Environmental Protection Agency April 13, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA is proposing significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for three chemical substances which were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs). This action would require persons who intend to manufacture (defined by statute to include import) or process any of the chemical substances for an activity that is designated as a significant new use by this proposed rule to notify EPA at least 90 days before commencing that activity. The required notification would provide EPA with the opportunity to evaluate the intended use and, if necessary, to prohibit or limit the activity before it occurs.

There will be a half-day orientation meeting of the new Chemical Safety Advisory Committee (CSAC). At this meeting, entitled ``Orientation Session of the Chemical Safety Advisory Committee (CSAC),'' the CSAC will consider and review background information on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the TSCA Work Plan Chemical Program, and aspects of TSCA risk assessment approaches.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to make a finding of attainment by the attainment date for the Klamath Falls, Oregon nonattainment area (the area) based upon quality-assured, quality-controlled, and certified ambient air monitoring data showing that the area has monitored attainment of the 2006 24-hour fine particulate matter (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) based on the 2012-2014 data available in the EPA's Air Quality System (AQS) database. The proposed finding of attainment does not constitute a redesignation to attainment. Redesignations require states to meet a number of criteria including EPA approval of a state plan to maintain the air quality standard for 10 years after redesignation. The EPA also proposes to approve revisions to Oregon's State Implementation Plan (SIP) consisting of the Klamath Falls Fine Particulate Matter Attainment Plan (attainment plan) and approve and incorporate by reference associated revisions to the Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR), submitted by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) on December 12, 2012. The purpose of the attainment plan was to attain the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS by the December 2014 attainment date included in the plan, which the area met based on 2012-2014 monitoring data. The attainment plan addressed the nonattainment planning requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act). The attainment plan included comprehensive base year and attainment year emissions inventories for direct PM2.5 emissions and all particulate matter precursors, analysis and selection of reasonably available control measures and reasonably available control technologies (RACM and RACT), demonstrated attainment through selected permanent and enforceable control strategies, included required contingency measures, and addressed reasonable further progress and quantitative milestone requirements through the attainment demonstration. The attainment plan's strategy for controlling direct and precursor PM2.5 emissions relied primarily on an episodic woodstove curtailment program and a program to change-out uncertified woodstoves. Additional emissions reductions came from control measures and activities associated with industrial sources and motor vehicles.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is revising portions of the Arizona Regional Haze Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) applicable to the Coronado Generating Station (Coronado) and the Cholla Power Plant (Cholla). In response to a petition for reconsideration from the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District (SRP), the owner and operator of Coronado, we are replacing a plant- wide compliance method with a unit-specific compliance method for determining compliance with the best available retrofit technology (BART) emission limits for nitrogen oxides (NOX) from Units 1 and 2 at Coronado. While the plant-wide limit for NOX emissions from Units 1 and 2 was established as 0.065 lb/MMBtu, we are now setting a unit-specific limit of 0.065 lb/MMBtu for Unit 1 and 0.080 lb/MMBtu for Unit 2. In addition, we are revising the work practice standard in the FIP for Coronado. Finally, we are removing the affirmative defense for malfunctions, which applied to both Coronado and Cholla.