Environmental Protection Agency April 4, 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing notice that it has responded to petitions for reconsideration and administrative stay of a final action under the "good neighbor" or "interstate transport" provision of the Clean Air Act (CAA) published in the Federal Register on June 5, 2023, titled "Federal `Good Neighbor Plan' for the 2015 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards" ("Good Neighbor Plan"). In August 2023, the EPA received the four petitions addressed by this action, which seek reconsideration of the Good Neighbor Plan in part on the basis of stays pending judicial review as to certain States issued after the Good Neighbor Plan was promulgated. The EPA is partially denying these four petitions as to this basis. The basis for EPA's action is set out fully in an enclosure accompanying the response letters, available in the docket for this action. Because the EPA is denying the reconsideration requests, the EPA is also denying associated requests to stay the Good Neighbor Plan filed by two of the four petitioners. At this time, the EPA is not addressing other grounds for reconsideration of the Good Neighbor Plan that have been raised by these or other petitioners.

On July 6, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) finalized the residual risk and technology review (RTR) conducted for the Ethylene Production source category, which is part of the Generic Maximum Achievable Control Technology Standards National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP); on July 7, 2020, the EPA finalized the RTR conducted for the Organic Liquids Distribution (Non-Gasoline) NESHAP; and on August 12, 2020, the EPA finalized the RTR conducted for the Miscellaneous Organic Chemical Manufacturing NESHAP. Amendments to the Petroleum Refinery Sector NESHAP were most recently finalized on February 4, 2020. Subsequently, the EPA received and granted various petitions for reconsideration on these NESHAP for, among other things, the provisions related to the work practice standards for pressure relief devices (PRDs), emergency flaring, and degassing of floating roof storage vessels. This action finalizes proposed amendments to remove the force majeure exemption for PRDs and emergency flaring, incorporate clarifications for the degassing requirements for floating roof storage vessels, and address other corrections and clarifications.