Environmental Protection Agency March 23, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with section 6(f)(1) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as amended, EPA is issuing a notice of receipt of a request by the registrant to voluntarily amend its metaldehyde product registration to terminate or delete one or more uses. The request would delete metaldehyde use in or on all but the following sites: Artichokes, blueberries, caneberries (bingleberry, black raspberry, blackberry, boysenberry, dewberry, lowberry, marionberry, olallieberry, red raspberry, youngberry) and other berries (currant, elderberry, gooseberry, huckleberry, loganberry, lingonberry, juneberry, salal), citrus, lettuce, cole crops and other leafy greens (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cavalo, broccolo, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mizuna, mustard greens, mustard spinach, rape greens), grass grown for seed, ornamentals, prickly pear cactus, tomato, strawberry, watercress, and use sites with directions for use in state and/or Federal invasive mollusk eradication operations. The request would not terminate the last metaldehyde product registered for use in the United States. EPA intends to grant this request at the close of the comment period for this announcement unless the Agency receives substantive comments within the comment period that would merit its further review of the request, or unless the registrant withdraws its request. If this request is granted, any sale, distribution, or use of products listed in this notice will be permitted after the uses are terminated only if such sale, distribution, or use is consistent with the terms as described in the final order.

On February 14, 2012, EPA proposed amendments to the national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for secondary aluminum production (77 FR 8576). The EPA is extending the deadline for written comments on the proposed amendments by 14 days to April 13, 2012. The EPA received a request for an extension from the Aluminum Association. The Aluminum Association has requested the extension in order to allow more time to review the redlined of the original rule and the proposed revisions, as well as review the test data for Group I furnaces.

EPA is approving, under the Clean Air Act (the Act), revisions to the Illinois State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted on July 29, 2010, September 16, 2011 and September 29, 2011. The purpose of these rules is to satisfy the Act's requirement that States revise their SIPs to include reasonably available control technology (RACT) for sources of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions in moderate ozone nonattainment areas. Illinois' VOC rules provide RACT requirements for the Chicago and Metro-East St. Louis 8-hour ozone nonattainment areas. These rules are approvable because they are consistent with the Control Technique Guideline (CTG) documents issued by EPA in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and satisfy the RACT requirements of the Act. EPA proposed this rule for approval on November 30, 2011 and received comments from Illinois EPA.

EPA issued a notice in the Federal Register of February 1, 2012, concerning a Memorandum of Understanding between the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture regarding genetically engineered plants. This document is being issued to clarify and correct the notice announcing the Memorandum of Understanding.

The EPA is proposing to revise the agency's definition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for purposes of preparing State Implementation Plans (SIPs) to attain the national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) for ozone under Title I of the Clean Air Act (CAA). This proposed revision would add four chemical compounds to the list of compounds excluded from the definition of VOC on the basis that each of these compounds makes a negligible contribution to tropospheric ozone formation. These compounds consist of four hydrofluoropolyethers (HFPEs) which are identified as HCF2OCF2H (also known as HFE-134), HCF2OCF2OCF2H (also known as HFE-236cal2), HCF2OCF2CF2OCF2H (also known as HFE-338pcc13), and HCF2OCF2OCF2CF2OCF2 H (also known as H-Galden 1040X or H-Galden ZT 130 (or 150 or 180)). In addition, the EPA is proposing to make certain technical corrections to the current list of exempt compounds at 40 CFR 51.100(s)(1).