Environmental Protection Agency June 20, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On June 12, 2008, EPA issued national emission standards for control of hazardous air pollutants (HAP) for the plating and polishing area source category under section 112 of the Clean Air Act (CAA). In today's action, EPA is taking direct final action to amend the national emission standards for HAP (NESHAP) for the plating and polishing area source category. These final amendments clarify that the emission control requirements of the plating and polishing area source NESHAP do not apply to any bench-scale activities. Also, several technical corrections and clarifications that do not make significant changes in the rule's requirements have been made to the rule text. We are making these amendments by direct final rule, without prior proposal, because we view these revisions as noncontroversial and anticipate no adverse comments. Consistent with Executive Order 13563, ``Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review,'' issued on January 18, 2011, this amended rule will increase flexibility and freedom of choice for the public, and make the rule more clear and intelligible which, as a result, will reduce the burden.

The U.S. EPA's Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC) and Small Communities Advisory Subcommittee (SCAS) will meet July 14-15, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois. The Committee meeting will be held at U.S. EPA Region 5, Ralph Metcalfe Federal Building, Lake Michigan conference room, 77 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago, Illinois. The focus of the Committee meeting will be on Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's seven priorities as expressed in her charge to the committee: protecting America's waters; cleaning up our communities; expanding the conversation on environmentalism; improving air quality; taking action on climate change; assuring the safety of chemicals; and building strong partnerships.

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 Chemical Substances Inventory (TSCA Inventory)) to notify EPA and comply with the statutory provisions pertaining to the manufacture of new chemicals. Under TSCA sections 5(d)(2) and 5(d)(3), EPA is required to publish in the Federal Register a notice of receipt of a premanufacture notice (PMN) or an application for a test marketing exemption (TME), and to publish in the Federal Register periodic status reports on the new chemicals under review and the receipt of notices of commencement (NOC) to manufacture those chemicals. This document, which covers the period from April 25, 2011 to May 20, 2011, and provides the required notice and status report, consists of the PMNs and TMEs, both pending or expired, and the NOC to manufacture a new chemical that the Agency has received under TSCA section 5 during this time period.