[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 68 (Friday, April 7, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 18249-18252]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-8404]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 62

[PA152-4099a; FRL-6571-5]


Approval and Promulgation of State Air Quality Plans for 
Designated Facilities and Pollutants; Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; 
Control of Emissions From Existing Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste 
Incinerators

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Direct final rule.

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SUMMARY: EPA is aproving the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania hospital/
medical/infectious waste incinerator (HMIWI) 111(d)/129 plan (the 
``plan'') submitted on June 24, 1999 by the Pennsylvania Department of 
Environmental Protection (PADEP) on behalf of the Allegheny County 
Health Department (ACHD). The plan establishes emission limitations and 
other requirements for existing HMIWIs, and provides for the 
implementation and enforcement of those limitations and requirements.

DATES: This final rule is effective June 6, 2000 unless within May 8, 
2000 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 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 19103-2029; and the Allegheny 
County Health Department, Air Quality Program, 301 39th Street, 
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15201-1891.

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

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

I. General Provisions

What is EPA approving?
What is a State/local 111(d)/129 plan?
What pollutant(s) will this action control?
What are the expected environmental and public health benefits from 
controlling HMIWI emissions?

II. Federal Requirements the Allegheny County HMIWI 111(d)/129 Plan 
Must Meet for Approval

What general EPA requirements must the Allegheny County Health 
Department (ACHD) meet in order to receive approval of its County 
HMIWI 111(d)/129 plan?
What does the Allegheny County plan contain?
Does the Allegheny County plan meet all EPA requirements for 
approval?

III. Requirements for Affected HMIWI Owners/Operators

How do I determine if my HMIWI is subject to the Allegheny County 
111(d)/129 plan?
What general requirements must I meet under the approved EPA 111(d)/
129 plan?
What emissions limits must I meet, and in what time frame?
Are there any operational requirements for my HMIWI and air 
pollution control system?
What are the testing, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting 
requirements for my HMIWI?
Is there a requirement for obtaining a Title V permit?

IV. Final EPA Action

V. Administrative Requirements

I. General Provisions

    Q. What is EPA approving?
    A. EPA is approving the Allegheny County 111(d)/129 plan (the 
``plan'') for the control of air pollutant emissions

[[Page 18250]]

from hospital/medical/infectious waste incinerators (HMIWIs). The plan 
was developed by the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD), Air 
Quality Program. In its capacity as the Commonwealth's air pollution 
control agency, on June 24, 1999 the Pennsylvania Department of 
Environmental Protection (PADEP) formally submitted the plan to EPA on 
behalf of the ACHD. EPA is publishing this approval action without 
prior proposal because we view this as a noncontroversial action and 
anticipate no adverse comments.
    Q. What is a State/local 111(d)/129 plan?
    A. Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) requires that 
``designated'' pollutants, controlled under standards of performance 
for new stationary sources by Section 111(b) of the CAA, must also be 
controlled at existing sources in the same source category to a level 
stipulated in an emission guidelines (EG) document. Section 129 of the 
CAA specifically addresses solid waste combustion and emissions 
controls based on what is commonly referred to as maximum achievable 
control technology (MACT). Section 129 requires EPA to promulgate a 
MACT based emission guideline (EG) document, and then requires states 
to develop 111(d)/129 plans that implement and enforce the EG 
requirements. The HMIWI EG at 40 CFR part 60, subpart Ce, establish the 
MACT requirements under the authority of both Sections 111(d) and 129 
of the CAA. These requirements must be incorporated into a State/local 
111(d)/129 plan that is ``at least as protective'' as the EG, and is 
Federally enforceable upon approval by EPA.
    The procedures for adoption and submittal of State 111(d)/129 plans 
are codified in 40 CFR part 60, subpart B. Additional information on 
the submittal of State plans is provided in the EPA document, 
``Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerator Emission Guidelines: 
Summary of the Requirements for Section 111(d)/129 State Plan, EPA-456/
R-97-007, November, 1997.''
    Q. What pollutant(s) will this action control?
    A. The September 15, 1997 promulgated EG, Subpart Ce, are 
applicable to all existing HMIWIs (i.e., the designated facilities) 
that emit organics (dioxins/furans), carbon monoxide, metals (cadmium, 
lead, mercury, particulate matter), opacity, and acid gases (hydrogen 
chloride, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides). This action 
establishes emission limitations for each of these pollutants.
    Q. What are the expected environmental and public health benefits 
from controlling HMIWI emissions?
    A. HMIWI emissions can have adverse effects on both public health 
and the environment. Dioxin, lead, and mercury can bioaccumulate in the 
environment. Exposure to dioxins/furans has been linked to reproductive 
and developmental effects, changes in hormone level, and chloracne. 
Respiratory and other effects are associated with exposure to 
particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, cadmium, hydrogen chloride, and 
mercury. Health effects associated with exposure to cadmium, and lead 
included probable carcinogenic effects. Acid gases contribute to the 
acid rain that lowers the pH of surface waters and watersheds, harms 
forests, and damages buildings.

II. Federal Requirements the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania HMIWI 
111(d)/129 Plan Must Meet for Approval

    Q. What general requirements must the ACHD meet to receive approval 
of its County 111(d)/129 plan?
    A. The plan must meet the requirements of both 40 CFR part 60, 
subparts B, and Ce. Subpart B specifies detailed procedures for the 
adoption and submittal of State plans for designated pollutants and 
facilities. The EG, Subpart Ce, and the related new source performance 
(NSPS), Subpart Ec, contain the requirements for the control of 
designated pollutants, as listed above, in accordance with Sections 
111(d) and 129 of the CAA. In general, the applicable provisions of 
Subpart Ec relate to compliance and performance testing, monitoring, 
reporting, and recordkeeping. More specifically, the Allegheny County 
plan must meet the requirements of: (1) 40 CFR part 60, subpart Ce, 
Sections 60.30e through 60.39c, and the related Subpart Ec provisions; 
and (2) 40 CFR part 60, subpart B, Sections 60.23 through 26.
    Q. What does the Allegheny County plan contain?
    A. Consistent with the requirements of Subparts B, Ce and Ec, the 
Allegheny County plan contains the following elements:
    1. A demonstration of the County's legal authority to implement the 
plan under County and Pennsylvania law;
    2. Identification of the County's enforceable mechanism, ACHD Rules 
and Regulations, Article XXI, Sections 2101.20 and 2105.32;
    3. Source and emission inventories, as required;
    4. Emission limitation requirements that are no less stringent than 
those in Subpart Ce;
    5. A source compliance schedule, including increments of progress, 
as required;
    6. Source testing, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting 
requirements;
    7. HMIWI operator training and qualification requirements;
    8. Requirements for development of a Waste Management Plan;
    9. Records of the public hearing on the County plan;
    10. Provision for County submittal to EPA of annual reports on 
progress in plan enforcement; and
    11. A Title V permit application due date.
    The ACHD HMIWI regulations were approved by the Allegheny County 
Board of Health on March 11, 1998 and by the Board of County 
Commissioners on November 19, 1998. The regulations became effective on 
September 1, 1999, and incorporate by reference (IBR) applicable 
Subpart Ec requirements.
    Q. Does the Allegheny County 111(d)/129 plan meet all EPA 
requirements for approval?
    A. Yes. The ACHD has submitted a plan that conforms to all EPA 
Subpart B and Ce requirements. Each of the above listed plan elements 
is approvable. Details regarding the approvability of the 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.

III. Requirements Affected HMIWI Owners/Operators Must Meet

    Q. How do I determine if my HMIWI is a designated facility subject 
to the Allegheny County 111(d)/129 plan?
    A. If construction commenced on your HMIWI on or before June 20, 
1996, your HMIWI is classified as an existing or designated facility 
that may be subject the plan. The plan contains no lower applicability 
threshold based on incinerator capacity. However, there are designated 
facility exemptions. Those exemptions include incinerators that burn 
only pathological, low level radioactive, and/or chemotherapeutic 
waste; co-fired combustors; incinerators permitted under Section 3005 
of the Solid Waste Disposal Act; municipal waste combustors (MWC) 
subject to EPA's municipal waste combustor rule; pyrolysis units; and 
cement kilns.
    Details regarding applicability and exemptions provisions are 
stipulated in Article XXI, Section 2105.32.e.

[[Page 18251]]

    Q. As an affected HMIWI owner/operator, what general requirements 
must I meet under the approved EPA 111(d)/129 plan?
    A. In general, the Allegheny County HMIWI regulation establishes 
the following requirements:
     Emission limitations for particulate matter (PM), opacity, 
carbon monoxide (CO), dioxins/furans (CDD/CDF), hydrogen chloride 
(HCl), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides 
(NOX), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg).
     Compliance and performance testing.
     Operating parameter monitoring.
     Operator training and qualification.
     Development of a waste management plan.
     Source testing, recordkeeping and reporting.
     A Title V permit.
    A full and comprehensive statement of the above requirements is 
incorporated in the ACHD Rules and Regulations, Article XXI, Sections 
2101.20 and 2105.32.
    Q. What emissions limits must I meet, and in what time frame?
    A. You must install an emissions controls system capable of meeting 
the maximum available control technology (MACT) emission limitations 
for the pollutants identified above. The pollutant emission limitations 
are stipulated in Article XXI, Sections 2105.32.f.1, Table 1, and f.2. 
Compliance is required on or before September 1, 2000 for all 
designated facilities. With adequate justification, you may petition 
the ACHD for a compliance schedule extension that does not extend 
beyond September 15, 2002. Petitions must be submitted no later than 
September 1, 2000, and must include documentation of your analysis 
undertaken to support the need for an extension, and your evaluation of 
the option to transport the waste offsite to a commercial medical waste 
treatment and disposal facility on a temporary or permanent basis. 
Also, your extension request must include increments of progress that 
are no less stringent than those specified in the plan and regulation, 
Section 2105.32.g.2.
    Q. Are there any operational requirements for my HMIWI and 
emissions control system?
    A. Yes, there are operational requirements. In summary, the 
operational requirements relate to: (1) The HMIWI and air pollution 
control devices (APCD) operating within certain established parameter 
limits, determined during the initial performance test; (2) the use of 
a trained and qualified HMIWI operator; and (3) the completion of an 
annual update of operation and maintenance information, and its review 
by the HMIWI operators.
    Failure to operate the HMIWI or APCD within the established 
operating parameter limits constitutes an emissions violation for the 
controlled air pollutants. However, as a HMIWI owner/operator, you are 
provided an opportunity to establish revised operating limits, and 
demonstrate that your facility is meeting the required emission 
limitations, providing a repeat performance test is conducted in a 
timely manner.
    A fully trained and qualified operator must be available at your 
facility during the operation of the HMIWI, or the operator must be 
readily available to the facility within one hour. In order to be 
classified as a qualified operator, you must complete an appropriate 
HMIWI operator training course that meets the Subpart Ec criteria 
referenced in the regulation at Section 2105.32g.5. Compliance with 
this training requirement must be achieved within one year of the 
effective date of the County regulation (i.e., September 1, 2000).
    Also, as a HMIWI owner/operator, you are required to develop and 
update annually site-specific information regarding your facilities' 
operations. Each of your HMIWI operators is required on an annual basis 
to review the updated operational information.
    The ACHD regulation IBR the applicable operational requirements of 
the EG and the related NSPS. See Subpart Ec, Secs. 60.56c, 60.53c, and 
60.58c, respectively for details regarding these operational 
requirements.
    Q. What are the testing, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting 
requirements for my HMIWI?
    A. Testing, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements 
are summarized below: You are required to conduct an initial stack test 
to determine compliance with the emission limitations for PM, opacity, 
CO, CDD/CDF, HCl, Pb, Cd, and Hg. As noted above, operating parameter 
limits are monitored and established during the initial performance 
test. Monitored HMIWI operating parameters include, for example, waste 
charge rate, secondary chamber and bypass stack temperatures. APCD 
operating parameters include, for example, CDD/CDF and Hg sorbent 
(e.g., carbon) flow rate, hydrogen chloride sorbent (e.g., lime) flow 
rate, PM control device inlet temperature, pressure drop across the 
control system, and liquid flow rate, including pH. After the initial 
stack test, compliance testing is then required annually to determine 
compliance with the emission limitations for PM, CO, and HCl.
    Recordkeeping and reporting are required in order to document (1) 
The results of the initial and annual performance tests, (2) monitoring 
of site-specific operating parameters, (3) compliance with the operator 
training and qualification requirements, and (4) development of the 
waste management plan. Records must be maintained for at least five 
years.
    The ACHD regulation IBR the applicable testing, monitoring, 
recordkeeping, and reporting requirements of the EG and related NSPS. 
See Subpart Ec, Secs. 60.56c, 60.57c, and 60.58c, respectively for 
details regarding these requirements.
    Q. Is there a requirement for obtaining a Title V permit?
    A. Yes, affected facilities are required to operate under a Title V 
permit no later than September 15, 2000. This is required under Article 
XXI, section 2105.32d.

IV. Final EPA Action

    The Allegheny County 111(d)/129 plan for controlling HMIWI 
emissions is approvable. This approval does not include provisions, 
such as siting and fugitive emission requirements, that relate solely 
to facilities subject to the NSPS, and are not referenced in the EG.
    Based upon the rationale discussed above and in further detail in 
the TSD associated with this action, EPA is approving the Allegheny 
County 111(d)/129 plan for the control of HMIWI emissions from 
designated facilities. As provided by 40 CFR 60.28(c), any revisions to 
the Allegheny County plan or associated regulations will not be 
considered part of the applicable plan until submitted by the PADEP on 
behalf of ACHD 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.
    As requested, no EPA action is taken on the State Implementation 
Plan (SIP) revision relating to Article XXI. EPA action on the SIP 
revision request will be taken under a separate action from this 
111(d)/129 plan approval.
    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 June 6, 2000 without further notice unless the Agency 
receives

[[Page 18252]]

relevant adverse comments by May 8, 2000. If EPA receives such 
comments, then EPA will publish a document withdrawing the final rule 
and informing the public that the rule did 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 June 6, 2000 and no 
further action will be taken on the proposed rule.

V. Administrative Requirements

A. General Requirements

    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. 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 (Public Law 104-4). For the same reason, 
this rule also does not significantly or uniquely affect the 
communities of tribal governments, as specified by Executive Order 
13084 (63 FR 27655, May 10, 1998). This rule will 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), because it 
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 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997), 
because it is not economically significant.
    In reviewing 111(d)/129 plan 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 111(d)/129 plan submission for failure to use 
VCS. It would thus be inconsistent with applicable law for EPA, when it 
reviews a 111(d)/129 plan submission, to use VCS in place of a 111(d)/
129 plan 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. As required by section 3 of Executive Order 12988 (61 FR 
4729, February 7, 1996), in issuing this rule, EPA has taken the 
necessary steps to eliminate drafting errors and ambiguity, minimize 
potential litigation, and provide a clear legal standard for affected 
conduct. EPA has complied with Executive Order 12630 (53 FR 8859, March 
15, 1988) by examining the takings implications of the rule in 
accordance with the ``Attorney General's Supplemental Guidelines for 
the Evaluation of Risk and Avoidance of Unanticipated Takings'' issued 
under the executive order. 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.).

B. Submission to Congress and the Comptroller General

    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).

C. Petitions for Judicial Review

    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 June 6, 2000. 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, Administrative practice and procedure, 
Air pollution control, Intergovernmental relations, Hospital/medical/
infectious waste incinerators, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements.

    Dated: March 23, 2000.
Bradley M. Campbell,
Regional Administrator, EPA Region III.

    40 CFR Part 62, Subpart NN, 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 NN-- Pennsylvania

    2. A new undesignated center heading and Sec. 62.9660, 62.9661, and 
62.9662 are added to Subpart NN to read as follows:

Emissions From Existing Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste 
Incinerators (HMIWIs)--Section 111(d)/129 Plan


Sec. 62.9660  Identification of plan.

    Section 111(d)/129 plan for HMIWIs and the associated Allegheny 
County Health Department (ACHD) regulations, as submitted on June 24, 
1999.


Sec. 62.9661  Identification of sources.

    The plan applies to all Allegheny County, Pennsylvania existing 
HMIWI for which construction was commenced on or before June 20, 1996.


Sec. 62.9662  Effective date.

    The effective date of the plan for municipal solid waste landfills 
is June 6, 2000.
[FR Doc. 00-8404 Filed 4-6-00; 8:45 am]
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