Environmental Protection Agency November 18, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites public nominations of scientific experts to be considered for appointment to the EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee to provide advice through the chartered SAB regarding Toxicological Reviews of environmental chemicals available on EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 issued a Notice of Intent to Delete the Martin-Marietta/Sodyeco Superfund Site from the National Priorities List (NPL) on September 30, 2011, (76 FR 60777). The NPL, promulgated pursuant to Section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund) of 1980, as amended, is an appendix of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). EPA, with the concurrence of the State of North Carolina, through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), has determined that all appropriate response actions under CERCLA, other than operation, maintenance, and five-year reviews, have been completed. The rationale for deleting the Martin-Marietta/Sodyeco Superfund Site has not changed. The Federal Register notice for the proposed deletion (76 FR 60777) discusses this rationale in detail.

This notice announces that pesticide related information submitted to EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), including information that may have been claimed as Confidential Business Information (CBI) by the submitter, will be transferred to Emergint Technologies, Inc. in accordance with 40 CFR 2.307(h)(3) and 2.308(i)(2). Emergint Technologies, Inc. has been awarded a contract to perform work for OPP, and access to this information will enable Emergint Technologies, Inc. to fulfill the obligations of the contract.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting a public meeting on December 7, 2011, to discuss the analytical methods for Cryptosporidium and the source water monitoring data from the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2 rule). This is the first of at least two meetings on the LT2 rule that EPA will host. At the December meeting, EPA will present its evaluation of the LT2 rule Cryptosporidium source water monitoring data, new information on the performance of Method 1623, as well as the latest information on Method 1623 improvements. A public meeting on the LT2 rule uncovered finished water reservoir requirement will occur in Spring 2012. Matters related to the uncovered finished water reservoir requirement will not be discussed at the December 7, 2011, meeting. The information discussed in these meetings is part of the review of the LT2 rule under the Six Year Review process announced as part of EPA's Retrospective Review Plan under Executive Order (E.O.) 13563 in August 2011. The LT2 rule requires a second round of Cryptosporidium monitoring, which is scheduled to start in 2015. The Stage 2 Microbial and Disinfection Byproducts (M/DBP) Federal Advisory Committee (FAC) recommended that EPA hold a public meeting on these issues prior to the second round of monitoring. Date and Location: The public meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 7, 2011, (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Time), at the EPA East Building, Room 1153, 1201 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460. A separate Federal Register notice will be published to provide information on the date and location of the 2012 public meeting focused on the LT2 uncovered finished water reservoir requirement.

EPA is making a final determination regarding the Charleston, West Virginia nonattainment area (hereafter referred to as the ``Charleston Area'' or the ``Area'') for the 24-hour 2006 fine particulate matter (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). EPA is determining that the Charleston Area has clean data for the 24-hour 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. This determination is based upon complete, quality assured, and certified ambient air monitoring data showing that this area has monitored attainment of the 24-hour 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS based on the 2007-2009 data and data available to date for 2010 in EPA's Air Quality System (AQS) database. EPA's determination releases the Charleston Area from the requirements to submit an attainment demonstration, associated reasonably available control measures, a reasonable further progress plan, contingency measures, and other planning State Implementation Plans (SIPs) related to attainment of the standard for so long as the Area continues to meet the 24-hour 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS.

EPA is proposing to make certain revisions to the 1988 underground storage tank (UST) technical, financial responsibility, and state program approval regulations. These changes establish federal requirements that are similar to key portions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005; they also update certain 1988 UST regulations. Proposed changes include: Adding secondary containment requirements for new and replaced tanks and piping; adding operator training requirements; adding periodic operation and maintenance requirements for UST systems; removing certain deferrals; adding new release prevention and detection technologies; updating codes of practice; making editorial and technical corrections; and updating state program approval requirements to incorporate these new changes. These changes will likely protect human health and the environment by increasing the number of prevented UST releases and quickly detecting them, if they occur.