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

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites nominations of qualified candidates to be considered for a three-year appointment to the National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC or Council). The 15-member Council was established by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to provide practical and independent advice, consultation and recommendations to the EPA Administrator on the activities, functions, policies and regulations required by the SDWA. This notice solicits nominations to fill one new vacancy from December 2016 through December 2019. To maintain the representation required by statute, a nominee will be selected to represent state and local agencies concerned with water hygiene and public water supply.

EPA is proposing to partially approve and partially disapprove elements of New York's State Implementation Plan (SIP) submission regarding the infrastructure requirements of section 110(a)(1) and (2) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) for the 2008 ozone 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. This action pertains specifically to infrastructure requirements concerning interstate transport provisions.

EPA is announcing a 30-day public comment period for the draft document titled, ``Updates to the Demographic and Spatial Allocation Models to Produce Integrated Climate and Land Use Scenarios (ICLUS) Version 2'' (EPA/600/R-14/324). EPA is also announcing that Versar, Inc., an EPA contractor for external scientific peer review, will select four independent experts from a pool of eight to conduct a letter peer review of the same draft document. The document was prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment within EPA's Office of Research and Development. This document describes the development of version 2 of Integrated Climate and Land Use Scenarios (ICLUS), including updates to data sets and the demographic and spatial allocation models. EPA intends to forward the public comments that are submitted in accordance with this document to the external peer reviewers for their consideration during the letter peer review. When finalizing the draft documents, EPA intends to consider any public comments received in response to this document. EPA is releasing this draft document for the purposes of public comment and peer review. This draft document is not final as described in EPA's information quality guidelines and does not represent and should not be construed to represent Agency policy or views. The draft document is available via the Internet on EPA's Risk Web page under the Recent Additions at https://www.epa.gov/risk.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve two SIP revisions submitted by the State of Iowa. First, EPA is proposing to approve the definition of greenhouse gas, which will make the state's definition consistent with the Federal definition, and add greenhouse gases to emission inventory requirements. Second, EPA is proposing to approve Iowa's revision to its Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program, specifically to the definition of ``subject to regulation,'' and adopt by reference the most recent Federal plantwide applicability limitations (PALs) provisions.

The EPA is hereby providing notice of a proposed settlement agreement concerning the Ely Copper Mine Superfund Site in Vershire, Vermont. The settlement agreement is entered into pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, as amended (``CERCLA''), 42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq., and the authority of the Attorney General of the United States to compromise and settle claims of the United States. The proposed settlement agreement is with the following parties: Green Crow Corporation (``Green Crow'') and Dwight Hill Forest, LLC (``Dwight Hill'') (together the ``settling parties''). Under the proposed settlement, Green Crow, a company specializing in the timberland and wood products industries, will effectuate transfer of the main site property to Dwight Hill, but remain involved in the timber harvesting and management of the property. Green Crow will also be responsible for seven years of monitoring and thirty years of maintenance of the remedy at the site. In addition, the proposed settlement requires the settling parties to: Allow EPA to remove and use borrow material located on the site property and on an adjacent property owned by Green Crow, provide EPA and its contractors access to the site property and Green Crow's adjacent property, and prepare and record any documents necessary to implement institutional controls. The proposed settlement includes a covenant not to sue the settling parties pursuant to Sections 106 and 107(a) of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 9606 and 9607(a). For thirty (30) days following the date of publication of this notice, the Agency will receive written comments relating to the settlement. The Agency will consider all comments received and may modify or withdraw its consent to the settlement if comments received disclose facts or considerations which indicate that the settlement is inappropriate, improper, or inadequate. The Agency's response to any comments received will be available for public inspection at the US EPA Region 1 OSRR Records and Information Center, 5 Post Office Square, Suite 100, Boston, MA 02109.

EPA has received specific exemption requests from the Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin Departments of Agriculture to use the herbicide pyridate (CAS No. 55512-33-9) on mint (peppermint and spearmint) to control redroot pigweed and kochia. The applicants propose a use of a pesticide that was voluntarily canceled in 2004, and which is now considered to be unregistered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). EPA is soliciting public comment before making the decision whether or not to grant the exemptions.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is revising the format of materials submitted by the State of Utah that are incorporated by reference (IBR) into its State Implementation Plan (SIP). The regulations affected by this format change have all been previously submitted by Utah and approved by the EPA.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve revisions to the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District (YSAQMD) and Eastern Kern Air Pollution Control District (EKAPCD) portions of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). These revisions concern, respectively, the definition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and emissions of VOCs from the surface coating operations of wood products. We are approving local rules that regulate these emission sources under the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final action finding that New Jersey has failed to submit an infrastructure State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision to satisfy certain interstate transport requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA) with respect to the 2008 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). Specifically, these requirements pertain to the obligation to prohibit emissions which significantly contribute to nonattainment, or interfere with maintenance, of the 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS in other states. This finding of failure to submit establishes a 2-year deadline for the EPA to promulgate a Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) to address the interstate transport SIP requirements pertaining to the state's significant contribution to nonattainment and interference with maintenance of the 2008 ozone NAAQS in other states unless, prior to the EPA promulgating a FIP, the state submits, and the EPA approves, a SIP that meets these requirements.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), ``RadNet (Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 0877.13, OMB Control No. 2060-0015) 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.). Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through August 31, 2016. 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.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is disapproving elements of State Implementation Plan (SIP) submissions from Indiana and Ohio regarding the infrastructure requirements of section 110 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) for the 2008 ozone 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 is adequate to meet the state's responsibilities under the CAA. This action pertains specifically to infrastructure requirements concerning interstate transport provisions, for which Ohio and Indiana made SIP submissions that, among other things, certified that their existing SIPs were sufficient to meet the interstate transport infrastructure SIP requirements for the 2008 ozone NAAQS.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Connecticut. This revision continues to allow facilities to create and/or use emission credits using NOX Emission Trading and Agreement Orders (TAOs) to comply with the NOX emission limits required by Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (RCSA) section 22a-174-22 (Control of Nitrogen Oxides). The intended effect of this action is to propose approval of the individual trading orders to allow facilities to determine the most cost-effective way to comply with the state regulation. This action is being taken in accordance with the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Commonwealth of Kentucky through its Energy and Environment Cabinet, Department of Environmental Protection, Division for Air Quality (KY DAQ) on February 13, 2013, for the purpose of establishing emission requirements for the changeover from coal-fired units U4, U5 and U6 to a new natural gas-fired combined cycle (NGCC) generating unit U15 and auxiliary boiler U16 at the Louisville Gas and Electric Company, Cane Run Generating Station (LG & E Cane Run Facility).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has completed its review of the Department of Energy's (DOE) most recent Biennial Environmental Compliance Report (BECR) for the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP), covering the period April 1, 2012 through March 31, 2014. Section 9(a)(2) of the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act requires the DOE to submit documentation to the EPA of the WIPP's continued compliance with designated federal laws pertaining to public health and safety or the environment. The Secretary of Energy was notified that the EPA had completed its review via a letter from EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy dated June 3, 2016.

The Agency is announcing the availability of and seeking public comment on a draft Pesticide Registration Notice (PR Notice) entitled ``Determination of Minor Use under Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), section 2(ll).'' PR Notices are issued by the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) to inform pesticide registrants and other interested persons about important policies, procedures, and registration related decisions, and serve to provide guidance to pesticide registrants and OPP personnel. This draft PR Notice would update section 5 of PR Notice 97-2 and provide guidance to the registrant as to how the EPA determines a ``minor use.'' EPA seeks to identify and encourage the registration of pesticides for minor uses to protect communities from harmful pests. This draft PR Notice revises the method used by EPA for evaluating ``sufficient economic incentive'' under FIFRA. The draft PR Notice explains how qualitative information may be used to inform the quantitative analysis, interpret the results, and clarifies that the most recent United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census of Agriculture is the appropriate source for data on acreage in the United States to establish a minor use under the acreage definition in FIFRA 2(ll)(1).

This regulation establishes tolerances for residues of chlorantraniliprole in or on multiple commodities which are identified and discussed later in this document. Interregional Research Project Number 4 (IR-4) requested the tolerances associated with pesticide petition number (PP) 5E8371, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). Additionally, the Agency is amending the existing tolerance for egg that was inadvertently omitted in a previous action.

The Director of the Caribbean Environmental Protection Division (CEPD), Environmental Protection AgencyRegion 2 (EPA), is issuing this Notice of a Final National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general permit, PRR040000/PRR04000F, for discharges from small municipal separate storm sewer systems (small MS4) from urbanized areas within the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to waters of the United States. This NPDES general permit establishes Notice of Intent (NOI) requirements, standards, prohibitions and management practices for discharges of storm water from small MS4s urbanized areas. A prior Notice of Availability of a general permit was issued by EPA in November 2006. EPA has substantially modified and reissuing the general permit pursuant to 40 CFR part 124. The EPA is issuing this permit for five years.

This regulation establishes an exemption from the requirement of a tolerance for residues of D-glucurono-6-deoxy-L-manno-D-glucan, acetate, calcium magnesium potassium sodium salt (diutan gum) Chemical Abstract Service Registration Number ((CAS Reg. No.) 595585-15-2) when used as an inert ingredient stabilizer/suspension agent applied to crops pre- and post-harvest and to food contact surfaces. Keller and Heckman on behalf of CP Kelco U.S., Inc submitted a petition to EPA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), requesting establishment of an exemption from the requirement of a tolerance. This regulation eliminates the need to establish a maximum permissible level for residues of D-glucurono-6-deoxy-L-manno-D-glucan, acetate, calcium magnesium potassium sodium salt (diutan gum).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is amending its hazardous chemical reporting regulations due to the changes in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). OSHA's HCS was recently revised to conform to the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). Under the revised HCS, chemical manufacturers and importers are required to evaluate their chemicals according to the new criteria adopted from GHS to ensure that they are classified and labeled appropriately. Manufacturers and importers are also required to develop standardized Safety Data Sheets (formerly known as ``Material Safety Data Sheets'') and distribute them to downstream users of their chemicals. These changes in HCS affect the reporting requirements under sections 311 and 312 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to- Know Act (EPCRA). Based on the new classification criteria that OSHA adopted, EPA is revising the existing hazard categories for hazardous chemical inventory form reporting under EPCRA Section 312 and for list reporting under section 311. In this action, EPA is also making a few minor corrections in the hazardous chemical reporting regulations.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to amend the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Secondary Aluminum Production (Secondary Aluminum NESHAP). In the ``Rules and Regulations'' section of this Federal Register, we are publishing a direct final rule, without a prior proposed rule, that amends the final rule that was published in the Federal Register on September 18, 2015, to correct inadvertent errors, to clarify rule requirements for initial performance tests and submittal of malfunction reports, to provide an additional option for new round top furnaces to account for unmeasured emissions during compliance testing and to clarify what constitutes a change in furnace operating mode. The direct final rule also updates Web site addresses for the EPA's Electronic Reporting Tool (ERT) and the Compliance and Emissions Data Reporting Interface (CEDRI). If we receive no adverse comment, we will not take further action on this proposed rule.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is extending the comment period on the tentative denial of a petition to revise the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) corrosivity hazardous waste characteristic regulation, published in the Federal Register on April 11, 2016. EPA is tentatively denying the rulemaking petition because the materials submitted in support of the petition fail to demonstrate that the requested regulatory revisions are warranted, as further explained in the tentative denial. The Agency's review of additional materials it identified as relevant to the petition similarly did not demonstrate that any change to the corrosivity characteristic regulation is warranted at this time. The comment period is being extended to December 7, 2016.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving 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 regulations. 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 PM2.5 standard.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to approve, and incorporate by reference, revisions to the Idaho State Implementation Plan submitted on May 21, 2015. In the submission, Idaho revised stationary source permitting rules, including the addition of facility-wide emission limits and nonmetallic mineral processing plant regulations. Idaho also added an alternative method for stationary sources to comply with sulfur content of fuels limits, and updated provisions to account for changes to federal air quality regulations. The EPA proposes to approve the submitted revisions as consistent with the Clean Air Act and the EPA's implementing regulations.