Environmental Protection Agency April 9, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will host a meeting of the Interagency Steering Committee on Radiation Standards (ISCORS) on May 1, 2013 in Washington, DC. The purpose of ISCORS is to foster early resolution and coordination of regulatory issues associated with radiation standards. Member agencies include the EPA; Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Department of Energy; Department of Defense; Department of Transportation; Department of Homeland Security; Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration; and the Department of Health and Human Services. Observer agencies include the Office of Science and Technology Policy; Office of Management and Budget; and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, as well as representatives from the States of Arizona and Pennsylvania. ISCORS objectives are: (1) To facilitate a consensus on allowable levels of radiation risk to the public and workers; (2) to promote consistent and scientifically sound risk assessment and risk management approaches in setting and implementing standards for occupational and public protection from ionizing radiation; (3) to promote completeness and coherence of federal standards for radiation protection; and (4) to identify interagency radiation protection issues and coordinate their resolution. ISCORS meetings include presentations by the chairs of the subcommittees and discussions of current radiation protection issues. Committee meetings normally involve pre-decisional intra-governmental discussions and, as such, are normally not open for observation by members of the public or media. This is the one ISCORS meeting out of four held each year that is open to all interested members of the public. There will be time on the agenda for members of the public to provide comments. Summaries of previous ISCORS meetings are available at the ISCORS Web site, www.iscors.org. The final agenda for the May 1st meeting will be posted on the Web site shortly before the meeting.

EPA is taking final action to approve changes to the Georgia State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted by the State of Georgia, through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Environmental Protection Division (EPD) to EPA, on September 26, 2006 (with a clarifying revision submitted on November 6, 2006), and July 26, 2012. The September 26, 2006, SIP submission makes multiple changes to the Georgia SIP including the State's permit exemption provisions. The July 26, 2012, submission includes changes to Georgia's New Source Review (NSR), Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program to incorporate by reference (IBR) federal PSD requirements regarding the implementation of the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) and the deferral of, until July 21, 2014, PSD applicability to biogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from bioenergy and other biogenic stationary sources as well as additional air quality rule revisions. EPA is approving portions of these submittals as revisions to Georgia's SIP because the Agency has determined that they are consistent with the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) and EPA regulations regarding NSR permitting. EPA is also responding to comments received on the January 14, 2012, proposed rulemaking.