Environmental Protection Agency January 9, 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Air Quality Plans; Tennessee; Infrastructure Requirements for the 2012 PM2.5
Document Number: 2017-00162
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2017-01-09
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve the State Implementation Plan (SIP) submission, submitted by the State of Tennessee, through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), on December 16, 2015, for inclusion into the Tennessee SIP. This proposal pertains to the infrastructure requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) for the 2012 Annual Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) 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 submission.'' TDEC certified that the Tennessee SIP contains provisions that ensure the 2012 Annual PM2.5 NAAQS is implemented, enforced, and maintained in Tennessee. EPA is proposing to determine that portions of Tennessee's infrastructure SIP submission, provided to EPA on December 16, 2015, satisfy certain required infrastructure elements for the 2012 Annual PM2.5 NAAQS.
Granting Petitions To Add n-Propyl Bromide to the List of Hazardous Air Pollutants
Document Number: 2017-00158
Type: Notice
Date: 2017-01-09
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is publishing a draft notice of the rationale for granting petitions to add n-propyl bromide (nPB), also known as 1-bromopropane (1-BP), (Chemical Abstract Service No. 106-94-5) to the list of hazardous air pollutants (HAP) contained in section 112(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act (CAA). The Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance (HSIA) and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) submitted petitions requesting that nPB be added to the list of HAP. In response to the EPA requests for additional data, HSIA subsequently supplemented its petition. Petitions to add a substance to the list of HAP are permitted under the CAA section 112(b)(3). Based on the EPA's evaluation of the petitioners' showing concerning potential hazards, emissions, and atmospheric dispersion modeling that provided estimates of ambient concentrations of nPB, the EPA has determined that there is adequate evidence to support a determination that emissions and ambient concentrations of nPB may reasonably be anticipated to cause adverse health effects.
Approval of Arizona Air Plan Revisions, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Pinal County Air Quality Control District
Document Number: 2017-00054
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2017-01-09
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve revisions to the Arizona State Implementation Plan (SIP). These revisions include a state statute and certain state rules that govern air pollution sources under the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and the Pinal County Air Quality Control District (PCAQCD). These revisions concern emissions of particulate matter (PM) from construction sites, agricultural activity and other fugitive dust sources. We are proposing to approve local rules to regulate these emission sources under the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act). We are taking comments on this proposal and plan to follow with a final action.
Nondiscrimination in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Assistance From the Environmental Protection Agency
Document Number: 2017-00050
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2017-01-09
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is withdrawing a proposed rule for which the EPA no longer intends to issue a final rule. This document identifies the proposed rule and explains the EPA's decision to withdraw the proposal. The withdrawal of this proposed rule does not preclude the EPA from initiating the same or similar rulemaking at a future date. It does, however, close out the entry for this proposed rule in the EPA Semi-Annual Regulatory Agenda, published as part of the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (Unified Agenda). Should the EPA decide at some future date to initiate the same or similar rulemaking, it will add an appropriate new entry to the EPA Semi-Annual Regulatory Agenda to reflect the initiation of the action.
Consolidated Rules of Practice Governing the Administrative Assessment of Civil Penalties, Issuance of Compliance or Corrective Action Orders, and the Revocation/Termination or Suspension of Permits; Procedures for Decisionmaking
Document Number: 2016-31638
Type: Rule
Date: 2017-01-09
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
This final rule revises the Environmental Protection Agency's (``EPA'') Consolidated Rules of Practice governing the administrative assessment of civil penalties and various other administrative adjudicatory hearings. These revisions simplify the administrative processing of cases by removing inconsistencies, codifying electronic filing and service procedures, and streamlining the procedures in cases initiated at EPA Headquarters. This rule also corrects some punctuation typographical errors found in the Consolidated Rules of Practice. This rule similarly revises EPA's procedures governing decisionmaking in permit appeals. These amendments are procedural in nature and none of these changes are intended to substantively alter the Agency's administrative enforcement actions or review of permit appeals.
Approval of Arizona Air Plan Revisions; Ajo and Morenci, Arizona; Second 10-Year Sulfur Dioxide Maintenance Plans and Technical Correction
Document Number: 2016-31637
Type: Rule
Date: 2017-01-09
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving the second 10-year maintenance plans for the Ajo and Morenci areas in Arizona for the 1971 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS or ``standards'') for sulfur dioxide (SO2), and correcting an error in the description of the Ajo SO2 maintenance area in the Code of Federal Regulations. Elsewhere in this Federal Register, we are proposing approval and soliciting written comment on these actions. If we receive adverse comments on this direct final rule, resulting in withdrawal of the entire rule or any part(s) of it, we will address those comments when we finalize the proposal. The EPA does not plan to institute a second comment period on this action. Any parties interested in commenting must do so at this time.
Approval of Arizona Air Plan Revisions; Ajo and Morenci, Arizona; Second 10-Year Sulfur Dioxide Maintenance Plans and Technical Correction
Document Number: 2016-31636
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2017-01-09
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve the second ten-year maintenance plans for the Ajo and Morenci areas in Arizona for the 1971 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for sulfur dioxide (SO2), and to correct an error in the description of the Ajo, Arizona SO2 maintenance area in the Code of Federal Regulations.
Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Rhode Island; Clean Air Act Infrastructure State and Federal Implementation Plans
Document Number: 2016-31444
Type: Rule
Date: 2017-01-09
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is removing several obsolete Federal Implementation Plans (FIPs) for the State of Rhode Island. These FIPs address Clean Air Act (CAA) infrastructure State Implementation Plan (SIP) requirements that have since been addressed by Rhode Island in its SIP. Therefore, EPA is removing from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) the corresponding FIPs. This action is being taken in accordance with the CAA.
Addition of a Subsurface Intrusion Component to the Hazard Ranking System
Document Number: 2016-30640
Type: Rule
Date: 2017-01-09
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is adding a subsurface intrusion (SsI) component to the Hazard Ranking System (HRS), which is the principal mechanism that EPA uses to evaluate sites for placement on the National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL is a list of national priorities among the known or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants throughout the United States. Sites on the NPL are priorities for further investigation to determine if further response actions are warranted. The subsurface intrusion component (this addition) expands the number of available options for EPA and state and tribal organizations performing work on behalf of EPA to evaluate actual and potential threats to public health from releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. This addition enables EPA to directly consider human exposure to hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants that enter regularly occupied structures through subsurface intrusion in assessing a site's relative risk, and thus, enable sites with subsurface intrusion contamination to be evaluated for placement on the NPL.
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