Environmental Protection Agency June 22, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This action revises the EPA's definition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under the Clean Air Act (CAA). This revision adds trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (also known as HFO-1234ze) to the list of compounds excluded from the definition of VOC on the basis that this compound makes a negligible contribution to tropospheric ozone formation. As a result, if you are subject to certain federal regulations limiting emissions of VOCs, your emissions of HFO-1234ze may not be regulated for some purposes. This action may also affect whether HFO-1234ze is considered a VOC for state regulatory purposes, depending on whether the state relies on the EPA's definition of VOC.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 is issuing a Notice of Intent to Delete the New Hanover County Airport Burn Pit Superfund Site (Site) located in Wilmington, North Carolina, from the National Priorities List (NPL) and requests public comments on this proposed action. The NPL, promulgated pursuant to section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) 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 North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), has determined that all appropriate response actions under CERCLA have been completed. However, this deletion does not preclude future actions under Superfund.

EPA is withdrawing a significant new use rule (SNUR) promulgated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for chemical substances identified generically as complex strontium aluminum, rare earth doped, which were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs) P- 12-22, P-12-23, P-12-24, P-12-25, and P-12-26. EPA published this SNUR using direct final rulemaking procedures. EPA received a notice of intent to submit adverse comments on the rule. Therefore, the Agency is withdrawing this SNUR, as required under the expedited SNUR rulemaking process. Elsewhere in today's Federal Register, EPA is publishing (under separate notice and comment procedures) a proposed SNUR for these chemical substances.

EPA is withdrawing significant new use rules (SNURs) promulgated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for seven chemical substances which were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs). EPA published these SNURs using direct final rulemaking procedures. EPA received a notice of intent to submit adverse comments on the rule. Therefore, the Agency is withdrawing these SNURs, as required under the expedited SNUR rulemaking process. EPA intends to publish in the near future proposed SNURs for these seven chemical substances under separate notice and comment procedures.