Environmental Protection Agency March 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This regulation establishes tolerances for residues of metaldehyde in or on multiple commodities which are identified and discussed later in this document. Interregional Research Project Number 4 (IR-4) requested these tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). This regulation additionally removes the established tolerances in or on fruit, citrus group 10 and tomato as the tolerances will be superseded by tolerances established by this action.

EPA issued a proposed rule in the Federal Register of January 7, 2015, concerning proposed significant new use rules for 13 chemical substances which were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs). This document extends the comment period for 45 days, from March 9, 2015 to April 23, 2015. Multiple commenters requested additional time to research and submit more detailed comments concerning the proposed SNURs. EPA is therefore extending the comment period in order to give all interested persons the opportunity to comment fully.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making an administrative change to update the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to reflect a change made to the Texas State Implementation Plan (SIP) on November 3, 2014, as a result of EPA's concurrence on a substitute transportation control measure (TCM) for the Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) portion of the Texas SIP. On November 24, 2014, the State of Texas, through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), submitted a revision to the Texas SIP requesting that EPA update its SIP to reflect a substitution of a TCM. The substitution was made pursuant to the TCM substitution provisions contained in Clean Air Act (CAA). EPA concurred on this substitution on November 3, 2014. In this administrative action, EPA is updating the non-regulatory provisions of the Texas SIP to reflect the substitution. In summary, the substitution was a replacement of environmental speed limits (ESLs) within the DFW 8-hour ozone nonattainment area with traffic signalization projects. EPA has determined that this action falls under the ``good cause'' exemption in the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) which, upon finding ``good cause,'' authorizes an agency to make an action effective immediately, thereby avoiding the 30-day delayed effective date otherwise provided for in the APA.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving, under the Clean Air Act, a revision to Ohio's transportation conformity state implementation plan (SIP) that meets EPA and United States Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements. This revision brings Ohio's transportation conformity SIP into compliance with the requirements of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final action to approve in part and disapprove in part, the May 29, 2012, and July 26, 2012, State Implementation Plan (SIP) submissions, provided by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) for inclusion into the Mississippi SIP. This final rulemaking pertains to the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act) infrastructure requirements for the 2008 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). The CAA requires that each state adopt and submit a SIP for the implementation, maintenance and enforcement of each NAAQS promulgated by EPA, which is commonly referred to as an ``infrastructure'' SIP. MDEQ certified that the Mississippi SIP contains provisions that ensure the 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS is implemented, enforced, and maintained in Mississippi (hereafter referred to as an ``infrastructure SIP submission''). With the exception of provisions pertaining to prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) permitting, interstate transport, visibility protection requirements and the state board majority requirements respecting significant portion of income, EPA is taking final action to approve Mississippi's infrastructure SIP submissions, provided to EPA on May 29, 2012, and July 26, 2012. EPA is taking final action to disapprove Mississippi's May 29, 2012, and July 26, 2012, SIP submissions with regards to the state board majority requirements respecting significant portion of income. EPA will consider action with regards to the infrastructure elements related to PSD permitting, visibility and interstate transport in a separate action.