Environmental Protection Agency August 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA), Office of Information Management (OIM) is giving notice that it proposes to modify a system of records pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974. Central Data Exchange-Customer Registration Subsystem (CDX-CRS) is being modified to officially change from Central Data Exchange Customer Registration Subsystem (CDX-CRS). The new name for the system will be called Central Data Exchange (CDX). Additionally, CDX will leverage cloud resources.

EPA is issuing significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for chemical substances which were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs). This action requires persons to notify EPA at least 90 days before commencing manufacture (defined by statute to include import) or processing of any of these chemical substances for an activity that is designated as a significant new use by this rule. This action further requires that persons not commence manufacture or processing for the significant new use until they have submitted a Significant New Use Notice (SNUN), and EPA has conducted a review of the notice, made an appropriate determination on the notice, and has taken any risk management actions as are required as a result of that determination.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to make a determination that the St. Clair sulfur dioxide (SO2) nonattainment area has attained the 2010 primary SO2 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (2010 SO2 NAAQS). If finalized, this determination would suspend certain requirements for the nonattainment area for as long as the area continues to attain the 2010 SO2 NAAQS.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving SIP revisions submitted by the States of Maine and New Hampshire as meeting the Clean Air Act (CAA) requirement that each State Implementation Plan (SIP) contain adequate provisions to prohibit emissions that will significantly contribute to nonattainment or interfere with maintenance of the 2015 ozone NAAQS in any other state. This action is being taken in accordance with the Clean Air Act.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving state implementation plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of Tennessee, through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), through letters dated February 26, 2020. Specifically, EPA is approving the removal of Tennessee's motor vehicle inspection and maintenance (I/M) program requirements for Davidson, Sumner, Rutherford, Williamson and Wilson Counties in Tennessee (also known as the Middle Tennessee Area) and Hamilton County (also known as the Chattanooga Area), from the federally-approved SIP. EPA is approving the February 26, 2020, SIP revisions to remove the I/M program requirements for the aforementioned areas from the federally- approved SIP because Tennessee's requests are consistent with the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) and applicable regulations.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), ``Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Rebate Program'' (EPA ICR No. 2461.04, OMB Control No. 2060-0686) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act . Before doing so, 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 April 30, 2022. 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) Administrator signed an Order dated July 20, 2021, granting in part and denying in part a Petition dated April 4, 2017 from the Environmental Integrity Project and Sierra Club. The Petition requested that the EPA object to a Clean Air Act (CAA) title V operating permit issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to BP Amoco Chemical Company (BP Amoco) for its Texas City Chemical Plant located in Galveston County, Texas.

EPA has received applications to register new uses for pesticide products containing currently registered active ingredients. Pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA is hereby providing notice of receipt and opportunity to comment on these applications.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve the Juneau, Mendenhall Valley, Alaska (AK) limited maintenance plan (LMP) submitted on November 10, 2020, by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC or ``the State''). This plan addresses the second 10-year maintenance period beyond redesignation for particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to a nominal 10 micrometers (PM10). A LMP is used to meet Clean Air Act (CAA) requirements for formerly designated nonattainment areas that meet certain qualification criteria. The EPA is proposing to determine that Alaska's LMP meets CAA requirements. The plan relies upon control measures contained in the first 10-year maintenance plan and the determination that the Mendenhall Valley area currently monitors PM10 levels well below the PM10 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS or ``the standard'').

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a revision to the Oregon State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted on January 29, 2021. The revision updates the date by which Federal provisions are adopted by reference into the Oregon SIP, making air quality requirements more current.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving elements of a State Implementation Plan (SIP) submission from Ohio regarding the infrastructure requirements of section 110 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) for the 2015 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The infrastructure requirements are designed to ensure that the structural components of each state's air quality management program are adequate to meet the state's responsibilities under the CAA. EPA proposed to approve this action on March 9, 2021, and received no adverse comments.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB) will hold a public webinar briefing on August 26, 2021. The purpose of the webinar will be for an Opportunity Zones Practitioner Panel for the EFAB Opportunity Zones Workgroup. Due to interest from the full Board, this webinar is being opened to the public.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing approval of a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by Missouri on January 19, 2021. Missouri requests that the EPA approve into Missouri's SIP revisions to its rule related to control of emissions from Batch-Type Charcoal Kilns. These revisions correct an erroneous reference, update, correct and clarify references to test methods, remove unnecessary words, and make other grammatical and typographical corrections. These revisions are administrative in nature and do not impact the stringency of the SIP or have an adverse impact to air quality. The EPA's proposed approval of this rule revision is being done in accordance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to revise the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for light-duty vehicles for 2023 and later model years to make the standards more stringent. On January 20, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order 13990 ``Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science To Tackle the Climate Crisis'' directing EPA to consider whether to propose suspending, revising, or rescinding the standards previously revised under the ``The Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule for Model Years 2021-2026 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks,'' promulgated in April 2020. The SAFE rule significantly weakened the standards established in 2012, which in part set GHG standards for model years 2021-25. EPA believes that in light of the significant contribution of light-duty vehicles to transportation sector GHG emissions, standards more stringent than those relaxed in the SAFE rule are appropriate under the Clean Air Act. EPA is proposing to revise the GHG standards to be more stringent than the SAFE rule standards in each model year from 2023 through 2026. EPA is also proposing to include several flexibilities to incentivize the production and sale of vehicles with zero and near-zero emissions technology to reduce compliance costs and to address the lead time of the proposed standards. In addition, EPA is proposing some technical amendments to clarify and streamline our regulations. Compliance with the proposed standards would be feasible at reasonable costs to manufacturers. The proposed revised standards would result in significant benefits for public health and welfare, primarily through substantial reductions in both GHG emissions and fuel consumption and associated fuel costs paid by drivers, and the benefits of the proposed standards would be far in excess of costs.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing approval of a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by Missouri on January 19, 2021. Missouri requests that the EPA approve into Missouri's SIP revisions to its rule related to control of emissions from batch process operations. These revisions update references to the appropriate state rule for New Source Performance Regulations. These revisions are administrative in nature and do not reduce the stringency of the SIP or have an adverse impact to air quality. The EPA's proposed approval of this rule revision is being done in accordance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a virtual public hearing to be held August 25, 2021, on its proposal for the ``Revised 2023 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards,'' which was signed on July 29, 2021. An additional session will be held on August 26th if necessary, to accommodate the number of testifiers that sign-up to testify. EPA is proposing to revise the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for light-duty vehicles for 2023 and later model years to make the standards more stringent.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a state implementation plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) of the District of Columbia (the District). The revision will fulfill the District's Nonattainment New Source Review (NNSR) SIP element requirement for the 2015 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). EPA is approving the revision to the District of Columbia SIP in accordance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

On June 9, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army announced their intent to revise the definition of ``waters of the United States.'' This process includes two rulemakings: A foundational rule to restore longstanding protections, and a second rulemaking process that builds on that regulatory foundation. The forthcoming foundational rule will propose to restore the regulations defining ``waters of the United States'' that were in place for decades until 2015, with updates to be consistent with relevant Supreme Court decisions. The agencies will also pursue a separate, second rulemaking process that further refines and builds upon that regulatory foundation. The agencies intend to engage with state and tribal co-regulators and the public to inform these two rulemakings. The agencies are committed to learning from the past regulatory approachesthe pre-2015 regulations and guidance, the 2015 Clean Water Rule, and the 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule while engaging with stakeholders and crafting a refined definition of ``waters of the United States.'' This document includes a schedule for initial public meetings to hear from interested stakeholders on their perspectives on defining ``waters of the United States'' under the Clean Water Act and how to implement that definition as the agencies pursue this process. The agencies are also accepting written recommendations from members of the public and are planning further opportunities for engagement. These opportunities will include 10 geographically focused roundtables that will provide for broad, transparent, regionally focused discussions among a full spectrum of stakeholders.

This regulation establishes tolerances for residues of zeta- cypermethrin in or on multiple commodities that are identified and discussed later in this document. Interregional Research Project Number 4 (IR-4) requested these tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).

This notice announces the availability of EPA's draft human health and/or ecological risk assessments for the registration review of copper 8 quinolinolate, DCNA, nabam, triadimefon and triadimenol.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), ``National Fish Program'' (EPA ICR No. 1959.07, OMB Control No. 2040-0226) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. Before doing so, 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 April 30, 2022. 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.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), this document announces the availability of and solicits public comment on an Information Collection Request (ICR) that EPA is planning to submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The ICR, entitled: ``Agricultural Worker Protection Standard Training, Notification, and Recordkeeping'' and identified by EPA ICR No. 2491.05 and OMB Control No. 2070-0190, represents the renewal of an existing ICR that is scheduled to expire on April 30, 2022. Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval under the PRA, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the information collection that is summarized in this document. The ICR and accompanying material are available in the docket for public review and comment.

In accordance with President Biden's Executive Order 13990, Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis (January 25, 2021), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announces its decision to undertake a rulemaking that will propose to revise the Steam Electric Power Generating Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards. As part of the rulemaking process, EPA will determine whether more stringent limitations and standards are appropriate and consistent with the technology-forcing statutory scheme and the goals of the Clean Water Act. EPA intends to sign the notice of proposed rulemaking for public comment in the Fall of 2022.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is updating the regulatory materials incorporated by reference into the Washington State Implementation Plan (SIP). The regulations addressed in this action were previously submitted by the Washington Department of Ecology and approved by the EPA in prior rulemakings. This action is an administrative change that updates the SIP materials available for public inspection at the National Archives and Records Administration and the EPA Regional Office.

This document announces the availability of EPA's interim registration review decision for paraquat dichloride (paraquat).