Environmental Protection Agency February 16, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the requirements of section 122(h)(1) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (``CERCLA''), 42 U.S.C. 9622(h)(1), notice is hereby given of the proposed administrative settlement under section 122(h) of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 9622(h) between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (``EPA'') and Chemical Specialties Incorporated (Chemical Specialties) (collectively, ``Settling Parties''). Chemical Specialties consents to and will not contest EPA's authority to enter into this Agreement or to implement or enforce its terms. By entering into this Agreement, the mutual objective of the Settling Parties is to avoid difficult and prolonged litigation by Chemical Specialties making a monetary payment to address its alleged civil liability for the Site. In return, the Chemical Specialties receives a Covenant Not to Sue by the EPA. The EPA has incurred response costs, starting in January 2003 and extending through June 2004, totaling approximately $239,636.70, and additional response costs from June 2004 to the present. EPA alleges that Chemical Specialties is a responsible party pursuant to Section 107(a) of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 9607(a), and is jointly and severally liable for response costs incurred and to be incurred at or in connection with the Site. EPA has reviewed the Financial Information submitted by the Chemical Specialties to determine whether the Chemical Specialties is financially able to pay response costs incurred and to be incurred at the Site. Based upon this Financial Information, and its review completed July 13, 2005, EPA has determined that Chemical Specialties has limited financial ability to pay for response costs incurred and to be incurred at and in connection with the Site. Chemical Specialties has agreed to pay to the EPA Hazardous Substance Superfund $22,000.00, plus an additional amount for interest. The Settling Parties recognize that this Agreement has been negotiated in good faith and that this Agreement is entered into without the admission or adjudication of any issue of fact or law.

The EPA is announcing three public hearings to be held jointly for two proposed rules``National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter'' and ``Revisions to Ambient Air Monitoring Regulations'' that were published in the Federal Register on January 17, 2006 (71 FR 2620 and 71 FR 2710). The hearings will be held concurrently in Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and San Franciso, California. In the proposed rule entitled ``National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter,'' EPA proposes to make revisions to the primary and secondary national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM) to provide requisite protection of public health and welfare, respectively, and to make corresponding revisions in monitoring reference methods and data handling conventions for PM. In the ``Revisions to Ambient Air Monitoring Regulations,'' EPA is proposing to revise the ambient air monitoring requirements for criteria pollutants. The proposal establishes ambient air monitoring requirements in support of the proposed revisions to the NAAQS for PM and proposes other changes to better serve current and future air quality management and research needs.