[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 183 (Monday, September 22, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56577-56578]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22475]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9916-98-Region 10]


Re-Proposal of the NPDES General Permit for Oil and Gas 
Geotechnical Surveying and Related Activities in Federal Waters of the 
Beaufort and Chukchi Seas

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Reopening of public comment period for the re-proposal of the 
Geotechnical General Permit.

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SUMMARY: On August 15, 2014, EPA provided public notice on the re-
proposal of a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) 
General Permit for Oil and Gas Geotechnical Surveys and Related 
Activities in Federal Waters of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas (Permit 
No. AKG-28-4300), and established a comment deadline of September 15, 
2014. In response to a request from the Alaska Eskimo Whaling 
Commission to reopen the comment period deadline, EPA is reopening the 
comment period to September 30, 2014.

DATES: Comments. The public comment period for the Geotechnical General 
Permit re-proposal is reopened until September 30, 2014. EPA will only 
consider comments on the re-proposed permit provisions. Comments 
submitted previously on the initial draft Geotechnical General Permit 
need not be resubmitted; comments addressing permit provisions or 
issues beyond the scope of this re-proposal will not be considered. 
Comments must be received by or post-marked no later than midnight 
Pacific Standard Time on September 30, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods. 
Include your name, address, telephone number, the General Permit number 
(AKG-28-4300) and a concise statement of the basis and facts supporting 
the comment.
    Mail: Send paper comments to Erin Seyfried, Office of Water and 
Watersheds, Mail Stop OWW-130, 1200 6th Avenue, Suite 900, Seattle, WA 
98101-3140.
    Email: Send electronic comments to [email protected].
    Fax: Fax comments to the attention of Erin Seyfried at (206) 553-
0165.
    Hand Delivery/Courier: Deliver comments to Erin Seyfried, Office of 
Water and Watersheds, Mail Stop OWW-191, 1200 6th Avenue, Suite 900, 
Seattle, WA 98101-3140. Call (206) 553-0523 before delivery to verify 
business hours.
    Viewing and/or Obtaining Copies of Documents. A copy of the re-
proposed Geotechnical General Permit, the Fact Sheet, which explains 
the proposal in detail, and the revised Ocean Discharge Criteria 
Evaluation (ODCE) may be obtained by contacting EPA at 1 (800) 424-
4372. Copies of the documents are also available for viewing and 
downloading at: http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/water.nsf/npdes+permits/DraftPermitsAK http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/water.nsf/npdes+permits/arctic-gp
    See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for other document viewing locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Seyfried, Office of Water and 
Watersheds, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10, Mail Stop 
OWW-191, 1200 6th Avenue, Suite 900, Seattle, WA 98101-3140, (206) 553-
1448, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA seeks public comment only on the 
following proposed changes: (1) Inclusion of seasonal prohibitions on 
wastewater discharges specific to the 3-25 mile lease deferral area in 
the Chukchi Sea; (2) Clarification of drilling fluid testing 
requirements (Discharge 001); (3) Clarification of Environmental 
Monitoring Program requirements and inclusion of language regarding 
pre-existing baseline data; (4) Revision of sampling frequencies for 
fecal coliform and total residual chlorine (Sanitary Wastewater, 
Discharge 003); and (5)

[[Page 56578]]

Clarification of Notice of Intent submission requirements.
    Document Viewing Locations.
    (1) EPA Region 10 Library, Park Place Building, 1200 6th Avenue, 
Suite 900, Seattle, WA 98101; (206) 553-1289.
    (2) EPA Region 10, Alaska Operations Office, 222 W 7th Avenue, 
#19, Room 537, Anchorage, AK 99513; (907) 271-5083.
    (3) Z. J. Loussac Public Library, 3600 Denali Street, Anchorage, AK 
99503; (907) 343-2975.
    (4) North Slope Borough School District Library/Media Center, Pouch 
169, 829 Aivak Street, Barrow, AK 99723; (907) 852-5311.
    EPA's current administrative record for the draft and re-proposed 
Geotechnical General Permit is available for review at the EPA Region 
10 Office, Park Place Building, 1200 6th Avenue, Suite 900, Seattle, WA 
98101, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Contact 
Erin Seyfried at [email protected] or (206) 553-1448.
    Oil Spill Requirements. Section 311 of the Act, 33 U.S.C. 1321, 
prohibits the discharge of oil and hazardous materials in harmful 
quantities. Discharges authorized under the Geotechnical General Permit 
are excluded from the provisions of CWA Section 311, 33 U.S.C. 1321. 
However, the Geotechnical General Permit will not preclude the 
institution of legal action, or relieve the permittees from any 
responsibilities, liabilities, or penalties for other unauthorized 
discharges of oil and hazardous materials, which are covered by Section 
311.
    Executive Order 12866. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
exempts this action from the review requirements of Executive Order 
12866 pursuant to Section 6 of that order.
    Paperwork Reduction Act. EPA has reviewed the requirements imposed 
on regulated facilities in the Geotechnical General Permit and finds 
them consistent with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, 44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq.
    Regulatory Flexibility Act. Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act 
(RFA), 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., a federal agency must prepare an initial 
regulatory flexibility analysis ``for any proposed rule'' for which the 
agency ``is required by section 553 of the Administrative Procedure Act 
(APA), or any other law, to publish general notice of proposed 
rulemaking.'' The RFA exempts from this requirement any rule that the 
issuing agency certifies ``will not, if promulgated, have a significant 
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.'' EPA has 
concluded that NPDES general permits are permits, not rulemakings, 
under the APA and thus not subject to APA rulemaking requirements or 
the FRA. Notwithstanding that general permits are not subject to the 
RFA, EPA has determined that the Geotechnical General Permit will not 
have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities. 
This determination is based on the fact that the regulated companies 
are not classified as small businesses under the Small Business 
Administration regulations established at 49 FR 5023 et seq. (February 
9, 1984). These facilities are classified as Major Group 13--Oil as Gas 
Extraction SIC 1311 Crude Petroleum and Natural Gas.

    Authority: This action is taken under the authority of Section 
402 of the Clean Water Act as amended, 42 U.S.C. 1342. I hereby 
provide notice that the public comment period for the Geotechnical 
General Permit re-proposal is reopened until September 30, 2014, in 
accordance with 40 CFR 124.10 and 124.13.

    Dated: September 12, 2014.
Christine Psyk,
Associate Director, Office of Water and Watersheds, Region 10.
[FR Doc. 2014-22475 Filed 9-19-14; 8:45 am]
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