[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 26 (Thursday, February 8, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 5965]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-2131]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Petitions IV-2005-3 and -4 and IV-2006-1 and -2; FRL-8276-1]


Clean Air Act Operating Permit Program; Petitions for Objection 
to State Operating Permit Renewals for Georgia Power Company--Bowen 
Steam-Electric Generating Plant, Cartersville (Bartow County), GA; 
Branch Steam-Electric Generating Plant, Milledgeville (Putnam County), 
GA; Hammond Steam-Electric Generating Plant, Coosa (Floyd County), GA; 
and Scherer Steam-Electric Generating Plant, Juliette (Monroe County), 
GA

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of final order on petitions to object to state operating 
permit renewals.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Clean Air Act Section 505(b)(2) and 40 CFR 
70.8(d), the EPA Administrator signed an order, dated January 8, 2007, 
denying four (4) petitions to object to state operating permit renewals 
issued by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) to 
Georgia Power Company for the following facilities: Bowen Steam-
Electric Generating Plant (Plant Bowen), located in Cartersville, 
Bartow County, Georgia; Branch Steam-Electric Generating Plant (Plant 
Branch), located in Milledgeville, Putnam County, Georgia; Hammond 
Steam-Electric Generating Plant (Plant Hammond), located in Coosa, 
Floyd County, Georgia; and Scherer Steam-Electric Generating Plant 
(Plant Scherer), located in Juliette, Monroe County, Georgia. This 
order constitutes final action on the four (4) petitions submitted by 
Georgia Center for Law in the Public Interest (GCLPI or the 
Petitioner), on behalf of the Sierra Club, Georgia Public Interest 
Research Group, and Coosa River Basin Initiative. Pursuant to section 
505(b)(2) of the Clean Air Act (the Act), any person may seek judicial 
review of the Order in the United States Court of Appeals for the 
appropriate circuit within 60 days of this notice under section 307 of 
the Act.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the final Order, the petitions, and all pertinent 
information relating thereto are on file at the following location: EPA 
Region 4, Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division, 61 Forsyth 
Street, SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. The final Order is also 
available electronically at the following address: http://www.epa.gov/region07/programs/artd/air/title5/petitiondb/petitions/georgiapower 
renewals--decision2005&2006.pdf.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Art Hofmeister, Air Permits Section, 
EPA Region 4, at (404) 562-9115 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Act affords EPA a 45-day period to 
review and, as appropriate, to object to operating permits proposed by 
state permitting authorities under title V of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 7661-
7661f. Section 505(b)(2) of the Act and 40 CFR 70.8(d) authorize any 
person to petition the EPA Administrator to object to a title V 
operating permit within 60 days after the expiration of EPA's 45-day 
review period if EPA has not objected on its own initiative. Petitions 
must be based only on objections to the permit that were raised with 
reasonable specificity during the public comment period provided by the 
State, unless the petitioner demonstrates that it was impracticable to 
raise these issues during the comment period or the grounds for the 
issues arose after this period.
    EPA received two (2) petitions each on December 22, 2005 (for 
Plants Bowen and Branch), and January 3, 2006 (for Plants Hammond and 
Scherer), requesting that EPA object to state title V operating permit 
renewals issued by EPD to Georgia Power for the aforementioned sources. 
The Petitioner maintains that the Georgia Power permit renewals are not 
in compliance with the Act because: (1) They failed to require 
compliance schedules to bring the sources into compliance with 
applicable opacity standards and (2) they were not accompanied by 
adequate statements of basis. Furthermore, related to Plants Bowen and 
Scherer, the Petitioner alleges that the permit renewals are not in 
compliance with the Act because they failed to require compliance 
schedules to bring the sources into compliance regarding prevention of 
significant deterioration requirements.
    On January 8, 2007, the Administrator issued an order denying the 
four (4) petitions. The Order explains the reasons behind EPA's 
decision to deny the petitions for objection on all grounds.

    Dated: January 30, 2007.
J. I. Palmer, Jr.,
Regional Administrator, Region 4.
[FR Doc. E7-2131 Filed 2-7-07; 8:45 am]
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