[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 72 (Friday, April 15, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19959-19961]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-7578]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7900-8]


Water Pollution Control; Approval of Modification to Ohio's 
Approved National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permitting 
Program To Administer a State Sewage Sludge Management Program

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice; approval of application.

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SUMMARY: On March 16, 2005, pursuant to section 402(b) of the Clean 
Water Act (CWA), the Acting Regional Administrator for EPA, Region 5, 
approved the State of Ohio's modification of its existing National 
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program to include the 
administration and enforcement of a state sewage sludge management 
program where it has jurisdiction.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Colletti, at (312) 886-6106, 
NPDES Programs Branch, (WN-16J), EPA, Region 5, 77 West Jackson 
Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604-3590, or electronically at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document ``we,'' ``us,'' or 
``our'' means EPA.

Table of Contents

I Introduction
II Was notice provided seeking public comments on Ohio's program 
submittal?
III Was a public hearing held?
IV Did EPA receive any public comments?
V Does EPA's approval affect Indian Country (18 U.S.C. 1151) in 
Ohio?
VI Conclusion
VII Federal Register Notice of Approval of State NPDES Programs or 
Modifications
VIII Administrative Requirements
    A. Endangered Species Act
    B. National Historic Preservation Act
    C. Other Provisions

I. Introduction

    Ohio's application to modify its existing NPDES program to 
administer and enforce a state sewage sludge management program was 
submitted on May 12, 2004. Specifically, the state sought approval of a 
sludge management program which addresses the land application of 
sewage sludge, surface disposal of sewage sludge, and the landfilling 
of sewage sludge. The state's sludge management program does not extend 
to ``Indian Country'' as defined in 18 U.S.C. 1151, and will not 
include lands within the exterior boundaries of Indian reservations 
within or abutting the State of Ohio. Ohio did not seek approval for 
the incineration of sewage sludge or the land application of domestic 
septage. The sewage sludge management program is administered by the 
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA). Modifications were 
made to the program submittal based on discussions between EPA and Ohio 
EPA. These modifications are part of the record of the program 
application and review process.

II. Was Notice Provided Seeking Public Comments on Ohio's Program 
Submittal?

    Ohio's application was described in the December 14, 2004 Federal 
Register at 69 FR 74522-74525, in which EPA requested public comments 
for a period of 45 days. Further notice was provided by way of 
publication in the following newspaper on December 14, 2004: The Blade 
(Toledo), and in the following newspapers on December 15, 2004: The 
Columbus Dispatch; The Cincinnati Enquirer; The Marietta Times, and; 
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) in a effort to get wide coverage 
throughout the state. Additionally, notices were sent to all Ohio NPDES 
permitted facilities that would be impacted by the program and to 
people or organizations that Ohio EPA determined might have an interest 
in the program application. Copies of Ohio EPA's application package 
were available for public review at the EPA Region 5 Office and at Ohio 
EPA's regional offices and on their website.

III. Was a Public Hearing Held?

    A public hearing was not held. The above notice explained that a 
hearing had not been scheduled and how a hearing could be requested. 
EPA will hold a public hearing whenever the Regional Administrator 
finds, on the basis of requests, a significant degree of public 
interest. No request for a hearing was received during the public 
comment period and therefore, no hearing was held.

IV. Did EPA Receive Any Public Comments?

    Pursuant to the public notice, we accepted written comments from 
the public postmarked on or before January 31, 2005. During the comment 
period, we received two comments. These commenters fully support the 
modification of the state's NPDES program to include the administration 
and enforcement of a sewage sludge management program.

V. Does EPA's Approval Affect Indian Country (18 U.S.C. 1151) in Ohio?

    Ohio EPA did not seek approval to administer and enforce the state 
sewage sludge management program for activities occurring in Indian 
Country. Our approval does not authorize Ohio EPA to carry out its 
sewage sludge program in Indian Country. Therefore, our approval of the 
state's sewage sludge management program will have no effect in Indian 
Country where EPA continues to implement and administer the NPDES 
program.

VI. Conclusion

    The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has demonstrated that it 
adequately meets the requirements for program modification to include 
sewage sludge management (specifically, the land application of sewage 
sludge, surface disposal of sewage sludge, and the landfilling of 
sewage sludge) as defined in the Clean Water Act and 40 CFR parts 123, 
501, and 503.
    At this time, EPA is withholding authorization to administer the 
sewage sludge management program for the incineration of sewage sludge, 
the land application of domestic septage, and activities occurring in 
Indian Country, as mentioned above.

VII. Federal Register Notice of Approval of State NPDES Programs or 
Modifications

    EPA must provide Federal Register notice of any action by the 
Agency approving or modifying a State NPDES program. The following 
table will provide the public with an up-to-date list of the status of 
NPDES permitting authority throughout the country. Today's Federal 
Register notice is to announce the approval of Ohio's authority to 
administer the sewage sludge management program.

[[Page 19960]]



                                           State NPDES Program Status
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                                                  Approved   Approved to    Approved      Approved     Approved
                                                State NPDES    regulate       State       general       sludge
                     State                         permit      Federal    pretreatment    permits     management
                                                  program     facilities     program      program      program
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama.......................................     10/19/79     10/19/79      10/19/79     06/26/91  ...........
Arizona.......................................     12/05/02     12/05/02      12/05/02     12/05/02     03/31/04
Arkansas......................................     11/01/86     11/01/86      11/01/86     11/01/86  ...........
California....................................     05/14/73     05/05/78      09/22/89     09/22/89  ...........
Colorado......................................     03/27/75  ...........  ............     03/04/83  ...........
Connecticut...................................     09/26/73     01/09/89      06/03/81     03/10/92  ...........
Delaware......................................     04/01/74  ...........  ............     10/23/92  ...........
Florida \1\...................................     05/01/95  ...........      05/01/95     05/01/95  ...........
Georgia.......................................     06/28/74     12/08/80      03/12/81     01/28/91  ...........
Hawaii........................................     11/28/74     06/01/79      08/12/83     09/30/91  ...........
Illinois......................................     10/23/77     09/20/79  ............     01/04/84  ...........
Indiana.......................................     01/01/75     12/09/78  ............     04/02/91  ...........
Iowa..........................................     08/10/78     08/10/78      06/03/81     08/12/92  ...........
Kansas........................................     06/28/74     08/28/85  ............     11/24/93  ...........
Kentucky......................................     09/30/83     09/30/83      09/30/83     09/30/83  ...........
Louisiana.....................................     09/11/96     09/11/96      09/11/96     09/11/96  ...........
Maine.........................................     01/12/01     01/12/01      01/12/01     01/12/01  ...........
Maryland......................................     09/05/74     11/10/87      09/30/85     09/30/91  ...........
Michigan......................................     10/17/73     12/09/78      04/16/85     11/29/93  ...........
Minnesota.....................................     06/30/74     12/09/78      07/16/79     12/15/87  ...........
Mississippi...................................     05/01/74     01/28/83      05/13/82     09/27/91  ...........
Missouri......................................     10/30/74     06/26/79      06/03/81     12/12/85  ...........
Montana.......................................     06/10/74     06/23/81  ............     04/29/83  ...........
Nebraska......................................     06/12/74     11/02/79      09/07/84     07/20/89  ...........
Nevada........................................     09/19/75     08/31/78  ............     07/27/92  ...........
New Jersey....................................     04/13/82     04/13/82      04/13/82     04/13/82  ...........
New York......................................     10/28/75     06/13/80  ............     10/15/92  ...........
North Carolina................................     10/19/75     09/28/84      06/14/82     09/06/91  ...........
North Dakota..................................     06/13/75     01/22/90  ............     01/22/90  ...........
Ohio..........................................     03/11/74     01/28/83      07/27/83     08/17/92     03/16/05
Oklahoma......................................     11/19/96     11/19/96      11/19/96     09/11/97     11/19/96
Oregon........................................     09/26/73     03/02/79      03/12/81     02/23/82  ...........
Pennsylvania..................................     06/30/78     06/30/78  ............     08/02/91  ...........
Rhode Island..................................     09/17/84     09/17/84      09/17/84     09/17/84  ...........
South Carolina................................     06/10/75     09/26/80      04/09/82     09/03/92     10/22/01
South Dakota..................................     12/30/93     12/30/93      12/30/93     12/30/93  ...........
Tennessee.....................................     12/28/77     09/30/86      08/10/83     04/18/91  ...........
Texas.........................................     09/24/98     09/24/98      09/24/98     09/24/98     09/24/98
Utah..........................................     07/07/87     07/07/87      07/07/87     07/07/87     06/14/96
Vermont.......................................     03/11/74  ...........      03/16/82     08/26/93  ...........
Virgin Islands................................     06/30/76  ...........  ............  ...........  ...........
Virginia......................................     03/31/75     02/09/82      04/14/89     04/20/91  ...........
Washington....................................     11/14/73  ...........      09/30/86     09/26/89  ...........
West Virginia.................................     05/10/82     05/10/82      05/10/82     05/10/82  ...........
Wisconsin.....................................     02/04/74     11/26/79      12/24/80     12/19/86     07/28/00
Wyoming.......................................     01/30/75     05/18/81  ............     09/24/91  ...........
                                               --------------
    Totals....................................           46           40            34           44          07
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Number of Fully Authorized Programs (Federal Facilities, Pretreatment, General Permits) = 31.
Number of authorized Sludge Management Programs = 7.
\1\ The Florida authorizations of 05/01/95 represents a phased NPDES program authorization to be completed by
  the year 2000.

VIII. Administrative Requirements

A. Endangered Species Act

    Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), 16 U.S.C. 
1536(a)(2), requires that federal agencies insure, in consultation with 
the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), that actions they 
authorize, fund, or carry out are not likely to jeopardize the 
continued existence of Federally-listed threatened or endangered 
species (listed species) or result in the destruction or adverse 
modification of critical habitat designated for such listed species.
    By letter dated November 24, 2004, we requested concurrence from 
the Reynoldsburg Ecological Services Field Office of the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service (FWS) that approval of Ohio EPA to implement a sewage 
sludge management program would not have any direct effects on 
federally-listed species or critical habitat as the proposed action is 
an administrative shift of authority that is not associated with any 
physical action that will alter habitat or affect biota. We received 
concurrence on February 7, 2005.

B. National Historic Preservation Act

    Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), 16 
U.S.C. 470(f), requires Federal agencies to take into account the 
effects of their undertakings on historic properties and to provide the 
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) an opportunity to 
comment on such undertakings. Under the ACHP's regulations (36 CFR part 
800), agencies

[[Page 19961]]

consult with the appropriate State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) 
on federal undertakings that have the potential to affect historic 
properties listed or eligible for listing in the National Register of 
Historic Places.
    By letter dated November 24, 2004, we requested concurrence from 
the State Historic Preservation Officer that approval of Ohio EPA to 
implement a sewage sludge management program would not have an adverse 
impact on historical and archeological resources. We received 
concurrence on January 4, 2005.

C. Other Provisions

    Based on General Counsel Opinion 78-7 (April 18, 1978), EPA has 
long considered a determination to approve or deny a State Clean Water 
Act (CWA) program submission to constitute an adjudication because an 
``approval,'' within the meaning of the Administrative Procedure Act 
(APA), constitutes a ``licence,'' which, in turn, is the product of an 
``adjudication.'' For this reason, the statutes and Executive Orders 
that apply to rulemaking action are not applicable here.

    Authority for parts 123 and 501: Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1251 
et seq.

    Dated: March 31, 2005.
Norman Niedergang,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 5.
[FR Doc. 05-7578 Filed 4-14-05; 8:45 am]
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