Environmental Protection Agency March 7, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA issued a notice in the Federal Register of January 15, 2016, opening a comment period for a draft pollinator-only ecological risk assessment for the registration review of imidacloprid. This document extends the comment period for 30 days, from March 15, 2016 to April 14, 2016. This comment period is being extended in response to a number of extension requests from various stakeholders.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) on November 14, 2014, to address emission inventory requirements for the Sheboygan nonattainment area (Sheboygan area) and the Wisconsin portion (Kenosha area) of the Chicago-Naperville, Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin (Chicago-Naperville, IL- IN-WI) nonattainment area under the 2008 ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS or standard). The Clean Air Act (CAA) requires emission inventories for all ozone nonattainment areas. The emission inventories contained in Wisconsin's November 14, 2014, submission meet this CAA requirement.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) on September 3, 2014, to address emission inventory requirements for the Illinois portions of the Chicago-Naperville, Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin (IL-IN-WI) and St. Louis, Missouri-Illinois (MO-IL) ozone nonattainment areas under the 2008 ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS or standard). The Clean Air Act (CAA) requires emission inventories for all ozone nonattainment areas. The emission inventories contained in Illinois' September 3, 2014, submission meet this CAA requirement.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a state implementation plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Commonwealth of Virginia pursuant to the Clean Air Act (CAA). Whenever new or revised national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) are promulgated, the CAA requires states to submit a plan for the implementation, maintenance, and enforcement of such NAAQS. The plan is required to address basic program elements including, but not limited to, regulatory structure, monitoring, modeling, legal authority, and adequate resources necessary to assure attainment and maintenance of the standards. These elements are referred to as infrastructure requirements. The Commonwealth of Virginia has made a submittal addressing the infrastructure requirements for the 2012 fine particulate matter (PM2.5) NAAQS. This action is being taken under the CAA.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve portions of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) submission, submitted by the State of South Carolina, through the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC), on May 8, 2014, to demonstrate that the State meets the infrastructure requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) for the 2010 1-hour sulfur dioxide (SO2) national ambient air quality standard (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. SC DHEC certified that the South Carolina SIP contains provisions that ensure the 2010 1-hour SO2 NAAQS is implemented, enforced, and maintained in South Carolina. EPA is proposing to determine that portions of South Carolina's infrastructure submission, submitted to EPA on May 8, 2014, satisfy certain required infrastructure elements for the 2010 1-hour SO2 NAAQS.