[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 206 (Thursday, October 24, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57019-57020]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-23192]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0618; FRL 10001-41-OW]


Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 14

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: This notice of availability announces the Environmental 
Protection Agency's (EPA) Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 
14 (Preliminary Plan 14) and solicits public comment. Section 304(m) of 
the Clean Water Act (CWA) requires the EPA to biennially publish a plan 
for new and revised effluent limitations guidelines, after public 
review and comment. Preliminary Plan 14 identifies any new or existing 
industrial categories selected for effluent guidelines or pretreatment 
standards and provides a schedule for their development. The EPA 
typically publishes a preliminary plan upon which the public is invited 
to comment, and then publishes a final plan thereafter. The EPA 
developed Preliminary Plan 14 based on its review and analysis of data 
from 2016, 2017, and 2018 as part of its annual review process.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 25, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2018-0618, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or withdrawn. The 
EPA may publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not 
submit electronically any information you consider to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must 
be accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered 
the official comment and should include discussion of all points you 
wish to make. The EPA will generally not consider comments or comment 
contents located outside of the primary submission (i.e., on the web, 
cloud, or other file sharing system). For additional submission 
methods, the full EPA public comment policy, information about CBI and 
multimedia submissions, and general guidance on making effective 
comments, please visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Phillip Flanders, Engineering and 
Analysis Division, Office of Water, 4303T, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: (202) 566-8323; fax number: (202) 566-1053; email 
address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. General Information

    A. Supporting Documents--A key document providing additional 
information is the Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 14 
document. Supporting documents providing further details are also 
available for review.
    B. How can I get copies of these documents and other related 
information?
    1. Docket. The EPA has established an official public docket for 
these actions under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0618. The official 
public docket is the collection of materials that are available for 
public viewing at the Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center, (EPA/DC) 
EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460.
    2. Electronic Access. You can access this Federal Register document 
electronically through the United States Government online source for 
Federal regulations at https://www.regulations.gov.
    3. Internet access. Copies of the supporting documents are 
available at https://www.epa.gov/eg/effluent-guidelines-plan.

II. How is this document organized?

    The outline of this document follows.

A. Legal Authority.
B. Summary of Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 14.
C. Request for Public Comments and Information.

A. Legal Authority

    This notice of availability 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 Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 14

    The EPA prepares Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plans 
pursuant to CWA section 304(m). Preliminary plans provide a summary of 
the EPA's annual review of effluent guidelines and pretreatment 
standards, consistent with CWA sections 301(d), 304(b), 304(g), 304(m), 
and 307(b). From these reviews, preliminary plans identify any new or 
existing industrial categories selected for effluent guidelines or 
pretreatment standards rulemakings and provide a schedule for such 
rulemakings. In addition, preliminary plans present any new or existing 
categories of industry selected for further review and analysis.
    Preliminary Plan 14 discusses the one ongoing rulemaking (and the 
associated schedule) for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point 
Source Category. The EPA has concluded that no additional categories 
warrant new or revised effluent guidelines at this time. Preliminary 
Plan 14 provides updates

[[Page 57020]]

on the Electrical and Electronic Components Category Detailed Study and 
the Oil and Gas Extraction Wastewater Management Study and concludes 
the Petroleum Refining Point Source Category Detailed Study. 
Additionally, Preliminary Plan 14 introduces new analyses and tools 
that the EPA is developing to improve its annual review and biennial 
planning process.
    Preliminary Plan 14 can be found at https://www.epa.gov/eg/effluent-guidelines-plan.

C. Request for Public Comments and Information

    The EPA requests comments and information on the overall content of 
Preliminary Plan 14 and specifically on the following topics.
1. Reviews of Industrial Wastewater Discharges and Treatment 
Technologies
    The EPA solicits comments on the reviews of industrial wastewater 
discharges and treatment technologies that were conducted for the 
development of Preliminary Plan 14 and described therein. The EPA 
solicits comments on the new analyses and tools announced in 
Preliminary Plan 14, including analyses of industrial sources and 
discharges of nutrients and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), 
a new methodology for proposed treatment technology reviews, and a 
proposed effluent limitations guidelines database. Preliminary Plan 14 
presents initial results for some new analyses (e.g., industrial 
discharges of nutrients). The EPA solicits comments on the utility and 
applicability of these results along with any comments or suggestions 
on the methodologies used to obtain them.
2. Data Sources
    The EPA solicits comment on other data sources it might use in its 
annual reviews and biennial planning process.

David P. Ross,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 2019-23192 Filed 10-23-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P