[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 123 (Tuesday, June 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 29782]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-13652]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9979-09-Region 6]


Clean Air Act Operating Permit Program; Petitions for Objection 
to State Operating Permit for South Louisiana Methanol L.P., St. James 
Methanol Plant in St. James Parish, Louisiana

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of final Order on Petitions for objection to Clean Air 
Act title V operating permit.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator signed 
an Order dated May 29, 2018 denying a Petition dated December 29, 2016 
and a Petition dated August 10, 2017 from the Louisiana Environmental 
Action Network and the Sierra Club (collectively, the Petitions and 
Petitioners, respectively). The Petitions requested that the EPA object 
to the Clean Air Act (CAA) title V operating permit 1560-00292-V1 
issued on June 30, 2017 by the Louisiana Department of Environmental 
Quality (LDEQ) to South Louisiana Methanol, L.P. (SLM) for its Methanol 
Plant located in St. James, St. James Parish, Louisiana.

ADDRESSES: The EPA requests that you contact the individual listed in 
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to view copies of the final 
Order, the Petition, and other supporting information. You may review 
copies of the final Order, the Petition, and other supporting 
information at the EPA Region 6 Office, 1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 700, 
Dallas, TX 75202. You may view the hard copies Monday through Friday, 
from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., excluding federal holidays. If you wish to 
examine these documents, you should make an appointment at least 24 
hours before the visiting day. Additionally, the final Order and 
Petition are available electronically at: https://www.epa.gov/title-v-operating-permits/title-v-petition-database.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brad Toups, EPA Region 6, by phone 
(214) 665-7258, or email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The CAA affords the EPA a 45-day period to 
review and object to, as appropriate, operating permits proposed by 
state permitting authorities under title V of the CAA. Section 
505(b)(2) of the CAA authorizes any person to petition the EPA 
Administrator to object to a title V operating permit within 60 days 
after the expiration of the EPA's 45-day review period if the EPA has 
not objected on its own initiative. Petitions must be based only on 
objections to the permit that were raised with reasonable specificity 
during the public comment period provided by the state, unless the 
petitioner demonstrates that it was impracticable to raise these issues 
during the comment period or unless the grounds for the issues arose 
after this period.
    EPA received a first petition from the Petitioners on December 29, 
2016 and a second petition from the same Petitioners on August 10, 2017 
for the operating permit issued on June 30, 2017 to SLM for its 
Methanol Facility located in St. James Parish, Louisiana. The 
Petitioners requested that the Administrator object to the proposed 
operating permit issued by the LDEQ to SLM based on eight primary 
claims in the Petition. The claims are described in detail in Section 
IV of the Order. In summary, the issues raised include: Matters 
properly addressable through preconstruction permit requirements, such 
as the establishment of proper preconstruction emission limits and 
standards (various claims, introduction to Order Section IV); claims 
concerning the failure to require Best Available Control Technology 
(Claim IV); claims of permit condition unenforceability (Claim V); 
claims of unenforceability of emissions limits that apply to the boiler 
(Claim V.A), the Reformer Vent (Claim V.B), the flare (Claim V.D), the 
crude methanol tank (Claim V.E), the cooling towers (Claim V. G), from 
miscellaneous fired sources (Claim V.F), including CO2e 
emissions from such fired sources (Claim V.C). On May 29, 2018, the EPA 
Administrator issued an Order denying the Petitions. The Order explains 
the basis for EPA's decision.
    Sections 307(b) and 505(b)(2) of the CAA provide that a petitioner 
may request judicial review of those portions of an order that deny 
issues in a petition. Any petition for review shall be filed in the 
United States Court of Appeals for the appropriate circuit no later 
than August 27, 2018.

    Dated: June 15, 2018.
Anne Idsal,
Regional Administrator, Region 6.
[FR Doc. 2018-13652 Filed 6-25-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P