Environmental Protection Agency October 5, 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), ``Information Collection Request for Contaminant Occurrence Data in Support of the EPA's Fourth Six-Year Review of National Primary Drinking Water Regulations'' (EPA ICR No. 2574.01, OMB Control No. 2040-NEW), to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA; 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Before doing so, the EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed, voluntary information collection as described in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. This is a request for approval of a new collection.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is requesting nominations of chemical and microbial contaminants that are not currently regulated, for possible inclusion on the fifth drinking water Contaminant Candidate List. The EPA requests that nominations include information showing the nominated contaminant is known or anticipated to occur in public water systems and indicating the nominated contaminant may require regulation due to the potential for adverse effects on the health of persons.

This regulation establishes tolerances with regional registrations for residues of flumioxazin in or on Grass, forage and Grass, hay. Interregional Research Project Number 4 (IR-4) requested these tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a state implementation plan (SIP) revision, submitted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), to EPA on September 29, 2017, for the purpose of providing for attainment of the 2010 sulfur dioxide (SO2) primary national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) in the Beaver County, Pennsylvania SO2 nonattainment area (hereafter referred to as the ``Beaver Area'' or ``Area''). The Beaver Area is comprised of a portion of Beaver County (Industry Borough, Shippingport Borough, Midland Borough, Brighton Township, Potter Township and Vanport Township) in Pennsylvania. The SIP submission is an attainment plan which includes the base year emissions inventory, an analysis of the reasonably available control technology (RACT) and reasonably available control measure (RACM) requirements, a reasonable further progress (RFP) plan, a modeling demonstration of SO2 attainment, contingency measures for the Beaver Area, and Pennsylvania's new source review (NSR) permitting program. As part of approving the attainment plan, EPA is also proposing to approve into the Pennsylvania SIP new SO2 emission limits and associated compliance parameters for the FirstEnergy Generation, LLC (FirstEnergy) Bruce Mansfield Power Station (Bruce Mansfield Facility) and a consent order with Jewel Acquisition Midland steel plant (Jewel Facility). This action is being taken under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving, and incorporating by reference, specific changes to the Oregon State Implementation Plan (SIP) as it applies in Lane County, Oregon. The local air agency in Lane County, Lane Regional Air Protection Agency, revised its rules to align with recent changes to Oregon State regulations. The revisions, submitted on August 29, 2014 and March 27, 2018, are related to the criteria pollutants for which the EPA has established national ambient air quality standardscarbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide. The regulatory changes address Federal particulate matter requirements, update the major and minor source pre-construction permitting programs, add State-level air quality designations, update public processes, and tighten emission standards for dust and smoke.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is denying four petitions submitted by the state of Delaware and one petition submitted by the state of Maryland under Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) section 126(b). The petitions were submitted between July and November 2016. Each of Delaware's four petitions requested that the EPA make a finding that emissions from individual sources in Pennsylvania or West Virginia are significantly contributing to Delaware's nonattainment of the 2008 and 2015 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). Maryland's petition requested that the EPA make a finding that emissions from 36 electric generating units in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia are significantly contributing to ozone levels that exceed the 2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS in Maryland, and, therefore, are interfering with nonattainment and maintenance of the 2008 ozone NAAQS. The EPA is denying the petitions based on the best information available to the agency at this time, and particularly in light of an existing regulation already addressing emissions from these facilities: The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Update for the 2008 ozone NAAQS (CSAPR Update). The EPA's denial finds that Delaware has not demonstrated that the named sources emit or would emit in violation of the CAA's ``good neighbor'' provision. Further, the agency's independent analysis indicates that the identified sources in Delaware's and Maryland's petitions do not currently emit and are not expected to emit pollution in violation of the good neighbor provision for either the 2008 or 2015 ozone NAAQS.