Environmental Protection Agency August 8, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA is announcing the availability of a memorandum entitled ``Award of Special Appropriations Act Project Grants Authorized by the Agency's FY 2008 Appropriations Act.'' This memorandum provides information and guidelines on how EPA will award and administer grants for the special projects identified in the State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG) account of the Agency's FY 2008 Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 110-161). The STAG account provides budget authority for funding identified water, wastewater and groundwater infrastructure projects. Each grant recipient will receive a copy of this document from EPA.

Section 5 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requires any person who intends to manufacture (defined by statute to include import) a new chemical (i.e., a chemical not on the TSCA Inventory) to notify EPA and comply with the statutory provisions pertaining to the manufacture of new chemicals. Under sections 5(d)(2) and 5(d)(3) of TSCA, EPA is required to publish a notice of receipt of a premanufacture notice (PMN) or an application for a test marketing exemption (TME), and to publish periodic status reports on the chemicals under review and the receipt of notices of commencement to manufacture those chemicals. This status report, which covers the period from June 23, 2008 through July 18, 2008, consists of the PMNs and TMEs, both pending or expired, and the notices of commencement to manufacture a new chemical that the Agency has received under TSCA section 5 during this time period.

EPA expressed environmental concerns because the Draft EIS does not identify a specific product delivery/customer use scenario for the new preferred alternative, discuss how the environmental impacts of future coal delivery/customer use scenarios will be analyzed, or describe greenhouse gas emissions from the proposed project. Rating EC2. EIS No. 20080154, ERP No. D-FHW-D40342-MD, U.S. 50 Crossing Study, Transportation Improvement from MD 611 to MD 378; and 3rd Street to Somerset Street, Funding, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army COE Section 10 and 404 Permits, Worcester County, MD. Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about dredging and impacts to bird habitat. Rating EC1. EIS No. 20080162, ERP No. D-FRC-D03016-MD, Sparrows Point Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Import Terminal Expansion and Natural Gas Pipeline Facilities, Construction and Operation, Application Authorization, U.S. COE section 10 and 404 Permits, Baltimore County, MD. Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about the potential impacts associated with the proposed terminal. In particular, EPA expressed concerns about the potential water quality impacts associated with the proposed dredging for the terminal and noted that the Draft EIS did not contain sufficient information to fully assess the project's impacts. Rating EC2. EIS No. 20080165, ERP No. D-FHW-L59003-00, Interstate 5 Columbia River Crossing Project, Bridge, Transit, and Highway Improvements, from State Route 500 in Vancouver, WA to Columbia Boulevard in Portland, OR, Funding, U.S. COE section 10 & 404 Permits, NPDES Permit. Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about the potential impacts to the Troutdale Sole Source Aquifer, environmental justice, and aquatic resources impacts, and requested additional analysis for project related air quality impacts be included in the FEIS. Rating EC2. EIS No. 20080203, ERP No. D-UCG-A99225-00, Dry Cargo Residue (DCR) Discharges in the Great Lakes, To Regulate Nonhazardous and Nontoxic DRC Sweeping from Vessels in the Great Lakes that Fall under the Jurisdiction of the United States. Summary: EPA does not object to the proposed action. Rating LO. EIS No. 20080222, ERP No. D-COE-E39074-FL, South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Project, Propose to Construct and Operate Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) on Compartment B and C of the Everglades Agriculture Area, U.S. Army COE section 404 Permit, Palm Beach and Hendry Counties, FL. Summary: EPA is fully supportive of the construction of the proposed Stormwater Treatment Areas (STA). However, EPA expressed environmental concerns about the wetland impacts of the total STA footprints, the discharge of STA waters, and some of the assumptions and technical analyses, and requested that the Final EIS provide additional information and analyses. Rating EC2. EIS No. 20080228, ERP No. D-AFS-L65555-WA, Republic Ranger Station Excess Residence Sale Project, Proposes to Sell a 0.72 Acre Parcel of Land with a Residential Building, Republic Ranger District, Colville National Forest, Ferry County, WA. Summary: EPA does not object to the proposed action. Rating LO. EIS No. 20080169, ERP No. DR-COE-K39099-CA, Berth 97-109 (China Shipping) Container Terminal Project, Construction and Operation, Issuance of Section 404 (CWA) and Section 10 Rivers and Harbor Act Permits, Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA. Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about impacts to air quality, environmental justice communities, and aquatic and biological resources. EPA recommended commitments to meet and exceed San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan air emission requirements, coordination with the environmental justice community to identify additional measures to offset health impacts, avoidance of fill, and development of a port-wide marine mammal vessel strike reduction program. Rating EC2. EIS No. 20080210, ERP No. DS-FHW-F40415-IN, U.S. 31 Improvement Project (I-465 to IN 38), between I-465 North Leg and IN-38, Updated Information, NPDES Permit and U.S. Army section 10 and 404 Permits, Hamilton County, IN. Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about impacts to water quality, public drinking water supplies, and streams. Rating EC2.