Environmental Protection Agency September 29, 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final action to approve revisions to the California State Implementation Plan (SIP) concerning the base year emissions inventories for 18 areas designated as nonattainment areas (NAAs) for the 2015 ozone national ambient air quality standards (``2015 ozone NAAQS'') submitted on July 24, 2020. The areas include Amador County, Butte County, Calaveras County, Imperial County, Kern County (Eastern Kern), Los AngelesSan Bernardino Counties (West Mojave Desert), Los AngelesSouth Coast Air Basin, Mariposa County, Nevada County (Western part), Riverside County (Coachella Valley), Sacramento Metro, San Francisco Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley, San Luis Obispo (Eastern part), Sutter Buttes, Tuolumne County, Tuscan Buttes, and Ventura County. We are approving these revisions under the Clean Air Act (CAA), which establishes emissions inventory requirements for all ozone nonattainment areas.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final action to find that the State of California has failed to submit State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions to satisfy the contingency measures requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA) for the 2008 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS or ``standards'') for both the Riverside County (Coachella Valley), California (``Coachella Valley'') and Los Angeles-San Bernardino Counties (West Mojave Desert), California (``West Mojave Desert'') nonattainment areas. Under the CAA and the EPA's implementing regulations, by July 20, 2016, California was required to submit, among other SIP revisions, contingency measures for the Coachella Valley and West Mojave Desert nonattainment areas to be triggered if the areas fail to attain or fail to meet reasonable further progress (RFP). The State submitted the required SIP revisions, but subsequently withdrew the contingency measures portion. This finding establishes a 2-year deadline for the EPA to promulgate Federal Implementation Plans (FIPs) to address the contingency measure requirements for these areas, unless, prior to the EPA promulgating FIPs, California submits, and the EPA approves, SIP revisions that meet these requirements. The CAA also provides for the imposition of sanctions if California does not submit the required SIP revisions within timeframes specified by the CAA.

EPA is issuing significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs). The SNURs require persons who intend to manufacture (defined by statute to include import) or process any of these chemical substances for an activity that is designated as a significant new use by this rule to notify EPA at least 90 days before commencing that activity. The required notification initiates EPA's evaluation of the use, under the conditions of use for that chemical substance, within the applicable review period. Persons may not commence manufacture or processing for the significant new use until EPA has conducted a review of the notice, made an appropriate determination on the notice, and has taken such actions as are required by that determination.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an information collection request (ICR), NESHAP for Area Sources: Primary Copper Smelting, Secondary Copper Smelting, and Primary Nonferrous Metals-Zinc, Cadmium, and Beryllium (EPA ICR Number 2240.08, OMB Control Number 2060-0596), to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through November 30, 2022. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on April 8, 2022, during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. A fuller description of the ICR is given below, including its estimated burden and cost to the public. An agency may neither conduct nor 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) has submitted an information collection request (ICR), ``Distribution of Offsite Consequence Analysis Information under Section 112(r)(7)(H) of the Clean Air Act (CAA), as amended,'' (EPA ICR No. 1981.08, OMB Control No. 2050-0172) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through November 30, 2022. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on March 1, 2022 (87 FR 11425). EPA received no comments during the 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. A fuller description of the ICR is given below, including its estimated burden and cost to the public. 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 has submitted an information collection request (ICR), NSPS for Greenhouse Gas Emissions for New Electric Utility Generating Units (EPA ICR Number 2465.05, OMB Control Number 2060-0685), to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through November 30, 2022. Public comments were previously requested, via the Federal Register, on April 8, 2022 during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. A fuller description of the ICR is given below, including its estimated burden and cost to the public. An agency may neither conduct nor sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.