Revisions to the California State Implementation Plan, Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District and Imperial County Air Pollution Control District

Federal Register, Volume 77 Issue 11 (Wednesday, January 18, 2012)

Federal Register Volume 77, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 18, 2012)

Rules and Regulations

Pages 2469-2472

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office www.gpo.gov

FR Doc No: 2012-816

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

EPA-R09-OAR-2011-0987; FRL-9617-4

Revisions to the California State Implementation Plan, Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District and 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 Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District (AVAQMD) and Imperial County Air Pollution Control District (ICAPCD) portions of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). These revisions concern oxides of nitrogen (NOX) emissions from stationary gas turbines. We are approving local rules that regulate these emission sources under the Clean Air Act as amended in 1990 (CAA or the Act).

DATES: This rule is effective on March 19, 2012 without further notice, unless EPA receives adverse comments by February 17, 2012. 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: Submit comments, identified by docket number EPA-R09-OAR-

2011-0987, by one of the following methods:

1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-

   line instructions.

2. Email: steckel.andrew@epa.gov.

3. Mail or deliver: Andrew Steckel (Air-4), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-3901.

   Instructions: All comments will be included in the public docket without change and may be made available online at www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Information that you consider CBI or otherwise protected should be clearly identified as such and should not be submitted through www.regulations.gov or email. www.regulations.gov is an ``anonymous access'' system, and EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send email

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   directly to EPA, your email address will be automatically captured and included as part of the public comment. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses.

   Docket: Generally, documents in the docket for this action are available electronically at www.regulations.gov and in hard copy at EPA Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California. While all documents in the docket are listed at www.regulations.gov, some information may be publicly available only at the hard copy location (e.g., copyrighted material, large maps), and some may not be publicly available in either location (e.g., CBI). To inspect the hard copy materials, please schedule an appointment during normal business hours with the contact listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.

   FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Idalia Perez, EPA Region IX, (415) 972-3248, perez.idalia@epa.gov.

   SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, ``we,'' ``us,'' and ``our'' refer to EPA.

   Table of Contents

   1. The State's Submittal

      1. What rules did the State submit?

      2. Are there other versions of these rules?

      3. What is the purpose of the submitted rules?

   2. EPA's Evaluation and Action

      1. How is EPA evaluating the rules?

      2. Do the rules meet the evaluation criteria?

      3. EPA Recommendations To Further Improve the Rules

      4. Public Comment and Final Action

   3. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

   1. The State's Submittal

      1. What rules did the State submit?

         Table 1 lists the rules we are approving with the dates that they were adopted or amended by the local air agencies and submitted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

         Table 1--Submitted Rules

         ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

         Adopted or

         Local agency Rule No. Rule title amended Submitted

         ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

         AVAQMD............................ 1134 Stationary Gas Turbines..... 01/19/10 07/20/10

         ICAPCD............................ 400.1 Stationary Gas Turbine(s)-- 02/23/10 07/20/10

         Reasonably Available

         Control Technology (RACT).

         ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

         On August 25, 2010, EPA determined that the submittals for AVAQMD Rule 1134 and ICAPCD Rule 400.1 met the completeness criteria in 40 CFR Part 51 Appendix V, which must be met before formal EPA review.

      2. Are there other versions of these rules?

         There are no previous versions of ICAPCD Rule 400.1 in the SIP. We approved an earlier version of AVAQMD Rule 1134 into the SIP on November 1, 1996 (61 FR 56470). The AVAQMD adopted an earlier a revision to the SIP approved version of Rule 1134 on April 11, 1997 but it was not submitted to EPA.

      3. What is the purpose of the submitted rules?

         NOX helps produce ground-level ozone, smog and particulate matter, which harm human health and the environment. Section 110(a) of the CAA requires States to submit regulations that control NOX emissions. AVAQMD Rule 1134 regulates emissions of NOX and carbon monoxide (CO) from stationary gas turbine systems with ratings equal to or greater than 0.3 MW. ICAPCD Rule 400.1 regulates emissions of NOX from stationary gas turbine systems with ratings equal to or greater than 1 MW. EPA's technical support documents (TSDs) have more information about these rules.

   2. EPA's Evaluation and Action

      1. How is EPA evaluating the rules?

      Generally, SIP rules must be enforceable (see section 110(a) of the Act), must require Reasonably Available Control Technology (RACT) for each category of sources covered by a Control Techniques Guidelines (CTG) document as well as each NOX or VOC major source in nonattainment areas classified as moderate or above (see sections 182(b)(2) and 182(f)), and must not relax existing requirements (see sections 110(l) and 193). The AVAQMD regulates an ozone nonattainment area classified as moderate for the 8-hour NAAQS and severe-17 for the 1-hour NAAQS (see 40 CFR part 81), thus Rule 1143 must fulfill RACT requirements for NOX. The ICAPCD regulates an ozone nonattainment area classified as moderate (see 40 CFR part 81). Because Rule 400.1 regulates major stationary sources of NOX, it must fulfill NOX RACT requirements. On December 3 2009, EPA determined that ICAPCD attained the 1997 8-hour NAAQS for ozone based upon ambient air monitoring data showing the area had monitored attainment during the 2006-2008 monitoring period. (74 FR 63309) This determination suspended some of the planning requirements related to attainment of the 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS but not the Section 182(b)(2) and 182(f) RACT requirements for major NOX emission sources. The ICAPCD also regulates a serious PM-10 nonattainment area, and is therefore subject to the requirement under sections 189(b)(1)(B) and 189(e) of the Act to implement Best Available Control Measures (BACM, which includes Best Available Control Technology or BACT) for control of PM-10 and PM-10 precursor emissions.

      Guidance and policy documents that we use to evaluate enforceability and RACT requirements consistently include the following:

1. ``State Implementation Plans; General Preamble for the Implementation of Title I of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990,'' 57 FR 13498 (April 16, 1992); 57 FR 18070 (April 28, 1992).

2. ``State Implementation Plans; Nitrogen Oxides Supplement to the General Preamble; Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 Implementation of Title I; Proposed Rule,'' (the NOX Supplement), 57 FR 55620, November 25, 1992.

3. ``Issues Relating to VOC Regulation Cutpoints, Deficiencies, and Deviations,'' EPA, May 25, 1988 (the Bluebook).

4. ``Guidance Document for Correcting Common VOC & Other Rule Deficiencies,'' EPA Region 9, August 21, 2001 (the Little Bluebook).

5. ``State Implementation Plans for Serious PM-10 Nonattainment Areas, and Attainment Date Waivers for PM-10 Nonattainment Areas Generally; Addendum to the General Preamble for the Implementation of Title I of the

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   Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990,'' 59 FR 41998, August 16, 1994.

6. ``PM-10 Guideline Document,'' EPA 452/R-93-008, April 1993.

7. ``Alternative Control Technology Document, NOX Emissions from Stationary Gas Turbines,'' US EPA, 453/R-93-007, January 1993.

8. ``Determination of Reasonably Available Control Technology and Best Available Retrofit Control Technology for the Control of Oxides of Nitrogen from Stationary Gas Turbines,'' California Air Resources Board, May 18, 1992.

9. ``Status Report on NOX Controls for Gas Turbines, Cement Kilns, Boilers, and Internal Combustion Engines,'' Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, December 2000.

   2. Do the rules meet the evaluation criteria?

      We believe these rules are consistent with the relevant policy and guidance regarding enforceability, RACT, and SIP relaxations. The TSDs have more information on our evaluation.

   3. EPA Recommendations to Further Improve the Rules

      The TSDs describe additional rule revisions that we recommend for the next time the local agencies modify the rules.

   4. Public Comment and Final Action

      As authorized in section 110(k)(3) of the Act, EPA is fully approving the submitted rules because we believe they fulfill all relevant requirements. We do not think anyone will object to this approval, so we are finalizing it without proposing it in advance. However, in the Proposed Rules section of this Federal Register, we are simultaneously proposing approval of the same submitted rules. If we receive adverse comments by February 17, 2012, 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 March 19, 2012. This will incorporate these rules into the federally enforceable SIP.

      Please note that if EPA receives adverse comment on an amendment, paragraph, or section of this 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.

      3. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

      Under the Clean Air Act, the Administrator is required to approve a SIP submission that complies with the provisions of the Act and applicable Federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a). Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve State choices, provided that they meet the criteria of the Clean Air Act. Accordingly, this action merely approves State law as meeting Federal requirements and does not impose additional requirements beyond those imposed by State law. For that reason, this action:

      Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993);

      Does not impose an information collection burden under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);

      Is certified as not having a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);

      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);

      Does not have Federalism implications as specified in Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999);

      Is not an economically significant regulatory action based on health or safety risks subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997);

      Is not a significant regulatory action subject to Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001);

      Is not subject to requirements of Section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) because application of those requirements would be inconsistent with the Clean Air Act; and

      Does not provide EPA with the discretionary authority to address disproportionate human health or environmental effects with practical, appropriate, and legally permissible methods under Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).

      In addition, this rule does not have tribal implications as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9, 2000), because the SIP is not approved to apply in Indian country located in the State, and EPA notes that it will not impose substantial direct costs on tribal governments or preempt tribal law.

      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 action 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 March 19, 2012. Filing a petition for reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule does not affect the finality of this action 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. Parties with objections to this direct final rule are encouraged to file a comment in response to the parallel notice of proposed rulemaking for this action published in the Proposed Rules section of today's Federal Register, rather than file an immediate petition for judicial review of this direct final rule, so that EPA can withdraw this direct final rule and address the comment in the proposed rulemaking. 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, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Particulate matter, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

      Dated: December 27, 2011.

      Jared Blumenfeld,

      Regional Administrator, Region IX.

      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:

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   Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.

   Subpart F--California

   0

2. Section 52.220 is amended by adding paragraphs (c)(381)(i)(A)(5) and (G) to read as follows:

   Sec. 52.220 Identification of plan.

   * * * * *

   (c) * * *

   (381) * * *

   (i) * * *

   (A) * * *

   (5) Rule 400.1, ``Stationary Gas Turbine(s)--Reasonably Available Control Technology (RACT),'' adopted on February 23, 2010.

   * * * * *

   (G) Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District.

   (1) Rule 1134, ``Stationary Gas Turbines,'' amended on January 19, 2010.

   * * * * *

   FR Doc. 2012-816 Filed 1-17-12; 8:45 am

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