Environmental Protection Agency October 15, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is authorizing uses that qualify for the critical use exemption and the amount of methyl bromide that may be produced or imported for those uses for the 2016 control period. EPA is issuing this action under the authority of the Clean Air Act to reflect consensus decisions of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer at the Twenty-Sixth Meeting of the Parties in November 2014.

The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an information collection request (ICR), ``Risk Management Program Requirements and Petitions to Modify the List of Regulated Substances under section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act (CAA)'' (EPA ICR No. 1656.15, OMB Control No. 2050-0144) 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 December 31, 2015. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register (80 FR 33518) on June 12, 2015 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.

This action finalizes the residual risk and technology review (RTR) conducted for the Primary Aluminum Production source category regulated under national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP). In addition, we are taking final action regarding new and revised emission standards for various hazardous air pollutants (HAP) emitted by this source category based on the RTR, newly obtained emissions test data, and comments we received in response to the 2011 proposal and 2014 supplemental proposal. These final amendments include technology-based standards and work practice standards reflecting performance of maximum achievable control technology (MACT), and related monitoring, reporting, and testing requirements, for several previously unregulated HAP from various emissions sources. Furthermore, based on our risk review, we are finalizing new and revised emission standards for certain HAP emissions from potlines using the Soderberg technology to address risk. We are also adding a requirement for electronic reporting of compliance data, eliminating the exemptions for periods of startup, shutdown, and malfunctions (SSM), and not adopting the affirmative defense provisions proposed in 2011, consistent with a recent court decision vacating the affirmative defense provisions. This action will provide improved environmental protection regarding potential emissions of HAP emissions from primary aluminum reduction facilities.