Environmental Protection Agency July 5, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92463, EPA gives notice of a public meeting of the National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT). NACEPT provides advice to the EPA Administrator on a broad range of environmental policy, technology, and management issues. NACEPT represents diverse interests from academia, industry, non-governmental organizations, and state, local, and tribal governments. The purpose of this meeting is to continue developing recommendations to the Administrator regarding actions that EPA can take in response to the National Academy of Sciences Report on ``Incorporating Sustainability in the U.S Environmental Protection Agency.'' A copy of the agenda for the meeting will be posted at https://www.epa.gov/ofacmo/nacept/cal-nacept.htm.

This final rule will reduce burden to restricted use pesticide applicators and simplify federal certification expiration dates. Restricted use pesticides (RUPs) are those which may generally cause unreasonable adverse effects on the environment without additional restrictions. RUPs may only be applied by or under the direct supervision of an applicator certified as competent by a certifying agency. A State, tribe, or Federal agency becomes a certifying agency by receiving approval from EPA on their certification plan. In areas not covered by a certifying agency, EPA may establish a Federal certification plan and issue Federal certificates directly. One way EPA may issue a Federal certificate is based on an existing valid certificate from a certifying agency, and this final rule will synchronize the expiration dates on the Federal certificate with that of the certifying agency certificate on which the Federal certificate is based.

EPA is proposing to make three determinations under the Clean Air Act (CAA) regarding the fine particle (PM2.5) nonattainment area of Detroit-Ann Arbor, Michigan (Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties) (Detroit-Ann Arbor area). EPA is proposing to determine that the Detroit-Ann Arbor area has attained both the 1997 annual PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. These proposed determinations of attainment are based upon complete, quality-assured, and certified ambient air monitoring data for 2009-2011 showing that the area has monitored attainment of the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. Preliminary data available for 2012 indicate that the area continues in attainment of the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS. If these proposed determinations are made final, the requirements for the Detroit-Ann Arbor area to submit an attainment demonstration, associated reasonably available control measures (RACM) to include reasonably available control technology (RACT), a reasonable further progress (RFP) plan, contingency measures, and other planning State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions related to attainment of the 1997 annual and the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS shall be suspended for so long as the area continues to attain the respective PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA is also proposing to determine, based on complete, quality-assured and certified monitoring data for the 2007- 2010 monitoring period, that the Detroit-Ann Arbor area had attained the 1997 annual PM2.5 NAAQS by the applicable attainment date of April 5, 2010.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR which is abstracted below describes the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.