Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Tennessee; Conflict of Interest and Notice of Finding of Disapprovals, 1608-1612 [2013-31561]
Download as PDF
1608
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 6 / Thursday, January 9, 2014 / Proposed Rules
substantial number of small entities
under the criteria of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act.
The FAA’s authority to issue rules
regarding aviation safety is found in
Title 49 of the U.S. Code. Subtitle 1,
Section 106, describes the authority for
the FAA Administrator. Subtitle VII,
Aviation Programs, describes in more
detail the scope of the agency’s
authority. This rulemaking is
promulgated under the authority
described in Subtitle VII, Part A,
Subpart I, Section 40103. Under that
section, the FAA is charged with
prescribing regulations to assign the use
of the airspace necessary to ensure the
safety of aircraft and the efficient use of
airspace. This regulation is within the
scope of that authority as it would
modify controlled airspace at Hulett
Municipal Airport, Hulett, WY.
This proposal will be subject to an
environmental analysis in accordance
with FAA Order 1050.1E,
‘‘Environmental Impacts: Policies and
Procedures’’ prior to any FAA final
regulatory action.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71
Airspace, Incorporation by reference,
Navigation (air).
The Proposed Amendment
Accordingly, pursuant to the
authority delegated to me, the Federal
Aviation Administration proposes to
amend 14 CFR part 71 as follows:
PART 71—DESIGNATION OF CLASS A,
B, C, D AND E AIRSPACE AREAS; AIR
TRAFFIC SERVICE ROUTES; AND
REPORTING POINTS
1. The authority citation for 14 CFR
part 71 continues to read as follows:
■
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40103, 40113,
40120; E.O. 10854, 24 FR 9565, 3 CFR, 1959–
1963 Comp., p. 389.
§ 71.1
[Amended]
2. The incorporation by reference in
14 CFR 71.1 of the Federal Aviation
Administration Order 7400.9X, Airspace
Designations and Reporting Points,
dated August 7, 2013, and effective
September 15, 2013 is amended as
follows:
PMANGRUM on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
■
Paragraph 6005 Class E airspace areas
extending upward from 700 feet or more
above the surface of the earth.
*
*
*
*
*
ANM WY E5 Hulett, WY [Modify]
Hulett Municipal Airport, WY
(Lat. 44°39′46″ N., long. 104°34′04″ W.)
That airspace extending upward from 700
feet above the surface within 8.3-mile radius
of Hulett Municipal Airport; that airspace
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:58 Jan 08, 2014
Jkt 232001
extending upward from 1,200 feet above the
surface beginning at lat. 44°54′00″ N., long.
105°18′00″ W.; to lat. 44°52′00″ N., long.
104°00′00″ W.; to lat. 43°56′00″ N., long.
103°37′00″ W.; to lat. 43°48′00″ N., long.
105°16′00″ W.; to lat. 44°20′00″ N., long.
105°26′00″ W., thence to the point of
beginning.
Issued in Seattle, Washington, on
December 19, 2013.
Clark Desing,
Manager, Operations Support Group, Western
Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2014–00154 Filed 1–8–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R06–OAR–2010–0819; FRL–9905–15–
Region 6]
Approval and Promulgation of Air
Quality Implementation Plans; Texas;
Environmental Speed Limit Revision
for the Dallas/Fort Worth 8-Hour Ozone
Nonattainment Area
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a
revision to the Texas State
Implementation Plan (SIP) for the
Dallas/Fort Worth ozone nonattainment
area to recategorize a local
environmental speed limit control
measure to a transportation control
measure. The EPA is proposing to
approve this SIP revision because it
satisfies the requirements of sections
110 and part D of the Clean Air Act
(CAA), and EPA’s policy and guidance.
DATES: Written comments should be
received on or before February 10, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to
Mr. Guy Donaldson, Chief, Air Planning
Section (6PD–L), Environmental
Protection Agency, 1445 Ross Avenue,
Suite 1200, Dallas, Texas 75202–2733.
Comments may also be submitted
electronically or through hand delivery/
courier by following the detailed
instructions in the ADDRESSES section of
the direct final rule located in the rules
section of this Federal Register.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Carrie Paige, Air Planning Section
(6PD–L); telephone (214) 665–6521;
email address paige.carrie@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the
final rules section of this Federal
Register, EPA is approving the State’s
SIP submittal as a direct rule without
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
prior proposal because the Agency
views this as a noncontroversial
submittal and anticipates no adverse
comments. A detailed rationale for the
approval is set forth in the direct final
rule. If no relevant adverse comments
are received in response to this action
no further activity is contemplated. If
EPA receives relevant adverse
comments, the direct final rule will be
withdrawn and all public comments
received will be addressed in a
subsequent final rule based on this
proposed rule. EPA will not institute a
second comment period. Any parties
interested in commenting on this action
should do so at this time.
For additional information, see the
direct final rule which is located in the
rules section of this Federal Register.
Dated: December 20, 2013.
Samuel Coleman,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 6.
[FR Doc. 2014–00046 Filed 1–8–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R04–OAR–2012–0285; FRL–9905–08–
Region 4]
Approval and Promulgation of
Implementation Plans; Tennessee;
Conflict of Interest and Notice of
Finding of Disapprovals
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule and notice of
disapproval.
AGENCY:
EPA is taking three actions
pertaining to the infrastructure
requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA
or Act) for the State of Tennessee. First,
EPA is providing notice of its findings
of disapproval for a sub-element of the
Tennessee infrastructure state
implementation plans (SIPs) for the
2008 Lead National Ambient Air
Quality Standards (NAAQS), 1997
Annual Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5)
NAAQS, 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS
and 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS.
Specifically, EPA is providing notice of
the disapproval of the previously
conditionally-approved portion of the
State board and conflict of interest
requirements of the infrastructure SIPs
for these NAAQS. These disapprovals
were triggered automatically on July 23,
2013, when Tennessee failed to submit
revisions to address the CAA State
board and conflict of interest
requirements within the timeframes
specified in EPA’s conditional approval
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\09JAP1.SGM
09JAP1
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 6 / Thursday, January 9, 2014 / Proposed Rules
actions. Second, EPA is proposing to
approve the SIP revision submitted by
Tennessee, through the Tennessee
Department of Environment and
Conservation (TDEC) on October 9,
2013, as meeting the applicable
requirements of the Act. This SIP
revision addresses Tennessee’s
outstanding obligations related to the
CAA State board and conflict of interest
requirements. Finally, EPA is proposing
to approve the infrastructure SIP subelement related to the State board and
conflict of interest requirements for the
2008 Lead, 1997 annual PM2.5, 2006 24hour PM2.5, and 1997 8-hour ozone
NAAQS. Approval of these
infrastructure SIP requirements for the
listed NAAQS would result in the
disapprovals noticed above for this subelement being converted to approvals.
Final approval of these infrastructure
SIP sub-elements, however, is
contingent upon final approval of the
underlying October 9, 2013, SIP revision
to address the CAA requirements also
proposed through this action. EPA notes
that all other applicable Tennessee
infrastructure elements for the 2008
Lead, 1997 annual PM2.5, 2006 24-hour
PM2.5, and 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS
have been addressed in separate
rulemakings.
Written comments must be
received on or before February 10, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket ID No. EPA–R04–
OAR–2012–0285, by one of the
following methods:
1. www.regulations.gov: Follow the
on-line instructions for submitting
comments.
2. Email: R4–RDS@epa.gov.
3. Fax: (404) 562–9019.
4. Mail: ‘‘EPA–R04–OAR–2012–
0285,’’ Regulatory Development Section,
Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and
Toxics Management Division, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW.,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960.
5. Hand Delivery or Courier: Lynorae
Benjamin, Regulatory Development
Section, Air Planning Branch, Air,
Pesticides and Toxics Management
Division, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street
SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960. Such
deliveries are only accepted during the
Regional Office’s normal hours of
operation. The Regional Office’s official
hours of business are Monday through
Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding
Federal holidays.
Instructions: Direct your comments to
Docket ID No. EPA–R04–OAR–2012–
0285. EPA’s policy is that all comments
received will be included in the public
PMANGRUM on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
DATES:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
12:33 Jan 08, 2014
Jkt 232001
docket without change and may be
made available online at
www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided, unless
the comment includes information
claimed to be Confidential Business
Information (CBI) or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
Do not submit through
www.regulations.gov or email,
information that you consider to be CBI
or otherwise protected. The
www.regulations.gov Web site is an
‘‘anonymous access’’ system, which
means EPA will not know your identity
or contact information unless you
provide it in the body of your comment.
If you send an email comment directly
to EPA without going through
www.regulations.gov, your email
address will be automatically captured
and included as part of the comment
that is placed in the public docket and
made available on the Internet. If you
submit an electronic comment, EPA
recommends that you include your
name and other contact information in
the body of your comment and with any
disk or CD–ROM you submit. If EPA
cannot read your comment due to
technical difficulties and cannot contact
you for clarification, EPA may not be
able to consider your comment.
Electronic files should avoid the use of
special characters, any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or
viruses. For additional information
about EPA’s public docket visit the EPA
Docket Center homepage at https://
www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: All documents in the
electronic docket are listed in the
www.regulations.gov index. Although
listed in the index, some information is
not publicly available, i.e., CBI or other
information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Certain other
material, such as copyrighted material,
is not placed on the Internet and will be
publicly available only in hard copy
form. Publicly available docket
materials are available either
electronically in www.regulations.gov or
in hard copy at the Regulatory
Development Section, Air Planning
Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics
Management Division, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW.,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960. EPA
requests that if at all possible, you
contact the person listed in the FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to
schedule your inspection. The Regional
Office’s official hours of business are
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m., excluding Federal holidays.
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
1609
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sean Lakeman, Regulatory Development
Section, Air Planning Branch, Air,
Pesticides and Toxics Management
Division, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street
SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960. The
telephone number is (404) 562–9043.
Mr. Lakeman can be reached via
electronic mail at lakeman.sean@
epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
II. Section 110(a)(2)(E) Adequate Resources
Requirements
III. Notice of Disapproval
IV. EPA’s Analysis of Tennessee’s Conflict of
Interest Submission
V. EPA’s Analysis Supporting the Proposed
Approval of Sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii)
VI. Proposed Action
VII. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Background
By statute, SIPs meeting the
requirements of sections 110(a)(1) and
(2) of the CAA are to be submitted by
states within three years after
promulgation of a new or revised
NAAQS. Sections 110(a)(1) and (2)
require states to address basic SIP
requirements, including emissions
inventories, monitoring, and modeling
to assure attainment and maintenance of
the NAAQS.
More specifically, section 110(a)(1)
provides the procedural and timing
requirements for SIPs. Section 110(a)(2)
lists specific elements that states must
meet for ‘‘infrastructure’’ SIP
requirements related to a newly
established or revised NAAQS. As
mentioned above, these requirements
include SIP infrastructure elements
such as modeling, monitoring, and
emissions inventories that are designed
to assure attainment and maintenance of
the NAAQS. On July 23, 2012 (77 FR
42997), August 2, 2012 (77 FR 45958),
and June 18, 2013 (78 FR 36440), EPA
approved in part, and conditionally
approved in part, Tennessee’s
infrastructure SIPs for the 1997 8-hour
ozone NAAQS, 1997 annual PM2.5
NAAQS, 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS
and 2008 Lead NAAQS respectively.
II. Section 110(a)(2)(E) Adequate
Resources Requirements
EPA conditionally approved a portion
of the Tennessee infrastructure SIP
submissions addressing the 1997 8-hour
ozone NAAQS, 1997 annual PM2.5
NAAQS, 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS
and 2008 Lead NAAQS. Specifically,
EPA conditionally approved the portion
of section 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) respecting
Act’s section 128(a)(1) requirements
(hereafter ‘‘sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii)’’)
E:\FR\FM\09JAP1.SGM
09JAP1
PMANGRUM on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
1610
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 6 / Thursday, January 9, 2014 / Proposed Rules
for each of the above NAAQS. Subelement 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) provides that
each infrastructure SIP shall provide
requirements ‘‘that the State comply
with the requirements respecting State
board under section [128 of the
CAA]. . . .’’ Section 128 in turn
provides that each SIP shall contain
requirements that: (1) Any board or
body which approves permits or
enforcement orders under the CAA shall
have at least a majority of members who
represent the public interest and do not
derive a significant portion of their
income from persons subject to permits
or enforcement orders under the Act
(hereafter ‘‘section 128(a)(1)
requirements’’); and, (2) any potential
conflicts of interest by members of such
board or body or the head of an
executive agency with similar powers be
adequately disclosed (hereafter ‘‘section
128(a)(2) requirements.’’) EPA was
unable to fully-approve Tennessee’s
infrastructure submissions for the above
NAAQS with respect to sub-element
110(a)(2)(E)(ii) because, at the time, the
SIP did not include provisions to
address the section 128(a)(1)
requirements.1
On, March 28, 2012, TDEC
transmitted a letter to EPA, committing
to adopt specific enforceable measures
into its SIP by July 23, 2013, to address
the applicable portions of section
128(a)(1). In Tennessee’s March 28,
2012, letter, TDEC committed to bring
its SIP into conformity with section
128(a)(1) of the CAA by submitting a SIP
revision that designated at least a
majority of the positions on the State’s
Air Pollution Control Board 2 as being
subject to the ‘‘public interest’’
requirement. In addition, TDEC
committed to submitting a SIP revision
establishing requirements to ensure that
at least a majority of the members on the
State’s Air Pollution Control Board do
not derive any significant portion of
their income from persons subject to
CAA permits or enforcement orders.
TDEC also described in the letter that its
planned restrictions related to the
‘‘significant portion of income’’
requirement of section 128 would
include an exclusion for the official
salaries of mayors of counties and
municipalities, and for faculty members
employed by institutions of higher
learning.
1 The section 128(a)(2) conflict of interest
disclosure requirements, however, were met by
existing provisions in the Tennessee SIP. See 77 FR
42997, page 42998; 77 FR 45958, 45960; and 78 FR
36440, 36442.
2 The composition of Tennessee’s Air Pollution
Control Board is statutorily prescribed at Tennessee
Code Annotated 68–201–104.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
12:33 Jan 08, 2014
Jkt 232001
III. Notice of Disapproval
EPA’s conditional approval authority
is provided at section 110(k)(4) of the
CAA. Consistent with the requirements
for EPA’s exercise of the conditional
approval authority, the commitment
from Tennessee provided that the State
would adopt the specified enforceable
provisions and submit a revision to EPA
for approval within one year of final
action of the conditional approval.3 As
described at section 110(k)(4), and as
noted by EPA in its conditional
approval actions, failure by the State to
adopt the specified provisions and
submit them to EPA for incorporation
into the SIP by July 23, 2013, would
result in the conditional approvals being
treated as disapprovals. Tennessee
failed to meet the July 23, 2013,
commitment; therefore, the conditional
approvals automatically became
disapprovals on that date.
EPA was not required to propose a
finding of disapproval in order for the
conditional approvals to convert to
disapprovals. However, the Agency is
hereby notifying the public of the
finding of disapprovals for Tennessee’s
2008 Lead NAAQS, 1997 annual PM2.5
NAAQS, 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS
and 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS
infrastructure SIPs as they relate to the
sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii)
requirements respecting section
128(a)(1) requirements.
Under section 179(a) of the CAA, final
disapproval of a submittal that
addresses a requirement of a Part D Plan
(42 U.S.C. 7501–7515) or is required in
response to a finding of substantial
inadequacy as described in section
7410(k)(5) (SIP call) starts a sanctions
clock. Sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii)
requirements are not submitted
pursuant to Part D requirements, and
therefore, no sanctions will be triggered
by Tennessee’s failure to submit SIP
revisions for these requirements. The
disapprovals do however trigger the
requirement under section 110(c) that
EPA promulgate a Federal
Implementation Plan (FIP) no later than
2 years from the date of the disapproval
unless the State corrects the deficiency,
and the Administrator approves the
plan or plan revision before the
Administrator promulgates such FIP.
In this rulemaking, EPA is also
proposing to approve Tennessee’s
October 9, 2013, SIP revision to address
the section 128(a)(1) CAA requirements.
3 EPA’s initial final action to conditionally
approve sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) occurred on
July 23, 2012. Therefore, Tennessee’s commitment
to submit the specific enforceable measures
necessary to comply with section 128(a)(1)
requirements was due no later than July 23, 2013.
See 77 FR 42997.
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
Provided that EPA finalizes approval of
TDEC’s October 9, 2013, SIP revision,
on or before July 23, 2015 (two years
from the date Tennessee’s sub-element
110(a)(2)(E)(ii) conditional approvals
converted to disapprovals), Tennessee
will have corrected the infrastructure
SIP deficiencies and a FIP for subelement 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) will not be
necessary.
As stated above, this notice of
disapproval is limited to the section
128(a)(1) requirements and the
associated sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii)
requirements of Tennessee’s
infrastructure SIPs for the 2008 Lead
NAAQS, 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS,
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and 1997 8hour ozone NAAQS. All other
applicable aspects of these
infrastructure SIPs have been addressed
in separate rulemakings. See July 23,
2012 (77 FR 42997), August 2, 2012 (77
FR 45958), and June 18, 2013 (78 FR
36440).
IV. EPA’s Analysis of Tennessee’s
Conflict of Interest Submission
TDEC’s October 9, 2013, SIP revision
repeals Chapter 1200–3–17 moving the
contents to a new Chapter 0400–30–
17—Conflict of Interest, and adds a new
section 0400–30–17–.02 Protecting the
Public Interests and 0400–30–17–.05
Policy of Ethics and the Avoidance of
Conflicts of Interest. EPA is proposing to
approve this change because the Agency
has preliminarily determined that, once
approved into the Tennessee SIP, this
change will address the section
128(a)(1) requirements that any board or
body which approves permits or
enforcement orders have at least a
majority of members who represent the
public interest and not derive a
significant portion of their income from
persons subject to permits or
enforcement orders under the Act. As
noted above, TDEC submitted the
October 9, 2013, SIP revision to meet
the requirements outlined in EPA’s
conditional approvals published on July
23, 2012 (77 FR 42997), August 2, 2012
(77 FR 45958), and June 18, 2013 (78 FR
36440), for the 1997 8-hour ozone
NAAQS, 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS,
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and the
2008 Lead NAAQS respectively.
Specifically, TDEC’s revision would
incorporate a new rule into its SIP to
address section 128(a)(1) requirements.
Rule 0400–30–17–.02 Protecting the
Public Interests contains definitions and
requirements that will enable the Board
to clearly determine if it has a majority
of members who represent the public
interest and do not derive a significant
portion of their income from persons
subject to permits or enforcement orders
E:\FR\FM\09JAP1.SGM
09JAP1
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 6 / Thursday, January 9, 2014 / Proposed Rules
PMANGRUM on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
under the Act. The intent of rule 0400–
30–17–.02 is to ensure that at least half
of the Board serves in the public interest
and does not derive significant income
from person subject to permits or
enforcement orders under the Act.
Pursuant to these provisions, in the
event the Tennessee Air Pollution
Control Board is unable to determine
that it is comprised consistent with the
requirements of section 128(a)(1), the
revisions prevent the Board from
hearing contested cases until such time
as it complies with the requirements of
section 128.
TDEC is also revising sections 0400–
30–17–.01 Purpose and Intent (formally
1200–3–17–.01), 0400–30–17–.03
Conflict of Interest on the Part of the
Board and Technical Secretary
(formally 1200–3–17–.02) and 0400–30–
17–.04 Conflict of Interest in the
Permitting of Municipal Solid Waste
(formally 1200–3–17–.03) of the SIP and
adding two new sections to address
protecting the public interest and
conflict of interest (0400–30–17–.02
Protecting the Public Interests and
0400–30–17–.05 Policy of Ethics and the
Avoidance of Conflicts of Interest). EPA
has preliminarily determined that these
revisions, once approved into the SIP,
will be sufficient to meet the State’s
obligations pursuant to the requirements
of CAA section 128(a)(1).
V. EPA’s Analysis Supporting the
Proposed Approval of Sub-Element
110(a)(2)(E)(ii)
Sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) requires
that the state comply with the
requirements respecting State Boards
pursuant to section 128 of the Act. With
respect to sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii),
EPA reviews infrastructure SIP
submissions to ensure that the SIP
includes SIP-approved provisions
satisfying section 128 requirements. As
previously discussed, Tennessee’s SIP
includes provisions respecting the
section 110(a)(2) requirements, and
following approval of the October 9,
2013, SIP revision to address section
128(a)(1) requirements, would fully
meet the applicable section 128
requirements for the State.
Accordingly, EPA is hereby proposing
to approve sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii)
with respect to the applicable section
128(a)(1) requirements for the 2008 Lead
NAAQS, 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS,
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and 1997 8hour ozone NAAQS. Final action to
approve this infrastructure SIP subelement for the above NAAQS is
contingent upon approval of the October
9, 2013, SIP revision into the Tennessee
SIP. Should that approval be finalized,
EPA anticipates finalizing the sub-
VerDate Mar<15>2010
12:33 Jan 08, 2014
Jkt 232001
1611
element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) approvals
concurrently through the same approval
notice.
NAAQS and 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS
have been addressed in separate
rulemakings.
VI. Proposed Action
EPA is notifying the public of findings
of disapprovals for Tennessee’s 2008
Lead NAAQS, 1997 annual PM2.5
NAAQS, 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS
and 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS
infrastructure SIP sub-element
110(a)(2)(E)(ii) requirements as they
relate to section 128(a)(1) requirements.
EPA conditionally approved this
portion of Tennessee’s infrastructure
submissions for these NAAQS on July
23, 2012, August 2, 2013, and June 18,
2013. Tennessee failed to meet the July
23, 2013, submission deadline
associated with these commitments,
therefore, the conditional approvals
automatically converted to disapprovals
on that date. EPA is not required to
propose a finding for these
disapprovals; however, the Agency is
providing the public with notice of
these findings through this action.
Provided EPA finalizes approval of the
October 9, 2013, SIP revision to address
the section 128(a)(1) requirements, the
Agency intends to fully approve the
section 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) sub-element of
Tennessee’s infrastructure SIP for the
2008 Lead NAAQS, 1997 annual PM2.5
NAAQS, 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS
and 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, and
thereby, convert the disapprovals
noticed through this action into
approvals.
As described above, EPA is also
proposing to approve Tennessee’s
October 9, 2013, SIP revision, as
addressing applicable CAA section
128(a)(1) requirements. Specifically,
EPA is proposing to approve
Tennessee’s new Chapter 0400–30–17
Conflict of Interest which replaces
Chapter 1200–03–17 in its entirety.
Finally, EPA is proposing to approve
infrastructure SIP sub-element
110(a)(2)(E)(ii) as it relates to section
128(a)(1) requirements for purposes of
the 2008 Lead NAAQS, 1997 annual
PM2.5 NAAQS, 2006 24-hour PM2.5
NAAQS and 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS
in Tennessee. Final approval of the
section 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) sub-element for
these NAAQS is contingent upon
approval of the section 128(a)(1)
requirements SIP revision also proposed
for approval through this action.
EPA notes that the subject of this
notice is limited to the section 128(a)(1)
requirements and the associated
infrastructure SIP sub-element
110(a)(2)(E)(ii). All other applicable
Tennessee infrastructure SIP elements
for the 2008 Lead NAAQS, 1997 annual
PM2.5 NAAQS, 2006 24-hour PM2.5
VII. 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.
See 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 proposed
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 proposed 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);
• 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 proposed 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
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
E:\FR\FM\09JAP1.SGM
09JAP1
1612
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 6 / Thursday, January 9, 2014 / Proposed Rules
it will not impose substantial direct
costs on tribal governments or preempt
tribal law.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air
pollution control, Intergovernmental
relations, Lead, Nitrogen dioxide,
Ozone, Particulate matter, Reporting
and recordkeeping requirements,
Volatile organic compounds.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: December 20, 2013.
A. Stanley Meiburg,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4.
[FR Doc. 2013–31561 Filed 1–8–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R06–OAR–2012–0100; FRL–9904–97–
Region 6]
Approval and Promulgation of
Implementation Plans; Texas;
Reasonably Available Control
Technology for the 1997 8-Hour Ozone
National Ambient Air Quality Standard
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve
revisions to the Texas State
Implementation Plan (SIP) for the
Houston/Galveston/Brazoria (HGB) 1997
8-Hour ozone nonattainment Area
(Area). The HGB Area consists of
Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend,
Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery
and Waller counties. Specifically, we
are proposing to approve portions of
two revisions to the Texas SIP
submitted by the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality (TCEQ) as
meeting certain Reasonably Available
Control Technology (RACT)
requirements for Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOC) in the HGB Area.
This action is in accordance with
section 110 of the federal Clean Air Act
(the Act, CAA).
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before February 10, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket No. EPA–R06–
OAR–2012–0100, by one of the
following methods:
• www.regulations.gov. Follow the
on-line instructions for submitting
comments.
• Email: Alan Shar at shar.alan@
epa.gov.
PMANGRUM on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
12:33 Jan 08, 2014
Jkt 232001
• Mail or delivery: Air Planning
Section Chief (6PD–L), Environmental
Protection Agency, 1445 Ross Avenue,
Suite 1200, Dallas, Texas 75202–2733.
Instructions: Direct your comments to
Docket ID No. EPA–R06–OAR–2012–
0100. The EPA’s policy is that all
comments received will be included in
the public docket without change and
may be made available online at
www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided, unless
the comment includes information
claimed to be Confidential Business
Information (CBI) or other information
the disclosure of which is restricted by
statute. Do not submit information
through www.regulations.gov or email
that you consider to be CBI or otherwise
protected from disclosure. The
www.regulations.gov Web site is an
‘‘anonymous access’’ system, which
means EPA will not know your identity
or contact information unless you
provide it in the body of your comment.
If you send an email comment directly
to EPA without going through
www.regulations.gov, your email
address will be automatically captured
and included as part of the comment
that is placed in the public docket and
made available on the Internet. If you
submit an electronic comment, EPA
recommends that you include your
name and other contact information in
the body of your comment and with any
disk or CD–ROM you submit. If EPA
cannot read your comment due to
technical difficulties and cannot contact
you for clarification, EPA may not be
able to consider your comment.
Electronic files should avoid the use of
special characters and any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or
viruses. For additional information
about EPA’s public docket, visit the EPA
Docket Center homepage at https://
www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: The index to the docket for
this action is available electronically at
www.regulations.gov and in hard copy
at EPA Region 6, 1445 Ross Avenue,
Suite 700, Dallas, Texas. While all
documents in the docket are listed in
the index, some information may be
publicly available only at the hard copy
location (e.g., copyrighted material), and
some may not be publicly available at
either location (e.g., CBI). To inspect the
hard copy materials, please schedule an
appointment with the person listed in
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
paragraph below.
Mr.
Alan Shar (6PD–L), telephone (214)
665–2164, email shar.alan@epa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Throughout this document ‘‘we,’’ ‘‘us,’’
and ‘‘our’’ refer to EPA.
Outline
I. Background
A. What actions are we proposing?
1. The June 13, 2007 submittal
2. The April 6, 2010 submittal
B. What is RACT?
II. Evaluation
A. What is TCEQ’s approach and analysis
to RACT?
B. What CTG source categories are we
addressing in this action?
C. Are there any negative declarations
associated with the VOC source
categories in the HGB Area?
D. Is Texas’ approach to RACT
determination based on the June 13,
2007 and April 6, 2010 submittals
acceptable?
E. Is Texas’ approach to RACT
determination for VOC sources based on
the June 13, 2007 and April 6, 2010
submittals acceptable?
III. Proposed Action
IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Background
A. What actions are we proposing?
We are proposing to approve portions
of revisions to the Texas SIP submitted
to EPA with two separate letters dated
June 13, 2007 and April 6, 2010 from
TCEQ. These two separate submittals
are described below.
1. The June 13, 2007 Submittal
The June 13, 2007 submittal concerns
revisions to 30 TAC, Chapter 115
Control of Air Pollution from Volatile
Organic Compounds. In addition, the
June 13, 2007 submittal included an
analysis intended to demonstrate RACT
was being implemented in the HGB
Area as required by the CAA (Appendix
D of the submittal). We approved
selected revisions as meeting RACT
under the 8-hour ozone NAAQS for
some, but not all the submitted industry
source categories in the HGB Area on
April 2, 2013 at 78 FR 19599. In today’s
action, we are addressing additional
source categories covered in this SIP
submittal.
2. The April 6, 2010 Submittal
In conjunction with the June 13, 2007
submittal, we are also proposing to
approve a part of the April 6, 2010
revision to the Texas SIP for VOC RACT
purposes. Specifically, we are proposing
to find, based on the analysis in
Appendix D of the April 6, 2010
submittal that Texas has met certain
RACT requirements under section
182(b). Appendix D of the April 6, 2010
submittal is titled ‘‘Reasonably
Available Control Technology
Analysis.’’ and includes source
E:\FR\FM\09JAP1.SGM
09JAP1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 6 (Thursday, January 9, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 1608-1612]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-31561]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA-R04-OAR-2012-0285; FRL-9905-08-Region 4]
Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Tennessee;
Conflict of Interest and Notice of Finding of Disapprovals
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule and notice of disapproval.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: EPA is taking three actions pertaining to the infrastructure
requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) for the State of
Tennessee. First, EPA is providing notice of its findings of
disapproval for a sub-element of the Tennessee infrastructure state
implementation plans (SIPs) for the 2008 Lead National Ambient Air
Quality Standards (NAAQS), 1997 Annual Fine Particulate Matter
(PM2.5) NAAQS, 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and 1997
8-hour ozone NAAQS. Specifically, EPA is providing notice of the
disapproval of the previously conditionally-approved portion of the
State board and conflict of interest requirements of the infrastructure
SIPs for these NAAQS. These disapprovals were triggered automatically
on July 23, 2013, when Tennessee failed to submit revisions to address
the CAA State board and conflict of interest requirements within the
timeframes specified in EPA's conditional approval
[[Page 1609]]
actions. Second, EPA is proposing to approve the SIP revision submitted
by Tennessee, through the Tennessee Department of Environment and
Conservation (TDEC) on October 9, 2013, as meeting the applicable
requirements of the Act. This SIP revision addresses Tennessee's
outstanding obligations related to the CAA State board and conflict of
interest requirements. Finally, EPA is proposing to approve the
infrastructure SIP sub-element related to the State board and conflict
of interest requirements for the 2008 Lead, 1997 annual
PM2.5, 2006 24-hour PM2.5, and 1997 8-hour ozone
NAAQS. Approval of these infrastructure SIP requirements for the listed
NAAQS would result in the disapprovals noticed above for this sub-
element being converted to approvals. Final approval of these
infrastructure SIP sub-elements, however, is contingent upon final
approval of the underlying October 9, 2013, SIP revision to address the
CAA requirements also proposed through this action. EPA notes that all
other applicable Tennessee infrastructure elements for the 2008 Lead,
1997 annual PM2.5, 2006 24-hour PM2.5, and 1997
8-hour ozone NAAQS have been addressed in separate rulemakings.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before February 10,
2014.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R04-
OAR-2012-0285, by one of the following methods:
1. www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for
submitting comments.
2. Email: R4-RDS@epa.gov.
3. Fax: (404) 562-9019.
4. Mail: ``EPA-R04-OAR-2012-0285,'' Regulatory Development Section,
Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW.,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960.
5. Hand Delivery or Courier: Lynorae Benjamin, Regulatory
Development Section, Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics
Management Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61
Forsyth Street SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. Such deliveries are
only accepted during the Regional Office's normal hours of operation.
The Regional Office's official hours of business are Monday through
Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding Federal holidays.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-R04-OAR-
2012-0285. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included
in the public docket without change and may be made available online at
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided,
unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Do not submit through www.regulations.gov or
email, information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected.
The www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system,
which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information
unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an email
comment directly to EPA without going through www.regulations.gov, your
email address will be automatically captured and included as part of
the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on
the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that
you include your name and other contact information in the body of your
comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your
comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional
information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center
homepage at https://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: All documents in the electronic docket are listed in the
www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some
information is not publicly available, i.e., CBI or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such
as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet and will be
publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket
materials are available either electronically in www.regulations.gov or
in hard copy at the Regulatory Development Section, Air Planning
Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW.,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. EPA requests that if at all possible, you
contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section to schedule your inspection. The Regional Office's official
hours of business are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,
excluding Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sean Lakeman, Regulatory Development
Section, Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management
Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, 61 Forsyth
Street SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. The telephone number is (404)
562-9043. Mr. Lakeman can be reached via electronic mail at
lakeman.sean@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
II. Section 110(a)(2)(E) Adequate Resources Requirements
III. Notice of Disapproval
IV. EPA's Analysis of Tennessee's Conflict of Interest Submission
V. EPA's Analysis Supporting the Proposed Approval of Sub-element
110(a)(2)(E)(ii)
VI. Proposed Action
VII. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. Background
By statute, SIPs meeting the requirements of sections 110(a)(1) and
(2) of the CAA are to be submitted by states within three years after
promulgation of a new or revised NAAQS. Sections 110(a)(1) and (2)
require states to address basic SIP requirements, including emissions
inventories, monitoring, and modeling to assure attainment and
maintenance of the NAAQS.
More specifically, section 110(a)(1) provides the procedural and
timing requirements for SIPs. Section 110(a)(2) lists specific elements
that states must meet for ``infrastructure'' SIP requirements related
to a newly established or revised NAAQS. As mentioned above, these
requirements include SIP infrastructure elements such as modeling,
monitoring, and emissions inventories that are designed to assure
attainment and maintenance of the NAAQS. On July 23, 2012 (77 FR
42997), August 2, 2012 (77 FR 45958), and June 18, 2013 (78 FR 36440),
EPA approved in part, and conditionally approved in part, Tennessee's
infrastructure SIPs for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, 1997 annual
PM2.5 NAAQS, 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and 2008
Lead NAAQS respectively.
II. Section 110(a)(2)(E) Adequate Resources Requirements
EPA conditionally approved a portion of the Tennessee
infrastructure SIP submissions addressing the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS,
1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS, 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS
and 2008 Lead NAAQS. Specifically, EPA conditionally approved the
portion of section 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) respecting Act's section 128(a)(1)
requirements (hereafter ``sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii)'')
[[Page 1610]]
for each of the above NAAQS. Sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) provides that
each infrastructure SIP shall provide requirements ``that the State
comply with the requirements respecting State board under section [128
of the CAA]. . . .'' Section 128 in turn provides that each SIP shall
contain requirements that: (1) Any board or body which approves permits
or enforcement orders under the CAA shall have at least a majority of
members who represent the public interest and do not derive a
significant portion of their income from persons subject to permits or
enforcement orders under the Act (hereafter ``section 128(a)(1)
requirements''); and, (2) any potential conflicts of interest by
members of such board or body or the head of an executive agency with
similar powers be adequately disclosed (hereafter ``section 128(a)(2)
requirements.'') EPA was unable to fully-approve Tennessee's
infrastructure submissions for the above NAAQS with respect to sub-
element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) because, at the time, the SIP did not include
provisions to address the section 128(a)(1) requirements.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The section 128(a)(2) conflict of interest disclosure
requirements, however, were met by existing provisions in the
Tennessee SIP. See 77 FR 42997, page 42998; 77 FR 45958, 45960; and
78 FR 36440, 36442.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On, March 28, 2012, TDEC transmitted a letter to EPA, committing to
adopt specific enforceable measures into its SIP by July 23, 2013, to
address the applicable portions of section 128(a)(1). In Tennessee's
March 28, 2012, letter, TDEC committed to bring its SIP into conformity
with section 128(a)(1) of the CAA by submitting a SIP revision that
designated at least a majority of the positions on the State's Air
Pollution Control Board \2\ as being subject to the ``public interest''
requirement. In addition, TDEC committed to submitting a SIP revision
establishing requirements to ensure that at least a majority of the
members on the State's Air Pollution Control Board do not derive any
significant portion of their income from persons subject to CAA permits
or enforcement orders. TDEC also described in the letter that its
planned restrictions related to the ``significant portion of income''
requirement of section 128 would include an exclusion for the official
salaries of mayors of counties and municipalities, and for faculty
members employed by institutions of higher learning.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ The composition of Tennessee's Air Pollution Control Board
is statutorily prescribed at Tennessee Code Annotated 68-201-104.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
III. Notice of Disapproval
EPA's conditional approval authority is provided at section
110(k)(4) of the CAA. Consistent with the requirements for EPA's
exercise of the conditional approval authority, the commitment from
Tennessee provided that the State would adopt the specified enforceable
provisions and submit a revision to EPA for approval within one year of
final action of the conditional approval.\3\ As described at section
110(k)(4), and as noted by EPA in its conditional approval actions,
failure by the State to adopt the specified provisions and submit them
to EPA for incorporation into the SIP by July 23, 2013, would result in
the conditional approvals being treated as disapprovals. Tennessee
failed to meet the July 23, 2013, commitment; therefore, the
conditional approvals automatically became disapprovals on that date.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ EPA's initial final action to conditionally approve sub-
element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) occurred on July 23, 2012. Therefore,
Tennessee's commitment to submit the specific enforceable measures
necessary to comply with section 128(a)(1) requirements was due no
later than July 23, 2013. See 77 FR 42997.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPA was not required to propose a finding of disapproval in order
for the conditional approvals to convert to disapprovals. However, the
Agency is hereby notifying the public of the finding of disapprovals
for Tennessee's 2008 Lead NAAQS, 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS,
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS
infrastructure SIPs as they relate to the sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii)
requirements respecting section 128(a)(1) requirements.
Under section 179(a) of the CAA, final disapproval of a submittal
that addresses a requirement of a Part D Plan (42 U.S.C. 7501-7515) or
is required in response to a finding of substantial inadequacy as
described in section 7410(k)(5) (SIP call) starts a sanctions clock.
Sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) requirements are not submitted pursuant to
Part D requirements, and therefore, no sanctions will be triggered by
Tennessee's failure to submit SIP revisions for these requirements. The
disapprovals do however trigger the requirement under section 110(c)
that EPA promulgate a Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) no later than 2
years from the date of the disapproval unless the State corrects the
deficiency, and the Administrator approves the plan or plan revision
before the Administrator promulgates such FIP.
In this rulemaking, EPA is also proposing to approve Tennessee's
October 9, 2013, SIP revision to address the section 128(a)(1) CAA
requirements. Provided that EPA finalizes approval of TDEC's October 9,
2013, SIP revision, on or before July 23, 2015 (two years from the date
Tennessee's sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) conditional approvals
converted to disapprovals), Tennessee will have corrected the
infrastructure SIP deficiencies and a FIP for sub-element
110(a)(2)(E)(ii) will not be necessary.
As stated above, this notice of disapproval is limited to the
section 128(a)(1) requirements and the associated sub-element
110(a)(2)(E)(ii) requirements of Tennessee's infrastructure SIPs for
the 2008 Lead NAAQS, 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS, 2006 24-hour
PM2.5 NAAQS and 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS. All other
applicable aspects of these infrastructure SIPs have been addressed in
separate rulemakings. See July 23, 2012 (77 FR 42997), August 2, 2012
(77 FR 45958), and June 18, 2013 (78 FR 36440).
IV. EPA's Analysis of Tennessee's Conflict of Interest Submission
TDEC's October 9, 2013, SIP revision repeals Chapter 1200-3-17
moving the contents to a new Chapter 0400-30-17--Conflict of Interest,
and adds a new section 0400-30-17-.02 Protecting the Public Interests
and 0400-30-17-.05 Policy of Ethics and the Avoidance of Conflicts of
Interest. EPA is proposing to approve this change because the Agency
has preliminarily determined that, once approved into the Tennessee
SIP, this change will address the section 128(a)(1) requirements that
any board or body which approves permits or enforcement orders have at
least a majority of members who represent the public interest and not
derive a significant portion of their income from persons subject to
permits or enforcement orders under the Act. As noted above, TDEC
submitted the October 9, 2013, SIP revision to meet the requirements
outlined in EPA's conditional approvals published on July 23, 2012 (77
FR 42997), August 2, 2012 (77 FR 45958), and June 18, 2013 (78 FR
36440), for the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, 1997 annual PM2.5
NAAQS, 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and the 2008 Lead NAAQS
respectively.
Specifically, TDEC's revision would incorporate a new rule into its
SIP to address section 128(a)(1) requirements. Rule 0400-30-17-.02
Protecting the Public Interests contains definitions and requirements
that will enable the Board to clearly determine if it has a majority of
members who represent the public interest and do not derive a
significant portion of their income from persons subject to permits or
enforcement orders
[[Page 1611]]
under the Act. The intent of rule 0400-30-17-.02 is to ensure that at
least half of the Board serves in the public interest and does not
derive significant income from person subject to permits or enforcement
orders under the Act. Pursuant to these provisions, in the event the
Tennessee Air Pollution Control Board is unable to determine that it is
comprised consistent with the requirements of section 128(a)(1), the
revisions prevent the Board from hearing contested cases until such
time as it complies with the requirements of section 128.
TDEC is also revising sections 0400-30-17-.01 Purpose and Intent
(formally 1200-3-17-.01), 0400-30-17-.03 Conflict of Interest on the
Part of the Board and Technical Secretary (formally 1200-3-17-.02) and
0400-30-17-.04 Conflict of Interest in the Permitting of Municipal
Solid Waste (formally 1200-3-17-.03) of the SIP and adding two new
sections to address protecting the public interest and conflict of
interest (0400-30-17-.02 Protecting the Public Interests and 0400-30-
17-.05 Policy of Ethics and the Avoidance of Conflicts of Interest).
EPA has preliminarily determined that these revisions, once approved
into the SIP, will be sufficient to meet the State's obligations
pursuant to the requirements of CAA section 128(a)(1).
V. EPA's Analysis Supporting the Proposed Approval of Sub-Element
110(a)(2)(E)(ii)
Sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) requires that the state comply with
the requirements respecting State Boards pursuant to section 128 of the
Act. With respect to sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii), EPA reviews
infrastructure SIP submissions to ensure that the SIP includes SIP-
approved provisions satisfying section 128 requirements. As previously
discussed, Tennessee's SIP includes provisions respecting the section
110(a)(2) requirements, and following approval of the October 9, 2013,
SIP revision to address section 128(a)(1) requirements, would fully
meet the applicable section 128 requirements for the State.
Accordingly, EPA is hereby proposing to approve sub-element
110(a)(2)(E)(ii) with respect to the applicable section 128(a)(1)
requirements for the 2008 Lead NAAQS, 1997 annual PM2.5
NAAQS, 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS.
Final action to approve this infrastructure SIP sub-element for the
above NAAQS is contingent upon approval of the October 9, 2013, SIP
revision into the Tennessee SIP. Should that approval be finalized, EPA
anticipates finalizing the sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) approvals
concurrently through the same approval notice.
VI. Proposed Action
EPA is notifying the public of findings of disapprovals for
Tennessee's 2008 Lead NAAQS, 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS, 2006
24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS
infrastructure SIP sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) requirements as they
relate to section 128(a)(1) requirements. EPA conditionally approved
this portion of Tennessee's infrastructure submissions for these NAAQS
on July 23, 2012, August 2, 2013, and June 18, 2013. Tennessee failed
to meet the July 23, 2013, submission deadline associated with these
commitments, therefore, the conditional approvals automatically
converted to disapprovals on that date. EPA is not required to propose
a finding for these disapprovals; however, the Agency is providing the
public with notice of these findings through this action. Provided EPA
finalizes approval of the October 9, 2013, SIP revision to address the
section 128(a)(1) requirements, the Agency intends to fully approve the
section 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) sub-element of Tennessee's infrastructure SIP
for the 2008 Lead NAAQS, 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS, 2006 24-
hour PM2.5 NAAQS and 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS, and thereby,
convert the disapprovals noticed through this action into approvals.
As described above, EPA is also proposing to approve Tennessee's
October 9, 2013, SIP revision, as addressing applicable CAA section
128(a)(1) requirements. Specifically, EPA is proposing to approve
Tennessee's new Chapter 0400-30-17 Conflict of Interest which replaces
Chapter 1200-03-17 in its entirety.
Finally, EPA is proposing to approve infrastructure SIP sub-element
110(a)(2)(E)(ii) as it relates to section 128(a)(1) requirements for
purposes of the 2008 Lead NAAQS, 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS,
2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS in
Tennessee. Final approval of the section 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) sub-element
for these NAAQS is contingent upon approval of the section 128(a)(1)
requirements SIP revision also proposed for approval through this
action.
EPA notes that the subject of this notice is limited to the section
128(a)(1) requirements and the associated infrastructure SIP sub-
element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii). All other applicable Tennessee infrastructure
SIP elements for the 2008 Lead NAAQS, 1997 annual PM2.5
NAAQS, 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS
have been addressed in separate rulemakings.
VII. 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. See 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
proposed 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 proposed 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);
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 proposed 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
[[Page 1612]]
it will not impose substantial direct costs on tribal governments or
preempt tribal law.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Intergovernmental
relations, Lead, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Particulate matter, Reporting
and recordkeeping requirements, Volatile organic compounds.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: December 20, 2013.
A. Stanley Meiburg,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4.
[FR Doc. 2013-31561 Filed 1-8-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P