[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 179 (Tuesday, September 16, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55472-55474]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22062]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2014-0170; FRL-9916-71-OW]
RIN 2040-ZA18


Final 2012 and Preliminary 2014 Effluent Guidelines Program Plans 
and 2012 and 2013 Annual Effluent Guidelines Review Reports

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of the combined Final 
2012 and Preliminary 2014 Effluent Guidelines Program Plans and EPA's 
2012 and 2013 Annual Effluent Guidelines Review Reports. This notice 
solicits public comment and input on the Preliminary 2014 Plan and the 
2012 and 2013 Annual Review Reports.
    The Clean Water Act (``CWA'' or ``Act'') requires EPA to biennially 
publish a plan for new and revised effluent guidelines, after public 
notice and comment, which identifies any new or existing industrial 
categories selected for effluent guidelines rulemaking and provides a 
schedule for such rulemaking. EPA typically publishes a preliminary 
plan upon which the public is invited to comment, and then publishes a 
final plan about a year later.

DATES: Submit comments on or before November 17, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments on the 2012 and 2013 Annual Reviews and 
the Preliminary 2014 Plan identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2014-
0170, by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Email: [email protected], Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OW-2014-0170 .
     Fax: (202) 566--9744.
     Mail: Water Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, 
Mailcode: 2822T, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2014-0170, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460.
     Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center, EPA West, Room 3334, 
1301 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC, Attention Docket ID No. 
EPA-HQ-OW-2014-0170. Such deliveries are accepted only during the 
Docket Center's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements 
should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments on the 2012 and 2013 Annual 
Reviews and Preliminary 2014 Plan to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2014-0170. 
EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change and could be made available online at 
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 information that you consider to 
be CBI or otherwise protected through www.regulations.gov or email. The 
www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system, which 
means that EPA will not know your identity or contact information 
unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an email 
comment directly to EPA without going through www.regulations.gov your 
email 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

[[Page 55473]]

cannot read your comment because of technical difficulties and cannot 
contact you for clarification, EPA might 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. For 
additional information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket 
Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm. For 
additional instructions on submitting comments, go to the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this document.

Submitting Confidential Business Information

    Do not submit confidential business information (CBI) to EPA 
through www.regulations.gov or email. Any CBI you wish to submit should 
be sent via a trackable physical method, such as Federal Express or 
United Parcel Service, to Mr. M. Ahmar Siddiqui, Document Control 
Officer, Engineering and Analysis Division (4303T), Room 6231S EPA 
West, U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460. A CBI 
package should be double-wrapped, so that the CBI is in one package, 
which is itself inside another package. Clearly mark the part or all of 
the information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information on a disk 
or CD ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD ROM 
as CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD ROM the 
specific information that is claimed as CBI. In addition to one 
complete copy of the material that includes information claimed as CBI, 
a copy of the material that does not contain the information claimed as 
CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket. Information 
marked as CBI will not be disclosed except in accordance with 
procedures set forth in 40 CFR Part 2.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the index at 
www.regulations.gov. 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 at www.regulations.gov or in hard copy 
at the Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center, EPA/DC, EPA West, Room 
3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The 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 Water Docket 
is (202) 566-2426.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. William F. Swietlik, Engineering 
and Analysis Division, Office of Water, 4303T, U. S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: (202) 566-1129; fax number: (202) 566-1053; email 
address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. General Information

A. Supporting Documents

    Key documents providing additional information about EPA's 2012 and 
2013 Annual Reviews and the Final 2012 and Preliminary 2014 Plans 
include the 2012 and 2013 Annual Effluent Guidelines Review Reports and 
the combined Final 2012 and Preliminary 2014 Effluent Guidelines 
Program Plans.

B. How can I get copies of these documents and other related 
information?

    1. Docket. EPA has established official public dockets for these 
actions under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2014-0170. The official public 
docket is the collection of materials that is available for public 
viewing at the Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center, (EPA/DC) EPA 
West, Room 3334, 1301Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460.
    2. Electronic Access. You may access this Federal Register document 
electronically through the United States government online source for 
Federal regulations at http://www.regulations.gov.
    3. Internet access. Copies of the supporting documents are 
available at http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/lawsguidance/cwa/304m/index.cfm.

C. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?

    Tips for Preparing Your Comments. When submitting comments, 
remember to:
     Identify the rulemaking by docket number and other 
identifying information (subject heading, Federal Register date and 
page number).
     Follow directions--The agency might ask you to respond to 
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
     Explain why you agree or disagree, suggest alternatives, 
and substitute language for your requested changes.
     Describe any assumptions and provide any technical 
information and/or data that you used.
     If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how 
you arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be 
reproduced.
     Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns, and 
suggest alternatives.
     Explain your views as clearly as possible.
     Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period 
deadline identified.

II. How is this document organized?

    The outline of this notice follows:

    A. Legal Authority
    B. Summary of the Final 2012 and Preliminary 2014 Effluent 
Guidelines Program Plans
    C. Public Comments
    D. Requests for Public Comment and Information

A. Legal Authority

    This notice is published under the authority of the CWA, 33 U.S.C. 
1251, et seq., and in particular sections 301(d), 304(b), 304(g), 
304(m), 306, 307(b)and 308 of the Act, 33 U.S.C. 1311(d), 1314(b), 
1314(g), 1314(m), 1316, 1317(b), and 1318.

B. Summary of the Final 2012 and Preliminary 2014 Effluent Guidelines 
Program Plans

    The Final 2012 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan (``Final 2012 
Plan'') and the Preliminary 2014 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 
(``Preliminary 2014 Plan'') were prepared pursuant to Clean Water Act 
section 304(m). The Plans provide a summary of EPA's review of effluent 
guidelines and pretreatment standards, consistent with CWA sections 
301(d), 304(b), 304(g), 304(m), and 307(b) and EPA's evaluation of 
indirect discharges without categorical pretreatment standards to 
identify potential new categories for pretreatment standards under CWA 
section 307(b). From these reviews, the Plans identify any new or 
existing industrial categories selected for effluent guidelines 
rulemakings, and provide a schedule for such rulemakings. In addition, 
the Plans present any new or existing categories of industry selected 
for further review and analysis.
    Both Plans are supported by EPA's 2012 and 2013 Annual Reviews 
(U.S. EPA, 2014a and 2014b), which also build on prior reviews, 
including EPA's 2011 Annual Review (U.S. EPA, 2012a). The 2012 Annual 
Review includes additional hazard data sources and

[[Page 55474]]

supporting analyses aimed at identifying new pollutants of concern and 
identifying wastewater discharges in industrial categories that may not 
be currently regulated by effluent limitations guidelines and 
standards. EPA's 2011, 2012 and 2013 Annual Review Reports are a part 
of the Annual Review record and can be found at http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/lawsguidance/cwa/304m/index.cfm.

C. Public Comments

    EPA also considers public comments and information submitted by 
stakeholders in response to the Effluent Limitations Guidelines Program 
Plan, and submitted in response to specific solicitations made in this 
Notice (see Request for Comment and Information below). A summary of 
the public comments and stakeholder input on the Preliminary 2012 Plan 
is provided in the Final 2012 Plan and a detailed listing of all 
commenters, and the subjects upon which they commented, is provided in 
the 2012 Annual Review Report. All submitted comment letters, 
attachments and information are made a part of the record for the 
Effluent Guidelines Plan and are publicly accessible at 
www.regulations.gov.

D. Requests for Public Comment and Information

    For the Preliminary 2014 Effluent Limitations Guidelines Plan, EPA 
requests comments and information on the following topics:
1. Data Sources and Methodologies--In General
    EPA solicits comments on whether it used the correct evaluation 
factors, criteria, and data sources in conducting its 2012 and 2013 
Annual Reviews and in developing the Plans. EPA also solicits comment 
on other data sources EPA might use in its annual reviews and biennial 
planning process.
2. The Preliminary 2014 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan
    EPA solicits comments on its Preliminary 2014 Plan, including the 
data and information used to support the findings, actions and 
conclusions as stated in the Preliminary 2014 Plan. Specifically, EPA 
solicits public comment and stakeholder input, data and information on:
    (a) Study of Centralized Waste Treatment (``CWT'') facilities. EPA 
has decided to conduct a study of CWT facilities accepting oil and gas 
extraction wastewater. EPA solicits data and information related to the 
extent to which CWT facilities accept such wastewater, available 
treatment technologies (and their associated costs), discharge 
characteristics, financial characteristics of CWT facilities, the 
environmental impacts of discharges from CWT facilities, as well as any 
other information believed to be relevant to EPA's study of this issue.
    (b) Study of Petroleum Refineries. EPA plans to initiate a study of 
Petroleum Refineries (40 CFR Part 419). EPA specifically solicits data 
and information on the discharge of metals and dioxin from petroleum 
refineries, including for example, the source(s) of these contaminants, 
either in crude oil sources or in the refining process, the effects of 
new air pollution controls on wastewater discharges at refineries, and 
information on current and future trends in oil refining processes. EPA 
also solicits data and information on current wastewater treatment 
technology performance at petroleum refineries, as well as any other 
information believed to be relevant to EPA's study of this issue.
    (c) Preliminary Category Review of Metal Finishing. EPA plans to 
continue a preliminary category review of the Metal Finishing point 
source category (40 CFR Part 433). EPA solicits data and information 
regarding the discharge and treatment of metals, particularly chromium, 
nickel, and zinc, in addition to cadmium, copper, lead, silver and any 
others, to publicly owned treatment works (``POTWs'') by metal 
finishers, as well as any other information believed to be relevant to 
EPA's review.
    (d) Nanomaterials manufacturing and formulating. EPA is collecting 
data and information on the potential industrial wastewater discharge 
hazards associated with nanomaterials manufacturing and formulating. 
EPA requests public comment and stakeholder input relating to any 
information or data available on the wastewater hazards and discharges 
associated with the manufacture of nanomaterials and their use in 
manufacturing or formulating products, as well as any other information 
believed to be relevant.
3. Innovation and Technology in the Effluent Guidelines Program
    As it did in the Preliminary 2012 Effluent Guidelines Plan, EPA is 
again requesting public comment and ideas on the subject of technology 
innovation. EPA seeks public input and comment on the following 
questions and related themes:
    (a) Are there new, innovative pollution control or pollution 
prevention technologies that can be used by any of the existing 57 
categories of industry with effluent limitations guidelines?
    (b) Are there innovative manufacturing approaches that can be used 
by industries to reduce or prevent their wastewater discharges?
    (c) How can EPA's effluent limitations guidelines program enhance 
technology transfer to catalyze and harness innovation to solve 
industrial wastewater problems, both now and in the future?
    (d) How can EPA better foster consideration of innovative 
technologies through the effluent guidelines planning process?

    Dated: September 9, 2014.
Kenneth J. Kopocis,
Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 2014-22062 Filed 9-15-14; 8:45 am]
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