Environmental Protection Agency March 26, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA is proposing a significant new use rule (SNUR) under section 5(a)(2) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for two chemical substances: Hexabromocyclododecane (Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number (CASRN) 25637-99-4) and 1,2,5,6,9,10- hexabromocyclododecane (CASRN 3194-55-6), hereinafter collectively referred to as HBCD. This proposed rule would designate ``use in consumer textiles, other than for use in motor vehicles'' as a significant new use. This action would require persons who intend to manufacture (including import) or process HBCD for use in covered consumer textiles to notify EPA at least 90 days before commencing that activity. The required notification would provide EPA with the opportunity to evaluate the intended use and, if appropriate, to prohibit or limit that activity before it occurs. For this proposed rule, the general SNUR article exemption for persons who import or process chemical substances as part of an article would not apply.

EPA is finalizing its approval of most of the Nevada Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) that implements the Clean Air Act (CAA) Regional Haze Rule requiring states to prevent any future and remedy any existing man-made impairment of visibility in mandatory Class I areas through a regional haze program. EPA proposed to approve all parts of Nevada's SIP revisions on June 22, 2011 (76 FR 36450). This final approval applies to all aspects of Nevada's SIP except for that portion of Nevada's determination regarding the Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions at the Reid Gardner Generating Station (RGGS). We will take action on BART for NOX at RGGS in a future notice.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking direct final action to revise one of the use conditions required for use of hydrofluoroolefin (HFO)-1234yf (2,3,3,3-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene), a substitute for ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) in the motor vehicle air conditioning end-use within the refrigeration and air conditioning sector, to be acceptable subject to use conditions under EPA's Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program. The revised use condition incorporates by reference a revised standard from SAE International.

The EPA is proposing National Uniform Emission Standards for Storage Vessels and Transfer Operations, Equipment Leaks and Control Devices, herein referred to as Uniform Standards. The EPA is also proposing supplemental revisions to the National Uniform Emission Standards General Provisions, which were proposed with the National Uniform Emission Standards for Heat Exchange Systems, signed by the EPA Administrator on November 30, 2011. The proposed Uniform Standards would be referenced, as appropriate, in future revisions to new source performance standards and national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for individual source categories that are part of the chemical manufacturing and refining industries that have storage vessels and transfer operations, equipment leaks or control devices used to control process vents from reactors, distillation and other operations, as well as from emissions from storage vessels, transfer operations and equipment leaks that are routed to control devices. Establishing these Uniform Standards is consistent with the objectives of Executive Order 13563, Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review, issued on January 18, 2011. In the future, as we periodically review and, if necessary, revise new source performance standards and national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants, as required by the Clean Air Act, we can direct those rulemakings to the proposed Uniform Standards, provided the Uniform Standards meet the applicable statutory stringency requirements for the specific rulemaking. The proposed Uniform Standards would ensure consistency and streamline recordkeeping and reporting requirements for facilities with storage vessels and transfer operations, equipment leaks and process vents that must comply with multiple regulations.