Environmental Protection Agency – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a clean data determination (CDD) for the Piti-Cabras, Guam sulfur dioxide (SO2) nonattainment area ("Piti-Cabras area") based on our determination that the area has attained the 2010 1-hour SO2 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS, "standard," or "2010 SO2 NAAQS"). In designated nonattainment areas where air quality data demonstrate that a NAAQS has been attained, the EPA interprets certain requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA) as no longer applicable for so long as air quality continues to meet the standard. Under this Clean Data Policy, the EPA may issue a determination of attainment, known as a CDD, that a nonattainment area is attaining the relevant NAAQS. If finalized, this proposed CDD would suspend the obligation to submit certain attainment planning requirements for the Piti-Cabras area for as long as the area continues to attain the 2010 SO2 NAAQS or until the area is formally redesignated.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an information collection request (ICR), NSPS for the Phosphate Fertilizer Industry (EPA ICR Number 1061.16, OMB Control Number 2060-0037) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through June 30, 2025. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on August 6, 2024 during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving revisions to the New York State Implementation Plan (SIP) concerning the control and reduction of sulfur and particulate matter emissions from facilities in New York State. The SIP revisions consist of amendments to regulations outlined within New York's Codes, Rules and Regulations (NYCRR) for sulfur in fuel limits and the use of waste oil as fuel. The intended effect of the revisions is to approve control strategies, required by the Clean Air Act (CAA), which will result in emission reductions that will help attain and maintain National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for sulfur dioxide and fine particulate matter emissions throughout New York State. Additionally, the revisions will establish applicability criteria, composition limits, and permitting requirements for waste oils; provide monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements for facilities that are determined eligible to burn waste oil; update conditions required for the firing of waste oils in space heaters at automotive maintenance/service facilities to align with both Federal and New York State hazardous waste regulations; and simplify and streamline implementation of the regulation through the correction of typographical errors and elimination of obsolete regulatory references within provisions. This action is being taken in accordance with the requirements of the CAA.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an information collection request (ICR), NESHAP for Chromium Emissions from Hard and Decorative Chromium Electroplating and Chromium Anodizing Tanks (EPA ICR Number 1611.14, OMB Control Number 2060-0327) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through June 30, 2025. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on August 6, 2024 during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making an interim final determination that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has submitted a rule on behalf of the Eastern Kern Air Pollution Control District (EKAPCD or "District") that addresses deficiencies in its Clean Air Act (CAA or "Act") State Implementation Plan (SIP) concerning emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOX) from stationary gas turbines. This determination is based on a proposed approval, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, of EKAPCD Rule 425 that regulates this category of sources. The effect of this interim final determination is that the application of offset sanctions that was triggered by a previous limited disapproval by the EPA in 2023 is now stayed, and the application of highway sanctions is now deferred. If the EPA finalizes its approval of EKAPCD's submission, relief from these sanctions will become permanent.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator signed an order dated January 7, 2025, granting in part and denying in part a petition dated July 10, 2024, from Del Amo Action Committee. The petition requested that the EPA object to a Clean Air Act (CAA) title V operating permit renewal issued by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to Torrance Refining Company, LLC, located in Los Angeles County, California.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an information collection request (ICR), NESHAP for Flexible Polyurethane Foam Product (EPA ICR Number 1783.12, OMB Control Number 2060-0357) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through June 30, 2025. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on August 6, 2024 during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) has submitted updated regulations for receiving delegation and approval of its program for the implementation and enforcement of certain National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for all sources, as provided for under previously approved delegation mechanisms. The updated State regulations incorporate by reference certain NESHAP promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as they existed through June 30, 2022. The EPA is providing notice that it is taking final action to approve the delegation of certain NESHAP to ODEQ. The final delegation of authority under this action applies to sources located in certain areas of Indian country as discussed herein.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to find that the Huntington County, Indiana nonattainment area failed to attain the 2010 Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) by the applicable attainment date of April 9, 2023. EPA is also proposing to approve revisions into the Indiana State Implementation Plan (SIP) intended to provide for attainment of the 2010 SO2 NAAQS for the Huntington County nonattainment area. These SIP submissions include Indiana's attainment demonstration and other planning elements required under the Clean Air Act (CAA), and a Commissioner's Order containing enforceable emission limits. Further, EPA is proposing to find that the provisions of Indiana's SIP submittal adequately provide for attainment of the NAAQS and that the plan meets all other applicable CAA requirements.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing approval of a revision to the Guam State Implementation Plan (SIP). This revision governs the Guam Environmental Protection Agency's (GEPA's) issuance of permits for stationary sources and focuses on the preconstruction review and permitting of major sources and major modifications under part D of title I of the Clean Air Act (CAA or "the Act"). We are taking comments on this proposal and plan to follow with a final action.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve the regional haze state implementation plan (SIP) revision submitted by California on August 9, 2022 (hereinafter the "2022 California Regional Haze Plan" or "the Plan"), under the Clean Air Act (CAA) and the EPA's Regional Haze Rule for the program's second implementation period. California's SIP submission addresses the requirement that states must periodically revise their long-term strategies for making reasonable progress towards the national goal of preventing any future, and remedying any existing, anthropogenic impairment of visibility, including regional haze, in mandatory Class I Federal areas. The SIP submission also addresses other applicable requirements for the second implementation period of the regional haze program. The EPA is proposing this action pursuant to CAA sections 110 and 169A. The EPA is also withdrawing its previous proposed rule to partially approve and partially disapprove California's regional haze SIP revision as published in the Federal Register on December 19, 2024.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve the Indiana regional haze state implementation plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM or Indiana) on December 29, 2021, as satisfying applicable requirements under the Clean Air Act (CAA) and EPA's Regional Haze Rule (RHR) for the program's second implementation period. EPA proposes to find that IDEM's SIP submission addresses the requirement that States must periodically revise their long-term strategies for making reasonable progress towards the national goal of preventing any future, and remedying any existing, anthropogenic impairment of visibility, including regional haze, in mandatory Class I Federal areas, and also addresses other applicable requirements for the second implementation period of the regional haze program. EPA is taking this action pursuant to sections 110 and 169A of the CAA.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve the Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) on August 23, 2021, and supplemented on April 3, 2025, as satisfying applicable requirements under the Clean Air Act (CAA) and EPA's Regional Haze Rule (RHR) for the program's second implementation period. EGLE's SIP submission addresses the requirement that States must periodically revise their long-term strategies for making reasonable progress towards the national goal of preventing any future, and remedying any existing, anthropogenic impairment of visibility, including regional haze, in mandatory Class I Federal areas. The SIP submission also addresses other applicable requirements for the second implementation period of the regional haze program. EPA is taking this action pursuant to sections 110 and 169A of the CAA.

Pursuant to the Federal Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve the portion of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) submittal from the State of Texas demonstrating that the State satisfies the interstate transport requirements, also known as the "good neighbor" provision of the Clean Air Act, for the 2010 1-hour sulfur dioxide (SO2) primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). The good neighbor provision requires each State's implementation plan to contain adequate provisions prohibiting the interstate transport of air pollution in amounts that will contribute significantly to nonattainment, or interfere with maintenance, of a NAAQS in any other State.

Under the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to determine the applicable volume requirements for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for years after those specified in the statute. EPA is proposing the applicable volumes and percentage standards for 2026 and 2027 for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel (BBD), advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel. EPA is also proposing to partially waive the 2025 cellulosic biofuel volume requirement and revise the associated percentage standard due to a shortfall in cellulosic biofuel production. Finally, EPA is proposing several regulatory changes to the RFS program, including reducing the number of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) generated for imported renewable fuel and renewable fuel produced from foreign feedstocks and removing renewable electricity as a qualifying renewable fuel under the RFS program (eRINs).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is granting a petition submitted by WRB Refining in Borger, Texas to exclude (or "delist") 7,000 cubic yards of F037 (petroleum refinery sludge) solids to be removed from their stormwater storage tanks for a one-time delisting. This determination is based on information the petitioner provided to the Agency, completion of sampling, and risk assessment using the Delisting Risk Assessment Software (DRAS) to determine whether the waste poses a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported or disposed of, or otherwise managed. This final rule responds to a petition submitted by WRB Refinery to exclude stormwater solids from the definition of a hazardous waste. If not delisted, the stormwater solids are listed as F037 (primary oil/water/solids separation sludge). After careful analysis of the petition and evaluation of comments submitted by the public, the EPA has concluded that the petitioned waste is not hazardous waste when disposed of in Subtitle D landfills. This exclusion applies to the stormwater solids generated at WRB Refinery Borger, Texas facility. Accordingly, this final rule excludes the petitioned waste from the requirements of hazardous waste regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) when disposed of in a Subtitle D landfill but imposes testing conditions to ensure that the future-generated waste remain qualified for delisting.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) has received a complete Underground Injection Control (UIC) program revision application from the State of Texas, requesting primary enforcement responsibility (primacy) for Class VI injection wells under Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) section 1422. The EPA's approval would allow the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) to issue and enforce compliance with UIC Class VI permits for injection wells used for geologic carbon sequestration. In this action, the EPA proposes to approve Texas' application to implement the UIC program for Class VI injection wells located within the State, except those on Indian lands.

In this action, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to repeal all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants. The EPA is proposing that the Clean Air Act (CAA) requires it to make a finding that GHG emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants contribute significantly to dangerous air pollution, as a predicate to regulating GHG emissions from those plants. The EPA is further proposing to make a finding that GHG emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants do not contribute significantly to dangerous air pollution. The EPA is also proposing, as an alternative, to repeal a narrower set of requirements that includes the emission guidelines for existing fossil fuel-fired steam generating units, the carbon capture and sequestration/storage (CCS)-based standards for coal-fired steam generating units undertaking a large modification, and the CCS-based standards for new base load stationary combustion turbines.

This regulation establishes an exemption from the requirement of a tolerance for residues of Vadescana double-stranded (ds) RNA in or on honey and honeycomb if used according to the label and good agricultural practices. GreenLight Biosciences, Inc. submitted a petition to the EPA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), requesting an exemption from the requirement of a tolerance. This regulation eliminates the need to establish a maximum permissible level for residues of Vadescana dsRNA (Varroa destructor-Specific Recombinant Double-Stranded Interfering Oligonucleotide EP15) under FFDCA when used in accordance with this exemption.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a state implementation plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of West Virginia. This revision updates West Virginia's incorporation by reference (IBR) of EPA's national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) and the associated monitoring reference and equivalent methods. This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a state implementation plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Delaware. This SIP revision addresses Clean Air Act (CAA) requirements for the enactment of a Basic vehicle emissions inspection and maintenance (I/M) program for the Delaware portion (i.e., New Castle County) of the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, Pa-NJ-MD- DE Nonattainment Area (Philadelphia NAA) for the 2015 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

On January 16, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule in the Federal Register approving revisions to the Maricopa County Air Quality Department (MCAQD or "County") portion of the Arizona State Implementation Plan (SIP). In that rulemaking, the EPA inadvertently published numbering errors in the regulatory text codifying the approval in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). This document corrects the errors in the final rule's regulatory text.

The Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended, commonly referred to as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), allows the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to authorize States to operate their hazardous waste management programs in lieu of the Federal program. Utah has applied to EPA for final authorization of the changes to its hazardous waste program under RCRA. The EPA has determined that these changes satisfy all requirements needed to qualify for final authorization and is authorizing Utah's changes through this final action. Additionally, the EPA will finalize the codification and incorporation by reference of the State's authorized hazardous waste program.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), this document announces the availability of and solicits public comment on the following Information Collection Request (ICR) that EPA is planning to submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): "Access to TSCA Confidential Business Information under TSCA section 14(d)(4), (5), and (6)," identified by EPA ICR No. 2570.03 and OMB Control No. 2070-0209. This ICR represents a renewal of an existing ICR that is currently approved through March 31, 2026. Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval under the PRA, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the information collection that is summarized in this document. The ICR and accompanying material are available in the docket for public review and comment.