from Ann Becker, Vice President, Environmental
and Chief Sustainability Officer, Arizona Public Service, to Jared
Blumenfeld, Regional Administrator, EPA Region 9, dated June 19,
2013.
\5\ https://www.azcc.gov/Divisions/Administration/About/Letters/5-23-13%20Retail%20Competition%2013-0135.pdf.
\6\ Form 8-K was appended to the June 19, 2013 letter from Ann
Becker to Jared Blumenfeld.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
APS has requested that EPA extend the notification date for its
selection of the BART compliance strategy to December 31, 2013. APS
noted that the potential for deregulation of the retail electric market
in Arizona was not foreseen at the time of our final rulemaking in
2012. APS also noted that extending the notification date by six months
will not affect public health or the environment because the BART
compliance dates, in 2017 or 2018, depending on the compliance strategy
selected, are not linked to the notification date and remain unchanged.
On July 11, 2013, EPA proposed to revise the notification date
provision in the existing source-specific federal implementation plan
for FCPP, codified at 40 CFR 49.5512(i)(4), to extend the date by which
the owner or operator of FCPP must notify EPA of its selected BART
compliance strategy from July 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013 (78 FR
41731). EPA's proposal included a proposed determination that an
extended notification date was necessary to provide APS with the needed
flexibility in determining whether to implement BART or the alternative
emission control strategy to reduce FCPP's NOX emissions by
80-87 percent. Additionally the proposed extension would not interfere
with attainment, reasonable further progress, or any other requirement
of the CAA because the proposed notification date extension does not
change the compliance dates associated with BART or the alternative
emission control strategy. The public comment period for the proposed
action closed on August 12, 2013. EPA did not receive any comments on
the proposed action during the public comment period. On August 13,
2013, a comment letter dated August 12, 2013, was sent to EPA via
electronic mail. Although our proposal stated that comments ``must be
postmarked no later than August 12, 2013,'' EPA is responding to the
late comment in this final rulemaking. Because the comment does not
change our basis or justification for our proposal to extend the
notification date, EPA is finalizing our proposed action.
II. Summary of EPA Action and Response to Late Comment
EPA is taking final action to extend the date by which the owner or
operator of FCPP must notify EPA of its selected BART compliance
strategy, from July 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. This final action
revises one provision in the existing source-specific FIP for FCPP,
codified at 40 CFR 49.5512(i)(4). The notification date was not a
substantive requirement of our BART determination, nor was it a
requirement related to the emission limit constituting BART or the
timeframe for BART compliance, as defined in the CAA or the Regional
Haze Rule. EPA notes that the FIP continues to require FCPP to meet the
emission limits required under BART or the alternative
[[Page 60702]]
emission control strategy by the compliance dates specified in our
final rulemaking, codified at 40 CFR 49.5512(i)(2) and (3), regardless
of the extension of the notification date in (i)(4).
On August 13, 2013, EPA received one late comment via electronic
mail on our proposed notification date extension. The comment was
submitted by the Law Office of John M. Barth on behalf of the San Juan
Citizens Alliance (SJCA). SJCA provided four reasons for contending
that the request for an extension of the notification date was ``not
reasonable.''
First, SJCA contends that APS's request for an extension is not
reasonable because APS ``knew or should have known'' the ACC might
consider deregulation in the future, but failed to identify it as a
factor that could influence its choice between BART and the alternative
to BART. It appears that SJCA is arguing that APS cannot base its
request for a notification date extension on the potential for
deregulation because APS should have foreseen, but did not identify,
deregulation as an important factor in its decision. EPA disagrees. In
our final action in August 2012 that, among other things, established
the notification date, EPA had determined that APS had adequately
justified its requested notification date of July 1, 2013 based on when
it anticipated receiving approvals, from the ACC, the California Public
Utilities Commission, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commissions, to
purchase SCE's share of Units 4 and 5 at FCPP, a key prerequisite for
implementing the Alternative to BART. SJCA submitted comments on the
proposed action and did not raise the ACC's potential consideration of
deregulation as a basis for not finalizing the July 1, 2013
notification date. SJCA has not provided any reason that APS may not
raise the ACC's consideration of deregulation now as a justification
for the notification date extension. The mere fact that deregulation
may have arisen in the future, but was not identified as a potential
issue, does not stop APS from relying on this event as a reasonable
basis to request an extension of the notification date now. In any
event, SJCA has not provided any explanation for how it or the public
will be harmed if EPA extends the notification date. APS is still
required to comply with BART or the alternative emission control
strategy by the dates in our August 2012 final rule.
Second, SJCA asserts that APS's request for the extension, by
letter dated June 19, 2013, was untimely because the ACC discussed
potential deregulation on May 9, 2013 and advised APS of this action on
May 23, 2013. SJCA does not provide any explanation about how this
brief delay in requesting an extension of the compliance date makes
APS's request unreasonable. As noted above, APS has not requested, and
EPA has not proposed, to extend the actual compliance dates for BART or
the Alternative to BART. SJCA has not claimed that extension of the
notification date to December 31, 2013, results in any harm to its
members or the public. In any event, the brief time that elapsed before
APS submitted a request to EPA for an extension of the notification
date was not unreasonable.
Third, SJCA argues that the ACC is only conducting an information
gathering proceeding concerning deregulation and such a proceeding is
not adequate to justify extending the notification date. Again, EPA
disagrees with the commenter. APS requested a modest extension of the
notification date based on the current uncertainty regarding the ACC's
consideration of deregulation and the potential for a deregulated
electric market to influence APS's decisions related to FCPP. None of
the information SJCA submitted is sufficient to allow EPA to determine
that the ACC's proceeding to receive and consider comments on
deregulation is not a reasonable justification for extending the
notification date. SJCA has not provided any facts showing that the
potential for deregulation would not affect APS's decisions related to
FCPP or that it or any other member of the public is harmed by the
notification date extension. As noted above, EPA is not extending the
dates on which APS must demonstrate FCPP is in compliance with the BART
emissions limit or the alternative emission control strategy.
Finally, SJCA states that it is unreasonable to extend the
notification date to December 31, 2013 and that October 31, 2013 should
be sufficient. EPA disagrees. SJCA has not demonstrated that a six-
month extension for APS to provide notification is not reasonable. In
fact, Exhibit 2 to the SJCA comment letter highlights the uncertainty
of the timing of the ACC's examination of deregulation. Exhibit 2 shows
that, as of July 1, 2013, the ACC's timeline for examining deregulation
was ``tentative,'' and the understanding of Commissioner Robert L.
Burns was ``that the goal is to address the issue at a September or
October Open Meeting.'' \7\ Thus, Exhibit 2 does not provide enough
certainty in the timing of ACC's review and consideration of comments
on deregulation to indicate that a notification date of October 31,
2013 would be sufficient or more reasonable than December 31, 2013.
SJCA has also failed to provide any reason that it or any other member
of the public will be harmed from the extension of the notification
date. APS is required to continue to comply with the dates it will come
into compliance with BART or the alternative.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ Exhibit 2 to the SJCA Comment Letter was a letter dated July
1, 2013 from Robert L. Burns, Arizona Corporation Commission, to
President Ben Shelly and Speaker Johnny Naize, Navajo Nation, in
response to a letter from President Shelly and Speaker Naize, dated
June 24, 2013, expressing concern related to the decision of the ACC
to reexamine deregulation in Arizona.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In summary, the four points raised by SJCA in its late comment do
not provide sufficient information for EPA to change its proposal to
extend APS's BART notification date from July 1, 2013 to December 31,
2013. EPA is finalizing its proposal, and APS is required to notify EPA
on December 31, 2013, whether FCPP will install and operate emissions
controls to meet the BART limitation for Units 1-5 in 2017, or
implement the alternative emissions control strategy by closing Units
1, 2 and 3 in January 2014 and installing controls to meet a
NOX emission limit of 0.098 lb/MMBtu on Units 4 and 5 in
July 2018.
III. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
A. Executive Order 12866: Regulatory Planning and Review and Executive
Order 13563: Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review 13563
This action extends the date for a single source to notify EPA
regarding its decision to implement BART or an alternative emission
control strategy. This type of action for a single source is exempt
from review under Executive Orders (EO) 12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4,
1993) and EO 13563 (76 FR 3821, January 21, 2011).
B. Paperwork Reduction Act
This action does not impose an information collection burden under
the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.
Burden is defined at 5 CFR 1320.3(b). Because the action merely extends
a notification date, it does not impose an information collection
burden and the Paperwork Reduction Act does not apply.
C. Regulatory Flexibility Act
The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) generally requires an agency
to prepare a regulatory flexibility analysis of any rule subject to
notice and comment
[[Page 60703]]
rulemaking requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act or any
other statute unless the agency certifies that the rule will not have a
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
Small entities include small businesses, small organizations, and small
governmental jurisdictions.
For purposes of assessing the impacts of today's final rule on
small entities, small entity is defined as: (1) A small business as
defined by the Small Business Administration's (SBA) regulations at 13
CFR 121.201; (2) a small governmental jurisdiction that is a government
of a city, county, town, school district or special district with a
population of less than 50,000; and (3) a small organization that is
any not-for-profit enterprise which is independently owned and operated
and is not dominant in its field.
After considering the economic impacts of this final action on
small entities, I certify that this final action will not have a
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
The owners of FCPP are not small entities, and the extended
notification date was requested by the operator and co-owner of FCPP.
See Mid-Tex Electric Cooperative, Inc. v. FERC, 773 F.2d 327 (DC Cir.
1985).
D. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)
Title II of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA), 2
U.S.C. 1531-1538, requires Federal agencies, unless otherwise
prohibited by law, to assess the effects of their regulatory actions on
State, local, and tribal governments and the private sector. Federal
agencies must also develop a plan to provide notice to small
governments that might be significantly or uniquely affected by any
regulatory requirements. The plan must enable officials of affected
small governments to have meaningful and timely input in the
development of EPA regulatory proposals with significant Federal
intergovernmental mandates and must inform, educate, and advise small
governments on compliance with the regulatory requirements.
This final rule does not contain a Federal mandate that may result
in expenditures of $100 million or more for state, local, and tribal
governments, in the aggregate, or the private sector in any one year.
This rule merely extends a notification date in an existing federal
implementation plan for FCPP by six months. Thus, this rule is not
subject to the requirements of sections 202 or 205 of UMRA.
This final rule is also not subject to the requirements of section
203 of UMRA because it contains no regulatory requirements that might
significantly or uniquely affect small governments. This final rule
does not impose regulatory requirements on any government entity.
E. Executive Order 13132: Federalism
This action does not have federalism implications. It will not have
substantial direct effects on the states, on the relationship between
the national government and the states, or in the distribution of power
and responsibilities among the various levels of government, as
specified in Executive Order 13132. This action extends a notification
date by six months. Thus, Executive Order 13132 does not apply to this
action.
F. Executive Order 13175: Consultation and Coordination With Indian
Tribal Governments
Under Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9, 2000), EPA
may not issue a regulation that has tribal implications, that imposes
substantial direct compliance costs, and that is not required by
statute, unless the federal government provides the funds necessary to
pay the direct compliance costs incurred by tribal governments, or EPA
consults with tribal officials early in the process of developing the
proposed regulation and develops a tribal summary impact statement.
EPA has concluded that this final rule may have tribal implications
because FCPP is located on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation.
However, the rule will neither impose substantial direct compliance
costs on tribal governments, nor preempt tribal law.
EPA consulted with tribal officials early in the process of
developing the BART regulations that were finalized on August 24, 2012,
for FCPP to permit them to have meaningful and timely input into its
development. During the comment period for prior EPA actions related to
the EPA's BART FIP for FCPP, the Navajo Nation raised concerns to EPA
about the potential economic impacts of our BART determination on the
Navajo Nation. EPA consulted the Navajo Nation regarding those
concerns. Additional details of our consultation with the Navajo Nation
are provided in sections III.H and IV.F of our final rulemaking
published on August 24, 2012 (77 FR 51620). EPA notified the Navajo
Nation Environmental Protection Agency regarding the request from APS
to extend the notification date on June 25, 2013. EPA did not receive a
request from the Navajo Nation to consult on this six-month extension
of the notification date for FCPP.
G. Executive Order 13045: Protection of Children From Environmental
Health Risks and Safety Risks
EPA interprets EO 13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997) as applying
only to those regulatory actions that concern health or safety risks,
such that the analysis required under section 5-501 of the EO has the
potential to influence the regulation. This action is not subject to EO
13045 because it does not establish an environmental standard intended
to mitigate health or safety risks. This action addresses a
notification date required for regional haze and visibility protection.
H. Executive Order 13211: Actions Concerning Regulations That
Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use
This action is not subject to Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355
(May 22, 2001)), because it is exempt under Executive Order 12866.
I. National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act
Section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement
Act of 1995 (NTTAA), Public Law 104-113, 12 (10) (15 U.S.C. 272 note)
directs EPA to use voluntary consensus standards (VCS) in its
regulatory activities unless to do so would be inconsistent with
applicable law or otherwise impractical. VCS are technical standards
(e.g., materials specifications, test methods, sampling procedures and
business practices) that are developed or adopted by the VCS bodies.
The NTTAA directs EPA to provide Congress, through annual reports to
OMB, with explanations when the Agency decides not to use available and
applicable VCS.
This final rulemaking does not involve technical standards.
Therefore, EPA is not considering the use of any VCS.
J. Executive Order 12898: Federal Actions To Address Environmental
Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations
Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994), establishes
federal executive policy on environmental justice. Its main provision
directs federal agencies, to the greatest extent practicable and
permitted by law, to make environmental justice part of their mission
by identifying and addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high
and adverse human health or environmental effects of their programs,
[[Page 60704]]
policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income
populations in the United States.
EPA has determined that this final rule will not have
disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental
effects on minority or low-income populations because it does not
affect the level of protection provided to human health or the
environment. This final rule does not change any applicable emission
limit for FCPP nor does it extend the compliance deadline under BART or
the Alternative to BART. This final rule merely extends the date, by
six months, by which the operator of FCPP must notify EPA of its
elected compliance strategy.
K. Congressional Review Act
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. Section 804 exempts from section 801 the following types
of rules (1) rules of particular applicability; (2) rules relating to
agency management or personnel; and (3) rules of agency organization,
procedure, or practice that do not substantially affect the rights or
obligations of non-agency parties. 5 U.S.C. 804(3). EPA is not required
to submit a rule report regarding today's final action under section
801 because this is a rule of particular applicability and only applies
to one facility, the Four Corner Power Plant.
L. Petitions for Judicial Review
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 December 2, 2013. Filing a petition for
reconsideration by the administrator of this final rule does not affect
the finality of this rule 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 CAA section 307(b)(2)).
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 49
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Indians,
Intergovernmental relations, Nitrogen Dioxide.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: September 24, 2013.
Gina McCarthy,
Administrator.
For the reasons stated in the preamble, Title 40, chapter I of the
Code of Federal Regulations is amended as follows:
PART 49--[AMENDED]
0
1. The authority citation for part 49 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401, et seq.
0
2. Section 49.5512 is amended by revising paragraph (i)(4) to read as
follows:
Sec. 49.5512 Federal Implementation Plan Provisions for Four Corners
Power Plant, Navajo Nation.
* * * * *
(i) * * *
(4) By January 1, 2013, the owner or operator shall submit a letter
to the Regional Administrator updating EPA of the status of lease
negotiations and regulatory approvals required to comply with paragraph
(i)(3) of this section. By December 31, 2013, the owner or operator
shall notify the Regional Administrator by letter whether it will
comply with paragraph (i)(2) of this section or whether it will comply
with paragraph (i)(3) of this section and shall submit a plan and time
table for compliance with either paragraph (i)(2) or (3) of this
section. The owner or operator shall amend and submit this amended plan
to the Regional Administrator as changes occur.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2013-24112 Filed 10-1-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P