Environmental Protection Agency September 4, 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), ``Ambient Air Quality Surveillance'' (EPA ICR No. 0940.28, OMB Control No. 2060-0084), to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. Before doing so, the 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 March 31, 2019. 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) will host a public meeting to obtain input on its Study of Oil and Gas Extraction Wastewater Management. In May 2018, EPA initiated a study to evaluate approaches to managing both conventional and unconventional oil and gas extraction wastewaters generated at onshore facilities. EPA's study will address questions such as how existing federal approaches to produced water management under the Clean Water Act can interact more effectively with state and tribal regulations, what requirements or policy updates are needed, and whether support exists for potential federal regulations that may allow for broader discharge of treated produced water to surface waters. A key component of the study is to engage with stakeholders to solicit information from their individual perspectives on topics surrounding produced water management. This spring and summer, EPA met with various stakeholders across the country. This public meeting is the next step in EPA's outreach. During this meeting, EPA will report on what it has learned to date and provide stakeholders the opportunity to provide additional input. For more information on the meeting and the study, see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

This notice announces the competition for the 2019 Clean Air Excellence Awards Program. EPA established the Clean Air Excellence Awards Program in February 2000 to recognize outstanding and innovative efforts that support progress in achieving clean air.