Environmental Protection Agency 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Commonwealth of Virginia. This revision establishes and requires major new and major modified sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or nitrogen oxides (NOX) to meet certain nonattainment New Source Review (NSR) requirements if they are located (or are proposing to locate) in Virginia's portion of the Ozone Transport Region (OTR). The intended effect of this action is the approval of a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Commonwealth of Virginia for NSR in the OTR.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) is taking final action to approve the nonattainment and maintenance plan for particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to ten micrometers (PM-10) for the Portneuf Valley, PM-10 nonattainment area in Idaho. EPA is also granting Idaho's request to redesignate the Portneuf Valley PM-10 nonattainment area to attainment for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM-10.

This notice announces the initial filing of a pesticide petition proposing the establishment of regulations for the combined residues of prothioconazole and its desthio metabolite in or on soybean commodities.

This notice announces the initial filing of pesticide petitions proposing the establishment or amendment of regulations for residues of pesticide chemicals in or on various commodities.

This notice announces the initial filing of pesticide petitions proposing the establishment of regulations for residues of pirimicarb in or on asparagus, hops, and leafy petioles subgroup.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to promulgate a Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) containing emission limits and compliance determining methods for several sources located in Billings and Laurel, Montana. EPA is proposing a FIP because of our previous partial and limited disapprovals of the Billings/Laurel Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) SIP. The intended effect of this action is to assure attainment of the SO2 national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) in the Billings/Laurel, Montana area. EPA is taking this action under sections 110 and 307 of the Clean Air Act (Act).

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR which is abstracted below describes the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

This notice announces the opening of the application period for the U.S. EPA's first annual Water Efficiency Leader Awards. The awards recognize those organizations and individuals who are providing leadership and innovation in water efficient products and practices. These proposed awards are intended to help foster a nationwide ethic of water efficiency, as well as to inspire, motivate, and recognize efforts to improve water efficiency. This program will enable EPA to document ``best practices'', share information, encourage an ethic of water efficiency, and create a network of water efficiency leaders. Recognition will be given on the basis of persuasive community or organizational leadership in the area of water efficiency, originality and innovativeness, national/global perspective and implications, and overall improvements in water efficiency. Actual (as opposed to anticipated) results are preferred and applicants should be able to demonstrate the amount of water saved. Candidates may be from anywhere in the United States, they may work in either the public or the private sector, and they may be either self-nominated or nominated by a third party. The following sectors are encouraged to apply: Corporations, Industry, Individuals, Non-Governmental Organizations and other Associations, Institutions, and Teams, Local, State, Tribal, and Federal Governments, and Military Individuals and Organizations. In order to be considered, applicants must have a satisfactory compliance record with respect to environmental regulations and requirements. Applications will be judged by a panel of national water efficiency experts from a variety of sectors. The panelists will provide recommendations to EPA, who will then make the final decision. EPA reserves the right to contact nominees for additional information should it be deemed necessary. To Apply: Send a brief description (one page or less) of the water efficient practice. Please remember to include your contact information.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR which is abstracted below describes the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9 announces the intent to delete the T. H. Agriculture and Nutrition site (``the site'') from the National Priorities List (NPL) and requests public comment on this proposed action. The NPL constitutes Appendix B of 40 CFR part 300 which is the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), which EPA promulgated pursuant to section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended. EPA and the State of California, through the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, have determined that the remedial action for the site has been successfully executed.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR which is abstracted below describes the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR which is abstracted below describes the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost.

EPA is proposing to approve a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Commonwealth of Virginia. This revision pertains to the removal of a Consent Agreement from the Virginia SIP. The Consent Agreement was written for the control of emissions of sulfur dioxide from the Burlington Industries facility located in Clarksville, Mecklenburg County, Virginia. This Agreement has been superseded by a federally enforceable state operating permit dated May 17, 2004, which imposes operating restrictions on the facility's boilers and the subsequent shutdown of the remainder of the facility. This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act).

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Interagency Testing Committee (ITC) transmitted its Fifty-Eighth Report to the Administrator of EPA on May 31, 2006. In the 58th ITC Report, which is included with this notice, the ITC is revising the TSCA section 4(e) Priority Testing List by removing 8 High Production Volume (HPV) orphan chemicals, 3 indium compounds, 12 tungsten compounds, and 12 vanadium compounds. Pursuant to the statements made in the 56th and 57th ITC Reports, the ITC is listing 286 new HPV chemicals in the appendix of this 58th ITC Report to provide interested Federal and State agencies, stakeholders, and the public with the Chemical Abstract Registry Numbers (CAS No.) and names of chemicals with production or importation volumes exceeding 1 million pounds on only the 2002 Inventory Update Rule (IUR). In addition, the ITC is providing sources of publicly available data on its website, https://www.epa.gov/opptintr/itc, for 120 of the 286 new HPV chemicals and 120 of the 235 new HPV chemicals listed in the 56th ITC Report. These include sources of acute and chronic toxicity, mutagenicity, reproductive effects or developmental toxicity, ecological effects, environmental fate and National Toxicology Program data for which there were publicly available studies. The ITC is providing these data sources to facilitate the efforts of Federal and State agencies, interested stakeholders, and members of the public in obtaining basic health effects and environmental data for new HPV chemicals.

EPA is taking final action to approve revisions to the Kentucky State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted by the Commonwealth of Kentucky on September 2, 2004, and amended by request dated August 23, 2005. The SIP revisions modify Kentucky's Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and Nonattainment New Source Review (NNSR) regulations in the SIP to address changes to the federal new source review (NSR) regulations, which were promulgated by EPA on December 31, 2002 (67 FR 80186) and November 7, 2003 (68 FR 63021) (commonly referred to as the ``2002 NSR reform rules''). The September 2004 SIP revisions being approved today also include a rule setting a significance level of 100 tons per year (tpy) for ozone depleting substances.

EPA is taking final action to approve revisions to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania State Implementation Plan (SIP). The revisions were submitted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) to establish and require reasonably available control technology (RACT) for eight major sources of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) pursuant to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's (Pennsylvania's or the Commonwealth's) SIP-approved generic RACT regulations. EPA is approving these revisions in accordance with the Clean Air Act (CAA).

EPA is promulgating standards of performance for stationary compression ignition (CI) internal combustion engines (ICE). The standards will implement section 111(b) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) and are based on the Administrator's determination that stationary CI ICE cause, or contribute significantly to, air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare. The intended effect of the standards is to require all new, modified, and reconstructed stationary CI ICE to use the best demonstrated system of continuous emission reduction, considering costs, non-air quality health, and environmental and energy impacts, not just with add-on controls, but also by eliminating or reducing the formation of these pollutants. The final standards will reduce nitrogen oxides (NOX) by an estimated 38,000 tons per year (tpy), particulate matter (PM) by an estimated 3,000 tpy, sulfur dioxide (SO2) by an estimated 9,000 tpy, non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) by an estimated 600 tpy, and carbon monoxide (CO) by an estimated 18,000 tpy in the year 2015.

EPA is taking final action to approve revisions to the Mississippi State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted on August 10, 2005, which include changes made to Mississippi regulations entitled, ``Permit Regulations for the Construction and/or Operation of Air Emissions Equipment'' and ``Regulations for the Prevention of Significant Deterioration of Air Quality.'' The revisions include changes to the State's permitting rules in order to address amendments to the federal New Source Review (NSR) regulations, which were promulgated by EPA on December 31, 2002 and reconsidered with minor changes on November 7, 2003 (collectively, these two final actions are called the ``2002 NSR reform rules''). The August 2005 submittal being approved today also includes changes made to the State's NSR program for minor stationary sources. Specifically, a new rule in Mississippi now allows construction to commence on certain minor sources prior to the applicant receiving a final permit to construct.

This document corrects information published in the Federal Register on May 5, 2006 concerning the issuance of a Prevention of Significant Deterioration (``PSD'') permit for Newmont Nevada Energy Investment, LLC (``Newmont''). We are also providing additional information regarding the issuance of the permit, as well as the denial of review of the permit by EPA's Environmental Appeals Board (``EAB''), that was not published in our May 5, 2006 Federal Register notice.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit a request for a new Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below.

EPA is approving revisions to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) and Operating Permits Programs submitted by the state of Nebraska. This action revises monitoring requirements which were found to be less stringent than the applicable Federal rule; adds permits-by- rule provisions, which would provide a streamlined approach for issuing construction/operating permits for hot mix asphalt plants and small animal incinerators; and deletes the chemical compound ethylene glycol monobutyl ether from the list of regulated hazardous air pollutants in Appendices II and III. Approval of these revisions will ensure consistency between the state and Federally-approved rules, and ensure Federal enforceability of the state's revised air program rules.