[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 28 (Friday, February 10, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7148-7149]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-3160]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9629-8]


Notice of Approval of Clean Air Act Outer Continental Shelf 
Permits Issued to Shell Gulf of Mexico, Inc., and Shell Offshore, Inc. 
for the Discoverer Drillship

AGENCY: United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10.

ACTION: Notice of Final Action.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces that EPA Region 10 has issued two final 
permit decisions granting Clean Air Act Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) 
permit applications, one from Shell Gulf of Mexico, Inc., for operation 
of the Discoverer drillship in the Chukchi Sea and one from Shell 
Offshore, Inc. (collectively, ``Shell''), for operation of the 
Discoverer drillship in the Beaufort Sea.

DATES: EPA Region 10 issued final permit decisions on the OCS permits 
for Shell's operation of the Discoverer drillship in the Chukchi and 
Beaufort Seas on January 27, 2012. The permits also became effective on 
that date. Pursuant to section 307(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act, 42 
U.S.C. 7607(b)(1), judicial review of these final permit decisions, to 
the extent it is available, may be sought by filing a petition for 
review in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 
within 60 days of February 10, 2012.

ADDRESSES: The documents relevant to the above-referenced permits are 
available for public inspection during normal business hours at the 
following address: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10, 
1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900, AWT-107, Seattle, WA 98101. To arrange 
for viewing of these documents, call Natasha Greaves at (206) 553-7079.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Natasha Greaves, Office of Air Waste 
and Toxics, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10, 1200 6th 
Avenue, Suite 900, AWT-107, Seattle, WA 98101. Anyone who wishes to 
review the EPA Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) decision described 
below can obtain it at http://www.epa.gov/eab/ eab/.
    Notice of Final Action and Supplementary Information: EPA Region 10 
issued two final permit decisions to Shell authorizing operation of the 
Discoverer drillship in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, OCS Permit Nos. 
R10OCS/PSD-AK-09-01 and R10OCS/PSD-AK-2010-01 (collectively, the 
``Shell Discoverer permits''). The Shell Discoverer permits were 
initially issued by EPA Region 10 on September 19, 2011. The EPA's 
Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) received four petitions for review of 
the Shell Discoverer permits from the following entities: (1) The 
Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope (ICAS); \1\ (2) The Native 
Village of Point Hope, Resisting Environmental Destruction of 
Indigenous Lands, Alaska Wilderness League, Center for Biological 
Diversity, Natural Resources Defense Council, Northern Alaska 
Environmental Center, Ocean Conservancy, Oceana, Pacific Environment, 
Sierra Club, and the

[[Page 7149]]

Wilderness Society; (3) Mr. Daniel Lum; and (4) Ms. Donna Arvelo. On 
January 12, 2012, the EAB dismissed Ms. Arvelo's petition as untimely 
and denied review of the three other petitions. See In re Shell Gulf of 
Mexico, Inc. and Shell Offshore, Inc., OCS Appeal Nos. 11-02, 11-03, 
11-04 & 11-08 (EAB, Jan. 12, 2011) (Order Denying Review). Following 
the EAB's action, pursuant to 40 CFR 124.19(f)(1), EPA Region 10 issued 
final permit decisions on January 27, 2011. All conditions of the Shell 
Discoverer permits, as initially issued by Region 10 on September 19, 
2011, are final and effective.
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    \1\ The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission initially joined in the 
ICAS petition, but later requested to withdraw from the appeal 
proceeding. The EAB granted its request.

    Dated: January 31, 2012.
Richard G. Albright,
Director, Region 10 Office of Air, Waste & Toxics.
[FR Doc. 2012-3160 Filed 2-9-12; 8:45 am]
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