Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations; Consistency Update for Maryland

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Proposed rule; consistency update.

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), as mandated by the Clean Air Act (CAA). The portion of the OCS air regulations that is being updated pertains to the requirements for OCS sources for which Maryland is the designated COA. The State of Maryland's requirements discussed in this document are proposed to be incorporated by reference into the Code of Federal Regulations and listed in the appendix to the OCS air regulations.

DATES:

Written comments must be received on or before May 9, 2019.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R03-OAR-2014-0568 at https://www.regulations.gov,, or via email to maldonado.zelma@epa.gov. 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, 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. 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 submissions, and general guidance on making effective comments, please visit https://www2.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Amy Johansen, Office of Permits and State Programs (3AP10), Air Protection Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103. The telephone number is (215) 814-2156. Ms. Johansen can also be reached via electronic mail at johansen.amy@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

On September 4, 1992, EPA promulgated 40 CFR part 55, 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 CAA. The regulations at 40 CFR part 55 apply to all OCS sources except those located in the Gulf of Mexico west of 87.5 degrees longitude. See 40 CFR 55.3(a). 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) requires that EPA update the OCS requirements as necessary to maintain consistency with onshore requirements.

Pursuant to 40 CFR 55.12, consistency reviews will occur (1) at least annually; (2) upon receipt of a Notice of Intent (NOI) under 40 CFR 55.4; or (3) when a state or local agency submits a rule to EPA to be considered for incorporation by reference in 40 CFR part 55. This proposed action is being updated, in accordance with the requirements at 40 CFR 55.12, since the last update occurred more than one year ago. Public comments received in writing within 30 days of publication of this document will be considered by EPA before publishing a final rule.

Section 328(a) of the CAA requires that EPA establish requirements to control air pollution from OCS sources located within 25 miles of States' seaward boundaries that are the same as onshore requirements. To comply with this statutory mandate, EPA must incorporate applicable onshore rules into 40 CFR part 55 as they exist onshore. This limits EPA's flexibility in deciding which requirements will be incorporated into 40 CFR part 55 and prevents EPA from making substantive changes to the requirements it incorporates. As a result, EPA may be incorporating rules into 40 CFR part 55 that do not conform to all of EPA's state implementation plan (SIP) guidance or certain requirements of the CAA. Consistency updates may result in the inclusion of state or local rules or regulations into 40 CFR part 55, even though the same rules may ultimately be disapproved for inclusion as part of the SIP. Inclusion in the OCS rule does not imply that a rule meets the requirements of the CAA for SIP approval, nor does it imply that the rule will be approved by EPA for inclusion in the SIP.

II. EPA Analysis

EPA reviewed Maryland's rules for inclusion in 40 CFR part 55 to ensure that they are rationally related to the attainment or maintenance of Federal or state ambient air quality standards and compliance with part C of title I of the CAA, that they are not designed expressly to prevent exploration and development of the OCS, and that they are potentially applicable to OCS sources. See 40 CFR 55.1. EPA has also evaluated the rules to ensure they are not arbitrary or capricious. See 40 CFR 55.12(e). In addition, EPA has excluded administrative or procedural rules, and requirements that regulate toxics which are not related to the attainment and maintenance of Federal and state ambient air quality standards.

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 Regional Office listed in the ADDRESSES section of this Federal Register.

III. Proposed Action

EPA is proposing to incorporate the rules potentially applicable to sources for which the State of Maryland will be the COA. The rules that EPA proposes to incorporate are applicable provisions of the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR). The rules EPA proposes to incorporate are listed in detail at the end of the document. The intended effect of proposing approval of the OCS requirements for the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) is to regulate emissions from OCS sources in accordance with the requirements for onshore sources.

IV. Incorporation by Reference

In this document, 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, EPA is proposing to incorporate by reference the applicable provisions of COMAR set forth below. EPA has made, and will continue to make, these materials available through www.regulations.gov and at the EPA Region III 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, 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 EPA. For that reason, this proposed action:

• Is not a “significant regulatory action” subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Orders 12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993) and 13563 (76 FR 3821, January 21, 2011);
• Is not an Executive Order 13771 regulatory action because this action is not significant under Executive Order 12866.
• Does not impose an information collection burden under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
• 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 CAA; and
• Does not provide 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 proposed rule incorporating by reference sections of COMAR, does not have tribal implications as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9, 2000), because this action is not approved to apply in Indian country located in the state, and EPA notes that it will not impose substantial direct costs on tribal governments or preemptive tribal law.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C 3501 et seq., an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB has approved the information collection requirements contained in 40 CFR part 55 and, by extension, this update to the rules, and has assigned OMB control number 2060-0249. OMB approved the EPA Information Collection Request (ICR) No. 1601.08 on September 18, 2017. The current approval expires September 30, 2020. The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for collection of information under 40 CFR part 55 is estimated to average 643 hours per response, using the definition of burden provided in 44 U.S.C. 3502(2).

EPA is proposing to incorporate the rules potentially applicable to sources for which the State of Maryland will be the COA. The rules that EPA proposes to incorporate are applicable provisions of COMAR.

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

Part 55 of Chapter I, title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations is proposed to be amended as follows:

PART 55—OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF AIR REGULATIONS

1. The authority citation for part 55 continues to read as follows:

Authority: Section 328 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.) as amended by Public Law 101-549.

2. Section 55.14 is amended by revising paragraph (e)(10)(i)(A) to read as follows:

3. Appendix A to part 55 is amended by revising paragraph (a)(1) under the heading “Maryland” to read as follows:

Appendix A to Part 55—Listing of State and Local Requirements Incorporated by Reference Into Part 55, by State

Maryland:

(a) * * *

(1) The following State of Maryland requirements are applicable to OCS Sources, December 06, 2018, State of Maryland-Department of the Environment.

The following sections of Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) Title 26 Subtitle 11:

COMAR 26.11.01—General Administrative Provisions (Effective as of December 06, 2018)

COMAR 26.11.02—Permits, Approvals, and Registrations (Effective as of February 12, 2018)

COMAR 26.11.03—Permits, Approvals, and Registration- Title V Permits (Effective as of November 12, 2010)

COMAR 26.11.05—Air Pollution Episode System (Effective as of November 12, 2010)

COMAR 26.11.06—General Emission Standards, Prohibitions, and Restrictions (Effective as of July 02, 2013)

COMAR 26.11.07—Open Fires (Effective as of November 12, 2010)

COMAR 26.11.08—Control of Incinerators (Effective as of December 06, 2018)

COMAR 26.11.09—Control of Fuel-Burning Equipment, Stationary Internal Combustion Engines and Certain Fuel-Burning Installations (Effective as of December 06, 2018)

COMAR 26.11.13—Control of Gasoline and Volatile Organic Compound Storage and Handling (Effective as of July 21, 2014)

COMAR 26.11.15—Toxic Air Pollutants (Effective as of November 12, 2010)

COMAR 26.11.16—Procedures Related to Requirements for Toxic Air Pollutants (Effective as of November 12, 2010)

COMAR 26.11.17—Nonattainment Provisions for Major New Sources and Major Modifications (Effective as of April 09, 2018)

COMAR 26.11.19—Volatile Organic Compounds from Specific Processes (Effective as of September 28, 2015)

COMAR 26.11.20—Mobile Sources (Effective as of November 12, 2010)

COMAR 26.11.26—Conformity (Effective as of November 12, 2010)

COMAR 26.11.35—Volatile Organic Compounds from Adhesives and Sealants (Effective as of November 12, 2010)

COMAR 26.11.36—Distributed Generation (Effective as of February 12, 2018)

COMAR 26.11.39—Architectural and Industrial Maintenance (AIM) Coatings (Effective as of April 2016)