Environmental Protection Agency September 3, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Virginia has applied to EPA for final authorization of revisions to its hazardous waste program under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). EPA has determined that these revisions satisfy all requirements needed to qualify for final authorization and is authorizing Virginia's revisions through this immediate final action. EPA is publishing this rule to authorize the revisions without a prior proposal because we believe this action is not controversial and do not expect comments that oppose it. Unless we receive written comments that oppose this authorization during the comment period, the decision to authorize Virginia's revisions to its hazardous waste program will take effect. If we receive comments that oppose this action we will publish a document in the Federal Register withdrawing the relevant portions of this rule, before they take effect, and a separate document in the proposed rules section of this Federal Register will serve as a proposal to authorize revisions to Virginia's program that were the subject of adverse comments.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will host a meeting of the Interagency Steering Committee on Radiation Standards (ISCORS) on September 18, 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: EPA; the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and Departments of Energy; Defense; Transportation; Homeland Security; Health and Human Services; and Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Observer agencies include: the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Office of Management and Budget, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, as well as state representatives from Arizona and Pennsylvania. ISCORS maintains several objectives: (1) Facilitate a consensus on allowable levels of radiation risk to the public and workers; (2) 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) promote completeness and coherence of Federal standards for radiation protection; and (4) identify interagency radiation protection issues and coordinate their resolution. ISCORS meetings include presentations by Subcommittee Chairs 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 particular ISCORS meeting is open to all interested members of the public. Time will be reserved on the agenda for members of the public to provide comments.

EPA is proposing to approve a maintenance plan update for the Lake County, Indiana sulfur dioxide (SO2) maintenance area. This plan update demonstrates that Lake County will maintain attainment of the 1971 SO2 national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) through 2025. This maintenance plan update satisfies section 175A of the Clean Air Act (Act), and is consistent with the September 26, 2005, approval of the State's redesignation request and maintenance plan for the Lake County, Indiana SO2 area.

In this action, EPA is notifying the public that we have found the motor vehicle emissions budgets for PM2.5 and NOX in the submitted maintenance plan for the New York portions of the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT PM2.5 nonattainment areas to be adequate for transportation conformity purposes. The transportation conformity rule requires that the EPA conduct a public process and make an affirmative decision on the adequacy of budgets before they can be used by metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in conformity determinations. As a result of our finding, the new 2009, 2017 and 2025 PM2.5 budgets are applicable to nine of the ten counties in the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council planning area (excluding Putnam County) and Orange County in the Orange County Transportation Council planning area and must be used for all future transportation conformity determinations.