Environmental Protection Agency November 7, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA Region 10 today issues a final action for six effluent limits for produced water under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit for Oil and Gas Exploration, Development and Production Facilities in State and Federal Waters in Cook Inlet, Permit No. AKG-31-5000 (Permit). The effluent limits subject to the final action are: mercury, copper, total aromatic hydrocarbons (TAH), total aqueous hydrocarbons (TAqH), silver, and whole effluent toxicity (WET), pursuant to the provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA or ``the Act''), 33 U.S.C. 1251. The Permit continues to allow facilities to apply for permit coverage for exploration, development, and production facilities in Cook Inlet, Alaska that are included in the Coastal and Offshore Subcategories of the Oil and Gas Extraction Point Source Category. State Certification: Section 401 of the Act, 33 U.S.C. 1341, requires EPA to seek a certification from the State that the conditions of the Permit are stringent enough to comply with State water quality standards. EPA obtained a final CWA Section 401 Certification from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) on o.

EPA is proposing to approve, with one condition, State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) on June 17, 2011. These revisions include the 1997 fine particulate matter (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) attainment plan for the Liberty-Clairton nonattainment area (Liberty-Clairton Area) including a request for EPA to make a determination that the appropriate attainment deadline for this nonattainment area is April 5, 2015. EPA is proposing to approve the attainment plan for the Liberty-Clairton Area that includes the emissions inventories, the reasonably available control measures/reasonably available control technology (RACM/RACT), reasonable further progress (RFP), and contingency measures portions of the attainment demonstration, and the transportation conformity motor vehicle emissions budgets (MVEBs) that demonstrate attainment of the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA is proposing to conditionally approve the air quality modeling submitted to demonstrate attainment of the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. In order for EPA to fully approve the modeling analysis, PADEP must update the modeling to ensure that the modeling results in the demonstration continue to be valid, considering the reductions from the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) rule that will replace the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) in 2012, and must submit the revised modeling to EPA within one year after the final conditional approval. EPA is also proposing to determine that the attainment date for the Liberty-Clairton Area is April 5, 2015. These revisions also add the definition of PM2.5, the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS of 15 micrograms per cubic meter ([micro]g/m\3\), the 2006 24-hour NAAQS of 35 [micro]g/m\3\ and the related references to the list of criteria pollutant standards in the Allegheny County Department of Health (ACHD) regulations. EPA is proposing to approve the addition of the definition of PM2.5 and inclusion of the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS into the ACHD regulations. These actions are being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. This ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

EPA proposes to approve the State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Commonwealth of Virginia that revises regulatory language that inadvertently ended its nitrogen oxides (NOX) budget at the end of the 2008 ozone season. In the Final Rules section of this Federal Register, EPA is approving the State's SIP submittal as a direct final rule without prior proposal because the Agency views this as a noncontroversial submittal and anticipates no adverse comments. A detailed rationale for the approval is set forth in the direct final rule. If no adverse comments are received in response to this action, no further activity is contemplated. If EPA receives adverse comments, the direct final rule will be withdrawn and all public comments received will be addressed in a subsequent final rule based on this proposed rule. EPA will not institute a second comment period. Any parties interested in commenting on this action should do so at this time.