Air Quality Designations for the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards: Notice of Actions Denying Petitions for Reconsideration and Stay Requests
Federal Register, Volume 78 Issue 4 (Monday, January 7, 2013)
Federal Register Volume 78, Number 4 (Monday, January 7, 2013)
Proposed Rules
Pages 925-927
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office www.gpo.gov
FR Doc No: 2013-00053
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 81
EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0476; FRL- 9767-9
Air Quality Designations for the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards: Notice of Actions Denying Petitions for Reconsideration and Stay Requests
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of actions denying petitions for reconsideration and stay requests.
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SUMMARY: The EPA is providing notice that it has responded to petitions for reconsideration of rules published in the Federal Register on May 21, 2012, and June 11, 2012, that together promulgated the initial air quality designations for the 2008 ozone national ambient air quality standards for all areas in the United States. The rules are titled, ``Air Quality Designations for the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards,'' and ``Air Quality Designations for the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Several Counties in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin; Corrections to Inadvertent Errors in Prior Designations.'' Subsequent to publishing the rules, during the time period from June through October 2012, the EPA received numerous petitions requesting that the EPA reconsider its designation decisions for certain areas. The EPA carefully considered the petitions and supporting information, along with information contained in the rulemaking docket, in reaching decisions on the petitions. The EPA denied all the petitions for reconsideration in separate letters to the petitioners dated December 14, 2012. The letters explain the EPA's reasons for the denials. Four petitioners also requested that the EPA stay the effectiveness of the designation rule as it applies for a particular area, pending reconsideration. Because the EPA denied the reconsideration requests, the EPA also denied the stay requests.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carla Oldham, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code C539-04, Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27711, phone number (919) 541-
3347 or by email at: oldham.carla@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Where can I get copies of this document and other related information?
This Federal Register notice, the petitions for reconsideration, and the response letters to the petitioners are available in the docket that the EPA established for the rulemakings to promulgate the air quality designations for the 2008 ozone standards under Docket ID NO. EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0476. The table below identifies the Petitioners, the dates the EPA received the Petitions, the document identification number of the Petitions, the date of the EPA's responses, and the document identification number for the EPA's responses.
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The EPA
Dates of petitions to Petition: Date of the EPA response:
Petitioners the EPA Document No. response Document No.
in docket in docket
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Atlanta, GA Nonattainment Area
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Georgia Environmental Protection July 20, 2012........ 0695 December 14, 2012.... 0726
Division.
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Charlotte, NC-SC Nonattainment Area
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South Carolina Department of July 20, 2012........ 0698 December 14, 2012.... 0727
Health and Environmental Control.
US Senators Graham and DeMint and July 19, 2012........ 0699 December 14, 2012.... 0722
US Congressman Mulvaney from SC.
York County, SC................... July 24, 2012........ 0700 December 14, 2012.... 0721
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Knoxville, TN Nonattainment Area
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Anderson, Blount, and Knox July 20, 2012 and 0696 December 14, 2012.... 0717
Counties, TN. October 16, 2012.
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Page 926
Memphis, TN-MS-AR Nonattainment Area
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DeSoto County, MS................. July 17, 2012........ 0697 December 14, 2012.... 0723
Shelby County, TN................. July 20, 2012 and 0702 December 14, 2012.... 0718
September 18, 2012.
State of Mississippi.............. July 17, 2012........ 0701 December 14, 2012.... 0756
State of Tennessee................ July 19, 2012........ 0703 December 14, 2012.... 0719
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Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI Nonattainment Area
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Indiana Department of August 10, 2012...... 0724 December 14, 2012.... 0728
Environmental Management.
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Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Nonattainment Area
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Bridgeport Area Chamber of July 17, 2012........ 0730 December 14, 2012.... 0742
Commerce, TX.
Chico City Council, TX............ July 18, 2012........ 0706 December 14, 2012.... 0732
City of Bridgeport, TX............ July 20, 2012........ 0735 December 14, 2012.... 0745
City of Boyd, TX.................. August 7, 2012....... 0707 December 14, 2012.... 0731
City of Runaway Bay, TX........... July 17, 2012........ 0708 December 14, 2012.... 0746
Corporation for Economic July 17, 2012........ 0754 December 14, 2012.... 0743
Development for the City of
Bridgeport.
Devon Energy Corporation.......... July 20, 2012 and 0714 December 14, 2012.... 0736
October 30, 2012.
Gas Processors Association and July 20, 2012 and 0709 December 14, 2012.... 0738
Texas Pipeline Association. October 30, 2012.
Look Local Wise County Task Force, July 18, 2012........ 0720 December 14, 2012.... 0747
TX.
Martin Marietta Materials......... July 20, 2012........ 0752 December 14, 2012.... 0739
Mauldin Pharmacy, Inc. dba Valu- July 17, 2012........ 0704 December 14, 2012.... 0737
Rite Pharmacy.
Newark City Council, TX........... July 19, 2012........ 0744 December 14, 2012.... 0750
Runaway Bay Economic Development July 12, 2012........ 0729 December 14, 2012.... 0733
Corporation.
Targa Resources Corporation....... July 20, 2012........ 0715 December 14, 2012.... 0748
Texas Commission on Environmental July 18, 2012........ 0713 December 14, 2012.... 0753
Quality.
TXI Operations, LP................ July 19, 2012........ 0710 December 14, 2012.... 0740
U.S. Ply.......................... July 17, 2012........ 0749 December 14, 2012.... 0734
Wayne Smith, Texas House of July 12, 2012........ 0705 December 14, 2012.... 0755
Representatives.
Wise County, TX................... June 15, 2012........ 0725 December 14, 2012.... 0741
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Uinta Basin, UT Unclassifiable Area
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WildEarth Guardians, Southern Utah July 19, 2012........ 0711 December 14, 2012.... 0751
Wilderness Alliance and Utah
Physicians for a Healthy
Environment.
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Multiple Unclassifiable/Attainment Areas
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Sierra Club....................... July 20, 2012........ 0712 December 14, 2012.... 0716
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Note: All document numbers listed in the table are in the form of ``EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0476-xxxx.''
All documents in the docket are listed in the index at http://www.regulations.gov. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, i.e., Confidential Business Information or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically in the docket or in hard copy at the Docket, EPA/DC, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC The Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Office of Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center is (202) 566-1742.
In addition, the EPA has established a Web site for the ozone designations rulemakings at: http://www.epa.gov/ozonedesignations. This Federal Register notice, the petitions for reconsideration, and the response letters to the petitions are also available on this Web site along with other information relevant to the designation process.
Page 927
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Judicial Review
Section 307(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act indicates which Federal Courts of Appeal have venue for petitions of review of final actions by the EPA. This section provides, in part, that petitions for review must be filed in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit: (i) When the agency action consists of ``nationally applicable regulations promulgated, or final actions taken, by the Administrator,'' or (ii) when such action is locally or regionally applicable, if ``such action is based on a determination of nationwide scope or effect and if in taking such action the Administrator finds and publishes that such action is based on such a determination.'' In the rules establishing air quality designations for the 2008 ozone national ambient air quality standards, the EPA determined that the actions are of nationwide scope and effect for the purposes of section 307(b)(1). (See 77 FR 30088; May 21, 2012 and 77 FR 34221; June 11, 2012.)
The EPA has determined that its actions denying the petitions for reconsideration also are of nationwide scope and effect because these actions directly relate to the ozone designations rulemakings that the EPA previously determined are of nationwide scope and effect. Thus, any petitions for review of the final letters denying the petitions for reconsideration must be filed in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on or before March 8, 2013.
Dated: December 27, 2012.
Gina McCarthy,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation.
FR Doc. 2013-00053 Filed 1-4-13; 8:45 am
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