[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 176 (Wednesday, September 11, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 73617-73620]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20119]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 55

[EPA-R01-OAR-2024-0367; FRL-12222-01-R1]


Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations; Amendment to State 
Requirements Incorporated; Massachusetts

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule; amendment to state requirements.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to 
update a portion of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) air regulations. 
Requirements applying to OCS sources located within 25 miles of states' 
seaward boundaries must be updated periodically to remain consistent 
with the requirements of the corresponding onshore area (COA). The 
portion of the OCS air regulations that is being updated pertains to 
the requirements for OCS sources for which the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts is the designated COA. The intended effect of this 
proposed rule is to amend existing regulations incorporated by 
reference into the Massachusetts section of EPA's OCS air regulations.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before October 11, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R01-
OAR-2024-0367 at https://www.regulations.gov, or via email to 
[email protected]. For comments submitted at Regulations.gov, 
follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Once submitted, 
comments cannot be edited or removed from Regulations.gov. For either 
manner of submission, 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, please contact the person 
identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. For the full 
EPA public comment policy, information about CBI or multimedia

[[Page 73618]]

submissions, and general guidance on making effective comments, please 
visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets. Publicly 
available docket materials are available at https://www.regulations.gov 
or at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Region 1 Regional 
Office, Air & Radiation Division, 5 Post Office Square--Suite 100, 
Boston, MA. EPA requests that if at all possible, you contact the 
contact listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to 
schedule your inspection. The Regional Office's official hours of 
business are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding 
legal holidays and facility closures due to COVID-19.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick Collins, Air and Radiation 
Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA New England 
Regional Office, 5 Post Office Square (Mail Code 05-MI), Boston, MA 
02109, (617) 918-1196, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document whenever ``we,'' 
``us,'' or ``our'' is used, we mean EPA.

Table of Contents

I. Background and Purpose
II. EPA's Evaluation of Appendix A of Part 55 for Massachusetts
III. Proposed Action
IV. Incorporation by Reference
V. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

I. Background and Purpose

    On September 4, 1992, the EPA promulgated 40 CFR part 55,\1\ which 
established requirements to control air pollution from OCS sources in 
order to attain and maintain federal and state ambient air quality 
standards and to comply with the provisions of part C of title I of the 
Clean Air Act (CAA). The regulations at 40 CFR part 55 apply to all OCS 
sources offshore of the states except those located in the Gulf of 
Mexico west of 87.5 degrees longitude. Section 328 of the CAA requires 
that for such sources located within 25 miles of a state's seaward 
boundary, the requirements shall be the same as would be applicable if 
the sources were located in the COA. Because the OCS requirements are 
based on onshore requirements, and onshore requirements may change, 
section 328(a)(1) of the CAA requires that the EPA update the OCS 
requirements as necessary to maintain consistency with onshore 
requirements.
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    \1\ The reader may refer to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 
December 5, 1991 (56 FR 63774), and the preamble to the final rule 
promulgated September 4, 1992 (57 FR 40792) for further background 
and information on the OCS regulations.
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    On September 17, 2008 (73 FR 53718), the EPA finalized a 
consistency update of the OCS air regulations pertaining to the 
requirements of OCS sources in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The 
update was the result of a Notice of Intent (NOI) being submitted on 
December 7, 2007 by Cape Wind Associates, LLC. The rules incorporated 
by reference into appendix A of 40 CFR part 55 were applicable 
provisions of 310 Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR) 4.00: Timely 
Action Schedule and Fee Provisions; 310 CMR 6.00: Ambient Air Quality 
Standards for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; 310 CMR 7.00: Air 
Pollution Control; and 310 CMR 8:00: The Prevention and/or Abatement of 
Air Pollution Episode and Air Pollution Incident Emergencies.
    On August 24, 2010 (75 FR 51968), the EPA finalized a consistency 
update of the OCS regulations pertaining to the requirements of OCS 
sources in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This update was the 
result of EPA's annual review of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 
regulations. The rules incorporated by reference into appendix A of 40 
CFR part 55 were updates and new requirements of 310 CMR 4.00: Timely 
Action Schedule and Fee Provisions; 310 CMR 6.00: Ambient Air Quality 
Standards for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; 310 CMR 7.00: Air 
Pollution Control; and 310 CMR 8:00: The Prevention and/or Abatement of 
Air Pollution Episode and Air Pollution Incident Emergencies.
    A similar action occurred on November 13, 2018 (83 FR 56259) after 
the submittal of an NOI on December 11, 2017 by Vineyard Wind, LLC, 
leading to further updates to appendix A of 40 CFR part 55. The rules 
incorporated through this action were applicable provisions of 310 CMR 
4.00: Timely Action Schedule and Fee Provisions; 310 CMR 6.00: Ambient 
Air Quality Standards for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; 310 CMR 
7.00: Air Pollution Control; and 310 CMR 8.00: The Prevention and/or 
Abatement of Air Pollution Episode and Air Pollution Incident 
Emergencies, as amended through March 9, 2018.
    Lastly, on November 15, 2022 (87 FR 68364) the EPA finalized action 
to incorporate updates to 40 CFR part 55 after receipt of an NOI on 
September 9, 2021 by Sunrise Wind, LLC. This final rule incorporated 
applicable provisions of 310 CMR 4.00: Timely Action Schedule and Fee 
Provisions; 310 CMR 6.00: Ambient Air Quality Standards for the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and 310 CMR 7.00: Air Pollution Control, 
as amended through March 5, 2021.
    EPA has received subsequent NOIs for projects and conducted 
periodic reviews of Massachusetts regulations to ensure all applicable 
requirements for OCS sources as they relate to attainment and 
maintenance of federal or state ambient air quality standards and the 
requirements of part C of title I of the CAA are incorporated by 
reference into the Massachusetts section of appendix A in 40 CFR part 
55. These evaluations have not led to additional requirements 
incorporated by reference into appendix A, because either a 
Massachusetts regulation did not change or because any changes to a 
previously incorporated regulation were not applicable to the 
attainment and maintenance of federal or state ambient air quality 
standards for OCS sources.
    However, through EPA's implementation of the OCS air permitting 
program, we have become aware that 310 CMR 4.03: Annual Compliance 
Assurance Fee and 310 CMR 7.12: U Source Registration are unnecessarily 
incorporated into appendix A of 40 CFR part 55. These two regulations 
are either (1) implemented by existing EPA programs and thus 
duplicative or (2) not rationally related to the attainment or 
maintenance of federal or state ambient air quality standards or to the 
requirements of part C of title I of the CAA. EPA is proposing to 
remove these previously approved regulations incorporated into appendix 
A of 40 CFR part 55 since our last amendment on November 15, 2022. See 
87 FR 68364. Additional rationale for this proposed action is provided 
below.

II. EPA's Evaluation of Appendix A of Part 55 for Massachusetts

    310 CMR 4.03: Annual Compliance Assurance Fee outlines the 
procedure for issuance and collection of a source's annual compliance 
assurance fees imposed in the COA. Per 40 CFR 55.10, for sources in the 
inner or outer OCS where the EPA is the permitting authority, the EPA 
will collect permit fees consistent with fee requirements outlined in 
40 CFR part 71. Per the provisions of 40 CFR 55.12(e), no rule or 
regulation that EPA finds to be arbitrary or capricious will be 
incorporated into this part. EPA's review finds that 310 CMR 4.03: 
Annual Compliance Assurance Fee should be removed from part 55 as EPA 
is the permitting authority for sources located within the inner OCS 
for which Massachusetts is the designated COA. As such, EPA is required 
to calculate and collect operating permit fees from

[[Page 73619]]

OCS sources for which Massachusetts is the COA in accordance with 40 
CFR part 71. By removing this provision from the incorporated 
requirements of Massachusetts regulations into appendix A of 40 CFR 
part 55, EPA remains consistent with other sections of part 55 and 
creates regulatory certainty on what fee requirements operating permit 
sources must adhere to.
    310 CMR 7.12: U Source Registration is used to determine source 
registration requirements for OCS sources. This section is also used to 
direct how information regarding emission inventories is collected, 
assisting regular recordkeeping processes. As part of the registration, 
the given source is required to report emissions on an annual reporting 
schedule to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. 
However, for OCS sources with permits issued by EPA, it is impractical 
for sources to report to Massachusetts for activities occurring in 
federal waters many miles from the state's jurisdictional boundary. 
This information should instead be reported directly to the EPA. As 
such, our review did not find these regulations to be rationally 
related to the attainment and maintenance of Federal or State ambient 
air quality standards or to the requirements of part C of title I of 
the Act and will be removed in accordance with 40 CFR 55.12(d)(2).
    EPA is proposing to remove 310 CMR 4.03: Annual Compliance 
Assurance Fee and 310 CMR 7.12: U Source Registration before the 
majority of recently permitted OCS sources where Massachusetts is the 
COA become subject to these requirements in an effort to create 
regulatory clarity in the obligations these sources are subject to.
    The EPA is soliciting public comments on the issues discussed in 
this document or on other relevant matters. These comments will be 
considered before taking final action. Interested parties may 
participate in the Federal rulemaking procedure by submitting written 
comments to the EPA New England Region Office listed in the ADDRESSES 
section of this Federal Register.

III. Proposed Action

    The EPA is proposing to remove two regulations currently 
incorporated by reference in appendix A of part 55 for OCS sources 
where the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the COA. The regulations 
that the EPA is proposing to remove are applicable subsections 
provisions of: 310 CMR 4.00: Timely Action Schedule and Fee Provisions; 
and 310 CMR 7.00: Air Pollution Control. Based on a review of part 55 
(1) 310 CMR 4.03: Annual Compliance Assurance Fee is duplicative of 
existing federal rules and (2) 310 CMR 7.12: U Source Registration is 
no longer determined to be rationally related to the attainment and 
maintenance of Federal or State ambient air quality standards or to the 
requirements of part C of title I of the Act. Further, these changes 
are proposed to ensure consistency of the OCS permitting program in 
accordance with part 55 requirements.

IV. Incorporation by Reference

    In this rule, the EPA is proposing to include in a final EPA rule 
regulatory text that includes incorporation by reference. In accordance 
with the requirements of 1 CFR 51.5, and as discussed in sections II 
and III of this preamble, the EPA is proposing to remove 310 CMR 4.03 
and 310 CMR 7.12 from the incorporation by reference of the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Requirements Applicable to OCS Sources, 
dated March 5, 2021, as listed in appendix A to 40 CFR part 55. The EPA 
has made, and will continue to make, these materials available through 
www.regulations.gov and at the EPA Region 1 Regional Office (please 
contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
section of this preamble for more information).

V. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

    Under the Clean Air Act, the Administrator is required to establish 
requirements to control air pollution from OCS sources located within 
25 miles of states' seaward boundaries that are the same as onshore air 
pollution control requirements. To comply with this statutory mandate, 
the EPA must incorporate applicable onshore rules into 40 CFR part 55 
as they exist onshore. See 42 U.S.C. 7627(a)(1); 40 CFR 55.12. Thus, in 
promulgating OCS consistency updates, the EPA's role is to maintain 
consistency between OCS regulations and the regulations of onshore 
areas, provided that they meet the criteria of the CAA. Accordingly, 
this action simply updates the existing OCS requirements to make them 
consistent with requirements onshore, without the exercise of any 
policy direction by the EPA. For that reason, this action:
     Is not a significant regulatory action subject to review 
by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Orders12866 (58 
FR 51735, October 4, 1993) and 13563 (76 FR 3821, January 21, 2011);
     Is certified as not having a significant economic impact 
on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
     Does not contain any unfunded mandate or significantly or 
uniquely affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded 
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4);
     Does not have Federalism implications as specified in 
Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999);
     is not an economically significant regulatory action based 
on health or safety risks subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR 
19885, April 23, 1997);
     Is not a significant regulatory action subject to 
Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001);
     Is not subject to requirements of section 12(d) of the 
National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 
note) because application of those requirements would be inconsistent 
with the Clean Air Act; and
     Does not provide the EPA with the discretionary authority 
to address, as appropriate, disproportionate human health or 
environmental effects, using practicable and legally permissible 
methods, under Executive Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).
    In addition, this rule does have tribal implications as specified 
by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9, 2000), because it 
does not have a substantial direct effect on one or more Indian tribes, 
on the relationship between the Federal Government and Indian tribes, 
or on the distribution of power and responsibilities between the 
Federal Government and Indian tribes, nor does it impose substantial 
direct compliance costs on tribal governments or preempt tribal law.
    This action does not impose any new information collection burden 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act. See 44 U.S.C. 3501. The Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) has previously approved the information 
collection activities contained in the existing regulation at 40 CFR 
part 55 and, by extension, this update to part 55, and has assigned OMB 
control number 2060-0249.\2\ This action does not impose a new 
information burden under the Paperwork Reduction Act because this 
action only updates the state rules that are incorporated by reference 
into 40 CFR part 55, appendix A.
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    \2\ OMB's approval of the ICR can be viewed at www.reginfo.gov.

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List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 55

    Environmental protection, Administrative practice and procedure, 
Air pollution control, Carbon monoxide, Incorporation by reference, 
Intergovernmental relations, Lead, Nitrogen dioxide, Outer continental 
shelf, Ozone, Particulate matter, Permits, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements, Sulfur oxides, Volatile organic compounds.

    Dated: September 3, 2024.
David Cash,
Regional Administrator, EPA Region 1.
[FR Doc. 2024-20119 Filed 9-10-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P