Environmental Protection Agency September 8, 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to the Federal Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving the required second carbon monoxide (CO) maintenance plan as a revision to the Texas State Implementation Plan (SIP). The El Paso, Texas CO maintenance area (El Paso Area) has been demonstrating consistent air quality monitoring at or below 85% of the CO National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS or standard). Because of this, the State of Texas, through its designee, submitted the required second maintenance plan for the El Paso Area as a Limited Maintenance Plan (LMP).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving under the Clean Air Act (CAA), a November 18, 2015, State Implementation Plan (SIP) submittal from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency consisting of adjustments and additions to volatile organic compound (VOC) rules in the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC). The changes to these rules are based on an Ohio-initiated five-year periodic review of its VOC rules and a new rule to update the VOC reasonably available control technology (RACT) requirements for the miscellaneous metal and plastic parts coatings source category for the Cleveland-Akron-Lorain area (``Cleveland area'') consisting of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit counties. Additionally, EPA is approving into the Ohio SIP an oxides of nitrogen (NOX) emission limit for Arcelor-Mittal Cleveland that Ohio is using as an offset in its anti-backsliding demonstration for architectural aluminum coatings.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving state implementation plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of Alaska (Alaska or the State) to address Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) requirements for the 2006 24-hour fine particulate matter (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) in the Fairbanks North Star Borough Moderate PM2.5 nonattainment area (FNSB NAA). Alaska submitted an attainment plan for the FNSB NAA on December 31, 2014, to meet applicable requirements for an area classified as ``Moderate'' nonattainment, and made additional submissions and provided clarifying information to supplement the attainment plan in January 2015, March 2015, July 2015, November 2015, March 2016, November 2016, and January 2017 (hereafter, the initial submission and all supplemental and clarifying information will be collectively referred to as ``the FNSB Moderate Plan'').