Environmental Protection Agency May 9, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA is issuing a notice of receipt of requests by the registrants to voluntarily amend their Iprodione, Pendimethalin, and Permethrin product registrations to delete one or more uses. The requests would delete Iprodione use on rice, Pendimethalin use on alfalfa, corn, garlic, onions, peanuts, sorghum, sugarcane and sunflower, and Permethrin use on dogs. The requests would not terminate the last Iprodione, Pendimethalin, or Permethrin products registered for use in the United States. EPA intends to grant these requests at the close of the comment period for this announcement unless the Agency receives substantive comments within the comment period that would merit its further review of the requests, or unless the registrants withdraw its requests. If these requests are granted, any sale, distribution, or use of products listed in this notice will be permitted after the use has been deleted only if such sale, distribution, or use is consistent with the terms as described in the final order.

In accordance with section 113(g) of the Clean Air Act, as amended (``CAA''), notice is hereby given of a proposed partial consent decree to address lawsuits filed by the States of New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont; the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (collectively ``State Plaintiffs''); the American Lung Association, Environmental Defense Fund, Clean Air Council and Environment and Human Health, Inc. (collectively ``Environmental Plaintiffs''); and interveners the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (``Association Plaintiff'') in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia: State of New York, et al. v. McCarthy, No. 13-1553 and consolidated case No. 13-1555 (D. D.C). Plaintiffs each filed a complaint alleging that EPA failed to perform a nondiscretionary duty to review, and, if necessary, revise the new performance standards for new residential wood heaters, at least every eight years. The consent decree would require EPA to sign a notice to take final action by February 3, 2015.

The EPA is announcing the availability of a final document titled Policy Assessment for the Review of the Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The Policy Assessment (PA) has been prepared by staff in the EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) as part of the agency's ongoing review of the primary (health-based) and secondary (welfare-based) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for lead (Pb). It presents analyses and staff conclusions regarding the policy implications of the key scientific and technical information that informs this review.

The EPA is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) on January 30, 2014. The SIP submission contains revisions to Washington's solid fuel burning device rules to control fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from residential wood combustion. The updated regulations reflect Washington State statutory changes made in 2012, setting revised PM2.5 trigger levels for impaired air quality burn bans and setting criteria for prohibiting solid fuel burning devices that are not certified. The submission also contains updates to the regulations to improve the clarity of the language.