[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 8, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 48714-48718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-23189]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 62

[MD-091-3041a; FRL-6433-7]


Approval and Promulgation of State Plans for Designated 
Facilities and Pollutants; Maryland; Control of Emissions from Existing 
Municipal Solid Waste Landfills

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Direct final rule.

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SUMMARY: This action approves the municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill 
111(d) plan submitted by the Air and Radiation Management 
Administration, Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), on March 
23, 1999. The plan was submitted to fulfill requirements of the Clean 
Air Act (CAA). The Maryland plan establishes emission limits for 
existing MSW landfills, and provides for the implementation and 
enforcement of those limits.

DATES: This final rule is effective November 8, 1999 unless within 
October 8, 1999 adverse or critical comments are received. If adverse 
comment is 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 Walter Wilkie, Acting 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; and the Air 
Radiation Management Administration, Maryland Department of the 
Environment, 2500 Broening Highway, Baltimore, Maryland 21224.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James B. Topsale at (215) 814-2190, or 
by e-mail at [email protected].


[[Page 48715]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document is divided into Sections I--V, 
and answers the questions posed below.

I. General provisions

    What action is EPA approving?
    What is a State 111(d) plan?
    What pollutant(s) will this action control?
    What are the expected environmental and public health benefits 
from controlling landfill gas (LFG) emissions?

II. Federal Requirements the Maryland Department of the Environment 
(MDE) 111(d) Plan Must Meet for Approval

    What general EPA requirements must the MDE meet to receive 
approval of its landfill 111(d) plan?
    What does the Maryland plan contain?
    Does the Maryland plan meet all EPA requirements for approval?

III. Requirements for Affected MSW Landfill Owners/Operators

    How do I determine if my MSW landfill is subject to the Maryland 
111(d) plan?
    What general requirements must I meet as an affected landfill 
owner/operator who is subject to the EPA approved plan?
    If my landfill is subject to the plan's requirement for 
installation of a LFG collection and control system, what emissions 
limits must I meet, and in what timeframe?
    Are there any operational requirements for my installed LFG 
collection and control system?
    What are the testing, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting 
requirements for my landfill? If I modify or expand the capacity of 
my landfill, what additional requirements must I meet?

IV. Final EPA Action

V. Administrative Requirements

I. General Provisions

    Question (Q): What action is EPA approving?
    Answer (A): We are approving the Maryland landfill 111(d) plan, as 
submitted by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to EPA on 
March 23, 1999, for the control of non-methane organic compound (NMOC) 
emissions from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. We are publishing 
this action without prior proposal because we view this as a 
noncontroversial amendment and anticipate no adverse comments.
    Q: What is a State 111(d) plan?
    A: Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) requires that 
``designated'' pollutants, controlled under section 111(b) standards of 
performance for new stationary sources, must also be controlled at 
existing sources (i.e., designated facilities) in the same source 
category. Furthermore, section 111(d) requires EPA to establish 
procedures for state submittal and EPA approval of state plans that 
implement state adopted emissions guidelines (EG) for the control of 
designated pollutants and facilities. State 111(d) plans, approved by 
EPA, implement and provide for federal enforceability of the EG 
requirements.
    Q: What pollutant(s) will this action control?
    A: The promulgated March 12, 1996 EPA EG (61 FR 9919) are 
applicable to existing municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills (i.e., the 
designated facilities) that emit landfill gas (LFG). LFG consists 
primarily of carbon dioxide, methane, and nonmethane organic compounds 
(NMOC). MSW landfills are the largest manmade source of methane 
emissions in the United States. The designated pollutant, NMOC, is a 
mixture of more than 100 different compounds, including volatile 
organic compounds (VOC), and hazardous pollutants (HAP), such as vinyl 
chloride, toluene, and benzene. A collateral benefit in the control of 
landfill NMOC is the control of methane.
    Q: What are the expected environmental and public health benefits 
from controlling landfill gas (LFG) emissions?
    A: Studies indicate that MSW landfill gas (LFG) emissions at 
certain levels can have adverse effects on both public health and 
welfare. EPA presented its concerns with the health and welfare effects 
of landfill gases in the preamble to the proposed MSW landfill 
regulations (56 FR 24468). As noted above, MSW landfills emit NMOC that 
contains HAP, and VOC, which include odorous compounds. Exposure to HAP 
can lead to cancer, respiratory irritation, and damage to the nervous 
system. VOC emissions contribute to the formation of ozone which can 
result in adverse affects on human health and vegetation. Methane 
contributes to global climate change and can also result in fires or 
explosions, if the gas accumulates in structures, on or off the 
landfill site. The Maryland 111(d) plan will serve to significantly 
reduce these potential problems associated with LFG emissions.

II. Federal Requirements the Maryland Department of the Environment 
(MDE) 111(d) Plan Must Meet for Approval

    Q. What general requirements must the MDE meet to receive approval 
of its landfill 111(d) plan?
    A. EPA promulgated detailed procedures for submitting and approving 
State plans in 40 CFR part 60, subpart B. Also, EPA promulgated the MSW 
landfill EG (subpart Cc) and related NSPS (subpart WWW) on March 12, 
1996, and amended them on June 16, 1998 and February 24, 1999. More 
specifically, the Maryland plan must meet the requirements of (1) 40 
CFR part 60, subpart Cc, sections 60.30c through 60.36c, and the 
related subpart WWW; and (2) 40 CFR part 60, subpart B, sections 60.23 
through 26.
    States were required to submit their MSW landfill 111(d) plans to 
EPA on December 12, 1996, pursuant to the provisions of section 111(d) 
of the CAA and 40 CFR part 60, subpart B, and the March 16, 1997 
promulgated MSW landfill EG, subpart Cc. As a result of litigation over 
the landfill rule, on November 13, 1997, EPA issued a notice of 
proposed settlement in National Solid Wastes Management Association v. 
Browner, et al., No. 96-1152 (D.C. Cir.), in accordance with section 
113(g) of the Act. See 62 FR 60898. Pursuant to the proposed settlement 
agreement, EPA published, in the Federal Register, a direct final 
rulemaking on June 16, 1998, in which EPA amended 40 CFR part 60, 
subparts Cc and WWW, to add clarifying language, make editorial 
amendments, and to correct typographical errors. The proposed 
settlement did not vacate or void the March 12, 1996 MSW landfill EG or 
NSPS. Furthermore, as stated in the June 16, 1998, preamble, the 
amendments to 40 CFR part 60, subparts Cc and WWW, do not significantly 
modify the requirements of those subparts. See 63 FR 32743-32753, 
32783-32784. In part, these amendments clarified the EG regulatory text 
with respect to landfill mass and volume applicability and Title V 
permit requirements. On February 24, 1999 (64 FR 9258), EPA again 
amended the MSW landfill rule to further clarify the regulatory text 
and correct errors with respect to the due date for the submittal of 
the initial landfill design capacity and emissions rate reports, and 
the definition of landfill ``modification.''
    Q. What does the Maryland plan contain?
    A. Consistent with the requirements of 40 CFR part 60, subparts B 
and Cc, as amended, the Maryland plan contains the following:
    1. A demonstration of the State's legal authority to implement the 
section 111(d) State Plan;
    2. COMAR 26.11.19.20 as the enforceable mechanism;
    3. A source inventory of known designated facilities, including 
NMOC emissions rate estimates;
    4. Emission collection and control requirements that are no less 
stringent than those in Subpart Cc;
    5. A description of the Maryland process for the review and 
approval of site-specific gas collection and control design plans;

[[Page 48716]]

    6. A source compliance schedule, including increments of progress, 
that requires final compliance no later than 30 months from the date 
the NMOC emissions rate was first calculated to be 55 tons (50 
megagrams) or more per year;
    7. Source testing, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting 
requirements;
    8. Records of the public hearings on the State Plan; and
    9. A provision for State submittal to EPA of annual reports on 
progress in plan enforcement.
    On February 5, 1998, the MDE adopted a regulation, Code of Maryland 
Regulation (COMAR) 26.11.19.20, Control of Landfill Emissions from 
Municipal Solid Waste Landfills. The regulation applies to existing MSW 
landfills and incorporates by reference (IBR) related and applicable 
subpart WWW requirements. On March 2, 1999, Maryland adopted COMAR 
26.11.19.20 amendments to ensure that the MDE reporting, calculation 
methods, and all other requirements were consistent with EPA guidance.
    Q: Does the Maryland plan meet all EPA requirements for approval?
    A: Yes. The MDE has submitted a 111(d) plan that conforms to all 
EPA subpart B and Cc requirements cited above. Each of the above listed 
plan elements is approvable. Details regarding the approvability of 
plan elements are included in the technical support document (TSD) 
associated with this action. A copy of the TSD is available, upon 
request, from the EPA Regional Office listed in the ADDRESSES section 
of this document.
    The plan includes an amended MDE landfill regulation that 
incorporates a substantive provision of the EPA June 1998 EG 
amendments. Specifically, the MDE landfill rule establishes a landfill 
applicability requirement, consistent with the amendments, based on 
landfill mass ``and'' volume. Furthermore, the MDE has submitted a 
letter to EPA confirming that its Title V permitting requirements are 
also consistent with those of the June 1998 EG amendments, and its July 
1996 EPA approved Title V Program (61 FR 34739).
    Other substantive EPA EG amendments relate to the definition of 
landfill ``modification'' and the due date for submittal of the initial 
design capacity and emission rate reports. These two amendments were 
further clarified by EPA's February 24, 1999 EG technical amendments. 
The MDE has not submitted a 111(d) plan revision that incorporates the 
provisions of the February 24, 1999 EG amendments. With respect to the 
definition of landfill ``modification,'' the amendments have 
significance only when the landfill NSPS applicability requirements are 
triggered. Therefore, the State need not incorporate this definition 
into its MSW regulation 111(d) plan definitions. NSPS requirements are 
self-implementing. However, when considering the due date for submittal 
of the initial design capacity and emissions rate reports, it is 
important to note that subpart B, 60.24(g)(2) allows states to impose 
compliance schedules requiring final compliance at earlier times than 
those specified in the EG. Although, the Annotated Code of Maryland 
section 2-302 contains language restricting the stringency of the air 
quality standards and emission standards, there is no reference to 
compliance schedules. Accordingly, the MDE has the authority to impose 
earlier reporting and compliance requirements than those stipulated in 
the EG.

III. Requirements for Affected MSW Landfill Owners/Operators

    Q: How do I determine if my MSW landfill is subject to the Maryland 
111(d) plan?
    A: If your MSW landfill was constructed, reconstructed or modified 
before May 30, 1991, and received MSW on or after November 8, 1987, 
then it is subject to the 111(d) plan.
    Q: What general requirements must I meet as an affected landfill 
owner/operator who is subject to the EPA approved plan?
    A: The plan requires you to submit an initial design capacity 
report, and possibly a NMOC emissions rate report. If the design 
capacity of your landfill is equal to or greater than 2,750,000 tons 
(2.5 million megagrams) and 3,260,000 cubic yards (2.5 million cubic 
meters) of MSW, the plan requires you to also submit, concurrently with 
the design capacity report, an initial NMOC emissions rate report. The 
NMOC emissions rate must be calculated according to methods specified 
in the regulation. If your calculated landfill NMOC emissions rate is 
55 tons (50 megagrams) or more per year, you are required to install a 
MSW landfill gas collection and control system that meets design and 
operational requirements specified in COMAR 26.11.19.20.G, which IBR 
all related and applicable NSPS requirements.
    Q: If my landfill is subject to the plan's requirement for 
installation of a LFG collection and control system, what emissions 
limits must I meet, and in what timeframe?
    A: You must install a landfill gas collection and control system to 
reduce the collected NMOC emissions by 98 weight-percent, or reduce the 
emissions from the control device to a concentration of 20 parts per 
million by volume, or less, for an enclosed combustor. The installation 
of the required collection and control system must be completed within 
30 months from the date the NMOC emission rate was first calculated to 
be 55 tons (50 megagrams) or more per year. Details regarding 
compliance schedules are stipulated in COMAR 26.11.19.20.E and H(1).
    Q: Are there any operational requirements for my installed LFG 
collection and control system?
    A: Yes, there are operational requirements. These requirements are 
summarized below:
    1. Operate the collection system wellheads at negative pressure;
    2. Operate the interior collection wellheads with a landfill gas 
temperature less than 55 deg.C and with either a nitrogen level less 
than 20 percent or an oxygen level less than 5 percent;
    3. Operate the collection system so that the methane gas 
concentration is less than 500 parts per million above background at 
the surface of the landfill;
    4. Operate the collection system so that the colleted gases are 
vented to the control system; and
    5. Operate the collection and control system at all times.
    Details regarding all operational requirements are stipulated at 
COMAR 26.11.19.20.G(3), which IBR the related and applicable NSPS 
requirements.
    Q: What are the testing, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting 
requirements for my landfill?
    A: Your testing, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting 
requirements are summarized below:
    1. Performance testing, to determine compliance with 98 weight-
percent efficiency, or the 20 ppmv outlet concentration level, must be 
completed within 180 days after construction completion on the 
collection and control system. Performance and source test methods must 
be consistent with EPA test methods, as referenced in the MDE landfill 
regulation.
    2. Monitoring of control devise temperature on a continuous basis 
is required for enclosed combustion control devices, and flares. 
Measurement of the gas flow rate from the collection system to an 
enclosed combustion device, or flare, is required at least once every 
15 minutes, unless the bypass line valves are secured in a closed 
position. Monthly monitoring requirements are specified in the 
regulation for the gas collection system. Gas wellhead monitored 
parameters

[[Page 48717]]

include gauge pressure, nitrogen or oxygen concentration, and 
temperature. Quarterly monitoring is required of methane gas surface 
concentrations.
    3. Reporting requirements are stipulated for landfill design 
capacity and NMOC emissions rates; submittal of a collection and 
control system design plan; system start-up; performance testing; 
system operations; closure notification; and equipment removal.
    4. On-site recordkeeping is required with respect to maximum design 
capacity, current amount of solid waste in-place, year-by-year waste 
acceptance rate; life of the control equipment, as measured during the 
initial performance test or compliance determination; and control 
device specifications until removal.
    Details regarding testing, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting 
requirements are stipulated in COMAR 26.11.19.20.D, F, G, and H, which 
IBR all related and applicable NSPS requirements.
    Q: If I modify or expand the capacity of my landfill, what 
additional requirements must I meet?
    A: Any MSW landfill that commences construction, modification, or 
reconstruction on or after May 30, 1991 is subject to the EPA NSPS for 
landfills, 40 CFR part 60, subpart WWW.

IV. Final EPA Action

    Based upon the rationale discussed above and in further detail in 
the TSD associated with this action, EPA is approving the Maryland MSW 
landfill 111(d) plan for the control of landfill gas emissions from 
affected facilities. As provided by 40 CFR 60.28(c), any revisions to 
the Maryland section 111(d) plan or associated regulations will not be 
considered part of the applicable plan until submitted by the MDE in 
accordance with 40 CFR 60.28 (a) or (b), as applicable, and until 
approved by EPA in accordance with 40 CFR part 60, subpart B, 
requirements.
    EPA is publishing this action 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 
relevant adverse or critical comments be filed. This rule will be 
effective November 8, 1999 without further notice unless the Agency 
receives relevant adverse comments by October 8, 1999. 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. The EPA will not institute a second 
comment period on this rule. Only 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 8, 
1999 and no further action will be taken on the proposed rule.

V. Administrative Requirements

A. Executive Order 12866

    The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has exempted this 
regulatory action from review under E.O. 12866, entitled ``Regulatory 
Planning and Review.'' Because today's rule does not create a mandate 
on state, local or tribal governments, it does not impose any 
enforceable duties on these entities. Accordingly, the requirements of 
section 1(a) of E.O. 12875 do not apply to this rule. This final rule 
is not subject to E.O. 13045 because it is not an economically 
significant regulatory action as defined by E.O. 12866, and it does not 
address an environmental health or safety risk that would have a 
disproportionate effect on children. Today's rule does not 
significantly or uniquely affect the communities of Indian tribal 
governments. This action does not involve or impose any requirements 
that affect Indian Tribes. Accordingly, the requirements of section 
3(b) of E.O. 13084 do not apply to this rule. Under the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act (RFA), because the Federal 111(d) approval does not 
create any new requirements, I certify that this action will not have a 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
    Under section 202 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 
(``Unfunded Mandates Act''), EPA has determined that the approval 
action promulgated does not include a Federal mandate that may result 
in estimated annual costs of $100 million or more to either State, 
local, or tribal governments in the aggregate, or to the private 
sector.

B. 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 this rule in today's Federal Register. This rule is 
not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2).

C. Petitions for Judicial Review

    Under section 307(b)(1) of the CAA, petitions for judicial review 
of this action must be filed in the United States Court of Appeals for 
the appropriate circuit by November 8, 1999. Filing a petition for 
reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule pertaining to 
the Maryland MSW landfill 111(d) plan 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, Non-methane 
organic compounds, Methane, Municipal solid waste landfills, Reporting 
and recordkeeping requirements.

    Dated: August 30, 1999.
Thomas Voltaggio,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region III.
    40 CFR Part 62, Subpart I, is amended as follows:

PART 62--[AMENDED]

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

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401-7642.

Subpart V--Maryland

    2. Subpart V is amended by adding an undesignated center heading 
and sections 62.5150, 62.5151, and 62.5152 to read as follows:

Landfill Gas Emissions from Existing Municipal Solid Waste Landfills 
(Section 111(d)) Plan)


Sec. 62.5150   Identification of plan.

    On March 23, 1999, the Maryland Department of the Environment 
submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency a 111(d) Plan to 
implement and enforce the requirements of 40 CFR part 60, subpart Cc, 
Emissions Guidelines for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills.

[[Page 48718]]

Sec. 62.5151   Identification of sources.

    The plan applies to all Maryland existing municipal solid waste 
landfills for which construction, reconstruction, or modification was 
commenced before May 30, 1991 and that accepted waste at any time since 
November 8, 1987, or that have additional capacity available for future 
waste deposition, as described in 40 CFR part 60, subpart Cc.


Sec. 62.5152   Effective date.

    The effective date of the plan for municipal solid waste landfills 
is November 8, 1999.
[FR Doc. 99-23189 Filed 9-7-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P