[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 96 (Wednesday, May 20, 2009)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 23678-23679]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-11644]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 80

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2005-0161; FRL-8906-9]
RIN 2060-A081


Public Hearing for the RFS2 Rule

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Announcement of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: The EPA is announcing a public hearing to be held for the 
proposed rule ``Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Changes to 
Renewable Fuel Standard Program'' (the proposed rule is hereinafter 
referred to as ``RFS2''), which will be published separately in the 
Federal Register. The hearing will be held in Washington, DC on June 9, 
2009.
    In a separate notice of proposed rulemaking, EPA is proposing a 
regulation to implement changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard program 
as mandated by the Clean Air Act (as amended by Sections 201, 202, and 
210 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007). The revised 
statutory requirements specify the volumes of cellulosic biofuel, 
biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel that 
must be used in transportation fuel each year, with the volumes 
increasing over time. The rule proposes regulations designed to ensure 
that refiners, blenders, and importers of gasoline and diesel would use 
enough renewable fuel each year so that the four volume requirements of 
the Energy Independence and Security Act would be met with renewable 
fuels that also meet the required lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions 
performance standards. The RFS2 proposed rule describes the standards 
that would apply to these parties and the renewable fuels that would 
qualify for compliance, and the proposed regulations make a number of 
changes to the current Renewable Fuel Standard program while retaining 
many elements of the compliance and trading system already in place. 
The signed notice of proposed rulemaking was posted on the EPA Web site 
prior to publication in the Federal Register, and contained the same 
public hearing date presented in this announcement.

DATES: The public hearing will be held on June 9, 2009 in Washington, 
DC. To register to testify at the hearing, notify the contact person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT by June 1, 2009. 
Information regarding time of the hearing, as well as the Lifecycle 
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) workshop, is also listed below in SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: The hearing will be held at the following location: Dupont 
Hotel, 1500 New Hampshire Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20036. Written 
comments on the proposed rule may also be submitted to EPA 
electronically, by mail, by facsimile, or through hand delivery/
courier. Please refer to the notice of proposed rulemaking for the 
addresses and detailed instructions for submitting written comments.
    When the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register, a 
complete set

[[Page 23679]]

of documents related to the proposal will be available for public 
inspection at the EPA Docket Center, located at 1301 Constitution 
Avenue, NW., Room 3334, Washington, DC between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. A reasonable fee may 
be charged for copying. Documents are also available through the 
electronic docket system at http://www.regulations.gov. The EPA Web 
site for the rulemaking, which includes information about the public 
hearings and a copy of the signed proposal (which is essentially the 
same as the proposal that will be published) can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/renewablefuels/index.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julia MacAllister, Office of 
Transportation and Air Quality, Assessment and Standards Division, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 2000 Traverwood Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 
48105; telephone number: (734) 214-4131; fax number: (734) 214-4816; e-
mail address: [email protected], or Assessment and Standards 
Division Hotline; telephone number (734) 214-4636; E-mail address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposal for which EPA is holding the 
public hearing will be published separately in the Federal Register. A 
copy of the signed notice of proposed rulemaking, which is essentially 
the same as the proposal that will be published in the Federal 
Register, has been available since May 5, 2009, on the following Web 
site: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/renewablefuels/index.htm. The notice on 
the Web site contains the same public hearing date, addresses, and 
registration information presented in this announcement of public 
hearing.
    Public Hearing: The public hearing will provide interested parties 
the opportunity to present data, views, or arguments concerning the 
proposed rule. The EPA may ask clarifying questions during the oral 
presentations but will not respond to the presentations at that time. 
Written statements and supporting information submitted during the 
comment period will be considered with the same weight as any oral 
comments and supporting information presented at the public hearing. 
Written comments must be received by the last day of the comment 
period, as specified in the proposal of the RFS2 rule.
    The public hearing will be held on June 9 in Washington, DC and 
will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 5 p.m., local time. To testify at the 
public hearing, please notify the contact person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT by June 1, 2009.
    Verbatim transcripts of the hearings and written statements will be 
included in the rulemaking docket.
    Workshop: We will also hold a workshop on June 10-11, 2009 at the 
Dupont Hotel in Washington, DC to present details of our lifecycle GHG 
analysis. During this workshop, we intend to go through the lifecycle 
GHG analysis included in this proposal. The intent of this workshop is 
to help ensure a full understanding of our lifecycle analysis, the 
major issues identified and the options discussed. We expect that this 
workshop will help ensure that we receive submission of the most 
thoughtful and useful comments to this proposal and that the best 
methodology and assumptions are used for calculating GHG emissions 
impacts of fuels for the final rule. While this workshop will be held 
during the comment period, it is not intended to replace either the 
formal public hearing or the need to submit comments to the docket.

How Can I Get Copies of This Document, the Proposed Rule, and Other 
Related Information?

    The EPA has established a docket for this action under Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2005-0161. The EPA has also developed a Web site for the 
proposed RFS2 rule, including the notice of proposed rulemaking, at the 
address given above. Please refer to the notice of proposed rulemaking 
for detailed information on accessing information related to the 
proposal.

    Dated: May 13, 2009.
Margo T. Oge,
Director, Office of Transportation and Air Quality.
[FR Doc. E9-11644 Filed 5-19-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P