Environmental Protection Agency March 27, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, EPA gives notice of a meeting of the National Advisory Committee (NAC) and Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) to the U.S. Representative to the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). The National and Governmental Advisory Committees advise the EPA Administrator in his capacity as the U.S. Representative to the CEC Council. The Committees are authorized under Articles 17 and 18 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, Public Law 103-182, and as directed by Executive Order 12915, entitled ``Federal Implementation of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation.'' The NAC is composed of 12 members representing academia, environmental non-governmental organizations, and private industry. The GAC consists of 12 members representing state, local, and Tribal governments. The Committees are responsible for providing advice to the U.S. Representative on a wide range of strategic, scientific, technological, regulatory, and economic issues related to implementation and further elaboration of the NAAEC. The purpose of the meeting is to review the CEC's Trade and Environment projects and assist in the development of U.S. priorities for the CEC Council Session in June 2008. The meeting will also include a public comment session. A copy of the agenda will be posted at http:/ /www.epa.gov/ocem/nacgac-page.htm.

This notice announces the availability of, and opportunity to comment on, an EPA decision reconsidering its decision to approve the omission of microcystin toxins listings for three segments of the Klamath River in California and identifying microcystin toxins as an additional cause of impairment for a segment of the Klamath River pursuant to Clean Water Act section 303(d)(2). Section 303(d)(2) requires that states submit and EPA approve or disapprove lists of waters for which existing technology-based pollution controls are not stringent enough to attain or maintain state water quality standards and for which total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) must be prepared.

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 to renew an existing approved Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This ICR is scheduled to expire on August 31, 2008. 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.

The EPA is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted on November 29, 2007 by the State of Rhode Island. This SIP revision includes a regulation that prohibits the unnecessary idling of diesel engines and vehicles in Rhode Island. The regulation sets limits for the amount of time and under what conditions diesel engines may idle. EPA is approving the rule because the standards and requirements set by the rule will strengthen the Rhode Island SIP. The intended effect of this action is to approve this rule into the Rhode Island SIP. EPA is approving this rule pursuant to the Clean Air Act.

Based on its review of the air quality criteria for ozone (O3) and related photochemical oxidants and national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for O3, EPA is making revisions to the primary and secondary NAAQS for O3 to provide requisite protection of public health and welfare, respectively. With regard to the primary standard for O3, EPA is revising the level of the 8-hour standard to 0.075 parts per million (ppm), expressed to three decimal places. With regard to the secondary standard for O3, EPA is revising the current 8- hour standard by making it identical to the revised primary standard. EPA is also making conforming changes to the Air Quality Index (AQI) for O3, setting an AQI value of 100 equal to 0.075 ppm, 8- hour average, and making proportional changes to the AQI values of 50, 150 and 200.