Environmental Protection Agency July 12, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This action notifies the public that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or ``the Agency'') has received a petition for rulemaking from Friends of the Earth (FOE) and another separate request for rulemaking under section 312 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). In general these rulemaking-related requests ask EPA to revise its regulations establishing performance standards for vessel sewage treatment devices under the CWA. The rulemaking petition from FOE also requests that EPA establish monitoring, recordkeeping and reporting requirements under the CWA to ensure compliance with the performance standards. EPA has not made a decision on whether to grant or deny the rulemaking requests, nor is the Agency proposing any changes to the performance standards or other provisions of its regulations at this time. Rather, the purpose of today's Notice is simply to make the public aware of the issues raised in the requests for rulemaking and to obtain the public's input, in the form of comment and relevant information, to help EPA determine appropriate action in response to each of these requests. In particular, EPA seeks input regarding: The universe of vessels operating on navigable waters that use sewage treatment devices; technical information on the performance, effectiveness and costs of vessel sewage treatment devices, including performance testing data; suggestions on what, if any, changes to the performance standards might be appropriate; and information on monitoring, recordkeeping and reporting approaches for vessel sewage discharges.

EPA's regulations require that the Regional Administrator either withdraw the Spruce No. 1 Proposed Determination or prepare a Recommended Determination within 30 days after the conclusion of the public hearing (40 CFR 231.5(a)). However, in order to allow full consideration of the extensive record, including over 4000 public comments we received, EPA finds there is good cause to extend the time period provided in 40 CFR 231.5(a) until September 24, 2010. This time extension was made under authority of 40 CFR 231.8, which allows for such extensions upon a showing of good cause.

EPA is approving Wisconsin's requests to redesignate the Manitowoc County and Door County, Wisconsin nonattainment areas to attainment for the 1997 8-hour ozone standard because the requests meet the statutory requirements for redesignation under the Clean Air Act (CAA). The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) submitted these requests on September 11, 2009.