[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 224 (Monday, November 22, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71125-71126]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-29404]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9229-7]


Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of proposed consent decree; request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with section 113(g) of the Clean Air Act, as 
amended (``CAA'' or the ``Act''), 42 U.S.C. 7413(g), notice is hereby 
given of a proposed consent decree to address a lawsuit filed by 
Association of Irritated Residents in the United States District Court 
for the Northern District of California: Association of Irritated 
Residents v. Jackson, No. 3:10-CV-03051-WHA (N.D. CA.). On July 12, 
2010, Plaintiff filed a complaint alleging that EPA failed to perform a 
mandatory duty under section 110(k)(2) of the CAA, 42 U.S.C. 
7410(k)(2), to take timely final action on a submission entitled the 
2008 PM2.5 San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control 
District Plan (the SJV PM2.5 Nonattainment SIP), which was 
submitted to EPA on or about June 30, 2008. The SJV PM2.5 
nonattainment SIP includes measures intended to control emissions of 
fine particulate matter and its precursors within the San Joaquin 
Valley for purposes of attaining the 1997 annual and 24-hour PM2.5 
NAAQS. The proposed consent decree establishes a deadline for EPA to 
take action on the SJV PM2.5 nonattainment SIP.

DATES: Written comments on the proposed consent decree must be received 
by December 22, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID number EPA-HQ-
OGC-2010-0886, online at http://www.regulations.gov (EPA's preferred 
method); by e-mail to [email protected]; by mail 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 3334, 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 Word 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: Geoffrey L. Wilcox, Air and Radiation 
Law Office (2344A), Office of General Counsel, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone: (202) 564-5601; fax number (202) 564-5603; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Additional Information About the Proposed Consent Decree

    The proposed consent decree would resolve a lawsuit seeking to 
compel the Agency to take timely final action under section 110(k) of 
the CAA to approve, disapprove, or partially approve/disapprove the 
submission entitled the 2008 PM2.5 San Joaquin Valley Unified Air 
Pollution Control District Plan (the SJV PM2.5 nonattainment SIP), 
which was submitted to EPA on or about June 30, 2008. The SJV PM2.5 
nonattainment SIP includes measures intended to control emissions of 
fine particulate matter and its precursors from sources located within 
the designated nonattainment area in the San Joaquin Valley of 
California, for purposes of attaining the 1997 annual and 24-hour PM2.5 
NAAQS. The proposed consent decree requires that no later than 
September 30, 2011, EPA shall sign a notice taking the Agency's final 
action on the SJV PM2.5 nonattainment SIP, pursuant to section 110(k) 
of the CAA, 42 U.S.C. 7410(k). In addition, the proposed consent decree 
requires that no later than 15 business days following signature, EPA 
shall send the notice to the Office of the Federal Register for review 
and publication in the Federal Register. After EPA fulfills its 
obligations under the proposed consent decree, it provides that the 
parties shall file a joint request to the Court to dismiss this matter 
with prejudice.
    For a period of thirty (30) days following the date of publication 
of this notice, the Agency will accept written comments relating to the 
proposed consent decree from persons who were not named as parties or 
intervenors to the litigation in question. EPA or the Department of 
Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed 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 determines that consent to this consent decree should be 
withdrawn, the terms of the proposed consent decree will be affirmed.

II. Additional Information About Commenting on the Proposed Consent 
Decree

A. How can I get a copy of the consent decree?

    The official public docket for this action (identified by Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OGC-2010-0886) contains a copy of the proposed 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 3334, 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.
    An electronic version of the public docket is available through 
http://www.regulations.gov. You may use http://www.regulations.gov to 
submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the 
contents of the official public docket, and to access those

[[Page 71126]]

documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once 
in the system, key in the appropriate docket identification number then 
select ``search''.
    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 online at http://www.regulations.gov 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 the 
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.
    Use of the http://www.regulations.gov Web site 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 http://www.regulations.gov, 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: November 12, 2010.
Richard B. Ossias,
Associate General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2010-29404 Filed 11-19-10; 8:45 am]
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