Environmental Protection Agency September 22, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Director of the Water Quality Protection Division, for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 today announces issuance of the final permit modifications for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general permit (TXG330000) regulating discharges from oil and gas wells in the Coastal Subcategory in Texas and in the Stripper Subcategory which discharge into waters in Texas. These modifications would restore coverage eligibility for certain inland discharges that existed in the previous permit and require freshwater whole effluent toxicity species for discharges to freshwater receiving waters. EPA proposed the draft permit modification in the Federal Register on December 2, 2013. EPA Region 6 has considered all comments received and makes few significant changes to the proposed permit. A copy of the Region's responses to comments and the final permit may be obtained from the EPA Region 6 internet site: https://www.epa.gov/region6/water/ npdes/genpermit/index.htm.

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (``CERCLA'' or ``the Act''), as amended, requires that the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (``NCP'') include a list of national priorities among the known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants throughout the United States. The National Priorities List (``NPL'') constitutes this list. The NPL is intended primarily to guide the Environmental Protection Agency (``EPA'' or ``the agency'') in determining which sites warrant further investigation. These further investigations will allow the EPA to assess the nature and extent of public health and environmental risks associated with the site and to determine what CERCLA-financed remedial action(s), if any, may be appropriate. This rule proposes to add three sites to the General Superfund section of the NPL.

EPA proposes to approve the State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of West Virginia for the purpose of amending their Legislative Rule on Ambient Air Quality Standards. In the Final Rules section of this Federal Register, EPA is approving the State's SIP submittal as a direct final rule without prior proposal because EPA views this as a noncontroversial submittal and anticipates no adverse comments. A detailed rationale for the approval is set forth in the direct final rule. If no adverse comments are received in response to this action, no further activity is contemplated. If EPA receives adverse comments, the direct final rule will be withdrawn and all public comments received will be addressed in a subsequent final rule based on this proposed rule. EPA will not institute a second comment period. Any parties interested in commenting on this action should do so at this time.