Environmental Protection Agency December 26, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA is proposing to approve State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the Commonwealth of Virginia. These revisions amend the existing volatile organic compound (VOC) and nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions control areas, and amend certain VOC and NOX regulations in order to manage the extension of applicability of these provisions to the amended VOC and NOX emission control areas. This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act).

The EPA is announcing a public hearing for the proposed ``Revisions of Standards of Performance for New and Existing Stationary Sources; Electric Utility Steam Generating Units; Federal Plan Requirements for Clean Air Mercury Rule; and Revisions of Acid Rain Program Rules''. For convenience, we refer to the proposal as the Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR) Federal Plan. The hearing will be held on January 18, 2007 in Washington, DC.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is amending the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan requirements by: first, providing the option for owners and operators of facilities that store 10,000 gallons of oil or less and meet other qualifying criteria to self-certify their SPCC Plans in lieu of review and certification by a Professional Engineer; second, providing an alternative to the general secondary containment requirement without requiring a determination of impracticability for facilities that have particular types of oil-filled equipment; third, defining and exempting particular vehicle fuel tanks and other on-board bulk oil storage containers used for motive power; and fourth, exempting mobile refuelers from the sized secondary containment requirements for bulk storage containers. The Agency also is removing and reserving the SPCC requirements for animal fats and vegetable oils that are specific to onshore oil production facilities, onshore oil drilling and workover facilities, and offshore oil drilling, production, or workover facilities. Finally, the Agency is extending the SPCC compliance dates for farms. These changes significantly reduce the burden imposed on the regulated community for complying with the SPCC requirements, while maintaining protection of human health and the environment. In a separate document in this Federal Register, the Agency is proposing to extend the compliance dates for all facilities.