Environmental Protection Agency May 18, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA is proposing to supplement an April 18, 2012, proposed rule related to submissions provided by the State of Florida, through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) on December 13, 2007, and supplemented on April 18, 2008, to demonstrate that the Florida State Implementation Plan (SIP) meets the ``infrastructure'' requirements of sections 110(a)(1) and (2) of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) for the 1997 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). First, EPA is proposing to supplement that earlier proposed action by proposing full approval of the State's section 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) infrastructure SIP in addition to the earlier proposed conditional approval of this sub-element. Second, EPA is proposing approval of the State's section 110(a)(2)(G) infrastructure SIP in addition to the earlier proposed federal implementation plan (FIP) for this element. In addition, EPA is proposing to approve two related draft revisions to the Florida SIP that were submitted for parallel processing by FDEP on April 19, 2012, to address the requirements of section 128 and the substantive requirements of section 110(a)(2)(G) of the CAA.

This regulation revises the temporary exemption from the requirement of a tolerance for residues of Prohydrojasmon (PDJ), propyl-3-oxo-2-pentylcyclo-pentylacetate, by including grapes and extending the date of expiration of the temporary tolerance exemption from August 1, 2012, to August 1, 2014, when used as a plant growth regulator pre-harvest and in accordance with good agricultural practices and with the terms of Experimental Use Permit (EUP) No. 62097-EUP-1. Fine Agrochemicals, Ltd., submitted a petition to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), requesting the amendment to the temporary tolerance exemption.

EPA is proposing to approve the ozone 2002 base year emissions inventory portion of the state implementation plan (SIP) revision submitted by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC) on April 29, 2010. The emissions inventory is included in the ozone attainment demonstration that was submitted for the 1997 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for the portion of York County, South Carolina that is within the bi- state Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill 1997 8-hour ozone nonattainment area. The Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, North Carolina-South Carolina 1997 8-hour ozone nonattainment area (hereafter referred to as the ``bi-state Charlotte Area'') is comprised of Cabarrus, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Union and a portion of Iredell (Davidson and Coddle Creek Townships) Counties in North Carolina; and a portion of York County in South Carolina. This action is being taken pursuant to section 110 of the Clean Air Act. EPA will take action on the North Carolina submission for the ozone 2002 base year emissions inventory, for its portion of the bi-state Charlotte Area, in a separate action. In the Final Rules Section of this Federal Register, EPA is approving the State's SIP revision as a direct final rule without prior proposal because the Agency views this as a noncontroversial submittal and anticipates no adverse comments.

EPA will be authorizing several Student Services contractors to access information which has been submitted to EPA under all sections of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Some of the information may be claimed or determined to be Confidential Business Information (CBI).

This rule modifies the testing procedures approved for analysis and sampling under the Clean Water Act. EPA proposed these changes for public comment on September 23, 2010. The changes adopted in this final rule fall into the following categories: New and revised EPA methods and new and revised methods published by voluntary consensus standard bodies (VCSB), such as ASTM International and the Standard Methods Committee; updated versions of currently approved methods; methods reviewed under the alternate test procedures (ATP) program; clarifications to the process for EPA approval for use of alternate procedures for nationwide and Regional use; minimum quality control requirements to improve consistency across method versions; corrections to previously approved methods; and revisions to sample collection, preservation, and holding time requirements. Finally, EPA makes changes to three effluent guideline regulations.