[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8406-8407]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-3935]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7626-2]


Proposed Amendment to Second Consent Decree, Clean Air Act 
Citizen Suit

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of proposed amendment to second consent decree regarding 
Portland, Maine; 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 amendment to the second partial consent decree, to address a 
lawsuit filed by Sierra Club and the Group Against SMOG and Pollution 
in the District Court for the District of Columbia: Sierra Club and 
Group Against SMOG and Pollution, Inc. v. Leavitt, No. 1:00CV02206 (D. 
D.C.). On or about September 14, 2000, Sierra Club and the Group 
Against SMOG and Pollution filed a complaint seeking to require EPA to 
take final actions regarding determinations of whether several PM-10 
and ozone nonattainment areas had attained the pertinent air quality 
standards by their attainment dates. EPA and the plaintiffs previously 
settled the claims regarding a number of the nonattainment areas, 
including Portland, Maine, in prior consent decrees. EPA and the 
plaintiffs are now proposing to amend the consent decree concerning 
Portland to extend the date for EPA's final action regarding Portland. 
Under the terms of the proposed amendment to the second consent decree, 
EPA will sign for publication in the Federal Register the 
Administrator's final determination pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 7511(b)(2) on 
whether the Portland area did or did not attain the 1-hour national 
ambient air quality standards for ozone by the applicable attainment 
date.

DATES: Written comments on the proposed amendment to second consent 
decree must be received by March 25, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket ID number OGC-
2004-0003, online at http://www.epa.gov/edocket (EPA's preferred 
method); by e-mail to [email protected]; mailed to EPA Docket Center, 
Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; or by hand delivery or courier to 
EPA Docket Center, EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be 
formatted in Wordperfect or ASCII file, avoiding the use of special 
characters and any form of encryption, and may be mailed to the mailing 
address above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin McLean, Air and Radiation Law 
Office (2344A), Office of General Counsel, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. 
telephone: (202) 564-5564.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Additional Information About the Proposed Amendment to Second 
Consent Decree

    The proposed amendment to the second consent decree expects that 
the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (``DEP'') will notify 
EPA in writing by March 1, 2004 that it has issued and made publicly 
available a study, including supporting data on the feasibility of 
implementing the California Zero Emission Vehicle (``ZEV'') mandate in 
Maine. In addition, the proposed amendment to the second consent decree 
expects that the Maine DEP will submit for EPA's approval eight 
specific revisions to its State Implementation Plan by dates set forth 
in the consent decree. The proposed amendment to the consent decree 
provides that if Maine DEP does not make its ZEV study publicly 
available by the specified date or if EPA does not find the SIP 
revisions complete or approve them by specified dates, EPA is to take 
final action regarding the determination of attainment for Portland. 
If, however, the ZEV study is made publicly available and EPA approves 
all of the eight SIP revisions, then EPA is to have no further 
obligations under the consent decree.
    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 amendment to second 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 amendment to second 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, based on any comment which may be submitted, that consent to 
the amendment to the second consent decree should be withdrawn, the 
terms of the decree will be affirmed.

II. Additional Information About Commenting on the Proposed Amendment 
to Second Consent Decree

A. How Can I Get a Copy of the Amendment to the Second Consent Decree?

    EPA has established an official public docket for this action under 
Docket ID No. OGC-2004-0003 which contains a copy of the amendment to 
second consent decree. The official public docket is available for 
public viewing at the Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket 
in the EPA Docket Center, EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., 
NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open 
from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal 
holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is (202) 
566-1744, and the telephone number for the OEI Docket is (202) 566-
1752.

[[Page 8407]]

    An electronic version of the public docket is available through 
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, EPA Dockets. You may 
use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view public 
comments, access the index listing of the contents of the official 
public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that 
are available electronically. Once in the system, select ``search,'' 
then key in the appropriate docket identification number.
    It is important to note that EPA's policy is that public comments, 
whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available 
for public viewing in EPA's electronic public docket as EPA receives 
them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted 
material, CBI, or other information whose disclosure is restricted by 
statute. Information claimed as CBI and other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute is not included in the official 
public docket or in EPA's electronic public docket. EPA's policy is 
that copyrighted material, including copyrighted material contained in 
a public comment, will not be placed in EPA's electronic public docket 
but will be available only in printed, paper form in the official 
public docket. Although not all docket materials may be available 
electronically, you may still access any of the publicly available 
docket materials through the EPA Docket Center.

B. How and To Whom Do I Submit Comments?

    You may submit comments as provided in the ADDRESSES section. 
Please ensure that your comments are submitted within the specified 
comment period. Comments received after the close of the comment period 
will be marked ``late.'' EPA is not required to consider these late 
comments.
    If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you 
include your name, mailing address, and an e-mail address or other 
contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD 
ROM you submit. This ensures that you can be identified as the 
submitter of the comment and allows EPA to contact you in case EPA 
cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties or needs further 
information on the substance of your comment. Any identifying or 
contact information provided in the body of a comment will be included 
as part of the comment that is placed in the official public docket, 
and made available in EPA's electronic public docket. If EPA cannot 
read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you 
for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment.
    Your use of EPA's electronic public docket to submit comments to 
EPA electronically is EPA's preferred method for receiving comments. 
The electronic public docket system is an ``anonymous access'' system, 
which means EPA will not know your identity, e-mail address, or other 
contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. 
In contrast to EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's electronic mail 
(e-mail) system is not an ``anonymous access'' system. If you send an 
e-mail comment directly to the Docket without going through EPA's 
electronic public docket, your e-mail address is automatically captured 
and included as part of the comment that is placed in the official 
public docket, and made available in EPA's electronic public docket.

    Dated: February 17, 2004.
Lisa K. Friedman,
Associate General Counsel, Air and Radiation Law Office, Office of 
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 04-3935 Filed 2-23-04; 8:45 am]
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