[Federal Register: November 16, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 220)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 67058-67060]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16no04-13]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 52
[CA 309-0468a; FRL-7834-3]
Revisions to the California State Implementation Plan, Imperial
County Air Pollution Control District
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Direct final rule.
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SUMMARY: EPA is taking direct final action to approve revisions to the
Imperial County Air Pollution Control District (ICAPCD) portion of the
California State Implementation Plan (SIP). The revisions concern the
emission of particulate matter (PM-10) and sulfur compounds into the
atmosphere from industrial processes. We are approving local rules that
administer regulations and regulate emission sources under the Clean
Air Act as amended (CAA or the Act).
DATES: This rule is effective on January 18, 2005, without further
notice, unless EPA receives adverse comments by December 16, 2004. If
we receive such comments, we will publish a timely withdrawal in the
Federal Register to notify the public that this direct final rule will
not take effect.
ADDRESSES: Mail or e-mail comments to Andy Steckel, Rulemaking Office
Chief (AIR-4), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, 75
http://www.regulations.gov.
You can inspect copies of the submitted rule revisions and EPA's
technical support document (TSD) at our Region IX office during normal
business hours. You may also see copies of the submitted rule revisions
and TSD at the following locations:
Environmental Protection Agency, Air Docket (6102), Ariel Rios
Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington DC 20460.
[[Page 67059]]
California Air Resources Board, Stationary Source Division, Rule
Evaluation Section, 1001 ``I'' Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.
Imperial County Air Pollution Control District, 150 South 9th Street,
El Centro, CA 92243.
A copy of the rules may also be available via the Internet at
http://www.arb.ca.gov/drdb/drdbltxt.htm. Please be advised that this is
not an EPA Web site and may not contain the same version of the rules
that were submitted to EPA.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Al Petersen, Rulemaking Office (AIR-
4), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, (415) 947-4118 or
petersen.alfred@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, ``we,'' ``us'' and
``our'' refer to EPA.
Table of Contents
I. The State's Submittal
A. What Rules Did the State Submit?
B. Are There Other Versions of These Rules?
C. What Are the Purposes of the Rule Revisions?
II. EPA's Evaluation and Action
A. How Is EPA Evaluating the Rules?
B. Do the Rules Meet the Evaluation Criteria?
C. Public Comment and Final Action
III. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
I. The State's Submittal
A. What Rules Did the State Submit?
Table 1 lists the rules we are approving with the date that they
were adopted by the local air agency and submitted by the California
Air Resources Board (CARB).
Table 1.--Submitted Rules
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Local agency Rule No. Rule title Revised Submitted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ICAPCD................................... 403 General Limitations on the 05/18/04 07/19/04
Discharge of Air Contaminants.
ICAPCD................................... 405 Sulfur Compounds Emissions 05/18/04 07/19/04
Standards, Limitations and
Prohibitions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On August 10, 2004, the submittal of ICAPCD Rules 403 and 405 was
found to meet the completeness criteria in 40 CFR part 51, appendix V,
which must be met before formal EPA review.
B. Are There Other Versions of These Rules?
We finalized a limited approval/limited disapproval of a previous
version of ICAPCD Rule 403 on March 24, 2003 (68 FR 14161). We
finalized a limited approval/limited disapproval of a previous version
of ICAPCD Rule 405 on February 7, 2002 (67 FR 5727). There were
sanction implications on our action on Rule 403 but not on Rule 405.
C. What Are the Purposes of the Submitted Rule Revisions?
PM-10 and sulfur compounds harm human health and the environment.
Section 110(a) of the CAA requires states to submit regulations that
control PM-10 and sulfur oxide emissions.
The purposes of the revisions to Rule 403 are as follows:
To limit the duration of the exemption from emission
standards for the startup or shutdown period and when changing
conditions to bring the process up to operating levels.
To require periodic demonstrations of compliance with
source tests of PM-10 emissions.
To require a 5-year records retention period. The purpose
of the revisions to Rule 405 are as follows:
To allow demonstration of compliance with sulfur compound
emissions by using the supplier's analysis of sulfur content of the
fuel.
To require 2-year records retention period, except for a
5-year retention period for a major source.
To update the issue date of ASTM test procedures.
The revisions described above correct the deficiencies cited in the
previous limited approval/limited disapprovals of Rules 403 and 405.
II. EPA's Evaluation and Action
A. How Is EPA Evaluating the Rules?
Generally, PM-10 SIP rules must be enforceable (see section 110(a)
of the Act) and must not relax existing requirements (see sections
110(1) and 193).
Sections 172(c)(1) and 189(a) of the CAA require moderate PM-10
nonattainment areas with significant PM-10 sources to adopt reasonably
available control measures (RACM), including reasonably available
control technology (RACT). RACM/RACT is not required for source
categories that are not significant (de minimis) and do not have major
sources. See Addendum to the General Preamble for the Implementation of
Title I of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, 59 FR 41998 (August
16, 1994). Based on the latest emissions inventory data contained in
Imperial County PM-10 State Implementation Plan Attainment
Demonstration, Draft Report (July 2001), Imperial County has at least
three major PM sources: Santa Fe Pacific Gold Corp (541 tpy), U.S.
Gypsum (Plaster City) (156 tpy), and American Girl Mine (136 tpy).
Therefore, we conclude that submitted rule 403 must meet RACM/RACT in
the absence of a demonstration by the State that these major sources do
not contribute significantly to PM-10 levels which exceed the PM-10
NAAQS in the area. We also note that ICAPCD's Draft Report, which
formed a basis for our 2001 attainment finding, refers to Rule 403 as
one of the controls that should fulfill RACM/RACT for stationary
sources in Imperial County (see pages 37-38 of that report).
The ICAPCD is in attainment for sulfur oxides, therefore there is
no RACT requirement for Rule 405.
The following guidance documents were used for reference:
Requirements for Preparation, Adoption, and Submittal of
Implementation Plans, U.S. EPA, 40 CFR part 51.
General Preamble for the Implementation of Title I of the
Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, 57 FR 13498, 13540 (April 16, 1992).
PM-10 Guideline Document (EPA-452/R-93-008).
B. Do the Rules Meet the Evaluation Criteria?
We believe the rules are consistent with the relevant policy and
guidance regarding enforceability, SIP relaxations, and fulfilling
RACM/RACT.
The TSD has more information on our evaluation.
C. Public Comment and Final Action
As authorized in section 110(k)(3) of the CAA, EPA is fully
approving Rules 403 and 405 because we believe they fulfill all
relevant requirements. We do not think anyone will object to this
approval, so we are finalizing the approval without proposing it in
advance. However, in the Proposed Rules section of this Federal
Register,
[[Page 67060]]
we are simultaneously proposing approval of the same submitted rules.
If we receive adverse comments by December 16, 2004, we will publish a
timely withdrawal in the Federal Register to notify the public that the
direct final approval will not take effect and we will address the
comments in a subsequent final action based on the proposal. If we do
not receive timely adverse comments, the direct final approval will be
effective without further notice on January 18, 2005. This will
incorporate these rules into the federally-enforceable SIP and will
permanently terminate all sanction and FIP implications of our limited
disapproval of a previous version of Rule 403.
Please note that if EPA receives adverse comment on an amendment,
paragraph, or section of this direct final rule and if that provision
may be severed from the remainder of the rule, EPA may adopt as final
those provisions of the rule that are not the subject of an adverse
comment.
III. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
Under Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993), this
action is not a ``significant regulatory action'' and therefore is not
subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget. For this
reason, this action is also not subject to Executive Order 13211,
``Actions Concerning Regulations That Significantly Affect Energy
Supply, Distribution, or Use'' (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001). This action
merely approves state law as meeting Federal requirements and imposes
no additional requirements beyond those imposed by state law.
Accordingly, the Administrator certifies that this rule will not have a
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities
under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). Because
this rule approves pre-existing requirements under state law and does
not impose any additional enforceable duty beyond that required by
state law, it does not contain any unfunded mandate or significantly or
uniquely affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4).
This rule also does not have tribal implications because it will
not have a substantial direct effect on one or more Indian tribes, on
the relationship between the Federal Government and Indian tribes, or
on the distribution of power and responsibilities between the Federal
Government and Indian tribes, as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65
FR 67249, November 9, 2000). This action also does not have Federalism
implications because it does not have substantial direct effects on the
States, on the relationship between the national government and the
States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the
various levels of government, as specified in Executive Order 13132 (64
FR 43255, August 10, 1999). This action merely approves a state rule
implementing a Federal standard, and does not alter the relationship or
the distribution of power and responsibilities established in the Clean
Air Act. This rule also is not subject to Executive Order 13045
``Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety
Risks'' (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997), because it is not economically
significant.
In reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve state
choices, provided that they meet the criteria of the Clean Air Act. In
this context, in the absence of a prior existing requirement for the
State to use voluntary consensus standards (VCS), EPA has no authority
to disapprove a SIP submission for failure to use VCS. It would thus be
inconsistent with applicable law for EPA, when it reviews a SIP
submission, to use VCS in place of a SIP submission that otherwise
satisfies the provisions of the Clean Air Act. Thus, the requirements
of section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement
Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) do not apply. This rule does not
impose an information collection burden under the provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, generally
provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency promulgating
the rule must submit a rule report, which includes a copy of the rule,
to each House of the Congress and to the Comptroller General of the
United States. EPA will submit a report containing this rule and other
required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of
Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United States prior
to publication of the rule in the Federal Register. A major rule cannot
take effect until 60 days after it is published in the Federal
Register. This action is not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C.
804(2).
Under section 307(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act, petitions for
judicial review of this action must be filed in the United States Court
of Appeals for the appropriate circuit by January 18, 2005. Filing a
petition for reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule
does not affect the finality of this rule for the purposes of judicial
review nor does it extend the time within which a petition for judicial
review may be filed, and shall not postpone the effectiveness of such
rule or action. This action may not be challenged later in proceedings
to enforce its requirements. See section 307(b)(2).
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Intergovernmental relations, Particulate matter, Reporting
and recordkeeping requirements, Sulfur oxides.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: October 13, 2004.
Keith Takata,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region IX.
0
Part 52, chapter I, title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations is
amended as follows:
PART 52--[AMENDED]
0
1. The authority citation for part 52 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Subpart F--California
0
2. Section 52.220 is amended by adding paragraph (c)(332) to read as
follows:
Sec. 52.220 Identification of plan.
* * * * *
(c) * * *
(332) Amended regulations for the following APCDs were submitted on
July 19, 2004, by the Governor's designee.
(i) Incorporation by reference.
(A) Imperial County Air Pollution Control District.
(1) Rule 403, adopted on November 19, 1985 and revised on May 18,
2004 and Rule 405, adopted prior to November 4, 1977 and revised on May
18, 2004.
[FR Doc. 04-25300 Filed 11-15-04; 8:45 am]
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