Air Plan Approval; WA; Regional Haze Best Available Retrofit Technology Revision for TransAlta Centralia Generation Plant, 13256-13260 [2021-03988]
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13256
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 43 / Monday, March 8, 2021 / Proposed Rules
extent consistent with requirements
imposed by Federal law,’’ any person
making a voluntary disclosure of
information to a state agency regarding
a violation of an environmental statute,
regulation, permit, or administrative
order is granted immunity from
administrative or civil penalty. The
Attorney General’s January 12, 1998
opinion states that the quoted language
renders this statute inapplicable to
enforcement of any Federally authorized
programs, since ‘‘no immunity could be
afforded from administrative, civil, or
criminal penalties because granting
such immunity would not be consistent
with Federal law, which is one of the
criteria for immunity.’’
Therefore, EPA has determined that
Virginia’s Privilege and Immunity
statutes will not preclude the
Commonwealth from enforcing its
program consistent with the Federal
requirements. In any event, because
EPA has also determined that a state
audit privilege and immunity law can
affect only state enforcement and cannot
have any impact on Federal
enforcement authorities, EPA may at
any time invoke its authority under the
CAA, including, for example, sections
113, 167, 205, 211 or 213, to enforce the
requirements or prohibitions of the state
plan, independently of any state
enforcement effort. In addition, citizen
enforcement under section 304 of the
CAA is likewise unaffected by this, or
any, state audit privilege or immunity
law.
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V. Incorporation by Reference
In this document, EPA is proposing to
include in a final EPA rule regulatory
text that includes incorporation by
reference. In accordance with
requirements of 1 CFR 51.5, EPA is
proposing to incorporate by reference
the unredacted portions of Virginia
stationary source permit to operate,
registration number 20132, issued to
Roanoke Electric Steel (D/B/A Steel
Dynamics, Inc.) on December 22, 2004,
and revised on March 25, 2020. EPA has
made, and will continue to make, these
materials generally available through
https://www.regulations.gov and at the
EPA Region III Office (please contact the
person identified in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this
preamble for more information).
VI. Statutory and Executive Order
Reviews
Under the CAA, the Administrator is
required to approve a SIP submission
that complies with the provisions of the
CAA and applicable Federal regulations.
42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a).
Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions,
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EPA’s role is to approve state choices,
provided that they meet the criteria of
the CAA. Accordingly, this action
merely approves state law as meeting
Federal requirements and does not
impose additional requirements beyond
those imposed by state law. For that
reason, this proposed action:
• Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory
action’’ subject to review by the Office
of Management and Budget under
Executive Orders 12866 (58 FR 51735,
October 4, 1993) and 13563 (76 FR 3821,
January 21, 2011);
• Is not an Executive Order 13771 (82
FR 9339, February 2, 2017) regulatory
action because it is not a significant
regulatory action under Executive Order
12866.
• 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).
The SIP is not approved to apply on
any Indian reservation land as defined
in 18 U.S.C. 1151 or in any other area
where EPA or an Indian tribe has
demonstrated that a tribe has
jurisdiction. In those areas of Indian
country, this rule pertaining to source
specific NOX limits at SDI does not have
tribal implications and will not impose
substantial direct costs on tribal
governments or preempt tribal law as
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specified by Executive Order 13175 (65
FR 67249, November 9, 2000).
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air
pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Intergovernmental relations,
Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Volatile
organic compounds.
Dated: February 18, 2021.
Diana Esher,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region III.
[FR Doc. 2021–04705 Filed 3–5–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R10–OAR–2020–0732, FRL–10020–
07–Region 10]
Air Plan Approval; WA; Regional Haze
Best Available Retrofit Technology
Revision for TransAlta Centralia
Generation Plant
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a
source-specific State Implementation
Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the
Washington State Department of
Ecology (Ecology) on December 18,
2020. The SIP revision makes changes to
nitrogen oxide control requirements for
the TransAlta Centralia Generation
Plant (TransAlta). These requirements
were established in an order issued to
TransAlta by the state to satisfy the
Clean Air Act Best Available Retrofit
Technology Requirements (BART) put
in place by Congress to reduce regional
haze and restore visibility in national
parks and wilderness areas. The changes
submitted by the state are intended to
improve the operation of pollution
control equipment at TransAlta while
continuing to meet BART requirements.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before April 7, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket ID No. EPA–R10–
OAR–2020–0732 at https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
Once submitted, comments cannot be
edited or removed from Regulations.gov.
The EPA may publish any comment
received to its public docket. Do not
submit electronically any information
you consider to be Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is
SUMMARY:
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restricted by statute. Multimedia
submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be
accompanied by a written comment.
The written comment is considered the
official comment and should include
discussion of all points you wish to
make. The EPA will generally not
consider comments or comment
contents located outside of the primary
submission (i.e., on the web, cloud, or
other file sharing system). For
additional submission methods, the full
EPA public comment policy,
information about CBI or multimedia
submissions, and general guidance on
making effective comments, please visit
https://www.epa.gov/dockets/
commenting-epa-dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff
Hunt, EPA Region 10, 1200 Sixth
Avenue—Suite 155, Seattle, WA 98101,
at (206) 553–0256, or hunt.jeff@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Throughout this document whenever
‘‘we,’’ ‘‘us,’’ or ‘‘our’’ is used, it is
intended to refer to the EPA.
I. Background
Visibility and Regional Haze
Regional haze is air pollution that
impairs visibility, including visual
range and/or colorization, across a broad
geographic area. The air pollution
sources that contribute to regional haze
include but are not limited to: Industrial
sources; cars, trucks and other mobile
sources; and area sources. These source
categories emit fine particulate matter
(PM2.5), in addition to precursor gases
such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen
oxides (NOX) that form secondary
aerosols in the atmosphere.
Atmospheric sulfate, nitrate, organic
carbon compounds, elemental carbon,
soil dust, and other compounds impair
visibility by scattering and absorbing
light, and reduces clarity, color, and
visual range of visual scenes.
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Clean Air Act Requirements
In 1977, Congress added section 169A
to the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act)
creating a program to protect visibility
in the nation’s national parks and
wilderness areas (Class I areas). This
section of the CAA establishes national
visibility goals in Class I areas as those
goals relate to manmade air pollution.
See CAA section 169A(a)(1). On
December 2, 1980, the EPA promulgated
regulations to address visibility
impairment in Class I areas that is
‘‘reasonably attributable’’ to a single
source or small group of sources, i.e.,
‘‘reasonably attributable visibility
impairment’’ (RAVI) (45 FR 80084).
These RAVI regulations represented the
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first phase in addressing visibility
impairment.
In 1990, Congress added section 169B
to the CAA to address regional haze
issues. The EPA promulgated a rule to
implement this statutory requirement on
July 1, 1999 (64 FR 35713) (the Regional
Haze Rule or RHR). The RHR revised the
existing visibility regulations to
integrate regional haze provisions and to
establish a comprehensive visibility
protection program for Class I areas. The
requirements for regional haze, found at
40 CFR 51.308 and 51.309, are included
in the EPA’s visibility protection
regulations at 40 CFR part 51, subpart P,
which were most recently updated on
January 10, 2017 (82 FR 3078).
Pollution Controls
With respect to this proposed action,
section 169A of the CAA directs states
to evaluate the use of retrofit controls at
certain larger, often uncontrolled, older
stationary sources in order to address
visibility impacts from these sources.
Specifically, section 169A(b)(2)(A) of
the CAA requires states to revise their
SIPs to contain such measures as may be
necessary to make reasonable progress
towards the natural visibility goal,
including a requirement that certain
categories of existing major stationary
sources built between 1962 and 1977
procure, install, and operate the ‘‘Best
Available Retrofit Technology’’ as
determined by the state. States are
directed to conduct BART
determinations for such sources that
may be anticipated to cause or
contribute to any visibility impairment
in a Class I area.
To assist states in determining which
sources are subject to BART
requirements and what emission limits
are appropriate for each subject source,
the EPA published the Guidelines for
BART Determinations Under the
Regional Haze Rule at Appendix Y to 40
CFR part 51 (hereinafter referred to as
‘‘BART Guidelines’’) (70 FR 39104, July
6, 2005). In making a BART
applicability determination for existing
sources (such as TransAlta) that fall into
certain categories, e.g., fossil fuel-fired
electric generating plants with total
generating capacity in excess of 750
megawatts, a state must use the
specified approach set forth in the
BART Guidelines. A state is encouraged,
but not required, to follow the BART
Guidelines in making BART
determinations for other types of
sources. Regardless of source size or
type however, a state must meet the
CAA and regulatory requirements for
selection of BART, and the state’s BART
analysis and determination must be
reasonable in light of the overarching
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purpose of the regional haze program.
States must address all visibility
impairing pollutants emitted by a source
in the BART determination process. The
most significant visibility-impairing
pollutants are NOX, SO2, and particulate
matter. The regional haze SIP must
include source-specific BART emission
limits and compliance schedules for
each source subject to BART.
TransAlta Centralia Generation Plant
TransAlta is a coal-fired electric
generation plant located in Centralia,
Washington. The plant, which operates
two identical coal-fired utility steam
generating units (BW21 and BW22), has
a total generating capacity in excess of
750 megawatts and is subject to CAA
BART requirements to control emissions
of visibility-impairing pollutants. On
June 11, 2003, the EPA approved a
revision to the Washington SIP for
visibility which included controls for
NOX, SO2, and particulate matter for
TransAlta (68 FR 34821). In the action,
the EPA determined that the prescribed
controls satisfied BART requirements
for both SO2 and particulate matter. We
note that the 2003 BART determinations
for SO2 and particulate matter are not at
issue in this proposed action, which
focuses only on BART for NOX.
In our 2003 action, the EPA
determined that the NOX controls
established for TransAlta, while better
than prior controls, did not represent
BART. Subsequently, Ecology issued an
administrative order to TransAlta that,
among other things, established a NOx
emission limit of 0.24 pounds per
million British thermal units (lb/
MMBtu) on the coal-fired units and coal
quality requirements (June 18, 2010,
BART Order 6426). Ecology revised the
June 18, 2010 BART Order 6426 on
December 13, 2011 (First Revised BART
Order 6426), to incorporate provisions
of a 2011 Memorandum of Agreement
(2011 MOA) between TransAlta and the
Governor of the State of Washington.
The First Revised BART Order 6426 and
the 2011 MOA are included in the
docket for this action.
The 2011 MOA was negotiated under
the statutory provisions of Revised Code
of Washington (RCW) 80.80.100 and
focused on greenhouse gas emission
performance standards.
While the greenhouse gas
performance standards are outside the
scope of the SIP (which is primarily
focused on the control of criteria
pollutants such as particulate matter,
NOX, and SO2), several of the provisions
negotiated the 2011 MOA were
incorporated into the First Revised
BART Order 6426 because they provide
significant regional haze benefit.
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Specifically, the First Revised BART
Order 6426 required selective
noncatalytic reduction (SNCR) to be
installed by January 1, 2013. The First
Revised BART Order 6426 also provided
that one coal unit must cease burning
coal by December 31, 2020, and the
other coal unit cease burning coal by
December 31, 2025, unless Ecology
determines that state or federal law
requires selective catalytic reduction
(SCR) to be installed on either unit.1
Due to the installation of SNCR, among
other controls, Ecology’s First Revised
BART Order 6426 established a more
stringent NOX emission limit of 0.21 lb/
MMBtu. Ecology submitted the First
Revised BART Order 6426 as a revision
to the regional haze SIP on December
29, 2011. On December 6, 2012, the EPA
approved Ecology’s First Revised BART
Order 6426 as meeting CAA BART
requirements for NOX control at
TransAlta and approved this order in
the Washington SIP (77 FR 72742).
II. Electrostatic Precipitator Fouling
and Installation of Combustion
Optimization System With Neural
Network
In January 2020, TransAlta requested
a change to the First Revised BART
Order 6426 to mitigate fouling of the
electrostatic precipitators at the plant
that are used to control particulate
matter emissions. TransAlta stated that
the fouling was being caused by
ammonia slip from the SNCR used to
control NOX emissions. In the
submission Ecology explained, ‘‘In the
summer of 2019, TransAlta experienced
emission opacity readings that would
have exceeded the opacity limits if
TransAlta had not reduced plant
capacity to compensate. During a
maintenance shut-down of the facility,
the electrostatic precipitators (ESPs)
were examined. The ESPs had a visual
fouling of all interior components,
which dramatically reduced their
efficiency. Samples of the material in
the ESPs were analyzed and identified
as ammonia sulfate. The source of
ammonia in the system was from the
reactions of urea in the SNCR system.’’
In coordination with Southwest Clean
Air Agency (the local clean air
authority) and Ecology, TransAlta
installed a computerized emission
control system called a Combustion
Optimization System with Neural
Network program (Neural Net) to
decrease the ammonia slip in the SNCR.
At the end of calendar year 2019,
1 On December 31, 2020, as scheduled, TransAlta
shut down and ceased combustion of coal at BW21
(a.k.a. Unit #1). As noted by TransAlta, BW21 is
retired from service. See December 31, 2020 email
in the docket.
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TransAlta had enough data to
demonstrate that use of the Neural Net
system would enable TransAlta to meet
a more stringent 0.18 lb/MMBtu
emission standard than the 0.21 lb/
MMBtu required under the First Revised
BART Order 6426 for the unit that
remains operational after 2020 (BW21
ceased burning coal on December 31,
2020 and is now retired from service.
Therefore, this requirement applies to
the only remaining unit, BW22).
III. Summary of Revisions to the First
Revised BART Order 6426
In response to TransAlta’s request,
Ecology amended the First Revised
BART Order 6426 on July 29, 2020 in
three primary ways: (1) Reducing the
NOX emission limit for the unit
equipped with the Neural Network (2)
eliminating unnecessary requirements
to prevent further ESP fouling, and (3)
revising the language to align with a
2017 amendment to the 2011 MOA
signed between the Governor of
Washington and TransAlta. Because the
Neural Net enables TransAlta to
maintain a more stringent NOX emission
standard, Ecology eliminated several
requirements from the First Revised
BART Order 6426 that were either no
longer necessary or were causing
problems with the ESP control device.
Specifically, Ecology: (1) Removed the
requirement of a specific urea injection
rate to allow TransAlta to inject urea as
needed to meet the new emission
standard; (2) removed the requirement
to analyze and report nitrogen and
sulfur coal content, or mandate a
specific source of coal, because the
facility would have to meet NOX, SO2,
and particulate matter emission
standards regardless of the coal used,
and (3) changed the requirement for
ammonia emission monitoring to
require monitoring only when using a
urea injection rate of greater than 1.5
gallons per minute. Ecology retained the
requirement for TransAlta to determine
compliance with the NOX emission
limitation by use of a continuous
emission monitoring system meeting the
requirements of 40 CFR part 75. As
discussed further in this document, the
EPA has reviewed these changes and we
have determined they are reasonable
and consistent with BART and other
CAA requirements.
Ecology also updated the First
Revised BART Order 6426 to reflect a
July 13, 2017 amendment to the 2011
MOA signed between TransAlta and the
Governor, included in the docket for
this action (2017 MOA). The 2017
amendment states that TransAlta shall,
‘‘permanently cease coal-fired power
generation operations of one Boiler in
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2020 and the other Boiler in 2025,
which dates are prior to the 2035 end
of their expected useful lives, in each
case pursuant to the terms and subject
to the conditions of this MOA.’’ This
text is now mirrored in the Schedule for
Compliance section of the second
revised BART Order 6426 (2020 BART
Order 6426). The 2017 MOA makes
clear that TransAlta is not precluded
from the possibility of retrofitting the
facility to natural gas, or other non-coal
energy source, as long as it meets the
statutory requirements of Chapter 80.80
RCW.
IV. Evaluation of the Washington SIP
Submission
EPA proposes to approve the 2020
BART Order 6426 as meeting BART for
NOX for TransAlta. The 2020 BART
Order 6426 is consistent with the
requirements of 40 CFR 51.308(e) and
40 CFR part 51, subpart Y. Specifically,
Ecology either retained or strengthened
the NOX emissions limits. Ecology also
justified the removal of certain
parametric monitoring and
demonstrated that the 2020 BART Order
6426 remains enforceable as a practical
matter. Finally, the revision to the
Schedule for Compliance section does
not substantively change TransAlta’s
compliance obligations as compared to
the First Revised BART Order 6426. As
with the First Revised BART Order
6426, the 2020 BART Order 6426 will
have the practical effect of prohibiting
coal burning beyond the specified
schedule.
Regarding future repowering of
TransAlta with fuels other than coal, in
the submission, Ecology stated with
respect to regional haze that, ‘‘If
TransAlta decides to switch to non-coal
power generation, a Notice of
Construction application would need to
be submitted to Southwest Clean Air
Agency by the company. Ecology would
require the company to do, at a
minimum, emissions modeling that
would be required under the BART
process to quantify the visibility
impacts resulting from the operation as
a natural gas boiler plant (EGU). This is
similar to what we would require of a
new power plant to determine if it
meets the requirements of WAC 173–
400–117, special protection
requirements for federal Class I areas.’’
Ecology further explained, ‘‘Since
TransAlta has not requested repowering
at this time, this issue will not be
addressed in this BART order revision.’’
The EPA agrees that any non-coal
repowering, should TransAlta submit a
Notice of Construction application in
the future, is outside the scope of this
current action focused on the improved
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NOX controls. Any future ‘‘new source’’
as defined in the SIP-approved
provisions of Southwest Clean Air
Agency (SWCAA) 400–030(77), would
need to meet all CAA requirements for
protection of the National Ambient Air
Quality Standards (NAAQS) and
regional haze. Specifically, SWCAA
400–030(77) states:
‘‘New source’’ means one or more of
the following:
(a) The construction or modification
of a ‘‘stationary source’’ that increases
the amount of any air contaminant
emitted by such ‘‘stationary source’’ or
that results in the emission of any air
contaminant not previously emitted;
(b) Any other project that constitutes
a ‘‘new source’’ under the Federal Clean
Air Act;
(c) Restart of a ‘‘stationary source’’
after permanent shutdown;
(d) The installation or construction of
a new ‘‘emission unit’’;
(e) Relocation of a ‘‘stationary source’’
to a new location, except in the case of
portable sources operating under a valid
permit as provided in SWCAA 400–
110(6);
(f) Replacement or modification of the
burner(s) in a combustion source; or
(g) Modification of a combustion
source to fire a fuel that the source was
not previously capable of firing.
Any ‘‘new source’’ as described by the
requirements above would require a
separate action, subject to public
participation requirements, under the
SIP-approved new source review
permitting provisions of SWCAA 400 or
Chapter 173–400 Washington
Administrative Code (WAC) for
Prevention of Significant Deterioration
(PSD) provisions implemented directly
by Ecology.
V. Proposed Action
The EPA proposes to approve and
incorporate by reference into the
Washington SIP the 2020 BART Order
6426 for the TransAlta Centralia
Generation Plant, state effective July 29,
2020.2 The EPA is also proposing to
remove from incorporation by reference
the First Revised BART Order 6426 for
the TransAlta Centralia Generation
Plant, state effective December 13,
2011.3 The EPA proposes to find that
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2 In
the Matter of an Administrative Order
Against, TransAlta Centralia Generation LLC,
Second Revision: Order No. 6426, except the
undesignated introductory text, the section titled
‘‘Findings,’’ and the undesignated text following
condition 9, state effective July 29, 2020.
3 In the Matter of an Administrative Order
Against, TransAlta Centralia Generation LLC, First
Revision: Order No. 6426, except the undesignated
introductory text, the section titled ‘‘Findings,’’ and
the undesignated text following condition 13, state
effective December 13, 2011.
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the changes are designed to improve the
operation of pollution controls at the
plant and are consistent with regional
haze and other CAA requirements.
VI. Incorporation by Reference
In this document, the EPA is
proposing to include in a final rule,
regulatory text that includes
incorporation by reference. In
accordance with requirements of 1 CFR
51.5, the EPA is proposing to
incorporate by reference the 2020 BART
Order 6246 to TransAlta Centralia
Generation Plant, state effective July 29,
2020, as described in Section III of this
preamble. Also, in this document, the
EPA is proposing to remove, in a final
EPA rule, regulatory text that includes
incorporation by reference. In
accordance with requirements of 1 CFR
51.5, the EPA is proposing to remove
the incorporation by reference of the
first revised BART Order 6246 to
TransAlta Centralia Generation Plant,
state-effective December 13, 2011, as
described in Section V of this preamble.
The EPA has made, and will continue
to make, these documents generally
available through https://
www.regulations.gov and at the EPA
Region 10 Office (please contact the
person identified in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this
preamble for more information).
VII. Statutory and Executive Order
Reviews
Under the Clean Air Act, the
Administrator is required to approve a
SIP submission that complies with the
provisions of the Act and applicable
Federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k);
40 CFR 52.02(a). Thus, in reviewing SIP
submissions, the EPA’s role is to
approve state choices, provided that
they meet the criteria of the Clean Air
Act. 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 Orders 12866 (58 FR 51735,
October 4, 1993) and 13563 (76 FR 3821,
January 21, 2011);
• 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.);
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13259
• 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 the requirements would
be inconsistent with the Clean Air Act;
and
• Does not provide the 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).
The SIP is not approved to apply on
any Indian reservation land in
Washington except as specifically noted
below and is also not approved to apply
in any other area where the EPA or an
Indian tribe has demonstrated that a
tribe has jurisdiction. In those areas of
Indian country, the proposed rule does
not have tribal implications and will not
impose substantial direct costs on tribal
governments or preempt tribal law as
specified by Executive Order 13175 (65
FR 67249, November 9, 2000).
Washington’s SIP is approved to apply
on non-trust land within the exterior
boundaries of the Puyallup Indian
Reservation, also known as the 1873
Survey Area. Under the Puyallup Tribe
of Indians Settlement Act of 1989, 25
U.S.C. 1773, Congress explicitly
provided state and local agencies in
Washington authority over activities on
non-trust lands within the 1873 Survey
Area. Consistent with EPA policy, the
EPA provided a consultation
opportunity to the Puyallup Tribe, and
other tribes located in Washington, in a
letter dated September 4, 2020.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air
pollution control, Carbon monoxide,
Incorporation by reference,
Intergovernmental relations, Lead,
Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Particulate
matter, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Sulfur oxides, Volatile
organic compounds.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
E:\FR\FM\08MRP1.SGM
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13260
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 43 / Monday, March 8, 2021 / Proposed Rules
Dated: February 19, 2021.
Michelle L. Pirzadeh,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 10.
[FR Doc. 2021–03988 Filed 3–5–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA–R05–OAR–2020–0115; FRL–10020–
88–Region 5]
Air Plan Approval; Illinois; MultiPollutant Standards Rule, Control of
Emissions From Large Combustion
Sources
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a
revision to the Illinois State
Implementation Plan (SIP) to amend
requirements applicable to certain coalfired electric generating units (EGUs) in
the Illinois Administrative Code (IAC),
also known as the Multi-Pollutant
Standards Rule. On January 23, 2020,
the Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency (IEPA) submitted a request to
amend the provisions of the MultiPollutant Standards Rule in the Illinois
regional haze SIP. EPA is proposing to
approve the revision because it will
result in a significant decrease in
emissions of NOX and SO2, meets the
applicable requirements of the Clean Air
Act (CAA), and does not interfere with
any applicable requirement concerning
attainment and reasonable further
progress.
SUMMARY:
Comments must be received on
or before April 7, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket ID No. EPA–R05–
OAR–2020–0115 at https://
www.regulations.gov or via email to
blakley.pamela@epa.gov. For comments
submitted at Regulations.gov, follow the
online instructions for submitting
comments. Once submitted, comments
cannot be edited or removed from
Regulations.gov. For either manner of
submission, EPA may publish any
comment received to its public docket.
Do not submit electronically any
information you consider to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI)
or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Multimedia
submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be
accompanied by a written comment.
The written comment is considered the
official comment and should include
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with PROPOSALS
DATES:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:28 Mar 05, 2021
Jkt 253001
discussion of all points you wish to
make. EPA will generally not consider
comments or comment contents located
outside of the primary submission (i.e.
on the web, cloud, or other file sharing
system). For additional submission
methods, please contact the person
identified in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section. For the
full EPA public comment policy,
information about CBI or multimedia
submissions, and general guidance on
making effective comments, please visit
https://www2.epa.gov/dockets/
commenting-epa-dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Charles Hatten, Environmental
Engineer, Control Strategies Section, Air
Programs Branch (AR–18J),
Environmental Protection Agency,
Region 5, 77 West Jackson Boulevard,
Chicago, Illinois 60604, (312) 886–6031,
hatten.charles@epa.gov. The EPA
Region 5 office is open from 8:30 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding Federal holidays and facility
closures due to COVID–19.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Throughout this document whenever
‘‘we,’’ ‘‘us,’’ or ‘‘our’’ is used, we mean
EPA.
I. What is the background for this
action?
On June 24, 2011, IEPA submitted to
EPA rules to address the visibility
protection requirements of section 169A
of the CAA and regional haze, as
codified in 40 CFR 51.308. The
submission included the provisions
contained in 35 IAC Part 225 (Part 225):
Section 225.233 Multi-Pollutant
Standards (MPS) (hereafter the ‘‘MPS
Rule’’). On July 6, 2012, EPA approved
subsections (a), (b), (e), and (g) of
Section 225.233 into the Illinois SIP.
See 77 FR 39943.
The MPS Rule establishes control
requirements and emission standards
for oxides of nitrogen (NOX), sulfur
dioxide (SO2), and emissions of
mercury. The MPS Rule provides the
owner of certain EGUs an alternative
means to demonstrate compliance with
the emission standards in 35 IAC
225.230(a).1
The owner of one or more EGUs are
identified or referred to as a ‘‘MPS
Group’’ in the MPS Rule. There are
currently two MPS groups in Illinois:
The Dynegy MPS Group and the
Ameren MPS Group. The Dynegy MPS
Group included EGUs at the following
facilities: Baldwin Power Station,
Havana Power Station, Hennepin Power
1 35 IAC 225.230 contains Illinois’ mercury
emission standards for EGUs and is not part of the
federally approved SIP.
PO 00000
Frm 00044
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
Station, Vermillion Power Station, and
Wood River Power Station. The Ameren
MPS Group included EGUs at the
following facilities: The Coffeen Power
Station, Duck Creek Power Station, E.D.
Edwards Power Station, Joppa Power
Station, Newton Power Station,
Hutsonville Power Station, and the
Meredosia Power Station.
MPS Rule NOX and SO2 Emission Rates
The Dynegy MPS Group is required to
comply with NOX and SO2 emission
standards for the EGUs in section
225.233(e)(1) and (2). The MPS Rule
requires the EGUs in the Dynegy MPS
Group to meet a fleet-wide annual and
ozone season NOX emission rate of 0.10
pound/million British thermal units (lb/
mmBtu), based on the greater stringency
of a limit calculated from those units’
base annual and ozone season NOX rates
beginning in 2012 and continuing in
each calendar year thereafter. The MPS
rule requires the EGUs in the Dynegy
MPS Group to meet a fleet-wide annual
SO2 emission rate of 0.25 lb/mmBtu or
a rate equivalent to 35 percent of the
base rate of SO2 emissions, whichever
was more stringent, beginning in the
2015 calendar year. The Dynegy MPS
Group is currently required to meet a
fleet-wide annual SO2 emission rate of
0.19 lb/mmBtu, which was calculated as
35 percent of the units’ base rate of SO2
emissions.
The Ameren MPS Group is required
to comply with NOX and SO2 emission
standards for the EGUs in section
225.233(e)(3). The MPS Rule requires
the EGUs in the Ameren MPS Group to
meet a fleet-wide annual NOX emission
rate of 0.14 lb/mmBtu and ozone season
NOX emission of 0.11 lb/mmBtu
beginning in 2010. These units were
then required to meet an annual NOX
emission rate of 0.11 lb/mmBtu
beginning in 2012 and continuing in
each calendar year thereafter. Beginning
in the calendar year 2017, the Ameren
MPS Group was required to meet a fleetwide annual SO2 emission rate of 0.23
lb/mmBtu.
MPS Group Changes Due to Change of
Ownership
In 2013, the operating EGUs in the
Ameren MPS Group were purchased by
Illinois Power Holdings, LLC (IPH), a
wholly owned, indirect subsidiary of
Dynegy, Inc. (Dynegy). Dynegy
purchased the EGUs at the Coffeen,
Duck Creek, E.D. Edwards, Joppa, and
Newton facilities. The EGUs at the
Meredosia and Hutsonville facilities
were transferred to AmerenEnergy
Medina Valley Cogen LLC.
The following EGUs were
permanently retired with this purchase:
E:\FR\FM\08MRP1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 43 (Monday, March 8, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 13256-13260]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-03988]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[EPA-R10-OAR-2020-0732, FRL-10020-07-Region 10]
Air Plan Approval; WA; Regional Haze Best Available Retrofit
Technology Revision for TransAlta Centralia Generation Plant
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to
approve a source-specific State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision
submitted by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) on
December 18, 2020. The SIP revision makes changes to nitrogen oxide
control requirements for the TransAlta Centralia Generation Plant
(TransAlta). These requirements were established in an order issued to
TransAlta by the state to satisfy the Clean Air Act Best Available
Retrofit Technology Requirements (BART) put in place by Congress to
reduce regional haze and restore visibility in national parks and
wilderness areas. The changes submitted by the state are intended to
improve the operation of pollution control equipment at TransAlta while
continuing to meet BART requirements.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 7, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R10-
OAR-2020-0732 at https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments. Once submitted, comments cannot
be edited or removed from Regulations.gov. The EPA may publish any
comment received to its public docket. Do not submit electronically any
information you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI)
or other information whose disclosure is
[[Page 13257]]
restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must
be accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered
the official comment and should include discussion of all points you
wish to make. The EPA will generally not consider comments or comment
contents located outside of the primary submission (i.e., on the web,
cloud, or other file sharing system). For additional submission
methods, the full EPA public comment policy, information about CBI or
multimedia submissions, and general guidance on making effective
comments, please visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Hunt, EPA Region 10, 1200 Sixth
Avenue--Suite 155, Seattle, WA 98101, at (206) 553-0256, or
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document whenever ``we,''
``us,'' or ``our'' is used, it is intended to refer to the EPA.
I. Background
Visibility and Regional Haze
Regional haze is air pollution that impairs visibility, including
visual range and/or colorization, across a broad geographic area. The
air pollution sources that contribute to regional haze include but are
not limited to: Industrial sources; cars, trucks and other mobile
sources; and area sources. These source categories emit fine
particulate matter (PM2.5), in addition to precursor gases
such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides
(NOX) that form secondary aerosols in the atmosphere.
Atmospheric sulfate, nitrate, organic carbon compounds, elemental
carbon, soil dust, and other compounds impair visibility by scattering
and absorbing light, and reduces clarity, color, and visual range of
visual scenes.
Clean Air Act Requirements
In 1977, Congress added section 169A to the Clean Air Act (CAA or
Act) creating a program to protect visibility in the nation's national
parks and wilderness areas (Class I areas). This section of the CAA
establishes national visibility goals in Class I areas as those goals
relate to manmade air pollution. See CAA section 169A(a)(1). On
December 2, 1980, the EPA promulgated regulations to address visibility
impairment in Class I areas that is ``reasonably attributable'' to a
single source or small group of sources, i.e., ``reasonably
attributable visibility impairment'' (RAVI) (45 FR 80084). These RAVI
regulations represented the first phase in addressing visibility
impairment.
In 1990, Congress added section 169B to the CAA to address regional
haze issues. The EPA promulgated a rule to implement this statutory
requirement on July 1, 1999 (64 FR 35713) (the Regional Haze Rule or
RHR). The RHR revised the existing visibility regulations to integrate
regional haze provisions and to establish a comprehensive visibility
protection program for Class I areas. The requirements for regional
haze, found at 40 CFR 51.308 and 51.309, are included in the EPA's
visibility protection regulations at 40 CFR part 51, subpart P, which
were most recently updated on January 10, 2017 (82 FR 3078).
Pollution Controls
With respect to this proposed action, section 169A of the CAA
directs states to evaluate the use of retrofit controls at certain
larger, often uncontrolled, older stationary sources in order to
address visibility impacts from these sources. Specifically, section
169A(b)(2)(A) of the CAA requires states to revise their SIPs to
contain such measures as may be necessary to make reasonable progress
towards the natural visibility goal, including a requirement that
certain categories of existing major stationary sources built between
1962 and 1977 procure, install, and operate the ``Best Available
Retrofit Technology'' as determined by the state. States are directed
to conduct BART determinations for such sources that may be anticipated
to cause or contribute to any visibility impairment in a Class I area.
To assist states in determining which sources are subject to BART
requirements and what emission limits are appropriate for each subject
source, the EPA published the Guidelines for BART Determinations Under
the Regional Haze Rule at Appendix Y to 40 CFR part 51 (hereinafter
referred to as ``BART Guidelines'') (70 FR 39104, July 6, 2005). In
making a BART applicability determination for existing sources (such as
TransAlta) that fall into certain categories, e.g., fossil fuel-fired
electric generating plants with total generating capacity in excess of
750 megawatts, a state must use the specified approach set forth in the
BART Guidelines. A state is encouraged, but not required, to follow the
BART Guidelines in making BART determinations for other types of
sources. Regardless of source size or type however, a state must meet
the CAA and regulatory requirements for selection of BART, and the
state's BART analysis and determination must be reasonable in light of
the overarching purpose of the regional haze program. States must
address all visibility impairing pollutants emitted by a source in the
BART determination process. The most significant visibility-impairing
pollutants are NOX, SO2, and particulate matter.
The regional haze SIP must include source-specific BART emission limits
and compliance schedules for each source subject to BART.
TransAlta Centralia Generation Plant
TransAlta is a coal-fired electric generation plant located in
Centralia, Washington. The plant, which operates two identical coal-
fired utility steam generating units (BW21 and BW22), has a total
generating capacity in excess of 750 megawatts and is subject to CAA
BART requirements to control emissions of visibility-impairing
pollutants. On June 11, 2003, the EPA approved a revision to the
Washington SIP for visibility which included controls for
NOX, SO2, and particulate matter for TransAlta
(68 FR 34821). In the action, the EPA determined that the prescribed
controls satisfied BART requirements for both SO2 and
particulate matter. We note that the 2003 BART determinations for
SO2 and particulate matter are not at issue in this proposed
action, which focuses only on BART for NOX.
In our 2003 action, the EPA determined that the NOX
controls established for TransAlta, while better than prior controls,
did not represent BART. Subsequently, Ecology issued an administrative
order to TransAlta that, among other things, established a NOx emission
limit of 0.24 pounds per million British thermal units (lb/MMBtu) on
the coal-fired units and coal quality requirements (June 18, 2010, BART
Order 6426). Ecology revised the June 18, 2010 BART Order 6426 on
December 13, 2011 (First Revised BART Order 6426), to incorporate
provisions of a 2011 Memorandum of Agreement (2011 MOA) between
TransAlta and the Governor of the State of Washington. The First
Revised BART Order 6426 and the 2011 MOA are included in the docket for
this action.
The 2011 MOA was negotiated under the statutory provisions of
Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 80.80.100 and focused on greenhouse
gas emission performance standards.
While the greenhouse gas performance standards are outside the
scope of the SIP (which is primarily focused on the control of criteria
pollutants such as particulate matter, NOX, and
SO2), several of the provisions negotiated the 2011 MOA were
incorporated into the First Revised BART Order 6426 because they
provide significant regional haze benefit.
[[Page 13258]]
Specifically, the First Revised BART Order 6426 required selective
noncatalytic reduction (SNCR) to be installed by January 1, 2013. The
First Revised BART Order 6426 also provided that one coal unit must
cease burning coal by December 31, 2020, and the other coal unit cease
burning coal by December 31, 2025, unless Ecology determines that state
or federal law requires selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to be
installed on either unit.\1\ Due to the installation of SNCR, among
other controls, Ecology's First Revised BART Order 6426 established a
more stringent NOX emission limit of 0.21 lb/MMBtu. Ecology
submitted the First Revised BART Order 6426 as a revision to the
regional haze SIP on December 29, 2011. On December 6, 2012, the EPA
approved Ecology's First Revised BART Order 6426 as meeting CAA BART
requirements for NOX control at TransAlta and approved this
order in the Washington SIP (77 FR 72742).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ On December 31, 2020, as scheduled, TransAlta shut down and
ceased combustion of coal at BW21 (a.k.a. Unit #1). As noted by
TransAlta, BW21 is retired from service. See December 31, 2020 email
in the docket.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
II. Electrostatic Precipitator Fouling and Installation of Combustion
Optimization System With Neural Network
In January 2020, TransAlta requested a change to the First Revised
BART Order 6426 to mitigate fouling of the electrostatic precipitators
at the plant that are used to control particulate matter emissions.
TransAlta stated that the fouling was being caused by ammonia slip from
the SNCR used to control NOX emissions. In the submission
Ecology explained, ``In the summer of 2019, TransAlta experienced
emission opacity readings that would have exceeded the opacity limits
if TransAlta had not reduced plant capacity to compensate. During a
maintenance shut-down of the facility, the electrostatic precipitators
(ESPs) were examined. The ESPs had a visual fouling of all interior
components, which dramatically reduced their efficiency. Samples of the
material in the ESPs were analyzed and identified as ammonia sulfate.
The source of ammonia in the system was from the reactions of urea in
the SNCR system.''
In coordination with Southwest Clean Air Agency (the local clean
air authority) and Ecology, TransAlta installed a computerized emission
control system called a Combustion Optimization System with Neural
Network program (Neural Net) to decrease the ammonia slip in the SNCR.
At the end of calendar year 2019, TransAlta had enough data to
demonstrate that use of the Neural Net system would enable TransAlta to
meet a more stringent 0.18 lb/MMBtu emission standard than the 0.21 lb/
MMBtu required under the First Revised BART Order 6426 for the unit
that remains operational after 2020 (BW21 ceased burning coal on
December 31, 2020 and is now retired from service. Therefore, this
requirement applies to the only remaining unit, BW22).
III. Summary of Revisions to the First Revised BART Order 6426
In response to TransAlta's request, Ecology amended the First
Revised BART Order 6426 on July 29, 2020 in three primary ways: (1)
Reducing the NOX emission limit for the unit equipped with
the Neural Network (2) eliminating unnecessary requirements to prevent
further ESP fouling, and (3) revising the language to align with a 2017
amendment to the 2011 MOA signed between the Governor of Washington and
TransAlta. Because the Neural Net enables TransAlta to maintain a more
stringent NOX emission standard, Ecology eliminated several
requirements from the First Revised BART Order 6426 that were either no
longer necessary or were causing problems with the ESP control device.
Specifically, Ecology: (1) Removed the requirement of a specific urea
injection rate to allow TransAlta to inject urea as needed to meet the
new emission standard; (2) removed the requirement to analyze and
report nitrogen and sulfur coal content, or mandate a specific source
of coal, because the facility would have to meet NOX,
SO2, and particulate matter emission standards regardless of
the coal used, and (3) changed the requirement for ammonia emission
monitoring to require monitoring only when using a urea injection rate
of greater than 1.5 gallons per minute. Ecology retained the
requirement for TransAlta to determine compliance with the
NOX emission limitation by use of a continuous emission
monitoring system meeting the requirements of 40 CFR part 75. As
discussed further in this document, the EPA has reviewed these changes
and we have determined they are reasonable and consistent with BART and
other CAA requirements.
Ecology also updated the First Revised BART Order 6426 to reflect a
July 13, 2017 amendment to the 2011 MOA signed between TransAlta and
the Governor, included in the docket for this action (2017 MOA). The
2017 amendment states that TransAlta shall, ``permanently cease coal-
fired power generation operations of one Boiler in 2020 and the other
Boiler in 2025, which dates are prior to the 2035 end of their expected
useful lives, in each case pursuant to the terms and subject to the
conditions of this MOA.'' This text is now mirrored in the Schedule for
Compliance section of the second revised BART Order 6426 (2020 BART
Order 6426). The 2017 MOA makes clear that TransAlta is not precluded
from the possibility of retrofitting the facility to natural gas, or
other non-coal energy source, as long as it meets the statutory
requirements of Chapter 80.80 RCW.
IV. Evaluation of the Washington SIP Submission
EPA proposes to approve the 2020 BART Order 6426 as meeting BART
for NOX for TransAlta. The 2020 BART Order 6426 is
consistent with the requirements of 40 CFR 51.308(e) and 40 CFR part
51, subpart Y. Specifically, Ecology either retained or strengthened
the NOX emissions limits. Ecology also justified the removal
of certain parametric monitoring and demonstrated that the 2020 BART
Order 6426 remains enforceable as a practical matter. Finally, the
revision to the Schedule for Compliance section does not substantively
change TransAlta's compliance obligations as compared to the First
Revised BART Order 6426. As with the First Revised BART Order 6426, the
2020 BART Order 6426 will have the practical effect of prohibiting coal
burning beyond the specified schedule.
Regarding future repowering of TransAlta with fuels other than
coal, in the submission, Ecology stated with respect to regional haze
that, ``If TransAlta decides to switch to non-coal power generation, a
Notice of Construction application would need to be submitted to
Southwest Clean Air Agency by the company. Ecology would require the
company to do, at a minimum, emissions modeling that would be required
under the BART process to quantify the visibility impacts resulting
from the operation as a natural gas boiler plant (EGU). This is similar
to what we would require of a new power plant to determine if it meets
the requirements of WAC 173-400-117, special protection requirements
for federal Class I areas.'' Ecology further explained, ``Since
TransAlta has not requested repowering at this time, this issue will
not be addressed in this BART order revision.''
The EPA agrees that any non-coal repowering, should TransAlta
submit a Notice of Construction application in the future, is outside
the scope of this current action focused on the improved
[[Page 13259]]
NOX controls. Any future ``new source'' as defined in the
SIP-approved provisions of Southwest Clean Air Agency (SWCAA) 400-
030(77), would need to meet all CAA requirements for protection of the
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and regional haze.
Specifically, SWCAA 400-030(77) states:
``New source'' means one or more of the following:
(a) The construction or modification of a ``stationary source''
that increases the amount of any air contaminant emitted by such
``stationary source'' or that results in the emission of any air
contaminant not previously emitted;
(b) Any other project that constitutes a ``new source'' under the
Federal Clean Air Act;
(c) Restart of a ``stationary source'' after permanent shutdown;
(d) The installation or construction of a new ``emission unit'';
(e) Relocation of a ``stationary source'' to a new location, except
in the case of portable sources operating under a valid permit as
provided in SWCAA 400-110(6);
(f) Replacement or modification of the burner(s) in a combustion
source; or
(g) Modification of a combustion source to fire a fuel that the
source was not previously capable of firing.
Any ``new source'' as described by the requirements above would
require a separate action, subject to public participation
requirements, under the SIP-approved new source review permitting
provisions of SWCAA 400 or Chapter 173-400 Washington Administrative
Code (WAC) for Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) provisions
implemented directly by Ecology.
V. Proposed Action
The EPA proposes to approve and incorporate by reference into the
Washington SIP the 2020 BART Order 6426 for the TransAlta Centralia
Generation Plant, state effective July 29, 2020.\2\ The EPA is also
proposing to remove from incorporation by reference the First Revised
BART Order 6426 for the TransAlta Centralia Generation Plant, state
effective December 13, 2011.\3\ The EPA proposes to find that the
changes are designed to improve the operation of pollution controls at
the plant and are consistent with regional haze and other CAA
requirements.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ In the Matter of an Administrative Order Against, TransAlta
Centralia Generation LLC, Second Revision: Order No. 6426, except
the undesignated introductory text, the section titled ``Findings,''
and the undesignated text following condition 9, state effective
July 29, 2020.
\3\ In the Matter of an Administrative Order Against, TransAlta
Centralia Generation LLC, First Revision: Order No. 6426, except the
undesignated introductory text, the section titled ``Findings,'' and
the undesignated text following condition 13, state effective
December 13, 2011.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
VI. Incorporation by Reference
In this document, the EPA is proposing to include in a final rule,
regulatory text that includes incorporation by reference. In accordance
with requirements of 1 CFR 51.5, the EPA is proposing to incorporate by
reference the 2020 BART Order 6246 to TransAlta Centralia Generation
Plant, state effective July 29, 2020, as described in Section III of
this preamble. Also, in this document, the EPA is proposing to remove,
in a final EPA rule, regulatory text that includes incorporation by
reference. In accordance with requirements of 1 CFR 51.5, the EPA is
proposing to remove the incorporation by reference of the first revised
BART Order 6246 to TransAlta Centralia Generation Plant, state-
effective December 13, 2011, as described in Section V of this
preamble. The EPA has made, and will continue to make, these documents
generally available through https://www.regulations.gov and at the EPA
Region 10 Office (please contact the person identified in the For
Further Information Contact section of this preamble for more
information).
VII. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
Under the Clean Air Act, the Administrator is required to approve a
SIP submission that complies with the provisions of the Act and
applicable Federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a).
Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions, the EPA's role is to approve state
choices, provided that they meet the criteria of the Clean Air Act.
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 Orders
12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993) and 13563 (76 FR 3821, January 21,
2011);
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 the requirements would be inconsistent
with the Clean Air Act; and
Does not provide the 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).
The SIP is not approved to apply on any Indian reservation land in
Washington except as specifically noted below and is also not approved
to apply in any other area where the EPA or an Indian tribe has
demonstrated that a tribe has jurisdiction. In those areas of Indian
country, the proposed rule does not have tribal implications and will
not impose substantial direct costs on tribal governments or preempt
tribal law as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November
9, 2000). Washington's SIP is approved to apply on non-trust land
within the exterior boundaries of the Puyallup Indian Reservation, also
known as the 1873 Survey Area. Under the Puyallup Tribe of Indians
Settlement Act of 1989, 25 U.S.C. 1773, Congress explicitly provided
state and local agencies in Washington authority over activities on
non-trust lands within the 1873 Survey Area. Consistent with EPA
policy, the EPA provided a consultation opportunity to the Puyallup
Tribe, and other tribes located in Washington, in a letter dated
September 4, 2020.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Carbon monoxide,
Incorporation by reference, Intergovernmental relations, Lead, Nitrogen
dioxide, Ozone, Particulate matter, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Sulfur oxides, Volatile organic compounds.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
[[Page 13260]]
Dated: February 19, 2021.
Michelle L. Pirzadeh,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 10.
[FR Doc. 2021-03988 Filed 3-5-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P