Environmental Protection Agency October 28, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to Clean Water Act Section 312(f)(3) (33 U.S.C. 1322(f)(3)), the State of New York has determined that the protection and enhancement of the quality of Jamaica Bay (the Bay) in the New York City metropolitan area requires greater environmental protection, and has petitioned the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 2, for a determination that adequate facilities for the safe and sanitary removal and treatment of sewage from all vessels are reasonably available for those waters, so that the State may completely prohibit the discharge from all vessels of any sewage, whether treated or not, into such waters. The New York State Department of Conservation (NYSDEC) on behalf of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) has proposed to establish a Vessel Waste No Discharge Zone (NDZ) for the Bay that covers an area of approximately 20,000 acres (17,177 acres of open water and 2,695 acres of upland islands and salt marshes). It is bounded on the west and northwest by Brooklyn, and on the north and northeast by Queens. The northeastern and southeastern corners of the Bay are bordered by Nassau County. The northern shore of the Rockaway Peninsula, a part of Queens, forms the southern boundary. The Bay is connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the Rockaway Inlet and has a tidal range of approximately 5 to 6 feet. The NYSDEC certified the need for greater protection of the water quality. EPA hereby makes a final affirmative determination that adequate facilities for the safe and sanitary removal and treatment of sewage from all vessels are reasonably available for the Bay. EPA published a tentative affirmative determination on August 3, 2011 in the Federal Register. Public comments were solicited for 30 days and the comment period ended on September 2, 2011. EPA received a total of twenty (25) comments via letter and email. The comment tally was twenty-three (23) in favor of, and two (2) questioning or opposing, the No Discharge Zone designation. All the relevant comments received have been considered in the final affirmative determination. This Federal Register document will address all comments submitted in response to the August 3, 2011 (Volume 76 Issue 149) Federal Register document.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, notice is hereby given that the next meeting of the Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee (CHPAC) will be held November 16 and 17 at 2660 Woodley Road NW., Washington, DC 20008. The CHPAC advises the Environmental Protection Agency on science, regulations, and other issues relating to children's environmental health.

The EPA is announcing an extension of the public comment period for its draft non-binding guidance titled, ``Guidance for 1-Hour SO2 SIP Submissions.'' The draft of the guidance document is currently on the EPA's Web site. The EPA is extending the comment period for an additional 30-day period and invites public comments on this guidance during this period. The EPA plans to issue an updated version of the guidance after reviewing timely submitted comments.