Environmental Protection Agency July 30, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces the availability of EPA's Responsiveness Summary Concerning EPA's May 9, 2013 Public Notice of Proposed Decisions To Add Waters and Pollutants to Louisiana's 2012 Section 303(d) List. On May 9, 2013 EPA published a notice in the Federal Register at Volume 78, Number 90, pages 27233-27234 providing the public the opportunity to review its decision to partially approve and proposal to partially disapprove Louisiana's 2012 Section 303(d) List. Specifically, EPA approved Louisiana's listing of 323 waterbody pollutant combinations, and associated priority rankings. EPA proposed to disapprove Louisiana's decisions not to list three waterbodies. These three waterbodies were added by EPA because the applicable numeric water quality standards marine criterion for dissolved oxygen was not attained in these segments. Based on the Responsiveness Summary, EPA finds no new information or persuasive arguments as to why the three waters should not be added to the 2012 Louisiana Section 303(d) List as proposed. Therefore, EPA is taking Final Action on the addition of three waterbody pollutant combinations to the final Louisiana 2012 Section 303(d) List. The basis for these decisions is described in EPA's Record of Decision.

The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an information collection request (ICR), ``Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS 2) Program (Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 2333.03, OMB Control No. 2060-0640) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through July 31, 2013. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register (78 FR 11870) on February 20, 2013 during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. A fuller description of the ICR is given below, including its estimated burden and cost to the public. An Agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

EPA is partially approving and partially disapproving the State Implementation Plan (SIP) submission from the State of Montana to demonstrate that the SIP meets the infrastructure requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA) for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) promulgated for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on July 18, 1997 and on October 17, 2006. The CAA requires that each state, after a new or revised NAAQS is promulgated, review their SIPs to ensure that they meet infrastructure requirements. The State of Montana submitted a certification of their infrastructure SIP for the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS on February 10, 2010. EPA is acting separately on the portions of the February 10, 2010 submission relating to interstate transport of air pollution.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region III is publishing a direct final Notice of Deletion for the Craig Farm Drum Superfund Site (Site) located in Perry Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, from the National Priorities List (NPL). 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). This direct final deletion is being published by EPA with the concurrence of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), because EPA has determined that all appropriate response actions under CERCLA, other than operation, maintenance, and Five Year Reviews, have been completed. However, this deletion does not preclude future actions under Superfund.

EPA is approving the State Implementation Plan (SIP) submission from the State of North Dakota to demonstrate that the SIP meets the infrastructure requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA) for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) promulgated for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on July 18, 1997 and on October 17, 2006. The CAA requires that each state, after a new or revised NAAQS is promulgated, review their SIPs to ensure that they meet infrastructure requirements. The State of North Dakota submitted certifications of their infrastructure SIP on August 12, 2010 and May 22, 2012 for the 2006 PM2.5 NAAQS. In addition, the State of North Dakota submitted a certification of their infrastructure SIP on May 25, 2012 for the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. EPA is also approving SIP revisions that the State of North Dakota submitted that update the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program and the SIP provisions regarding state boards.

EPA is proposing a regulation that would require electronic reporting for current paper-based NPDES reports. This action will save time and resources for permittees, states, tribes, territories, and EPA while improving compliance and providing better protection of the Nation's waters. The proposed Clean Water Act regulation would require permittees and regulators to use existing, available information technology to electronically report information and data related to the NPDES permit program in lieu of filing written reports. The proposal will also allow better allocation and use of limited program resources and enhance transparency and public accountability by providing regulatory agencies and the public with more timely, complete, accurate, and nationally-consistent sets of data about the NPDES program and potential sources of water pollution. The benefits of this proposed rulemaking should allow NPDES-authorized programs in states, tribes, and territories to shift precious resources from data management activities to those more targeted to solving water quality and noncompliance issues. This in turn may contribute to increased compliance, improved water quality, and a level playing field for the regulated community. Given the large scope of this proposal, EPA commits to offer an additional opportunity for transparency and engagement by publishing a supplemental notice should we receive comments on the proposed rule that require significant changes. States, tribes, territories, permittees, and other stakeholders can review and comment on the supplemental notice. EPA plans to publish the supplemental notice within 180 days after the public comment period for this proposed rule has closed.