[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 158 (Tuesday, August 15, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49803-49804]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-20791]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6852-2]


Notice of Availability for Draft Guidance on Design of Flexible 
Air Permits (White Paper Number 3)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: As part of EPA's ongoing efforts to improve implementation of 
the air permitting programs, we are making available for public review 
a draft of our pending guidance on the design of flexible air permits 
(White Paper Number 3). This document provides guidance to State and 
local permitting authorities on how they can choose to design air 
permits that provide sources with more operational flexibility while 
ensuring that they still meet all substantive and procedural 
requirements of title V of the Clean Air Act and the operating 
regulations EPA promulgated at part 70 of title 40, chapter I of the 
Code of Federal Regulations. While not mandatory, we would encourage 
permitting authorities to use this guidance where allowed by their 
regulations and as their resources and needs dictate.
    In no instance would this guidance allow sources to not comply 
fully with any applicable requirement; it only presents more flexible 
approaches for doing so. Where State regulations allow, the guidance is 
potentially useful in designing permits for sources that make frequent 
operational changes which must be made in a timely manner, generally to 
meet changing demands in the marketplace. We believe that the draft 
will also advance high priority goals within the Agency to: Encourage 
pollution prevention; assure adequate public participation; promote 
equal or better environmental protection; and facilitate opportunities 
for sources to comply in a smarter, more efficient fashion.
    A draft of this guidance is available for public review for 
downloading off the internet (see ADDRESSES). We do not intend to 
respond to individual comments, but rather to consider comments and 
information from the public in the preparation of a final guidance 
document. In addition to comments about the appropriateness of the 
guidance itself, we welcome ideas about how to communicate its 
approaches in a clear, concise way. We recognize that this guidance 
addresses issues of a very complex nature and will work, where 
possible, to incorporate more plain language concepts in the final 
version.

DATES: The review period for this document will close on September 14, 
2000. Any comments on the draft guidance must be submitted to EPA by 
that date.

ADDRESSES: The draft guidance can be accessed at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/. Comments should be sent to

[[Page 49804]]

Michael Trutna, Information Transfer and Program Integration Division 
(MD-12), U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, 
telephone 919-541-5345, telefax 919-541-4028, or E-mail 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Trutna at the above address or 
Roger Powell, Information Transfer and Program Integration Division 
(MD-12), U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, 
telephone 919-541-5331, telefax 919-541-5509, or E-mail 
[email protected].

    Dated: August 7, 2000.
John S. Seitz,
Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 00-20791 Filed 8-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P