[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 159 (Friday, August 16, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 41948-41949]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-17556]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 121
[EPA-HQ-OW-2019-0405; FRL-9998-38-OW]
RIN 2040-AF86
Updating Regulations on Water Quality Certification
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule; public meeting or (hearing).
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SUMMARY: On August 8, 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or
agency) Administrator signed a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM)
providing updates and clarifications to the substantive and procedural
requirements for water quality certification under Clean Water Act. The
agency is announcing that a public hearing will be held in Salt Lake
City, Utah on September 5 and 6, 2019, to provide interested parties
the opportunity to present data, views, or information concerning the
NPRM. The pre-publication version of this proposal can be found at
https://www.epa.gov/cwa-401.
DATES: The agency will hold a public hearing on Thursday, September 5
and Friday, September 6, 2019, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Please refer to
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for additional information on the
public hearing.
ADDRESSES: The hearing will be held in the Nancy Tessman Auditorium at
the Salt Lake City Public Library, Main Library, 210 East 400 South,
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111. The September 5 session will convene at
2:00 p.m. (local time) and will conclude no later than 8:00 p.m. and
the September 6 session will convene at 9:00 a.m. and will conclude no
later than 12:00 p.m.
Documents related to the proposal will be available for public
inspection through the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov, Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2019-0405 once the NPRM
publishes in the Federal Register. Documents can also be viewed at the
Environmental Protection Agency Docket Center, located at 1301
Constitution Avenue NW, Room 3334, Washington, DC between 8:30 a.m. and
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. In
addition, the pre-publication version of the NPRM and the economic
analysis for the proposed rulemaking are available at https://www.epa.gov/cwa-401.
If you are unable to attend the public hearing on September 5 or 6
you will be able to submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No.
EPA-HQ-OW-2019-0405, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method). Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments. All submissions received must
include the Docket ID No. for this rulemaking. Comments received may be
posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov/, including any
personal information provided. For additional information on the public
hearing, see the ``Public Participation'' heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lauren Kasparek, Office of Water
(4504-T), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-3351; email address:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On August 8, 2019, the agency Administrator signed a proposed
rulemaking providing updates and clarifications to the substantive and
procedural requirements for water quality certification under Clean
Water Act section 401 and consistent with Executive Order 13868, signed
on April 10, 2019, entitled ``Promoting Energy Infrastructure and
Economic Growth.'' The agency is holding a public hearing in Salt Lake
City, Utah on September 5 and 6, 2019, to provide interested parties
the opportunity to present data, views, or information concerning the
NPRM. The agency has submitted the proposed rulemaking to the Office of
the Federal Register, and it will be published separately in the
Federal Register. The comment period on the proposed action will end 60
days after the NPRM publishes in the Federal Register. The pre-
publication version of the NPRM can be found at https://www.epa.gov/cwa-401 and will be replaced with the official version of the NPRM
after it publishes.
II. Public Participation
A. Participation in Public Hearing
The public is invited to speak during the public hearing on
September 5 and 6, 2019. The agency will begin pre-registering speakers
for the hearing upon signature of this document. Those interested in
speaking at the hearing can sign up for a three-minute speaking slot
within an identified 45-minute timeframe. To register to speak at the
hearing, please use the online registration form available at https://www.epa.gov/cwa-401/outreach-and-engagement-cwa-section-401-certification. The last day to pre-register to speak at the hearing
will be August 30, 2019. On September 4, 2019, the agency will post a
general agenda for the hearing that will list pre-registered speakers
in approximate order at: https://www.epa.gov/cwa-401/outreach-and-engagement-cwa-section-401-certification.
The agency will make every effort to follow the schedule as closely
as possible on the day of the hearing; however, please plan for the
hearings to run either ahead of schedule or behind schedule.
Additionally, requests to speak will be taken the day of the hearing at
the hearing registration desk. The agency will make every effort to
accommodate all speakers who arrive
[[Page 41949]]
and register, although preferences on speaking times may not be
available.
Each commenter will have three minutes to provide oral testimony.
The agency encourages commenters to provide the agency with a copy of
their oral testimony electronically (via email) or in hard copy form.
The agency may ask clarifying questions during the oral
presentations but will not respond to the presentations at that time.
Written statements and supporting information submitted during the
comment period will be considered with the same weight as oral comments
and supporting information presented at the public hearing. Written
comments must be received by the last day of the comment period, as
specified in the notice of proposed rulemaking. Verbatim transcripts of
the hearing and written statements will be included in the docket for
the rulemaking.
Please note that any updates made to any aspect of the hearing will
be posted online at https://www.epa.gov/cwa-401/outreach-and-engagement-cwa-section-401-certification. While the agency expects the
hearing to go forward as set forth above, please monitor our website
for any updates. The agency does not intend to publish a document in
the Federal Register announcing updates.
The agency will not provide audiovisual equipment for
presentations. Any media presentations should be submitted to the
public docket at https://www.regulations.gov/, identified by Docket ID
No. EPA-HQ-OW-2019-0405. If you require the service of a sign language
interpreter, translator, or other special accommodations such as audio
description, please pre-register for the hearing and describe your
needs by August 22, 2019. We may not be able to arrange accommodations
without advanced notice.
Dated: August 7, 2019.
John T. Goodin,
Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, Office of Water,
Environmental Protection Agency.
[FR Doc. 2019-17556 Filed 8-15-19; 8:45 am]
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