[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 6 (Monday, January 11, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1960-1961]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00215]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0618; FRL-10019-12-OW]
RIN 2040-ZA29


Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 14; Notice of Availability

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of the Environmental 
Protection Agency's (EPA) Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 14 (Plan 
14). EPA prepared Plan 14 pursuant to Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 
304(m) as described in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. Plan 14 
provides updates on activities discussed in Preliminary Effluent 
Guidelines Program Plan 14 (Preliminary Plan 14) and discusses comments 
that were received during the public comment period.

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. The Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 14

    Document and all supporting documents providing further details are 
available for review.

[[Page 1961]]

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

    Docket. 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 EPA Docket Center, (EPA/DC) EPA West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460.
    Electronic Access. You can access this Federal Register document 
electronically through the United States Government online source for 
federal regulations at http://www.regulations.gov.
    Internet access. Copies of the supporting documents are available 
at http://www.epa.gov/eg/effluent-guidelines-plan.

II. Notice of Availability

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 Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 14

    EPA prepared Plan 14 pursuant to CWA Section 304(m). Effluent 
guidelines plans provide a summary of 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, the 
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, the plans present any new 
or existing categories of industry selected for further review and 
analysis. Plan 14 provides updates on activities discussed in 
Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 14 (Preliminary Plan 14) 
and discusses comments that were received during the public comment 
period.
    EPA received 17 unique comment letters on Preliminary Plan 14. 
Commenters generally provided suggestions for improving certain 
analyses as well as comments for EPA to consider as it continues work 
on the detailed studies discussed in the Plan. EPA considered public 
comments and made revisions to clarify the final document, but did not 
change course on any substantive areas of ELG work as a result of 
public comments.
    Plan 14 presents preliminary results from some new analyses and 
provides updates on EPA's reviews of industrial wastewater discharges 
and treatment technologies discussed in Preliminary Plan 14 including 
analyses of industrial sources and discharges of nutrients, proposed 
treatment technology reviews, and the effluent limitations guidelines 
database.
    Plan 14 also provides updates on ongoing point source category 
studies, including EPA's decision to conclude the Petroleum Refining 
Category and planned next steps for the detailed study on the 
Electrical and Electronic Components Category. Plan 14 provides an 
update on the Pre- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Multi-Industry 
study, the scope of which includes organic chemical manufacturers, 
airports, rug and textile manufacturers, pulp and paper manufacturers, 
and the metal finishing point source category (added to the scope of 
the study after the Preliminary Plan 14 was published). Plan 14 
discusses the types of information regarding PFAS that has been 
received to date, that EPA primarily received this information through 
outreach to stakeholders, and that EPA continues to evaluate this 
information to inform decisions about how best to address industrial 
PFAS discharges.
    Finally, Plan 14 discusses several actions that are included in 
EPA's Fall Regulatory Agenda, including initiating an effort to 
evaluate the best available technology economically available 
limitations for two waste streams (landfill leachate and legacy 
wastewater) for the steam electric power generating point source 
category that were vacated in an April 2019 decision in U.S. Court of 
Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; and an advance notice of proposed 
rulemaking for the Organic Chemicals, Plastics, and Synthetic Fibers 
point source category to solicit additional information or data about 
PFAS manufacturers and formulators.
    Plan 14 can be found at http://www.epa.gov/eg/effluent-guidelines-plan.

David P. Ross,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 2021-00215 Filed 1-8-21; 8:45 am]
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