[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 173 (Tuesday, September 8, 1998)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 47436-47438]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-23888]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 62

[VA 011-5034a; FRL-6155-9]


Approval and Promulgation of State Air Quality Plans for 
Designated Facilities and Pollutants; Commonwealth of Virginia; Control 
of Total Reduced Sulfur Emissions from Existing Kraft Pulp Mills

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Direct final rule.

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SUMMARY: EPA is approving the 111(d) plan for Kraft pulp mills 
submitted by the Commonwealth of Virginia. The plan requires the 
control of total reduced sulfur (TRS) emissions from existing Kraft 
pulp mills. The Virginia plan establishes emission limits for existing 
Kraft pulp mills, and provides for the implementation and enforcement 
of those limits. The intended effect of this action is to approve the 
plan which was submitted in accordance with the Clean Air Act (the 
Act).

DATES: This direct final rule is effective on November 9, 1998, without 
further notice, unless EPA receives adverse comments by October 8, 
1998. If adverse comments are received EPA will publish a timely 
withdrawal of the direct final rule in the Federal Register and inform 
the public that the rule will not take effect.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to Makeba A. Morris, Chief, Technical 
Assessment Branch, Mailcode 3AP22, Environmental Protection Agency, 
Region III, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103. Copies 
of the documents relevant to this action are available for public 
inspection during normal business hours at the following locations: Air 
Protection Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, 1650 
Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103; and Commonwealth of 
Virginia, Department of Environmental Quality, 629 East Main Street, 
Richmond, VA 23219.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Artra B. Cooper at (215) 814-2096, or 
by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Act requires that states submit plans to EPA to implement and 
enforce the Emission Guidelines (EG) promulgated for Kraft pulp mills 
pursuant to Section 111(d). As required by section 111(d) of the Act, 
EPA established a process at 40 CFR Part 60, Subpart B, which is 
similar to the process required by section 110 of the Act , which the 
states must follow for adopting and submitting 111(d) plans. Subpart B 
provides that, once a standard of performance for the control of a 
designated pollutant from a new source category is promulgated, the 
Administrator will then publish an emission guideline (E.G.) and 
guideline document applicable to the control of the same pollutant from 
designated (existing) facilities. The E.G. and related information were 
provided in a guideline document entitled ``Kraft Pulping--Control of 
TRS Emissions from Existing Mills'' (March 1979).
    On May 15, 1990, the Commonwealth of Virginia submitted its Kraft 
pulp mill 111(d) plan for the control of TRS from existing kraft pulp 
mills to EPA for approval. The plan consists of regulations and consent 
agreements with the affected facilities within the Commonwealth. EPA 
has determined that the plan meets the requirements of 40 CFR Part 60, 
Subpart B. The Virginia regulation entitled: ``Regulation for the 
Control and Abatement of Air Pollution, VR 120-01, Part IV, Rule 4-13, 
Emission Standard for Kraft Pulp Mills,'' is the regulatory portion of 
Virginia's 111(d) plan. This regulation provides for control of TRS 
emissions from Kraft pulp mills. The Commonwealth's regulation contains 
the emission limits found in the E.G. issued by EPA. The regulation 
includes emission limitations for applicable emission sources, 
provisions for compliance schedules, monitoring, record keeping and 
reporting requirements, all of which comport with the E.G. The 
regulation also requires operational standards for continuous 
monitoring systems, development and implementation of a quality control 
plan and submittal of control plans. The consent agreements included in 
the 111(d) plan were reached with the four affected facilities located 
within the Commonwealth of Virginia. They include the following 
sources: Westvaco Corporation--Covington, Union Camp--Franklin, Stone 
Container Corporation--Hopewell, and Chesapeake Corporation--West 
Point. These consent agreements provided interim emission limits while 
providing time for the affected facilities to comply with the E.G.-
based limits. The consent agreements required compliance with the E.G.-
based limits specified in the Commonwealth's regulation by no later 
than October 1994.
    More detailed information on the requirements of Virginia's plan 
and EPA's evaluation are contained in the

[[Page 47437]]

Technical Support Document (TSD) accompanying this rulemaking. Copies 
of the TSD are available upon request from the EPA Regional Office 
listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document.

II. Final Action

    EPA is approving the Commonwealth of Virginia's 111(d) plan for the 
control of total reduced sulfur emissions from Kraft pulp mills.
    EPA is approving this rule without prior proposal because the 
Agency views this as a noncontroversial amendment and anticipates no 
adverse comments. However, in the proposed rules section of this 
Federal Register publication, EPA is publishing a separate document 
that will serve as the proposal to approve the 111(d) plan should 
adverse or critical comments be filed. This rule will be effective 
November 9, 1998, without further notice unless the Agency receives 
adverse comments by October 8, 1998. If EPA receives such comments, 
then EPA will publish a document withdrawing the final rule and 
informing the public that the rule will not take effect. All public 
comments received will then be addressed in a subsequent final rule 
based on the proposed rule. EPA will not institute a second comment 
period on this rule. Parties interested in commenting on this rule 
should do so at this time. If no such comments are received, the public 
is advised that this rule will be effective on November 9, 1998, and no 
further action will be taken on the proposed rule.

III. Administrative Requirements

A. Executive Orders 12866 and 13045

    The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has exempted this 
regulatory action from E.O. 12866 review. The final rule is not subject 
to E.O. 13045, entitled ``Protection of Children from Environmental 
Health Risks and Safety Risks,'' because it is not an ``economically 
significant'' action under E.O. 12866.

B. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 600 et. seq., EPA 
must prepare a regulatory flexibility analysis assessing the impact of 
any proposed or final rule on small entities (5 U.S.C. 603 and 604). 
Alternatively, the EPA may certify that the rule will not have a 
significant impact on a substantial number of small entities. Small 
entities include small businesses, small not-for-profit enterprises, 
and government entities with jurisdiction over populations of less than 
50,000. State plan approvals under section 111 of the Act do not create 
any new requirements, but simply approve requirements that the State is 
already imposing. Therefore, because the federal action to approve the 
state plan does not impose any new requirements, EPA certifies that it 
does not have a significant impact on any small entities affected. 
Moreover, due to the nature of the Federal-State relationship under the 
Act, preparation of a flexibility analysis would constitute Federal 
inquiry into the economic reasonableness of State action. The Act 
forbids EPA to base its actions concerning State plans on such grounds. 
See Union Electric Co. v. U.S. EPA, 427 U.S. 246, 255-66 (1976); 42 
U.S.C. 7410(a)(2).

C. Unfunded Mandates

    Under Section 202 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 
(``Unfunded Mandates Act''), signed into law on March 22, 1995, EPA 
must prepare a budgetary impact statement to accompany any proposed or 
final rule that includes a Federal mandate that may result in estimated 
costs to State, local, or tribal governments in the aggregate; or to 
private sector, of $100 million or more. Under Section 205, EPA must 
select the most cost-effective and least burdensome alternative that 
achieves the objectives of the rule and is consistent with statutory 
requirements. Section 203 requires EPA to establish a plan for 
informing and advising any small governments that may be significantly 
or uniquely impacted by the rule. EPA has determined that the approval 
action promulgated does not include a Federal mandate that may result 
in estimated costs of $100 million or more to either State, local, or 
tribal governments in the aggregate, or to the private sector. This 
Federal action approves pre-existing requirements under State or local 
law, and imposes no new requirements. Accordingly, no additional costs 
to State, local, or tribal governments, or to the private sector, 
result from this action.

D. Submission to Congress and the General Accounting Office

    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. This rule is not a 
``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2).

E. Petitions for Judicial Review

    Under section 307(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act, petitions for 
judicial review of this action approving The Commonwealth of Virginia's 
111(d) plan for Kraft pulp mills must be filed in the United States 
Court of Appeals for the appropriate circuit by Nobember 9, 1998. 
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 62

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements, Total reduced sulfur.

    Dated: August 27, 1998.
Thomas C. Voltaggio,
Acting Regional Administrator, EPA Region III.

    40 CFR Part 62 is amended as follows:

PART 62--[AMENDED]

    1. The authority citation for Part 62 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q.

Subpart VV--Virginia

    2. Under existing heading, Sec. 62.11610 is added to read as 
follows:

Total Reduced Sulfur Emissions From Existing Kraft Pulp Mills


Sec. 62.11610  Identification of plan.

    (a) Title of Plan. Commonwealth of Virginia State Implementation 
Plan under section 111(d) plan for the Designated Facility--Kraft Pulp 
Mills.
    (b) The plan was officially submitted by the Executive Director of 
the Department of Virginia Department of Air Pollution Control, on May 
15, 1990.
    (c) Identification of sources. The Plan includes the following 
Kraft Pulp Mills:
    (1) Chesapeake Corporation, West Point;
    (2) Stone Container Corporation, Hopewell;
    (3) Union Camp Corporation, Franklin; and

[[Page 47438]]

    (4) Westvaco Corporation, Covington.
    (d) Article 13, 9 VAC--40--1690, Section 120-04-1304 (Standard for 
total reduced sulfur), effective October 1, 1989. This plan was 
submitted on May 15, 1990 by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

[FR Doc. 98-23888 Filed 9-4-98; 8:45 am]
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