Environmental Protection Agency April 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of New Hampshire. The revision provides the state's determination, via a negative declaration, that there are no facilities within its borders subject to EPA's 2016 Control Technique Guideline (CTG) for the oil and gas industry. The intended effect of this action is to propose approval of these items into the New Hampshire SIP. This action is being taken in accordance with the Clean Air Act.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving portions of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) submission provided by the State of Florida, through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), through a letter dated September 18, 2018. This submission pertains to the infrastructure requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) for the 2015 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). Whenever EPA promulgates a new or revised NAAQS, the CAA requires that each state adopt and submit a SIP submission to establish that the state's implementation plan meets infrastructure requirements for the implementation, maintenance, and enforcement of each such NAAQS. FDEP made the required SIP submission to assure that the Florida SIP contains provisions that ensure the 2015 8-hour ozone NAAQS is implemented, enforced, and maintained in Florida. EPA has in this action determined that Florida's infrastructure SIP submission satisfies certain required infrastructure elements for the 2015 8-hour ozone NAAQS.

Pursuant to the Federal Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) is approving revisions to the Texas State Implementation Plan (SIP) that pertain to the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area and the 1979 1-hour and 1997 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS or standard). The EPA is approving the plan for maintaining the 1-hour and 1997 ozone NAAQS through the year 2032 in the DFW area. The EPA is determining that the DFW area continues to attain the 1979 1-hour and 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS and has met the five CAA criteria for redesignation. Therefore, the EPA is terminating all anti-backsliding obligations for the DFW area for the 1-hour and 1997 ozone NAAQS.

In accordance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA is issuing a notice of receipt of requests by registrants to voluntarily cancel certain pesticide registrations. EPA intends to grant these requests at the close of the comment period for this announcement unless the Agency receives substantive comments within the comment period that would merit its further review of the requests, or unless the registrants withdraw its requests. If these requests are granted, any sale, distribution, or use of products listed in this notice will be permitted after the registrations have been cancelled only if such sale, distribution, or use is consistent with the terms as described in the final order.

On January 15, 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published in the Federal Register a final rule entitled ``Air Plan Approval; California; Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District; Reasonably Available Control Technology.'' That publication inadvertently listed in the regulatory text the wrong document number for a document entitled ``Control Techniques Guidelines for the Oil and Natural Gas Industry.'' This document corrects this error in the regulatory text.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve the ``Imperial County 2018 Redesignation Request and Maintenance Plan for Particulate Matter Less Than 10 Microns in Diameter (PM10)'' (``Imperial PM10 Plan'') as a revision of the California state implementation plan (SIP). The Imperial PM10 Plan includes, among other elements, a demonstration of implementation of best available control measures (BACM) and a maintenance plan that includes an emissions inventory consistent with attainment, a maintenance demonstration, contingency provisions, and motor vehicle emissions budgets for use in transportation conformity determinations. In connection with the proposed approval of the Imperial PM10 Plan, the EPA is proposing to determine that PM10 precursors do not contribute significantly to elevated PM10 levels in the area. The EPA is also proposing to approve the State of California's request to redesignate the Imperial Valley Planning Area from nonattainment to attainment for the PM10 national ambient air quality standards. The EPA is proposing these actions because the SIP revision meets the applicable statutory and regulatory requirements for such plans and motor vehicle emissions budgets and because the area meets the Clean Air Act requirements for redesignation of nonattainment areas to attainment. Lastly, the EPA is beginning the adequacy process for the 2016 and 2030 motor vehicle emissions budgets in the 2018 Imperial PM10 Plan through this proposed rule.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is requesting comment on applications from Toyota Motor North America (``Toyota'') for off-cycle carbon dioxide (CO2) credits under EPA's light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas emissions standards. ``Off-cycle'' emission reductions can be achieved by employing technologies that result in real-world benefits, but where that benefit is not adequately captured on the test procedures used by manufacturers to demonstrate compliance with emission standards. EPA's light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas program acknowledges these benefits by giving automobile manufacturers several options for generating ``off-cycle'' CO2 credits. Under the regulations, a manufacturer may apply for CO2 credits for off-cycle technologies that result in off-cycle benefits. In these cases, a manufacturer must provide EPA with a proposed methodology for determining the real-world off-cycle benefit. Toyota has submitted applications that describe methodologies for determining off-cycle credits from technologies described in their applications. Pursuant to applicable regulations, EPA is making these off-cycle credit calculation methodologies available for public comment.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites nominations of scientific experts from a diverse range of disciplines to be considered for appointment to the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) and four SAB standing committees described in this notice. Appointments will be announced by the Administrator and are anticipated to be filled by the start of Fiscal Year 2021 (October 2020).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing approval of revisions to the Tennessee State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted through two letters dated June 25, 2008, and September 12, 2018. The SIP revisions were submitted by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) on behalf of the Chattanooga/ Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau and modify the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) regulations in the Chattanooga portion of the Tennessee SIP to address changes to the federal new source review (NSR) regulations in recent years for the implementation of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). Additionally, the SIP revisions include updates to Chattanooga's regulations of nitrogen oxides (NOX) and other miscellaneous typographical and administrative updates. This action is being taken pursuant to the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act).

EPA is proposing to amend the significant new use rules (SNURs) for chemical substances, which were the subject of a premanufacture notice (PMN) and a significant new use notice (SNUN). This action would amend the SNURs to allow certain new uses reported in the SNUNs without additional notification requirements and modify the significant new use notification requirements based on the actions and determinations for the SNUN submissions. EPA is proposing this amendment based on review of new and existing data for the chemical substances.