[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 170 (Thursday, August 31, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 52931-52932]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-22382]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[FRL-6862-9]


Notice of Availability of Responses to Comments on Proposed 
Rulemaking for Section 126 Petitions for Purposes of Reducing 
Interstate Ozone Transport

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The EPA conducted an extensive rulemaking on petitions filed 
by eight Northeastern States under section 126 of the Clean Air Act 
(CAA). These petitions sought to reduce interstate transport of 
nitrogen oxides (NOX), one of the precursors of ground-level 
ozone. During part of the rulemaking process and after EPA had taken 
one final action on the petitions (64 FR 28250, May 25, 1999), EPA 
issued a proposal (64 FR 33962, June 24, 1999) and solicited comments 
on a set of discrete issues. In response, a number of comments were 
submitted that were outside the scope of the June 24, 1999 proposal and 
that, effectively, sought reconsideration of issues on which EPA had 
already taken final action. On January 18, 2000, the Agency took final 
action on the June 24, 1999 proposal, and noted that it would respond 
to those comments at a later date. This notice informs the public that 
EPA has responded separately to those comments and that the responses 
are now available in the docket (Docket Number A-97-43).

ADDRESSES: Documents relevant to this action are available for 
inspection at the Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center 
(6102), Attention: Docket No. A-97-43, U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, 401 M Street SW, room M-1500, Washington, DC 20460, telephone 
(202) 260-7548 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday though Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. A reasonable fee may be charged for copying.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning today's action 
should be addressed to David Cole, Office of Air Quality Planning and 
Standards, Air Quality Strategies and Standards Division, MD-15, 
Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, telephone (919) 541-5565, e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Availability of Related Information

    The official record for the section 126 rulemaking, as well as the 
public version of the record, has been established under docket number 
A-97-43. The public version of this record, including printed, paper 
versions of electronic comments, which does not include any information 
claimed as confidential business information, is available for 
inspection from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. The official rulemaking record is located at 
the address in ADDRESSES at the beginning of this document. In 
addition, the Federal Register rulemakings and associated documents are 
located on EPA's websites at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/rto/126 and at 
http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/modlrule/main.html#126.

Background

    On May 25, 1999 (64 FR 28250), EPA made final determinations that 
portions of the petitions filed by eight Northeastern States under 
section 126 of the CAA are technically meritorious. The petitions 
sought to mitigate what they described as significant transport of one 
of the main precursors of ground-level ozone, NOX, across 
State boundaries. Each petition specifically requested that EPA make a 
finding that certain stationary sources emit NOX in 
violation of the CAA's prohibition on emissions that significantly 
contribute to nonattainment problems in the petitioning State.
    On June 24, 1999 (64 FR 33962), EPA proposed to revise two aspects 
of the May 25, 1999 final rule. The EPA proposed to stay indefinitely 
the affirmative technical determinations based on the 8-hour standard 
pending further developments in the litigation of that standard (see 64 
FR 33956, June 24, 1999). The EPA also proposed to remove the trigger 
mechanism for making section 126 findings that was based on deadlines 
specified in a related EPA action to reduce interstate transport of 
ozone, the NOX State implementation plan (SIP) call, and to 
instead make the findings under the 1-hour standard.
    The EPA finalized the revisions to the May 25, 1999 final rule on 
January 18, 2000 (65 FR 2674). In this revised rule, EPA noted that it 
received comments on the June 24, 1999 proposal that the Agency 
considers to be outside the scope of that proposal. These comments 
relate primarily to issues that have been addressed previously either 
in the NOX SIP call final rule, the NOX SIP call 
response to comments document, the May 25, 1999 final rule for the 
section 126 petitions, or the April 1999 response to comments document 
for the section 126 petitions. Although these comments were outside the 
scope of the rulemaking, EPA responded to most of them in the revised 
rule of January 18, 2000.
    The EPA did not, in the revised rule, respond to certain comments 
that the Agency believes should be considered to be, in effect, 
petitions for reconsideration of the May 25, 1999 section 126 final 
rule. By today's action, EPA is notifying the public that EPA has 
responded to these comments separately in a document placed in the 
rulemaking docket for the section 126 petitions (A-97-43), document 
number XII-A-01.


[[Page 52932]]


    Dated: August 24, 2000.
Carol M. Browner,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 00-22382 Filed 8-30-00; 8:45 am]
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