[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 127 (Friday, June 30, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40630-40631]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-16630]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6727-6]


Notice of Public Comment and Public Workshops; Western Regional 
Air Partnership

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces public workshops and a request for 
public comment sponsored by the Western Regional Air Partnership 
(WRAP). The workshops and the request for comments concern four 
proposed options regarding regional emissions milestones for stationary 
sources of sulfur dioxide (SO2), as well as proposed 
recommendations regarding a backstop emissions trading program. EPA is 
publishing this notice on behalf of the WRAP.

DATES: See Supplementary Information section of this notice.

ADDRESSES: See Supplementary Information section of this notice for the 
Workshop locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Al Zemsky, Senior External Advisor, 
Air Division, (AIR-1), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, 
75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, Telephone: (415) 744-
1262.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The WRAP, comprising governors from Western 
states, tribal leaders and federal agency representatives, is seeking 
public comment on four proposed options regarding regional emissions 
milestones for stationary sources of sulfur dioxide (SO2), 
as well as proposed recommendations regarding a backstop emissions 
trading program. The comments are important for developing final 
recommendations for western air quality regulations to be submitted to 
the U.S. EPA.
    The dates, times, and locations of the workshops and the 
availability of the documents to be reviewed for comment are described 
below.

Notice of Public Comment and Public Workshops

    The Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP), comprising governors 
from Western states, tribal leaders and federal agency representatives, 
is seeking public comment on four proposed options regarding regional 
emissions milestones for stationary sources of sulfur dioxide (SO2), as 
well as proposed recommendations regarding a backstop emissions trading 
program. Public comments on these options are to be considered by the 
WRAP in developing final recommendations for sulfur dioxide emission 
reduction milestones and related western air quality issues. Under 
section 309 of the regional haze program (see 64 FR 35713; July 1, 
1999), these recommendations are to be submitted to the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in October 2000.

Availability of Proposed Options

    Availability of Proposed Options Three documents are available for 
review on the WRAP Web site at www.wrapair.org. They are reports from 
the WRAP's Market Trading Forum, the Initiatives Oversight Committee, 
and a brief summary of the WRAP's proposal for comment. Copies may also 
be obtained by contacting: Patrick Cummins, Western Governors' 
Association; 600 17th Street, Suite 1705 S. Tower; Denver, Colorado 
80202 (telephone: 303-623-9378; [email protected]); or Bill 
Grantham, National Tribal Environmental Council; 2221 Rio Grande NW; 
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104 (telephone: 505-242-2175; 
[email protected]).

Public Workshops Will Be Held on the Following Dates:

June 27: Santa Fe, New Mexico `` 7 p.m.
    Runnels Building Auditorium; 1190 St. Francis Drive
June 27: Las Vegas, Nevada `` 10 a.m.-5 p.m. `` Workshop for Tribes

[[Page 40631]]

    Holiday Inn, Emerald Springs; 325 E. Flamingo Road
June 27: Flagstaff, Arizona `` 4 p.m.
    Northern Arizona University, DuBois Center, 306 East Pine Knoll 
Drive.
June 28: Salt Lake City, Utah `` 7 p.m.
    Department of Environmental Quality, Room 101; 162 N. 1950 W.
June 29: Casper, Wyoming `` 7 p.m.
    Basco Building; 777 W. First Street
TBA: Colorado

Initial Public Comment Period

    Initial public comment will be held from May 15 until July 7, 2000. 
Comments may be submitted in writing to Patrick Cummins, Western 
Governors' Association; 600 17th Street, Suite 1705 S. Tower; Denver, 
Colorado or Bill Grantham, National Tribal Environmental Council; 2221 
Rio Grande NW; Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104. Comments may also be 
filed electronically on the WRAP Web site at www.wrapair.org or by 
submitting comments on floppy disk. In addition, comments may be 
presented at any one of the public workshops. Written comments should 
include a typewritten, or legible hand written summary of key issues no 
more than 250 words in length. The purpose of the initial public 
comment period is to provide input to the WRAP as it narrows its 
options and continues development of final recommendations regarding a 
regional backstop market trading program.

Final Public Comment Period and Public Meetings

    Public comment on final recommendations will be sought August 14 to 
September 8, 2000. Regional public meetings will be held in communities 
throughout the West. Currently, meetings are being considered for 
Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and 
Wyoming. Others may be added. Details will be made available shortly on 
the WRAP Web site. Final recommendations will be submitted to EPA by 
October 2, 2000.

Background

    The WRAP was created as the successor organization to the Grand 
Canyon Visibility Transport Commission (GCVTC), which made over 70 
recommendations in June 1996 for improving visibility in 16 national 
parks and wilderness areas on the Colorado Plateau. The Partnership 
promotes, supports and monitors implementation of those recommendations 
throughout the West. Under EPA's Regional Haze Rule (64 FR 35713, July 
1, 1999), nine of the Western states have the option to comply with the 
GCVTC's regional visibility protection program. The program requires 
the establishment of a regional emission milestone for 2018, in 
addition to interim milestones. The recommendations and options 
regarding the market trading program were developed over the last two 
years by WRAP committees comprising a diverse group of stakeholders 
including industry, environmental groups and academia.

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



    Dated: June 14, 2000.
Laura Yoshii,
Acting Regional Administrator,, Region IX.
[FR Doc. 00-16630 Filed 6-29-00; 8:45 am]
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