Environmental Protection Agency August 25, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Local Government Advisory Committee's (LGAC) Protecting America's Waters Workgroup is seeking input on the LGAC's Charge from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to give advice and recommendations to the Administrator to inform the development of a National Action Plan for Drinking Water (Action Plan). The LGAC will provide their final recommendations to the EPA Administrator during the autumn of 2016. EPA is committed to working with government partners, communities, and stakeholders to strengthen the nations drinking water systems. The LGAC Protecting America's Waters Workgroup will have a series of meetings to hear from local elected and appointed officials. These meetings will be held on Wednesday, September 7th, 2016 at 4:30-5:30 EDT; and Wednesday, September 21st, 4:30-5:30 EDT via teleconference. The focus of the workgroup meeting is to hear from local officials on issues of concern related to LGAC's Charge (included below). The Workgroup will consider the following: Advancing Next Generation Safe Drinking Water Act Implementation: Identify key opportunities for federal, state, tribal and local government to work together to implementation of Safe Drinking Water Act regulations and programs, including ways to increase communication and public awareness and accountability. Addressing Environmental Justice and Equity in Infrastructure Funding: Identify ways in which federal, state, tribal and local governments, and utilities can work together to ensure that drinking water infrastructure challenges of low-income environmental justice communities and small systems are being appropriately prioritized and addressed, including through increased information, sharing and replicating best practices, and building community capacity. Strengthening Protections against Lead in Drinking Water: Identify opportunities to coordinate and collaborate on implementing the current Lead and Copper Rule, particularly in environmental justice communities and expand and strengthen opportunities for stakeholder engagement to support the development of a revised rule. Emerging and Unregulated Contaminant Strategies: Develop and implement improved approaches through which EPA, state, tribal and local governments, utilities and other stakeholders can work together to prioritize and address the challenges posed by emerging and unregulated contaminants such as algal toxins and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) and increasing public awareness, especially in vulnerable populations. The Workgroup is also interested in information on how public and private sector partnerships have advanced economic solutions; where source water protection saved taxpayers' dollars; and where communities have created jobs and produced public savings by ensuring clean and healthy water infrastructure. This is an open meeting and state, local and tribal officials are invited to participate. The Workgroup will hear comments from state, local and tribal officials and the public between 4:45 p.m.-5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, September 7, 2016 and Wednesday, September 21, 2016. Individuals or organizations wishing to address the workgroup will be allowed a maximum of five minutes to present their point of view. Also, written comments are encouraged and may be submitted electronically to Eargle.Frances@epa.gov. Please contact the Designated Federal Officer (DFO) at the number listed below to schedule comment time. Time will be allotted on a first-come first-serve basis. If you are interested in participating in this or subsequent meetings of the workgroup, details will be posted when they are available at: https://www.epa.gov/ocir/local-government- advisory-committee-lgac. Comments submitted to the workgroup are solely for the Workgroup's consideration.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing approval of State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of North Dakota on January 28, 2013 and April 22, 2014. The revisions are to Article 33-15 ``Air Pollution Control'' rules of the North Dakota Administrative Code. The revisions include amendments to update the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) rules and the definition of ``volatile organic compounds''; to add particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5) methods of measurement; to modify the PM2.5 state ambient air quality standard, permissible open burning rule, and permit fee processes; and, to remove permitting fees for sources that operate an air monitoring site. The revisions also make clarifying changes. This action is being taken under section 110 of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of Wyoming on July 1, 2014. The submittal requests SIP revisions to the State's Incorporation by reference section as well as an administrative change in section numbering. The submittal also includes the addition of a section establishing requirements for the submittal of emission inventories from facilities or sources located in an ozone nonattainment area.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving the reasonably available control measures (RACM) and reasonably available control technology (RACT) analysis that Indiana submitted as part of its attainment plan for the 1997 fine particulate matter (PM2.5) standard, in accordance with Indiana's request dated February 11, 2016. The RACM/RACT analysis addresses RACM and RACT for the Indiana portion of the Cincinnati-Hamilton nonattainment area for the 1997 PM2.5 standard. EPA is not acting on the portions of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) submission that are unrelated to RACM/RACT. Other portions of the attainment plan have either been addressed or will be addressed in future rulemaking actions.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of North Carolina through the North Carolina Division of Air Quality (NC DAQ) on May 31, 2013. North Carolina's May 31, 2013, SIP revision (Progress Report) addresses requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) and EPA's rules that require each state to submit periodic reports describing progress towards reasonable progress goals (RPGs) established for regional haze and a determination of the adequacy of the state's existing SIP addressing regional haze (regional haze plan). EPA is approving North Carolina's Progress Report on the basis that it addresses the progress report and adequacy determination requirements for the first implementation period for regional haze.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to approve the Clean Air Act (CAA) section 111(d)/129 negative declaration for the Government of the United States Virgin Islands, for existing sewage sludge incinerator (SSI) units. This negative declaration certifies that existing SSI units subject to sections 111(d) and 129 of the CAA do not exist within the jurisdiction of the United States Virgin Islands. The EPA is accepting the negative declaration in accordance with the requirements of the CAA.