Environmental Protection Agency May 22, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final action to approve some elements of state implementation plan (SIP) submissions from Illinois regarding the infrastructure requirements of section 110 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) for the 2008 ozone, 2010 nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and 2010 sulfur dioxide (SO2) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The infrastructure requirements are designed to ensure that the structural components of each state's air quality management program are adequate to meet the state's responsibilities under the CAA. In this action, EPA is specifically approving infrastructure requirements concerning emission limits and other control measures. The proposed rulemaking associated with today's final action was published on February 27, 2015, and EPA received no comments during the comment period, which ended on March 30, 2015.

Through this rulemaking, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is modifying the designations for the five Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Sites (ODMDS) around Puerto Rico (San Juan Harbor, PR ODMDS; Yabucoa Harbor, PR ODMDS; Ponce Harbor, PR ODMDS; Mayaguez Harbor, PR ODMDS; Arecibo Harbor, PR ODMDS). Currently, each of the ODMDS is restricted to only allow disposal of dredged material from the specific harbor for which it is named. This modification removes the restriction that limits eligibility for disposal at each of the disposal sites based solely on the geographic origin of the dredged material. The modifications to the site designations do not actually authorize the disposal of any particular dredged material at any site. All proposals to dispose of dredged material at any of the designated sites will continue to be subject to project-specific reviews and must still be demonstrated to satisfy the criteria for ocean dumping before any material is authorized for disposal. This rulemaking was taken to provide long-term flexibility for management of any dredged material that may potentially be derived from maintenance, development, or emergency activities in areas outside those harbors provided for in the original designations. The modifications to the site designations are for an indefinite period of time. Each ODMDS will continue to be monitored to ensure that significant unacceptable, adverse environmental impacts do not occur as a result of dredged material disposal at the site.