Environmental Protection Agency June 10, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

EPA issued a final rule in the Federal Register of March 2, 2016, concerning Alpha-2,4,6-Tris[1-(phenyl)ethyl]-Omega- hydroxypoly(oxyethylene) poly(oxypropylene) copolymer; Tolerance Exemption. This document corrects typographical errors.

In accordance with section 113(g) of the Clean Air Act, as amended (``CAA'' or the ``Act''), notice is hereby given of a proposed consent decree to address a lawsuit filed by Partnership for Policy Integrity (``Plaintiffs'') in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia: Partnership for Policy Integrity v. McCarthy, Civil Action No. 5:16-cv-00038-CAR (M.D. G.A.). On January 25, 2016, Plaintiffs filed a complaint alleging that Gina McCarthy, in her official capacity as Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (``EPA''), failed to perform a non- discretionary duty to grant or deny within 60 days a petition submitted by Plaintiffs on May 26, 2015 requesting that EPA object to a CAA Title V permit issued by the Environmental Protection Division (``EPD'') of Georgia's Department of Natural Resources, to Piedmont Green Power, LLC, authorizing the operation of a 60.5 megawatt (MW) steam-turbine generator powered by a 700 million British thermal unit per hour (MMBtu) biomass boiler in Barnesville, Georgia. The proposed consent decree would establish a deadline for EPA to take such action.

As part of its mission to protect human health and the environment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes protective action guides to help federal, state, local and tribal emergency response officials make radiation protection decisions during emergencies. EPA, in coordination with a multi-agency working group within the Federal Radiological Preparedness Coordinating Committee, is proposing an addition to the 2013 revised interim Protective Action Guides and Planning Guidance for Radiological Incidents (``2013 revised PAG Manual'' hereafter) to provide guidance on drinking water. The Draft Protective Action Guide for Drinking Water is now available in the EPA Docket, under ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0268, and EPA is requesting comment on the draft guide.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve revised rules submitted by the State of Illinois as State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions. The submitted rules update Illinois' ambient air quality standards to include the 2012 primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM2.5), add EPA-promulgated monitoring methods, and address the ``sunset provisions'' in our regulation, finding that the 1971 NAAQS for sulfur dioxide no longer applies to the Lemont and Pekin areas in Illinois. In addition, the revised rules contain the timing requirements for the ``flagging of exceptional events'' and the submitting of documentation supporting the determination of exceptional events for the 2012 primary annual averaged PM2.5 standard.