Environmental Protection Agency July 20, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On October 21, 2011, the EPA proposed a rulemaking to improve and restore water quality by collecting certain information about concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). The EPA also solicited comments on improving water quality by promoting environmental stewardship and compliance rather than collecting facility-specific information. The EPA is withdrawing the proposal to collect CAFO information by rule. Instead, the EPA, where appropriate, will collect CAFO information using existing sources of information, including state NPDES programs, other regulations, and other programs at the federal, state, and local level. The EPA believes, at this time, it is more appropriate to obtain CAFO information by working with federal, state, and local partners instead of requiring CAFO information to be submitted pursuant to a rule. Today's withdrawal does not preclude the Agency from initiating the same or similar rulemaking at a future date.

EPA is proposing to disapprove a portion of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) submissions, submitted by the State of Alabama, through the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), on July 25, 2008, and on September 23, 2009, to demonstrate that the State meets requirements of sections 110(a)(1) and (2) of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour fine particulate matter (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). Section 110(a) of the CAA requires that each state adopt and submit a SIP for the implementation, maintenance and enforcement of each NAAQS promulgated by EPA, which is commonly referred to as an ``infrastructure'' SIP. Specifically, EPA is proposing to disapprove sub-element 110(a)(2)(E)(ii) that requires the State to comply with section 128 of the CAA. EPA is taking a separate action to address all the other infrastructure elements for the 1997 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) this document announces that the following Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Submission of Protocols and Study Reports for Environmental Research Involving Human Subjects; EPA ICR No. 2195.04, OMB Control No. 2070-0169. 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.

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.

EPA is proposing to approve partially and disapprove partially a revision to Arizona's State Implementation Plan (SIP) to implement the regional haze program for the first planning period through July 31, 2018. This proposed action addresses only the portion of the SIP related to Arizona's determination of Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) to control emissions from eight units at three electric generating stations: Apache Generating Station, Cholla Power Plant and Coronado Generating Station. EPA proposes to approve the State's determination that these sources are subject to BART, and to approve the emissions limits for sulfur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter (PM10) at all the units. EPA proposes to disapprove the BART emissions limits for nitrogen oxides (NOX) at most of the units. EPA also proposes to promulgate a Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) containing new emissions limits for NOX as well as BART compliance requirements for the three facilities. We encourage the State to submit a revised SIP to replace all portions of our FIP, and we stand ready to work with the State to develop a revised plan. The Clean Air Act (CAA) requires states to prevent any future and remedy any existing man-made impairment of visibility in 156 national parks and wilderness areas designated as Class I areas. Arizona has a wealth of such areas. The three power plants affect visibility at 18 national parks and wilderness areas, including the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde and the Petrified Forest. The State and EPA must work together to ensure that plans are in place to make progress toward natural visibility conditions at these national treasures.