Environmental Protection Agency July 18, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an information collection request (ICR), ``NSPS for Portland Cement Plants (40 CFR Part 60, Subpart F) (Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 1051.13, OMB Control No. 2060-0025), 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, 2014. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register (78 FR 35023) on June 11, 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.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office requests public nominations of scientific experts to augment the SAB Ecological Process and Effects Committee (EPEC) to form a panel to provide early advice on and subsequent review of preliminary bi-national phosphorous objectives, loading targets and allocations for the nearshore and offshore waters to achieve the Lake Ecosystem Objectives for Lake Erie, pursuant to the Nutrients Annex (Annex 4) of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA).

This regulation establishes an exemption from the requirement of a tolerance for residues of polyoxyalkylated trimethylopropanes with 20 to 80 moles of ethylene and/or propylene oxide, fatty acid esters with C8 through C22 aliphatic alkanoic and/or alkenoic fatty acids, branched or linear, the resulting polyoxyalkylene trimethylopropane esters having a minimum molecular weight (MW) of 3,000 when used as an inert ingredient in a pesticide chemical formulation. Spring Trading Co., on behalf of Croda, Inc., submitted a petition to EPA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), requesting an exemption from the requirement of a tolerance. This regulation eliminates the need to establish a maximum permissible level for residues of polyoxyalkylated trimethylopropanes on food or feed commodities.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of Texas on October 28, 2011. These revisions remove the State general conformity provisions from the SIP as allowed by the 2005 amendments to the Clean Air Act (Act or CAA). Upon the effective date of this final action, the EPA Federal rules will govern conformity of general Federal actions within the State of Texas. The revisions also update the narrative portion of the SIP. This action is being taken in accordance with sections 110 and 176 of the Act.

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) submitted a revision to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) on December 19, 2012, to address Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act) requirements for the Idaho portion (hereafter referred to as ``Franklin County'') of the cross border Logan, Utah-Idaho nonattainment area for the 2006 24-hour fine particulate matter (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standards. The EPA is approving the baseline emissions inventory contained in IDEQ's submittal as meeting the requirement to submit a comprehensive, accurate, and current inventory of direct PM2.5 and PM2.5 precursor emissions in Franklin County.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a limited maintenance plan submitted by the State of New Mexico, dated November 1, 2013, for the Grant County maintenance area for the 1971 sulfur dioxide (SO2) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). New Mexico submitted this limited maintenance plan to fulfill the second 10-year maintenance plan requirement, under section 175A(b) of the Clean Air Act (CAA), to ensure maintenance of the 1971 SO2 NAAQS through 2025. The EPA is also proposing to approve a monitoring network modification for the area. The EPA is proposing to approve these revisions pursuant to the CAA.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking direct final action to approve the State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the state of Missouri on January 14, 2014, for the purpose of removing an outdated rule. This action amends the SIP to remove a rule that was originally approved in 1972 but has now been rescinded. The rule's purpose was to control emissions from all vehicles subject to required vehicle safety inspections in areas outside of the Kansas City, Springfield, and St. Louis metropolitan areas. Vehicle manufacturers now produce newer technology in exhaust emissions equipment in order to meet more stringent Federal motor vehicle standards.

Under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program, producers and importers of renewable fuel generate Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) that are used by petroleum refiners and importers to demonstrate compliance with their renewable fuel volume obligations. Several cases of fraudulently generated RINs, however, led to inefficiencies and a significant reduction in the overall liquidity in the RIN market, resulting in greater difficulty for smaller renewable fuel producers to sell their RINs. Today's action finalizes additional regulatory provisions that are intended to assure reasonable oversight of RIN generation and promote greater liquidity in the RIN market, which in turn helps ensure the use of the required renewable fuel volumes. The rule includes a voluntary quality assurance program and related provisions intended to meet these goals. The program also includes elements designed to make it possible to verify the validity of RINs from the beginning of 2013. Additionally, we are finalizing a number of new regulatory provisions to ensure that RINs are retired for all renewable fuel that is exported and to address RINs that become invalid downstream of a renewable fuel producer.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) amends the EPA Acquisition Regulation (EPAAR) to update policy, procedures, and contract clauses. The proposed rule updates EPAAR clause 1552.211-74, Work Assignments.