[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 167 (Tuesday, August 29, 2006)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 51117-51120]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-14313]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[EPA-R07-OAR-2006-0484; FRL-8213-9]


Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; State of Iowa

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Direct final rule.

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SUMMARY: EPA is approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision 
submitted by the state of Iowa for the purpose of establishing 
exemptions for indoor sources of air pollution that are not directly 
vented to the outside but have emissions that leave the building 
through doors, vents or other means. This revision also clarifies that 
the permitting exemptions do not relieve the owner or operator of any 
source from any obligation to comply with any other applicable 
requirements. The state has demonstrated that air pollution emissions 
from this equipment are negligible and these exemptions are likely to 
result in no significant impact on human health or the environment. We 
have reviewed the state's justification for the revisions and agree 
with its conclusions.

DATES: This direct final rule will be effective October 30, 2006, 
without further notice, unless EPA receives adverse comment by 
September 28, 2006. If adverse comment is received, EPA will publish a 
timely withdrawal of the direct final rule in the Federal Register 
informing the public that the rule will not take effect.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R07-
OAR-2006-0484, by one of the following methods:
    1. http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions for 
submitting comments.
    2. E-mail: [email protected].
    3. Mail: Heather Hamilton, Environmental Protection Agency, Air 
Planning and Development Branch, 901 North 5th Street, Kansas City, 
Kansas 66101.
    4. Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver your comments to Heather 
Hamilton, Environmental Protection Agency, Air Planning and Development 
Branch, 901 North 5th Street, Kansas City, Kansas 66101.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-R07-OAR-
2006-0484. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included 
in the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit through http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail information that you consider to be CBI 
or otherwise protected. The http://www.regulations.gov Web site is an 
``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your 
identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of 
your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without 
going through http://www.regulations.gov, your e-mail address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you 
submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name 
and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any 
disk or CD-ROM you submit. 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. Electronic files should avoid 
the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of 
any defects or viruses.
    Docket: All documents in the electronic docket are listed in the 
http://www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some 
information is not publicly available, i.e., CBI or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such 
as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet and will be 
publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket 
materials are available either electronically in http://

[[Page 51118]]

www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the Environmental Protection 
Agency, Air Planning and Development Branch, 901 North 5th Street, 
Kansas City, Kansas 66101. The Regional Office's official hours of 
business are Monday through Friday, 8 to 4:30 excluding Federal 
holidays. The interested persons wanting to examine these documents 
should make an appointment with the office at least 24 hours in 
advance.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heather Hamilton at (913) 551-7039, or 
by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document whenever ``we,'' 
``us,'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA. This section provides 
additional information by addressing the following questions:

What is a SIP?
What is the Federal approval process for a SIP?
What does Federal approval of a state regulation mean to me?
What is being addressed in this document?
Have the requirements for approval of a SIP revision been met?
What action is EPA taking?

What is a SIP?

    Section 110 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) requires states to develop 
air pollution regulations and control strategies to ensure that state 
air quality meets the national ambient air quality standards 
established by EPA. These ambient standards are established under 
section 109 of the CAA, and they currently address six criteria 
pollutants. These pollutants are: Carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, 
ozone, lead, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide.
    Each state must submit these regulations and control strategies to 
us for approval and incorporation into the Federally-enforceable SIP.
    Each Federally-approved SIP protects air quality primarily by 
addressing air pollution at its point of origin. These SIPs can be 
extensive, containing state regulations or other enforceable documents 
and supporting information such as emission inventories, monitoring 
networks, and modeling demonstrations.

What is the Federal approval process for a SIP?

    In order for state regulations to be incorporated into the 
Federally-enforceable SIP, states must formally adopt the regulations 
and control strategies consistent with state and Federal requirements. 
This process generally includes a public notice, public hearing, public 
comment period, and a formal adoption by a state-authorized rulemaking 
body.
    Once a state rule, regulation, or control strategy is adopted, the 
state submits it to us for inclusion into the SIP. We must provide 
public notice and seek additional public comment regarding the proposed 
Federal action on the state submission. If adverse comments are 
received, they must be addressed prior to any final Federal action by 
us.
    All state regulations and supporting information approved by EPA 
under section 110 of the CAA are incorporated into the Federally-
approved SIP. Records of such SIP actions are maintained in the Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) at title 40, part 52, entitled ``Approval and 
Promulgation of Implementation Plans.'' The actual state regulations 
which are approved are not reproduced in their entirety in the CFR 
outright but are ``incorporated by reference,'' which means that we 
have approved a given state regulation with a specific effective date.

What does Federal approval of a State regulation mean to me?

    Enforcement of the state regulation before and after it is 
incorporated into the Federally-approved SIP is primarily a state 
responsibility. However, after the regulation is Federally approved, we 
are authorized to take enforcement action against violators. Citizens 
are also offered legal recourse to address violations as described in 
section 304 of the CAA.

What is being addressed in this document?

    EPA is approving a revision to the SIP for the State of Iowa which 
establishes exemptions from construction permitting for certain 
categories of air pollution sources. This revision became state 
effective on April 19, 2006.
    The exemptions include equipment, processes and activities 
identified in the rule and summarized below. The reader should refer to 
the Iowa Administrative Code, Chapter 22.1 and the technical support 
document, which are part of the docket for this rulemaking for more 
detail concerning the exemptions.
    1. An amendment to paragraph 22.1(2) ``m'', which exempts certain 
storage tanks, raises the maximum capacity and throughput of tanks 
which may qualify for the exemption.
    2. An amendment to paragraph 22.1(2) ``x'' adds an exemption for 
certain applications of hot melt adhesives from specified closed-pot 
systems.
    3. An amendment to subrule 22.1(2) adds several new exemptions as 
follows:
    a. Product labeling using laser and ink-jet printers meeting 
specified performance criteria;
    b. Equipment related to research and development activities at a 
stationary source meeting specified emissions and recordkeeping 
criteria, and meeting the definition of ``research and development 
activities'' specified in the rule;
    c. Regional collection centers, as defined in Iowa's hazardous 
waste rules, involved in the processing of permitted hazardous 
materials from households and certain small quantity generators meeting 
specified quantity restrictions for materials containing volatile 
organic compounds (VOCs);
    d. Cold solvent cleaning machines that are not in-line cleaning 
machines, which meet specified performance and operational criteria.
    We note that the Iowa exemption rule provides that none of the 
exemptions are available to emissions units, processes, or activities 
that would trigger the requirements for major new source review (e.g., 
the prevention of significant deterioration program).
    The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has provided a 
justification document which analyzes the projected emissions increases 
and air quality impact which may be attributable to the exemptions. For 
example, Iowa determined that the product labeling exemption would 
apply to equipment which emits no more than 3.75 tons per year of VOCs, 
which is the threshold included in the Iowa permit rules previously 
approved by EPA as de minimis for permitting of minor sources. Similar 
justifications for the other exemptions are included in the docket for 
this rulemaking.
    Based on review of IDNR's technical evaluation documented in the 
exemption justification document submitted with the rule and included 
in the docket, EPA agrees that the emission units and activities 
exempted by the rule generate emissions that have little or no 
environmental or human health consequences and can be exempted from the 
requirement to obtain a construction permit.

Have the requirements for approval of a SIP revision been met?

    The state submittal has met the public notice requirements for SIP 
submissions in accordance with 40 CFR 51.102. The submittal also 
satisfied the completeness criteria of 40 CFR part 51, appendix V. In 
addition, as explained above and in more detail in the technical 
support document that is part of this rulemaking, the revision meets 
the substantive SIP requirements of the

[[Page 51119]]

CAA, including section 110 and implementing regulations.

What action is EPA taking?

    EPA is approving a revision which adds permitting exemptions to the 
Iowa Administrative Code. This revision also clarifies that the 
permitting exemptions do not relieve the owner or operator of any 
source from any obligation to comply with any other applicable 
requirements.
    We are processing this action as a direct final action because the 
revisions make minor changes to the existing rules that are 
noncontroversial. Therefore, we do not anticipate any adverse comments. 
Please note that if EPA receives adverse comment on part of this rule 
and if that part can be severed from the remainder of the rule, EPA may 
adopt as final those parts of the rule that are not the subject of an 
adverse comment.

Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

    Under Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993), this 
action is not a ``significant regulatory action'' and therefore is not 
subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget. For this 
reason, this action is also not subject to Executive Order 13211, 
``Actions Concerning Regulations That Significantly Affect Energy 
Supply, Distribution, or Use'' (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001). This action 
merely approves state law as meeting Federal requirements and imposes 
no additional requirements beyond those imposed by state law. 
Accordingly, the Administrator certifies that this rule will not have a 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities 
under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). Because 
this rule approves pre-existing requirements under state law and does 
not impose any additional enforceable duty beyond that required by 
state law, it does not contain any unfunded mandate or significantly or 
uniquely affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded 
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4).
    This rule also does not have tribal implications because it will 
not have a substantial direct effect on one or more Indian tribes, on 
the relationship between the Federal Government and Indian tribes, or 
on the distribution of power and responsibilities between the Federal 
Government and Indian tribes, as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 
FR 67249, November 9, 2000). This action also does not have Federalism 
implications because it does not have substantial direct effects on the 
States, on the relationship between the national government and the 
States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the 
various levels of government, as specified in Executive Order 13132 (64 
FR 43255, August 10, 1999). This action merely approves a state rule 
implementing a Federal standard, and does not alter the relationship or 
the distribution of power and responsibilities established in the CAA. 
This rule also is not subject to Executive Order 13045, ``Protection of 
Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks'' (62 FR 
19885, April 23, 1997), because it is not economically significant.
    In reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve state 
choices, provided that they meet the criteria of the CAA. In this 
context, in the absence of a prior existing requirement for the State 
to use voluntary consensus standards (VCS), EPA has no authority to 
disapprove a SIP submission for failure to use VCS. It would thus be 
inconsistent with applicable law for EPA, when it reviews a SIP 
submission, to use VCS in place of a SIP submission that otherwise 
satisfies the provisions of the CAA. Thus, the requirements of section 
12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 
(15 U.S.C. 272 note) do not apply. This rule does not impose an 
information collection burden under the provisions of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
    The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the 
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, generally 
provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency promulgating 
the rule must submit a rule report, which includes a copy of the rule, 
to each House of the Congress and to the Comptroller General of the 
United States. EPA will submit a report containing this rule and other 
required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of 
Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United States prior 
to publication of the rule in the Federal Register. A major rule cannot 
take effect until 60 days after it is published in the Federal 
Register. This action is not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C. 
804(2).
    Under section 307(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act, petitions for 
judicial review of this action must be filed in the United States Court 
of Appeals for the appropriate circuit by October 30, 2006. Filing a 
petition for reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule 
does not affect the finality of this rule for the purposes of judicial 
review nor does it extend the time within which a petition for judicial 
review may be filed, and shall not postpone the effectiveness of such 
rule or action. This action may not be challenged later in proceedings 
to enforce its requirements. (See section 307(b)(2).)

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Carbon monoxide, 
Incorporation by reference, Intergovernmental relations, Lead, Nitrogen 
dioxide, Ozone, Particulate matter, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements, Sulfur oxides, Volatile organic compounds.

    Dated: August 15, 2006.
William W. Rice,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 7.

0
Chapter I, title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations is amended as 
follows:

PART 52--[AMENDED]

0
1. The authority citation for part 52 continues to read as follows:

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

Subpart Q--Iowa

0
2. In Sec.  52.820 the table in paragraph (c) is amended by revising 
the entry for 567-22.1 to read as follows:


Sec.  52.820  Identification of plan.

* * * * *
    (c) * * *

                                                              EPA-Approved Iowa Regulations
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                                                                                  State
          Iowa citation                              Title                      effective         EPA approval date                 Explanation
                                                                                   date
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                                     Iowa Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Commission [567]
 

[[Page 51120]]

 
                                                                      * * * * * * *
                                                           Chapter 22--Controlling Pollution
567-22.1........................  Permits Required for New or Existing            04/19/06  08/29/06
                                   Stationary Sources.                                      [insert FR page number where
                                                                                             the document begins]
 
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[FR Doc. E6-14313 Filed 8-28-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P