[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 140 (Friday, July 20, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37955-37956]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-18196]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7013-1]


Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of proposed consent decree; request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with section 113(g) of the Clean Air Act, as 
amended (``Act''), 42 U.S.C. 7413(g), notice is hereby given of a 
proposed Partial Consent Decree, which was lodged with the United 
States District Court for the District of Columbia by the United States 
Environmental Protection Agency (``EPA'') on June 29, 2001, to address 
a lawsuit filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental 
Defense Fund, Conservation Law Foundation, Clean Air Council, Natural 
Resources Council of Maine, and Sierra Club (collectively referred to 
as ``NRDC''). This lawsuit, which was filed pursuant to section 304(a) 
of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 7604(a), claims EPA failed to meet a mandatory 
deadline under section 110(c) of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 7410(c), to 
promulgate federal implementation plans (``FIPs'') establishing 
attainment demonstrations for certain ozone nonattainment areas 
classified as serious or severe and located in the eastern part of the 
United States and to impose sanctions in those areas. NRDC v. EPA, No. 
1:99CV02976 (D.D.C.).

DATES: Written comments on the proposed consent decree must be received 
by August 20, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Jan M. Tierney, Air and 
Radiation Law Office (2344A), Office of General Counsel, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460. Copies of the proposed Partial Consent Decree are 
available from Phyllis J. Cochran, (202) 564-5566. A copy of the 
proposed Partial Consent Decree was lodged with the Clerk of the United 
States District Court for the District of Columbia on June 29, 2001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In its complaint, NRDC alleges that EPA has 
a mandatory duty to promulgate FIPs and impose sanctions on 13 
nonattainment areas located in 14 States and the District of Columbia. 
On June 12, 2000, EPA and NRDC filed with the court a Partial Consent 
Decree that addressed 9 of the 13 areas (``June 2000 Decree''). See 
also 64 FR 71453 (Dec. 21, 1999) (notice under 113(g) of Partial 
Consent Decree). At that time, three of the areas that were the subject 
of NRDC's complaint were not subject to the 1-hour ozone standard 
pursuant to a determination by EPA under 40 CFR 50.9(b) that the areas 
had attained the 1-hour standard and that the 1-hour standard no longer 
applied. See 64 FR 30911 (June 9, 1999). These three areas are the 
Boston-Lawrence-Worcester nonattainment area, located in Massachusetts 
and New Hampshire; the Portsmouth-Dover-Rochester nonattainment area, 
located in New Hampshire; and the Providence nonattainment area, Rhode 
Island. However, at the time the June 2000 Decree was entered by the 
court, EPA had proposed to reinstate the applicability of the 1-hour 
standard, including designations, in those areas. 64 FR 57424 (Oct. 25, 
1999) (preamble language) and 64 FR 60477 (Nov. 5, 1999) (regulatory 
text). Paragraph 5a of the June 2000 Decree provided that the parties 
agreed to stay the case with respect to those three areas and provided 
that the stay would expire if any of certain events occurred, including 
a final action by EPA reinstating the 1-hour standard and the 
associated 1-hour designations in those areas. On July 20, 2000, EPA 
took final action reinstating the 1-hour standard and the associated 
designations in all areas for which EPA had previously determined that 
standard did not apply. Subsequently, the parties negotiated the 
proposed Partial Consent Decree to address NRDC's claims for these 
three areas.
    The three areas addressed in the proposed Partial Consent Decree 
are all currently designated nonattainment but, based on monitoring 
data from 1998-2000, have air quality meeting the 1-hour standard. The 
proposed Partial Consent Decree provides that EPA will promulgate a 
full attainment demonstration FIP for each area if a violation of the 
1-hour ozone standard occurs in the future in that area. See paragraphs 
2 and 3. For the Boston and Portsmouth areas, EPA's obligation to 
propose a FIP would ripen in September of the year following the year 
in which the violation occurs and EPA's obligation to finalize a FIP 
would ripen 9 months later--the following June. Because EPA currently 
does not have an attainment demonstration submission for the Providence 
area, the proposed Partial Consent Decree provides an additional six 
months for EPA to propose a FIP. Thus, EPA's obligation to propose a 
FIP for Providence would ripen in March of the second year following 
the violation and EPA's obligation to finalize a FIP would ripen 9 
months later--in December of that same year.
    Paragraph 4 of the proposed Partial Consent Decree sets forth the 
three circumstances under which EPA's obligation to propose or 
promulgate a FIP will be extinguished: (1) The date that EPA fully 
approves an attainment demonstration SIP for an area; (2) the date EPA 
redesignates an area from nonattainment to attainment; or (3) once EPA 
has approved a SIP or promulgated a FIP under the NOX SIP 
Call for each upwind state for an area, the latest source compliance 
date in an approved SIP or promulgated FIP.
    For a period of thirty (30) days following the date of publication 
of this notice, the Agency will receive written comments relating to 
the proposed Partial Consent Decree from persons who were not named as 
parties or interveners to the litigation in question. EPA or the 
Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed 
Partial Consent Decree if the comments disclose facts or considerations 
that indicate that such consent is inappropriate, improper, inadequate, 
or inconsistent with the requirements of the Act. Unless EPA or the 
Department of Justice determine, following the comment period, that 
consent is inappropriate, the final Partial Consent Decree will be 
entered with the court and will establish deadlines for promulgation of 
FIPs consistent with the conditions of the Partial Consent Decree.


[[Page 37956]]


    Dated: July 9, 2001.
John T. Hannon,
Acting Associate General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 01-18196 Filed 7-19-01; 8:45 am]
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