Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Utah; Revisions to New Source Review Rules

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Proposed rule.

SUMMARY:

EPA is proposing to take direct final action approving a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Utah on November 9, 2001, and September 16, 2003. The revisions incorporate new and revise existing definitions in the State's New Source Review (NSR) rules. The revisions update the State's NSR rules so that they are consistent with the revisions EPA made to its NSR rules on July 21, 1992. These revisions were referred to as the WEPCO rule (for the Wisconsin Electric Power Company court ruling). In the July 1992 action, EPA adopted a broad NSR exclusion for utility pollution control projects and an “actual to future actual” methodology for determining whether all other non-routine physical or operational changes at utilities (other than the replacement of a unit or addition of a new unit) are subject to NSR, and modified its regulations to reflect changes made by Congress in the 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act to the applicability of new source requirements to clean coal technology (CCT) and repowering projects, and to “very clean” units. The purpose of this action is to make the changes to the State's rule federally enforceable. This action is being taken under section 110 of the Clean Air Act. In the “Rules and Regulations” section of this Federal Register, EPA is approving the State's SIP revision as a direct final rule without prior proposal because the Agency views this as a noncontroversial SIP revision and anticipates no adverse comments. A detailed rationale for the approval is set forth in the preamble to the direct final rule. If EPA receives no adverse comments, EPA will not take further action on this proposed rule. If EPA receives adverse comments, EPA will withdraw the direct final rule and it will not take effect. EPA will address all public comments in a subsequent final rule based on this proposed rule. EPA will not institute a second comment period on this action. Any parties interested in commenting must do so at this time. Please note that if EPA receives adverse comment on an amendment, paragraph, or section of this rule and if that provision may be severed from the remainder of the rule, EPA may adopt as final those provisions of the rule that are not the subject of an adverse comment.

DATES:

Written comments must be received on or before September 20, 2004.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, identified by RME Docket Number R08-OAR-2004-UT-0002, by one of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
• Agency Web site: http://docket.epa.gov/rmepub/index.jsp. Regional Materials in EDOCKET (RME), EPA's electronic public docket and comment system for regional actions, is EPA's preferred method for receiving comments. Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
• E-mail: long.richard@epa.gov and daly.carl@epa.gov.
• Fax: (303) 312-6064 (please alert the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT if you are faxing comments).
• Mail: Richard R. Long, Director, Air and Radiation Program, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 8, Mailcode 8P-AR, 999 18th Street, Suite 300, Denver, Colorado 80202-2466.
• Hand Delivery: Richard R. Long, Director, Air and Radiation Program, Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8, Mailcode 8P-AR, 999 18th Street, Suite 300, Denver, Colorado 80202-2466. Such deliveries are only accepted Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:55 p.m., excluding Federal holidays. Special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information.

Please see the direct final rule which is located in the rules section of this Federal Register for detailed instructions on how to submit comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Carl Daly, Air & Radiation Program, Mailcode 8P-AR, EPA, Region 8, 999 18th Street, Suite 300, Denver, Colorado 80202-2466, (303) 312-6446, daly.carl@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

See the information provided in the Direct Final action of the same title which is located in the rules and regulations section of this Federal Register.

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.