[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 11 (Friday, January 16, 2004)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 2558-2559]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-1041]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 70

[CA 111-OPPb; FRL-7611-1]


Clean Air Act Proposed Full Approval of the Title V Operating 
Permit Program for Antelope Valley Air Pollution Control District in 
California

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: EPA proposes to fully approve the operating permit program 
submitted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on behalf of 
Antelope Valley Air Pollution Control District (Antelope Valley APCD or 
the District). The operating permit program was submitted in response 
to the directive in the 1990 Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments that 
permitting authorities develop, and submit to EPA, programs for issuing 
operating permits to all major stationary sources and to certain other 
sources within the permitting authority's jurisdiction. EPA granted 
final interim approval to the District's operating permit program on 
December 19, 2000 (65 FR 79314). Of the three deficiencies noted by 
EPA, two were corrected by Antelope Valley APCD in a timely manner. The 
third deficiency was resolved on September 22, 2003, when the Governor 
of California signed SB 700, revising State law by removing the 
agricultural permitting exemption. Though interim approval of the 
District's operating permit program expired on January 21, 2003, and 
EPA implemented a federal operating permit program for Antelope Valley 
APCD, all three deficiencies are now resolved. Therefore, this action 
proposes full approval of the District's operating permit program.

DATES: Comments on this proposal must be received by February 17, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on this proposal may be submitted either by 
mail or electronically. By mail, comments should be addressed to 
Gerardo Rios, Permits Office Chief, Air Division (AIR-3), EPA Region 
IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California, 94105. 
Electronically, comments should be sent by e-mail to 
[email protected], or submitted at http://www.regulations.gov.
    You can inspect copies of the program submittals, and other 
supporting documentation relevant to this action, at our Region IX 
office during normal business hours by appointment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gerardo Rios, EPA Region IX, (415) 
972-3974, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This proposal addresses the District's 
operating permit program. In the Rules and Regulations section of this 
Federal Register, we are approving the program in a direct final action 
without prior proposal because we believe the revisions made to the 
program to resolve the interim approval deficiencies are 
noncontroversial. If we receive adverse comments, however, we will 
publish a timely withdrawal of the direct final rule and address the 
comments in a

[[Page 2559]]

subsequent action based on this proposed rule. Please note that if we 
receive adverse comment on an amendment, paragraph, or section of this 
program and if that provision may be severed from the remainder of the 
program, we may adopt as final those provisions of the program that are 
not the subject of an adverse comment.
    We do not plan to open a second comment period, so anyone 
interested in commenting should do so at this time. If we do not 
receive adverse comments, no further activity is planned. For further 
information, please see the direct final action.

    Dated: January 6, 2004.
Wayne Nastri,
Regional Administrator, Region IX.
    40 CFR part 70, chapter I, title 40 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations is proposed to be amended as follows:

PART 70--[AMENDED]

    1. The authority citation for part 70 continues to read as follows:

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

    2. Appendix A to part 70 is amended by adding paragraph (ii) under 
California to read as follows:

Appendix A to Part 70--Approval Status of State and Local Operating 
Permits Programs

* * * * *

California

    * * *
    (ii) Antelope Valley APCD:
    (1) Complete submittal received on January 26, 1999; interim 
approval effective January 18, 2001; interim approval expires 
January 21, 2003.
    (2) Revisions were submitted on October 22, 2001 and June 17, 
2002. Due to unresolved deficiency of state-exempt major stationary 
agricultural sources, interim approval expired for all major 
stationary sources, effective January 21, 2003.
    (3) Revision submitted on November 7, 2003 containing program 
for major stationary agricultural sources, effective on January 1, 
2004.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 04-1041 Filed 1-15-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P