[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 98 (Friday, May 20, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30937-30938]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-10793]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9872-01-R6]


Clean Air Act Operating Permit Program; Petitions for Objection 
to State Operating Permit for ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricant Company, 
Baton Rouge Refinery, Reforming Complex and Utilities Units, East Baton 
Rouge Parish, Louisiana

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator signed 
an Order dated March 18, 2022, granting two title V permit Petitions 
and resolving two related petitions filed by the Louisiana Bucket 
Brigade, Earthjustice, Environmental Integrity Project, and Sierra Club 
(the Petitioners). The Administrator granted the petition filed on 
January 29, 2021 by Petitioners on title V permit 2261-V8 issued for 
the Reformer Unit. This action also effectively resolves the 
Petitioner's petition filed on May 11, 2020 for the same permit. In the 
same action, the Administrator granted the petition filed on February 
12, 2021 by Petitioners on title V permit 2363-V8 issued for the 
Utilities Unit. This action also effectively resolves the Petitioner's 
petition filed on March 27, 2020 filed on the same permit. The 
Petitions requested that the EPA object to the Clean Air Act (CAA) 
title V operating permits issued by the Louisiana Department of 
Environmental Quality to ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricant Company for its 
Baton Rouge Refinery located in East Baton Rouge 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. Out of an 
abundance of caution for members of the public and our staff, the EPA 
Region 6 office may be closed to the public to reduce the risk of 
transmitting COVID-19. Please call or email the contact listed below if 
you need alternative access to the final Order and Petition, which 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 Office, Air 
Permits Section, (214) 665-7258, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The CAA affords 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 issue arose 
after this period.
    The EPA received a total of four Petitions filed by the Louisiana 
Bucket Brigade, Earthjustice, Environmental Integrity Project, and 
Sierra Club. Petitioners filed a Petition on May 11, 2020 which was 
superseded by the filing of a second petition on January 29, 2021 on 
title V permit 2261-V8 issued for the Reformer Unit. The 
Administrator's action granted the Petitioner's Reformer Unit petition 
filed January 29, 2021 and effectively resolves the superseded petition 
filed on May 11, 2020 for the same permit. Similarly, Petitioners filed 
a petition on March 27, 2020 which was superseded by the filing of a 
second petition on February 12, 2021 on title V permit 2363-V8 issued 
for the Utilities Unit. The same Administrator's action granted the 
Petitioner's Utility Unit petition filed February 12, 2021 and 
effectively resolves the superseded petition filed on March 27, 2020 
for the same permit.
    The Petitioners made five claims in their Petition on the Reformer 
Permit. The claims were related to volatile organic compound (VOC) 
emissions monitoring, justification for such monitoring, changing of 
VOC emissions factors without adequate permit modification, and that 
the permit failed to ensure compliance with 40 CFR part

[[Page 30938]]

68, Chemical Accident Prevention Provision requirements. The 
Petitioners also made three claims in the Petition on the Utilities 
Permit consisting of inadequate monitoring and estimation of VOC 
emissions from the wastewater system, inadequate monitoring and 
emissions calculations of particulate matter (PM) emissions from the 
cooling towers, and an inadequate reasoned explanation for why the 
proposed permit ensures compliance with the VOC and PM limits at issue.
    On March 18, 2022, the EPA Administrator issued an Order granting 
all claims to both permits in the respective Petitions. The Order 
explains the basis for EPA's decision.

    Dated: May 16, 2022.
David Garcia,
Director, Air and Radiation Division, Region 6.
[FR Doc. 2022-10793 Filed 5-19-22; 8:45 am]
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