Environmental Protection Agency June 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In this notice, EPA is notifying the public that EPA has found that the 2009 motor vehicle emissions budgets in the April 17, 2007 Connecticut State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision are adequate for transportation conformity purposes. The submittal included MOBILE6.2 motor vehicle emissions budgets for 2009 for the Connecticut portion of the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT PM2.5 Area. On March 2, 1999, the D.C. Circuit Court ruled that budgets in submitted SIPs cannot be used for conformity determinations until EPA has affirmatively found them adequate. As a result of our finding, the State of Connecticut can use the MOBILE6.2 motor vehicle emissions budgets from the submitted plan for future conformity determinations for the Connecticut portion of the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT PM2.5 area.

This notice requests comment on draft risk management evaluations being developed pursuant to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) for the following chemicals which are being reviewed for possible addition to the Stockholm Convention's Annexes A, B, and/or C: Chlordecone (CAS No. 143-50-0), hexabromobiphenyl (HBB) (CAS No. 36355-01-8), lindane (CAS No. 58-89- 9), pentabromodiphenyl ether (PeBDE) (CAS No. 32534-81-9), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Additionally, this notice requests comment on draft risk profiles being developed pursuant to the Stockholm Convention for the following chemicals which are also being reviewed for possible addition to the Stockholm Convention's Annexes A, B, and/or C: Alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane (alpha-HCH) (CAS No. 319-84- 6), beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH) (CAS No. 319-85-7), commercial octabromodiphenyl ether (octaBDE) (CAS No. 32536-52-0 ), pentachlorobenzene (PeCB) (CAS No. 608-93-5), and short-chained chlorinated paraffins (SCCP) (CAS No. 85535-84-8). EPA is issuing this notice in advance of the aforementioned documents' release to increase awareness of the status of the reviews of certain proposals under the Stockholm Convention, to alert interested and potentially affected persons of the documents' pending release, and to request comments on them when they are available for EPA's consideration in its development of comments of the documents and its submission to the Stockholm Convention Secretariat (hereafter Secretariat).

The Local Government Advisory Committee Steering Committee and the Small Community Advisory Subcommittee (SCAS) will meet via conference call(s). The conference call in number is (866) 299-3188 and the conference code, when prompted is ``2025642791''. Local Government Advisory Committee Steering Committee will meet via conference call(s) on the following dates:

EPA expressed environmental concerns about impacts to water quality, impacts to wetlands, impacts from noxious and invasive weeds, and impacts to wildlife habitat. Also, the final EIS should include information about future interactions with the soon to be completed cellulosic ethanol plant. Rating EC2. EIS No. 20070119, ERP No. D-NOA-L02034-AK, PROGRAMMATICOuter Continental Shelf Seismic Surveys in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, Proposed Offshore Oil and Gas Seismic Survey, AK. Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about the uncertainties presented in the document that do not provide support for many of the documents alternatives and conclusions. EPA also requested that the cumulative effects analysis be expanded. Rating EC2. EIS No. 20070122, ERP No. D-BLM-J03020-00, Overland Pass Natural Gas Liquids Pipeline Project (OPP), Construction and Operation of 760 Mile Natural Gas Liquids Pipeline, Right-of-Way Grant, KS, WY and CO. Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about potential impacts to river and stream water quality. EPA requested additional analysis of water quality impacts and mitigation measures. Rating EC2. EIS No. 20070154, ERP No. D-NOA-E91018-00, Amendment 27 to the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan and Amendment 14 to the Shrimp Fishery Management Plan, To Address Stock Rebuilding and Overfishing of Red Snapper, Gulf of Mexico. Summary: EPA does not object to the proposed actions. Rating LO. EIS No. 20070140, ERP No. DR-NOA-A91073-00, PROGRAMMATICToward an Ecosystem Approach for the Western Pacific Region: From Species-Based Fishery Management Plans to Place-Based Fishery Ecosystem Plans, Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish, Coral Reef Ecosystems, Crustaceans, Precious Corals, Pelagics, Implementation, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Hawaii, U.S. Pacific Remote Island Area. Summary: EPA expressed a lack of objections to the proposed action. Rating LO.

EPA is proposing to approve a redesignation request and State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) is requesting that the Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle ozone nonattainment area (``Harrisburg Area'' or ``Area'') be redesignated as attainment for the 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). The Area is comprised of the counties of Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon, and Perry. EPA is proposing to approve the ozone redesignation request for the Harrisburg Area. In conjunction with its redesignation request, the Commonwealth submitted a SIP revision consisting of a maintenance plan for the Harrisburg Area that provides for continued attainment of the 8-hour ozone NAAQS for at least 10 years after redesignation. EPA is proposing to make a determination that the Harrisburg Area has attained the 8-hour ozone NAAQS, based upon three years of complete, quality-assured ambient air quality monitoring data for 2003-2005. EPA's proposed approval of the 8-hour ozone redesignation request is based on its determination that the Harrisburg Area has met the criteria for redesignation to attainment specified in the Clean Air Act (CAA). In addition, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has also submitted a 2002 base-year inventory for the Harrisburg Area, and EPA is proposing to approve that inventory for the Harrisburg Area as a SIP revision. EPA is also providing information on the status of its adequacy determination for the motor vehicle emission budgets (MVEBs) that are identified in the maintenance plan for the Harrisburg Area for purposes of transportation conformity, and is also proposing to approve those MVEBs. EPA is proposing approval of the redesignation request and of the maintenance plan and 2002 base-year inventory SIP revisions in accordance with the requirements of the CAA.

EPA is approving a redesignation request and a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VADEQ) is requesting that the Richmond-Petersburg nonattainment area (herein referred to as the ``Richmond Area'' or the ``Area'') be redesignated as attainment for the 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). In conjunction with its redesignation request, the Commonwealth submitted a SIP revision consisting of a maintenance plan for the Richmond Area that provides for continued attainment of the 8-hour ozone NAAQS for the next 11 years, until 2018. Concurrently, EPA is approving the Commonwealth's maintenance plan for the 8-hour ozone standard. EPA is not taking final action in this rulemaking on the Commonwealth's request that the 8-hour maintenance plan supersede the previous maintenance plan for the 1-hour standard. EPA is also approving the adequacy determination for the motor vehicle emission budgets (MVEBs) that are identified in the Richmond 8-hour maintenance plan for purposes of transportation conformity, and is approving those MVEBs. EPA is also approving the 2002 base year emissions inventory for the Area. EPA is approving the redesignation request, the maintenance plan, and the 2002 base year emissions inventory as revisions to the Virginia SIP in accordance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

This notice announces receipt of applications to register pesticide products containing new active ingredients not included in any currently registered products pursuant to the provisions of section 3(c)(4) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as amended.