Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules 73017 

All communications received before 

the specified closing date for comments 

will be considered before taking action 

on the proposed rule. The proposal 

contained in this notice may be changed 

in light of the comments received. A 

report summarizing each substantive 

public contact with FAA personnel 

concerned with this rulemaking will be 

filed in the docket. 

Availability of NPRMs 

An electronic copy of this document 

may be downloaded from and 

comments submitted through http://

www.regulations.gov. Recently 

published rulemaking documents can 

also be accessed through the FAA’s Web 

page at http://www.faa.gov/ 

airports_airtraffic/air_traffic/ 

publications/airspace_amendments/. 

You may review the public docket 

containing the proposal, any comments 

received and any final disposition in 

person in the Dockets Office (see the 

ADDRESSES section for address and 

phone number) between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. An informal docket 

may also be examined during normal 

business hours at the office of the 

Eastern Service Center, Federal Aviation 

Administration, room 210, 1701 

Columbia Avenue, College Park, Georgia 

30337. 

Persons interested in being placed on 

a mailing list for future NPRM’s should 

contact the FAA’s Office of Rulemaking, 

(202) 267–9677, to request a copy of 

Advisory Circular No. 11–2A, Notice of 

Proposed Rulemaking distribution 

System, which describes the application 

procedure. 

The Proposal 

The FAA is considering an 

amendment to Title 14, Code of Federal 

Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 to establish 

Class E airspace at Kenbridge, VA to 

provide controlled airspace required to 

support the SIAPs developed for 

Lunenburg County Airport. Class E 

airspace extending upward from 700 

feet above the surface would be 

established for the safety and 

management of IFR operations. 

Class E airspace designations are 

published in Paragraph 6005 of FAA 

order 7400.9U, dated August 18, 2010, 

and effective September 15, 2010, which 

is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 

71.1. The Class E airspace designation 

listed in this document would be 

published subsequently in the Order. 

The FAA has determined that this 

proposed regulation only involves an 

established body of technical 

regulations for which frequent and 

routine amendments are necessary to 

keep them operationally current. It, 

therefore, (1) is not a ‘‘significant 

regulatory action’’ under Executive 

Order 12866; (2) is not a ‘‘significant 

rule’’ under DOT Regulatory Policies 

and Procedures (44 FR 11034; February 

26, 1979); and (3) does not warrant 

preparation of a Regulatory Evaluation 

as the anticipated impact is so minimal. 

Since this is a routine matter that will 

only affect air traffic procedures and air 

navigation, it is certified that this 

proposed rule, when promulgated, 

would not have a significant economic 

impact on a substantial number of small 

entities under the criteria of the 

Regulatory Flexibility Act. 

The FAA’s authority to issue rules 

regarding aviation safety is found in title 

49 of the United States Code. Subtitle I, 

section 106 describes the authority of 

the FAA Administrator. Subtitle VII, 

Aviation Programs, describes in more 

detail the scope of the agency’s 

authority. This proposed rulemaking is 

promulgated under the authority 

described in subtitle VII, part A, subpart 

I, section 40103. Under that section, the 

FAA is charged with prescribing 

regulations to assign the use of airspace 

necessary to ensure the safety of aircraft 

and the efficient use of airspace. This 

proposed regulation is within the scope 

of that authority as it would establish 

Class E airspace at Lunenburg County 

Airport, Kenbridge, VA. 

Lists of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71 

Airspace, Incorporation by reference, 

Navigation (Air). 

The Proposed Amendment 

In consideration of the foregoing, the 

Federal Aviation Administration 

proposes to amend 14 CFR part 71 as 

follows: 

PART 71—DESIGNATION OF CLASS A, 

B, C, D, AND CLASS E AIRSPACE 

AREAS; AIR TRAFFIC SERVICE 

ROUTES; AND REPORTING POINTS 

1. The authority citation for part 71 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g); 40103, 40113, 

40120; E.O. 10854, 24 FR 9565, 3 CFR, 1959– 

1963 Comp., p. 389. 

§ 71.1 [Amended] 

2. The incorporation by reference in 

14 CFR 71.1 of Federal Aviation 

Administration Order 7400.9U, 

Airspace Designations and Reporting 

Points, dated August 18, 2010, and 

effective September 15, 2010, is 

amended as follows: 

Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas 

Extending Upward from 700 feet or More 

Above the Surface of the Earth. 

* * * * * 

AEA VA E5 Kenbridge, VA [NEW] 

Lunenburg County Airport, VA 

(Lat. 36°57′37′′ N., long. 78°11′06′′ W.) 

That airspace extending upward from 700 

feet above the surface within a 6.8-mile 

radius of the Lunenburg County Airport. 

Issued in College Park, Georgia, on 

November 16, 2010. 

Mark D. Ward, 

Manager, Operations Support Group, Eastern 

Service Center, Air Traffic Organization. 

[FR Doc. 2010–29897 Filed 11–26–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

40 CFR Part 52 

[EPA–R04–OAR–2010–0816–201057; FRL– 

9233–6] 

Approval and Promulgation of 

Implementation Plans; Georgia: 

Prevention of Significant Deterioration; 

Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule and 

Fine Particulate Matter Revision 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: EPA is proposing to approve 

a draft revision to the Georgia State 

Implementation Plan (SIP), submitted 

by the State of Georgia, through the 

Georgia Department of Natural 

Resources’ Environmental Protection 

Division (EPD), to EPA on September 

30, 2010, for parallel processing. The 

proposed revision makes two changes 

for which EPA is proposing approval in 

today’s rulemaking. First, the proposed 

SIP revision modifies Georgia’s New 

Source Review (NSR) Prevention of 

Significant Deterioration (PSD) program. 

Specifically, the proposed SIP revision 

establishes appropriate emission 

thresholds for determining which new 

stationary sources and modification 

projects become subject to Georgia’s 

PSD permitting requirements for their 

greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 

Second, the proposed SIP revision 

incorporates provisions for 

implementing the PSD program for fine 

particulate matter (PM2.5). The first 

component of this proposed SIP 

revision is necessary because without it, 

on January 2, 2011, PSD requirements 

would apply at the 100 or 250 tons per 

year (tpy) levels provided under the 

Clean Air Act (CAA or Act), which 

would overwhelm Georgia’s permitting 

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73018 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules 

1With respect to PM2.5, Georgia’s September 30, 

2010, SIP revision only addresses PSD 

requirements. The nonattainment NSR provisions 

for Georgia for the PM2.5 NAAQS are still under 

development at the State level and are not due to 

EPA until May 16, 2011. Additionally, Georgia’s 

submittal contains provisions at 391–3–1– 

.02(7)(a)(2)(iv)(I) and (II) of Georgia’s PSD 

regulations that would render Georgia’s regulation 

or a portion thereof automatically invalid in the 

wake of certain court decisions or other events. At 

this time, EPA is not proposing to approve this 

provision into the Georgia SIP. 

resources. The second component of 

this proposed SIP revision (addressing 

the PM2.5 national ambient air quality 

standard (NAAQS)) is necessary to 

comply with Federal regulations related 

to PSD permitting. EPA is proposing 

approval of Georgia’s September 30, 

2010, SIP revision because the Agency 

has made the preliminary determination 

that this SIP revision is in accordance 

with the CAA and EPA regulations 

regarding PSD permitting for GHGs and 

the PM2.5 NAAQS. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before December 29, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

identified by Docket ID No. EPA–R04– 

OAR–2010–0816 by one of the following 

methods: 

1. http://www.regulations.gov: Follow 

the on-line instructions for submitting 

comments. 

2. E-mail: benjamin.lynorae@epa.gov. 

3. Fax: (404) 562–9019. 

4. Mail: EPA–R04–OAR–2010–0816, 

Regulatory Development Section, Air 

Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and 

Toxics Management Division, U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, 

Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street, SW., 

Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960. 

5. Hand Delivery or Courier: Ms. 

Lynorae Benjamin, Chief, Regulatory 

Development Section, Air Planning 

Branch, Air, Pesticides and Toxics 

Management Division, U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, 

Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street, SW., 

Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960. Such 

deliveries are only accepted during the 

Regional Office’s normal hours of 

operation. The Regional Office’s official 

hours of business are Monday through 

Friday, 8:30 to 4:30, excluding Federal 

holidays. 

Instructions: Direct your comments to 

Docket ID No. ‘‘EPA–R04–OAR–2010– 

0816.’’ EPA’s policy is that all comments 

received will be included in the public 

docket without change and may be 

made available online at 

http://www.regulations.gov, including 

any personal information provided, 

unless the comment includes 

information claimed to be Confidential 

Business Information (CBI) or other 

information whose disclosure is 

restricted by statute. Do not submit 

through http://www.regulations.gov or 

e-mail, information that you consider to 

be CBI or otherwise protected. The 

http://www.regulations.gov Web site is 

an ‘‘anonymous access’’ system, which 

means EPA will not know your identity 

or contact information unless you 

provide it in the body of your comment. 

If you send an e-mail comment directly 

to EPA without going through http:// 

www.regulations.gov, your e-mail 

address will be automatically captured 

and included as part of the comment 

that is placed in the public docket and 

made available on the Internet. If you 

submit an electronic comment, EPA 

recommends that you include your 

name and other contact information in 

the body of your comment and with any 

disk or CD–ROM you submit. If EPA 

cannot read your comment due to 

technical difficulties and cannot contact 

you for clarification, EPA may not be 

able to consider your comment. 

Electronic files should avoid the use of 

special characters, any form of 

encryption, and be free of any defects or 

viruses. For additional information 

about EPA’s public docket visit the EPA 

Docket Center homepage at http:// 

www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm. 

Docket: All documents in the 

electronic docket are listed in the 

http://www.regulations.gov index. 

Although listed in the index, some 

information is not publicly available, 

i.e., CBI or other information whose 

disclosure is restricted by statute. 

Certain other material, such as 

copyrighted material, is not placed on 

the Internet and will be publicly 

available only in hard copy form. 

Publicly available docket materials are 

available either electronically in http:// 

www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at 

the Regulatory Development Section, 

Air Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and 

Toxics Management Division, U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, 

Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street, SW., 

Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960. EPA 

requests that if at all possible, you 

contact the person 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 to 4:30, 

excluding Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information regarding the Georgia SIP, 

contact Ms. Twunjala Bradley, 

Regulatory Development Section, Air 

Planning Branch, Air, Pesticides and 

Toxics Management Division, U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, 

Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street, SW., 

Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960. Ms. 

Bradley’s telephone number is (404) 

562–9352; e-mail address: 

bradley.twunjala@epa.gov. For 

information regarding the GHG 

Tailoring Rule and the PM2.5 NAAQS 

PSD requirements, contact Ms. Heather 

Abrams, Air Permits Section, at the 

same address above. Ms. Abrams’ 

telephone number is (404) 562–9185; email address: abrams.heather@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

I. What action is EPA proposing in today’s 

Notice? 

II. What is the background for the action 

proposed by EPA in today’s Notice 

regarding PSD Permitting Requirements 

for GHG-emitting sources? 

III. What is the relationship between today’s 

proposed action and EPA’s proposed 

GHG SIP Call and GHG FIP? 

IV. What is the background for the action 

proposed by EPA in today’s Notice 

regarding the PSD Permitting 

Requirements for the PM2.5 NAAQS? 

V. What is EPA’s analysis of Georgia’s 

proposed SIP revision? 

VI. Proposed Action 

VII. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews 

I. What action is EPA proposing in 

today’s Notice? 

On September 30, 2010,1 EPD 

submitted a draft revision to EPA for 

approval into the Georgia SIP to 

establish appropriate emission 

thresholds for determining which new 

or modified stationary sources become 

subject to Georgia’s PSD permitting 

requirements for GHG emissions. Final 

approval of Georgia’s September 30, 

2010, SIP revision will put in place the 

GHG emission thresholds for PSD 

applicability set forth in EPA’s Tailoring 

Rule, ensuring that smaller GHG sources 

emitting less than these thresholds will 

not be subject to permitting 

requirements when these requirements 

begin applying to GHGs on January 2, 

2011. Additionally, Georgia’s September 

30, 2010, SIP revision incorporates 

Federal requirements into Georgia’s SIP 

for PSD permitting related to the PM2.5

NAAQS. Pursuant to section 110 of the 

CAA, EPA is proposing to approve these 

changes into the Georgia SIP. 

Because this draft SIP revision is not 

yet State-effective, Georgia requested 

that EPA ‘‘parallel process’’ the SIP 

revision. Under this procedure, the EPA 

Regional Office works closely with the 

State while developing new or revised 

regulations. Generally, the State submits 

a copy of the proposed regulation or 

other revisions to EPA before 

conducting its public hearing. EPA 

reviews this proposed State action and 

prepares a notice of proposed 

rulemaking. EPA publishes this notice 

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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules 73019 

2On March 31, 2010, EPA stayed the Fugitive 

Emissions Rule (73 FR 77882) for 18 months to 

October 3, 2011, to allow the Agency time to 

propose, take comment and issue a final action 

regarding the inclusion of fugitive emissions in NSR 

applicability determinations. Therefore, the 40 CFR 

part 51 and part 52 administrative regulations that 

were amended by the Fugitive Emissions Rule are 

stayed through October 3, 2011. 

3On September 2, 2010, EPA proposed a ‘‘SIP 

Call’’ that would require those States with SIPs that 

do not authorize PSD permitting for GHGs to submit 

a SIP revision providing such authority. 75 FR 

53892. In a companion rulemaking, EPA proposed 

a Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) that would 

apply in any State that is unable to submit the 

required SIP revision by its deadline. 75 FR 53883 

(September 2, 2010). Because Georgia’s SIP already 

authorizes Georgia to regulate GHGs once GHGs 

become subject to PSD requirements on January 2, 

2011, Georgia is not subject to the proposed SIP Call 

or FIP. 

of proposed rulemaking in the Federal 

Register and solicits public comment in 

approximately the same time frame 

during which the State is holding its 

public hearing. The State and EPA thus 

provide for public comment periods on 

both the State and the Federal actions in 

parallel. 

After Georgia submits the formal 

State-effective SIP revision request 

(including a response to all public 

comments raised during the State’s 

public participation process), EPA will 

prepare a final rulemaking notice for the 

SIP revision. If changes are made to the 

SIP revision after EPA’s notice of 

proposed rulemaking, such changes 

must be acknowledged in EPA’s final 

rulemaking action. If the changes are 

significant, then EPA may be obliged to 

re-propose the action. In addition, if the 

changes render the SIP revision not 

approvable, EPA’s re-proposal of the 

action would be a disapproval of the 

revision. 

In addition to changes to address PSD 

permitting requirements for GHGs and 

PM2.5, Georgia’s September 30, 2010, 

SIP revision also includes: (1) A 

provision that excludes facilities that 

produce ethanol through a natural 

fermentation process from the definition 

of ‘‘chemical process plants’’ in the 

major NSR source permitting program; 

and (2) a provision that incorporates by 

reference changes pursuant to EPA’s 

Fugitive Emissions Rule, 73 FR 77882 

(December 19, 2008).2 In today’s 

proposed rulemaking, EPA is not 

proposing to take action on Georgia’s 

changes to its PSD regulations to 

exclude facilities that produce ethanol 

through a natural fermentation process 

from the definition of ‘‘chemical process 

plants’’ in the major NSR permitting 

program, nor is EPA proposing to take 

action on Georgia’s changes to 

incorporate the provisions of the 

Fugitive Emission Rule. 

II. What is the background for the 

action proposed by EPA in today’s 

Notice regarding PSD permitting 

requirements for GHG-emitting 

sources? 

Today’s proposed action on the 

Georgia SIP primarily relates to EPA’s 

‘‘Prevention of Significant Deterioration 

and Title V Greenhouse Gas Tailoring 

Rule,’’ Final Rule (the Tailoring Rule). 

75 FR 31514. In the Tailoring Rule, EPA 

established appropriate GHG emission 

thresholds for determining the 

applicability of PSD requirements to 

GHG-emitting sources. These 

applicability thresholds were designed 

to ensure that smaller GHG sources will 

not be subject to GHG permitting 

requirements. While Georgia already has 

authority to issue PSD permits 

governing GHGs when PSD 

requirements begin applying to GHGs 

on January 2, 2011, Georgia needs to 

amend its SIP to incorporate the 

Tailoring Rule’s applicability 

thresholds. Today’s notice announces 

EPA’s proposed approval of a revision 

to Georgia’s SIP that would put these 

applicability thresholds in place.3

A. What are GHGs and their sources? 

A detailed explanation of GHGs, 

climate change and the impact on 

health, society, and the environment is 

included in EPA’s technical support 

document for EPA’s GHG endangerment 

finding final rule (Document ID No. 

EPA–HQ–OAR–2009–0472–11292 at 

http://www.regulations.gov). The 

endangerment finding rulemaking is 

discussed later in this rulemaking. A 

summary of the nature and sources of 

GHGs is provided below. 

GHGs trap the Earth’s heat that would 

otherwise escape from the atmosphere 

into space and form the greenhouse 

effect that helps keep the Earth warm 

enough for life. GHGs are naturally 

present in the atmosphere and are also 

emitted by human activities. Human 

activities are intensifying the naturally 

occurring greenhouse effect by 

increasing the amount of GHGs in the 

atmosphere, which is changing the 

climate in a way that endangers human 

health, society, and the natural 

environment. 

Some GHGs, such as carbon dioxide 

(CO2), are emitted to the atmosphere 

through natural processes as well as 

human activities. Other gases, such as 

fluorinated gases, are created and 

emitted solely through human activities. 

The well-mixed GHGs of concern 

directly emitted by human activities 

include CO2, methane (CH4), nitrous 

oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons 

(HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and 

sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), hereafter 

referred to collectively as ‘‘the six wellmixed GHG,’’ or, simply, GHGs. 

Together these six well-mixed GHGs 

constitute the ‘‘air pollutant’’ upon 

which the GHG thresholds in EPA’s 

Tailoring Rule are based. These six 

gases remain in the atmosphere for 

decades to centuries where they become 

well-mixed globally in the atmosphere. 

When they are emitted more quickly 

than natural processes can remove them 

from the atmosphere, their 

concentrations increase, thus increasing 

the greenhouse effect. 

In the U.S., the combustion of fossil 

fuels (e.g., coal, oil, gas) is the largest 

source of CO2 emissions and accounts 

for 80 percent of the total GHG 

emissions by mass. Anthropogenic CO2

emissions released from a variety of 

sources, including through the use of 

fossil fuel combustion and cement 

production from geologically stored 

carbon (e.g., coal, oil, and natural gas) 

that is hundreds of millions of years old, 

as well as anthropogenic CO2 emissions 

from land-use changes such as 

deforestation, perturb the atmospheric 

concentration of CO2, and the 

distribution of carbon within different 

reservoirs readjusts. More than half of 

the energy-related emissions come from 

large stationary sources such as power 

plants, while about a third come from 

transportation. Of the six well-mixed 

GHGs, four (CO2, CH4, N2O, and HFCs) 

are emitted by motor vehicles. In the 

U.S., industrial processes (such as the 

production of cement, steel, and 

aluminum), agriculture, forestry, other 

land use, and waste management are 

also important sources of GHGs. 

Different GHGs have different heattrapping capacities. The concept of 

Global Warming Potential (GWP) was 

developed to compare the heat-trapping 

capacity and atmospheric lifetime of 

one GHG to another. The definition of 

a GWP for a particular GHG is the ratio 

of heat trapped by one unit mass of the 

GHG to that of one unit mass of CO2

over a specified time period. When 

quantities of the different GHGs are 

multiplied by their GWPs, the different 

GHGs can be summed and compared on 

a carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) 

basis. For example, CH4 has a GWP of 

21, meaning each ton of CH4 emissions 

would have 21 times as much impact on 

global warming over a 100-year time 

horizon as 1 ton of CO2 emissions. Thus, 

on the basis of heat-trapping capability, 

1 ton of CH4 would equal 21 tons of 

CO2e. The GWPs of the non-CO2 GHG 

range from 21 (for CH4) up to 23,900 (for 

SF6). Aggregating all GHG on a CO2e 

basis at the source level allows a facility 

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73020 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules 

4EPA notes that the PSD program has historically 

operated in this fashion for all pollutants—when 

new sources or modifications are ‘‘major,’’ PSD 

applies to all pollutants that are emitted in 

significant quantities from the source or project. 

This rule does not alter that for sources or 

modifications that are major due to their GHG 

emissions. 

to evaluate its total GHG emissions 

contribution based on a single metric. 

B. What are the general requirements of 

the PSD program? 

1. Overview of the PSD Program 

The PSD program is a preconstruction 

review and permitting program 

applicable to new major stationary 

sources and major modifications at 

existing stationary sources. The PSD 

program applies in areas that are 

designated ‘‘attainment’’ or 

‘‘unclassifiable’’ for a national ambient 

air quality standard (NAAQS). The PSD 

program is contained in part C of title 

I of the CAA. The ‘‘nonattainment NSR’’ 

program applies in areas not in 

attainment of a NAAQS or in the Ozone 

Transport Region, and it is implemented 

under the requirements of part D of title 

I of the CAA. Collectively, EPA 

commonly refers to these two programs 

as the major NSR program. The 

governing EPA rules are contained in 40 

CFR 51.165, 51.166, 52.21, 52.24, and 

part 51, Appendices S and W. There is 

no NAAQS for CO2 or any of the other 

well-mixed GHGs, nor has EPA 

proposed any such NAAQS; therefore, 

unless and until EPA takes further such 

action, the nonattainment NSR program 

does not apply to GHGs. 

The applicability of PSD to a 

particular source must be determined in 

advance of construction or modification 

and is pollutant-specific. The primary 

criterion in determining PSD 

applicability is whether the proposed 

project is sufficiently large (in terms of 

its emissions) to be a major stationary 

source or modification, both of which 

are described below. EPA has 

implemented these requirements in its 

regulations, which use somewhat 

different terminology than the CAA 

does, for determining PSD applicability. 

a. Major Stationary Sources 

Under PSD, a ‘‘major stationary 

source’’ is any source belonging to a 

specified list of 28 source categories that 

emits or has the potential to emit 100 

tpy or more of any air pollutant subject 

to regulation under the CAA, or any 

other source type that emits or has the 

potential to emit such pollutants in 

amounts equal to or greater than 250 

tpy. See, e.g., 40 CFR 52.21(b)(1). We 

refer to these levels as the 100/250-tpy 

thresholds. A new source with a 

potential to emit (PTE) at or above the 

applicable ‘‘major stationary source 

threshold’’ is subject to major NSR. 

These limits originate from section 169 

of the CAA, which applies PSD to any 

‘‘major emitting facility’’ and defines the 

term to include any source that emits or 

has a PTE of 100 or 250 tpy, depending 

on the source category. Note that the 

major source definition incorporates the 

phrase ‘‘subject to regulation,’’ which, as 

described later, will begin to include 

GHGs on January 2, 2011, under our 

interpretation of that phrase as 

discussed in the recent memorandum 

entitled, ‘‘EPA’s Interpretation of 

Regulations that Determine Pollutants 

Covered by Federal Prevention of 

Significant Deterioration (PSD) Permit 

Program.’’ 75 FR 17004 (April 2, 2010). 

b. Major Modifications 

PSD also applies to existing sources 

that undertake a ‘‘major modification,’’ 

which occurs when: (1) There is a 

physical change in, or change in the 

method of operation of, a ‘‘major 

stationary source;’’ (2) the change results 

in a ‘‘significant’’ emissions increase of 

a pollutant subject to regulation (equal 

to or above the significance level that 

EPA has set for the pollutant in 40 CFR 

52.21(b)(23)); and (3) there is a 

‘‘significant net emissions increase’’ of a 

pollutant subject to regulation that is 

equal to or above the significance level 

(defined in 40 CFR 52.21(b)(23)). 

Significance levels, which EPA has 

promulgated for criteria pollutants and 

certain other pollutants, represent a de 

minimis contribution to air quality 

problems. When EPA has not set a 

significance level for a regulated NSR 

pollutant, PSD applies to an increase of 

the pollutant in any amount (that is, in 

effect, the significance level is treated as 

zero). 

2. General Requirements for PSD 

This section provides a very brief 

summary of the main requirements of 

the PSD program. One principal 

requirement is that a new major source 

or major modification must apply best 

available control technology (BACT), 

which is determined on a case-by-case 

basis taking into account, among other 

factors, the cost effectiveness of the 

control and energy and environmental 

impacts. EPA has developed a ‘‘topdown’’ approach for BACT review, 

which involves a decision process that 

includes identification of all available 

control technologies, elimination of 

technically infeasible options, ranking 

of remaining options by control and cost 

effectiveness, and then selection of 

BACT. Under PSD, once a source is 

determined to be major for any 

regulated NSR pollutant, a BACT review 

is performed for each attainment 

pollutant that exceeds its PSD 

significance level as part of new 

construction or for modification projects 

at the source, where there is a 

significant increase and a significant net 

emissions increase of such pollutant.4

In addition to performing BACT, the 

source must analyze impacts on ambient 

air quality to assure that its emissions 

do not cause or contribute to violation 

of any NAAQS or PSD increments and 

must analyze impacts on soil, 

vegetation, and visibility. In addition, 

sources or modifications that would 

impact Class I areas (e.g., national parks) 

may be subject to additional 

requirements to protect air quality 

related values (AQRVs) that have been 

identified for such areas. Under PSD, if 

a source’s proposed project impacts a 

Class I area, the Federal Land Manager 

is notified and is responsible for 

evaluating a source’s projected impact 

on the AQRVs and recommending either 

approval or disapproval of the source’s 

permit application based on anticipated 

impacts. 

Because there are no NAAQS or PSD 

increments established for GHGs, the 

requirement to demonstrate that a 

source does not cause or contribute to 

a violation of the NAAQS is not 

applicable to GHGs. Furthermore, 

consistent with EPA’s statement in the 

Tailoring Rule, EPA believes it is not 

necessary for applicants or permitting 

authorities to assess impacts from GHGs 

in the context of the additional impacts 

analysis or Class I area provisions of the 

PSD regulations for the following policy 

reasons. Although it is clear that GHG 

emissions contribute to global warming 

and other climate changes that result in 

impacts on the environment, including 

impacts on Class I areas and soils and 

vegetation, due to the global scope of 

the problem, climate change modeling 

and evaluations of risks and impacts of 

GHG emissions typically are conducted 

for emission changes orders of 

magnitude larger than the emissions 

from individual projects that might be 

analyzed in PSD permit reviews. 

Quantifying the exact impacts 

attributable to a specific GHG source 

obtaining a permit in specific places and 

points would not be possible with 

current climate change modeling. Given 

these considerations, GHG emissions 

would serve as the more appropriate 

and credible proxy for assessing the 

impact of a given facility. Thus, EPA 

believes that the most practical way to 

address the considerations reflected in 

the Class I area and additional impacts 

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5 In the Tailoring Rule, EPA noted that 

commenters argued, with some variations, that the 

PSD provisions applied only to NAAQS pollutants, 

and not GHG, and EPA responded that the PSD 

provisions apply to all pollutants subject to 

regulation, including GHG. See 75 FR at 31560–62. 

EPA maintains its position that the PSD provisions 

apply to all pollutants subject to regulation, and the 

Agency incorporates by reference the discussion of 

this issue in the Tailoring Rule. 

analysis is to focus on reducing GHG 

emissions to the maximum extent. In 

light of these analytical challenges, 

compliance with the BACT analysis is 

the best technique that can be employed 

at present to satisfy the additional 

impacts analysis and Class I area 

requirements of the rules related to 

GHGs. 

However, if PSD is triggered for a 

GHG-emitting source, all regulated NSR 

pollutants that the source emits in 

significant amounts would be subject to 

PSD requirements. Therefore, if a 

facility triggers review for regulated 

NSR pollutants that are non-GHG 

pollutants for which there are 

established NAAQS or increments, the 

air quality, additional impacts, and 

Class I requirements must be satisfied 

for those pollutants and the applicant 

and permitting authority are required to 

conduct the necessary analysis. 

Pursuant to existing PSD 

requirements, the permitting authority 

must provide notice of its preliminary 

decision on a source’s application for a 

PSD permit and must provide an 

opportunity for comment by the public, 

industry, and other interested persons. 

After considering and responding to 

comments, the permitting authority 

must issue a final determination on the 

construction permit. Usually NSR 

permits are issued by a State or local air 

pollution control agency that has its 

own authority to issue PSD permits 

under a permit program that has been 

approved by EPA for inclusion in its 

SIP. In some areas, EPA has delegated 

its authority to issue PSD permits under 

Federal regulations to the State or local 

agency. In other areas, EPA issues the 

permits under its own authority. 

C. What are the CAA requirements to 

include the PSD program in the SIP? 

The CAA contemplates that the PSD 

program be implemented in the first 

instance by the States and requires that 

States include PSD requirements in 

their SIPs. CAA section 110(a)(2)(C) 

requires that— 

Each implementation plan * * * shall 

* * * include a program to provide for 

* * * regulation of the modification and 

construction of any stationary source within 

the areas covered by the plan as necessary to 

assure that national ambient air quality 

standards are achieved, including a permit 

program as required in part [C] * * * of this 

subchapter. 

CAA section 110(a)(2)(J) requires 

that— 

Each implementation plan * * * shall 

* * * meet the applicable requirements of 

* * * part C of this subchapter (relating to 

significant deterioration of air quality and 

visibility protection). 

CAA section 161 provides that— 

[E]ach applicable implementation plan 

shall contain emission limitations and such 

other measures as may be necessary, as 

determined under regulations promulgated 

under this part [C], to prevent significant 

deterioration of air quality in each region 

* * * designated * * * as attainment or 

unclassifiable. 

These provisions, read in conjunction 

with the PSD applicability provisions as 

well as other provisions such as the 

BACT provision under CAA Section 

165(a)(4), mandate that SIPs include 

PSD programs that are applicable to, 

among other things, any air pollutant 

that is subject to regulation. As 

discussed below, this includes GHGs on 

and after January 2, 2011.5

A number of States do not have PSD 

programs approved into their SIPs. In 

those States, EPA’s regulations at 40 

CFR 52.21 govern, and either EPA or the 

State as EPA’s delegatee acts as the 

permitting authority. However, most 

States have PSD programs that have 

been approved into their SIPs, and these 

States implement their PSD programs 

and act as the permitting authority. 

Georgia has a SIP-approved PSD 

program. 

D. What actions has EPA taken 

concerning PSD requirements for GHGemitting sources? 

1. What are the Endangerment Finding, 

the Light Duty Vehicle Rule, and the 

Johnson Memo Reconsideration? 

By notice dated December 15, 2009, 

and pursuant to CAA section 202(a), 

EPA issued two findings regarding 

GHGs that are commonly referred to as 

the ‘‘Endangerment Finding’’ and the 

‘‘Cause or Contribute Finding.’’ 

‘‘Endangerment and Cause or Contribute 

Findings for Greenhouse Gases Under 

Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act,’’ 74 

FR 66496. In the Endangerment Finding, 

the Administrator found that six longlived and directly emitted GHGs—CO2, 

CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, and SF6—may 

reasonably be anticipated to endanger 

public health and welfare. In the Cause 

or Contribute Finding, the 

Administrator ‘‘defin[ed] the air 

pollutant as the aggregate group of the 

same six * * * greenhouse gases,’’ 74 

FR at 66536, and found that the 

combined emissions of this air pollutant 

from new motor vehicles and new motor 

vehicle engines contribute to the GHG 

air pollution that endangers public 

health and welfare. 

By notice dated May 7, 2010, EPA 

published what is commonly referred to 

as the ‘‘Light-Duty Vehicle Rule’’ 

(LDVR), which for the first time 

established Federal controls on GHGs 

emitted from light-duty vehicles. ‘‘LightDuty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission 

Standards and Corporate Average Fuel 

Economy Standards; Final Rule.’’ 75 FR 

25324. In its applicability provisions, 

the LDVR specifies that it ‘‘contains 

standards and other regulations 

applicable to the emission * * * of six 

greenhouse gases,’’ including CO2, CH4, 

N2O, HFCs, PFCs, and SF6. 75 FR at 

25686 (40 CFR 86.1818–12(a)). 

On December 18, 2008, EPA issued a 

memorandum, ‘‘EPA’s Interpretation of 

Regulations that Determine Pollutants 

Covered by Federal Prevention of 

Significant Deterioration (PSD) Permit 

Program’’ (known as the ‘‘Johnson 

Memo’’ or the ‘‘PSD Interpretive Memo,’’ 

and referred to in this preamble as the 

‘‘Interpretive Memo’’), that set forth 

EPA’s interpretation regarding which 

EPA and State actions, with respect to 

a previously unregulated pollutant, 

cause that pollutant to become ‘‘subject 

to regulation’’ under the Act. Whether a 

pollutant is ‘‘subject to regulation’’ is 

important for the purposes of 

determining whether it is covered under 

the Federal PSD permitting program. 

The Interpretive Memo established that 

a pollutant is ‘‘subject to regulation’’ 

only if it is subject to either a provision 

in the CAA or regulation adopted by 

EPA under the CAA that requires actual 

control of emissions of that pollutant 

(referred to as the ‘‘actual control 

interpretation’’). On February 17, 2009, 

EPA granted a petition for 

reconsideration on the Interpretive 

Memo and announced its intent to 

conduct a rulemaking to allow for 

public comment on the issues raised in 

the memorandum and on related issues. 

EPA also clarified that the Interpretive 

Memo would remain in effect pending 

reconsideration. 

On April 2, 2010, EPA published a 

notice conveying its decision to 

continue applying (with one limited 

refinement) the Interpretive Memo’s 

interpretation of ‘‘subject to regulation.’’ 

‘‘Reconsideration of Interpretation of 

Regulations that Determine Pollutants 

Covered by Clean Air Act Permitting 

Programs,’’ 75 FR 17004. EPA concluded 

that the ‘‘actual control interpretation’’ is 

the most appropriate interpretation to 

apply given the policy implications. 

However, EPA refined the Agency’s 

interpretation in one respect: EPA 

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6The Tailoring Rule also applies to the title V 

program, which requires operating permits for 

existing sources. However, today’s action does not 

affect Georgia’s title V program. 

7The term ‘‘greenhouse gases’’ is commonly used 

to refer generally to gases that have heat-trapping 

properties. However, in this notice, unless noted 

otherwise, we use it to refer specifically to the 

pollutant regulated in the LDVR. 

established that PSD permitting 

requirements apply to a newly regulated 

pollutant at the time a regulatory 

requirement to control emissions of that 

pollutant ‘‘takes effect’’ (rather than 

upon promulgation or the legal effective 

date of the regulation containing such a 

requirement). In addition, based on the 

anticipated promulgation of the LDVR, 

EPA stated that the GHG requirements 

of the vehicle rule would take effect on 

January 2, 2011, because that is the 

earliest date that a 2012 model year 

vehicle may be introduced into 

commerce. In other words, the 

compliance obligation under the LDVR 

does not occur until a manufacturer may 

introduce into commerce vehicles that 

are required to comply with GHG 

standards, which will begin with model 

year 2012 and will not occur before 

January 2, 2011. 

2. What is EPA’s Tailoring Rule? 

On June 3, 2010 (effective August 2, 

2010), EPA promulgated a final 

rulemaking, the Tailoring Rule, for the 

purpose of relieving overwhelming 

permitting burdens that would, in the 

absence of the rule, fall on permitting 

authorities and sources. 75 FR 31514. 

EPA accomplished this by tailoring the 

applicability criteria that determine 

which GHG emission sources become 

subject to the PSD program 6 of the 

CAA. In particular, EPA established in 

the Tailoring Rule a phase-in approach 

for PSD applicability and established 

the first two steps of the phase-in for the 

largest GHG-emitters. Additionally, EPA 

committed to certain follow-up actions 

regarding future steps beyond the first 

two, discussed in more detail later in 

this notice. 

For the first step of the Tailoring Rule, 

which will begin on January 2, 2011, 

PSD requirements will apply to major 

stationary source GHG emissions only if 

the sources are subject to PSD anyway 

due to their emissions of non-GHG 

pollutants. Therefore, in the first step, 

EPA will not require sources or 

modifications to evaluate whether they 

are subject to PSD requirements solely 

on account of their GHG emissions. 

Specifically, for PSD, Step 1 requires 

that as of January 2, 2011, the applicable 

requirements of PSD, most notably, the 

BACT requirement, will apply to 

projects that increase net GHG 

emissions by at least 75,000 tpy CO2e, 

but only if the project also significantly 

increases emissions of at least one nonGHG pollutant. 

The second step of the Tailoring Rule, 

beginning on July 1, 2011, will phase in 

additional large sources of GHG 

emissions. New sources that emit, or 

have the potential to emit, at least 

100,000 tpy CO2e will become subject to 

the PSD requirements. In addition, 

sources that emit or have the potential 

to emit at least 100,000 tpy CO2e and 

that undertake a modification that 

increases net GHG emissions by at least 

75,000 tpy CO2e will also be subject to 

PSD requirements. For both steps, EPA 

notes that if sources or modifications 

exceed these CO2e-adjusted GHG 

triggers, they are not covered by 

permitting requirements unless their 

GHG emissions also exceed the 

corresponding mass-based triggers in 

tpy. 

EPA believes that the costs to the 

sources and the administrative burdens 

to the permitting authorities of PSD 

permitting will be manageable at the 

levels in these initial two steps and that 

it would be administratively infeasible 

to subject additional sources to PSD 

requirements at those times. However, 

EPA also intends to issue a 

supplemental notice of proposed 

rulemaking in 2011, in which the 

Agency will propose or solicit comment 

on a third step of the phase-in that 

would include more sources, beginning 

on July 1, 2013. In the Tailoring Rule, 

EPA established an enforceable 

commitment that the Agency will 

complete this rulemaking by July 1, 

2012, which will allow for one year’s 

notice before Step 3 would take effect. 

In addition, EPA committed to 

explore streamlining techniques that 

may well make the permitting programs 

much more efficient to administer for 

GHG, and that therefore may allow their 

expansion to smaller sources. EPA 

expects that the initial streamlining 

techniques will take several years to 

develop and implement. 

In the Tailoring Rule, EPA also 

included a provision that no source 

with emissions below 50,000 tpy CO2e 

and no modification resulting in net 

GHG increases of less than 50,000 tpy 

CO2e will be subject to PSD permitting 

before at least 6 years (i.e., April 30, 

2016). This is because EPA has 

concluded that at the present time, the 

administrative burdens that would 

accompany permitting sources below 

this level would be so great that even 

with the streamlining actions that EPA 

may be able to develop and implement 

in the next several years, and even with 

the increases in permitting resources 

that EPA can reasonably expect the 

permitting authorities to acquire, it 

would be impossible to administer the 

permit programs for these sources until 

at least 2016. 

As EPA explained in the Tailoring 

Rule, the threshold limitations are 

necessary because without them PSD 

would apply to all stationary sources 

that emit or have the potential to emit 

more than 100 or 250 tons of GHG per 

year beginning on January 2, 2011. This 

is the date when EPA’s recently 

promulgated LDVR takes effect, 

imposing control requirements for the 

first time on CO2 and other GHGs. If this 

January 2, 2011, date were to pass 

without the Tailoring Rule being in 

effect, PSD requirements would apply to 

GHG emissions at the 100/250 tpy 

applicability levels provided under a 

literal reading of the CAA as of that 

date. From that point forward, a source 

owner proposing to construct any new 

major source that emits at or higher than 

the applicability levels (and which 

therefore may be referred to as a ‘‘major’’ 

source) or modify any existing major 

source in a way that would increase 

GHG emissions would need to obtain a 

permit under the PSD program that 

addresses these emissions before 

construction or modification could 

begin. 

Under these circumstances, many 

small sources would be burdened by the 

costs of the individualized PSD control 

technology requirements and permit 

applications that the PSD provisions, 

absent streamlining, require. 

Additionally, State and local permitting 

authorities would be burdened by the 

extraordinary number of these permit 

applications, which are orders of 

magnitude greater than the current 

inventory of permits and would vastly 

exceed the current administrative 

resources of the permitting authorities. 

Permit gridlock would result since the 

permitting authorities would likely be 

able to issue only a tiny fraction of the 

permits requested. 

The Tailoring Rule’s thresholds are 

based on CO2e for the aggregate sum of 

six GHGs that constitute the pollutant 

that will be subject to regulation, which 

we refer to as GHG.7 These gases are 

CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, and SF6. 

Thus, in EPA’s Tailoring Rule, EPA 

provided that PSD applicability is based 

on the quantity that results when the 

mass emissions of each of these gases is 

multiplied by the GWP of that gas, and 

then summed for all six gases. However, 

EPA further provided that in order for 

a source’s GHG emissions to trigger PSD 

requirements, the quantity of the GHG 

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8The relevant thresholds are 100 tpy for title V, 

and 250 tpy for PSD, except for 28 categories listed 

in EPA regulations for which the PSD threshold is 

100 tpy. 9Narrowing EPA’s approval will ensure that for 

Federal purposes, sources with GHG emissions that 

are less than the Tailoring Rule’s emission 

thresholds will not be obligated under Federal law 

to obtain PSD permits during the gap between when 

GHG PSD requirements go into effect on January 2, 

2011 and when either (1) EPA approves a SIP 

revision adopting EPA’s tailoring approach, or (2) 

if a State opts to regulate smaller GHG-emitting 

sources, the State demonstrates to EPA that it has 

adequate resources to handle permitting for such 

sources. EPA expects to finalize the narrowing 

action prior to the January 2, 2011 deadline with 

respect to those States for which EPA will not have 

approved the Tailoring Rule thresholds in their SIPs 

by that time. 

10As explained in the proposed GHG SIP Call (75 

FR 53892, 53896), EPA intends to finalize its 

finding of substantial inadequacy and the SIP call 

for the 13 listed States by December 1, 2010. EPA 

requested that the States for which EPA is 

proposing a SIP call identify the deadline—between 

3 weeks and 12 months from the date of signature 

of the final SIP Call—that they would accept for 

submitting their corrective SIP revision. 

emissions must equal or exceed both the 

applicability thresholds established in 

the Tailoring Rule on a CO2e basis and 

the statutory thresholds of 100 or 250 

tpy on a mass basis.8 Similarly, in order 

for a source to be subject to the PSD 

modification requirements, the source’s 

net GHG emissions increase must 

exceed the applicable significance level 

on a CO2e basis and must also result in 

a net mass increase of the constituent 

gases combined. 

In the Tailoring Rule, EPA adopted 

regulatory language codifying the phasein approach. As explained in that 

rulemaking, many State, local and 

Tribal area programs will likely be able 

to immediately implement the approach 

without rule or statutory changes by, for 

example, interpreting the term ‘‘subject 

to regulation’’ that is part of the 

applicability provisions for PSD 

permitting. EPA has requested 

permitting authorities to confirm that 

they will follow this implementation 

approach for their programs, and if they 

cannot, then EPA has requested that 

they notify the Agency so that we can 

take appropriate follow-up action to 

narrow Federal approval of their 

programs before GHGs become subject 

to PSD permitting on January 2, 2011.9

On August 2, 2010, Georgia provided a 

letter to EPA confirming that the State 

has the authority to issue PSD permits 

governing GHG emissions as of January 

2, 2011, but explaining that Georgia 

needs to amend its SIP to enable it to 

implement the Tailoring Rule 

thresholds. See the docket for this 

proposed rulemaking for a copy of 

Georgia’s letter. 

3. What is the GHG SIP Call? 

By Federal Register notice dated 

September 2, 2010, EPA proposed the 

GHG SIP Call. In that action, along with 

the companion GHG FIP rulemaking 

published at the same time, EPA took 

steps to ensure that in the 13 States that 

do not appear to have authority to issue 

PSD permits to GHG-emitting sources at 

present, either the State or EPA will 

have the authority to issue such permits 

by January 2, 2011. EPA explained that 

although for most States either the State 

or EPA is already authorized to issue 

PSD permits for GHG-emitting sources 

as of that date, our preliminary 

information shows that these 13 States 

have EPA-approved PSD programs that 

do not appear to include GHG-emitting 

sources and therefore do not appear to 

authorize these States to issue PSD 

permits to such sources. Therefore, EPA 

proposed to find that these 13 States’ 

SIPs are substantially inadequate to 

comply with CAA requirements and, 

accordingly, proposed to issue a SIP 

Call to require a SIP revision that 

applies their SIP PSD programs to GHGemitting sources. In the companion 

GHG FIP rulemaking, EPA proposed a 

FIP that would give EPA authority to 

apply EPA’s PSD program to GHGemitting sources in any State that is 

unable to submit a corrective SIP 

revision by its deadline. Georgia was not 

one of the States for which EPA 

proposed a SIP Call. 

III. What is the relationship between 

today’s proposed action and EPA’s 

proposed GHG SIP Call and GHG FIP? 

As noted above, by notice dated 

September 2, 2010, EPA proposed the 

GHG SIP Call. At the same time, EPA 

proposed a FIP to apply in any State 

that is unable to submit, by its deadline, 

a SIP revision to ensure that the State 

has authority to issue PSD permits to 

GHG-emitting sources.10 As discussed 

in Section IV of this rulemaking, 

Georgia interprets its current PSD 

regulations as providing it with the 

authority to regulate GHGs, and as such, 

Georgia is not included on the list of 

areas for the proposed SIP call. 

Additionally, Georgia would not be 

subject to the FIP to implement GHG for 

PSD applicability. Georgia’s September 

30, 2010, proposed SIP revision (the 

subject of this rulemaking) merely 

modifies Georgia’s SIP to establish 

appropriate thresholds for determining 

which stationary sources and 

modification projects become subject to 

permitting requirements for GHG 

emissions under the PSD program of the 

CAA. 

IV. What is the background for the 

action proposed by EPA in today’s 

Notice regarding the PSD Permitting 

Requirements for the PM2.5 NAAQS? 

Today’s proposed action on the 

Georgia SIP also relates to EPA’s 

‘‘Implementation of the New Source 

Review (NSR) Program for Particulate 

Matter Less Than 2.5 Micrometers 

(PM2.5)’’ Final Rule (the NSR PM2.5

Rule). 73 FR 28321 (May 16, 2008). In 

the NSR PM2.5 Rule, EPA finalized 

regulations to implement the NSR 

program for fine particulate matter. As 

a result of EPA’s final NSR PM2.5 Rule, 

States are required to provide SIP 

submissions no later than May 16, 2011, 

to address those requirements for both 

the PSD and nonattainment NSR 

programs. Georgia’s September 30, 2010, 

SIP revision addresses the PSD 

requirements for the PM2.5 NAAQS. 

Georgia will provide a subsequent SIP 

revision to address the nonattainment 

NSR requirements for the PM2.5

NAAQS. More detail on the NSR PM2.5

Rule can be found in EPA’s May 16, 

2008, final rule and is summarized 

below. 

A. Fine Particulate Matter and the 

NAAQS for PM2.5

Fine particles in the atmosphere are 

made up of a complex mixture of 

components. Common constituents 

include sulfate (SO4); nitrate (NO3); 

ammonium; elemental carbon; a great 

variety of organic compounds; and 

inorganic material (including metals, 

dust, sea salt, and other trace elements) 

generally referred to as ‘‘crustal’’ 

material, although it may contain 

material from other sources. Airborne 

particulate matter (PM) with a nominal 

aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 

micrometers or less (a micrometer is 

one-millionth of a meter, and 2.5 

micrometers is less than one-seventh the 

average width of a human hair) are 

considered to be ‘‘fine particles’’ and are 

also known as PM2.5. ‘‘Primary’’ particles 

are emitted directly into the air as a 

solid or liquid particle (e.g., elemental 

carbon from diesel engines or fire 

activities, or condensable organic 

particles from gasoline engines). 

‘‘Secondary’’ particles (e.g., sulfate and 

nitrate) form in the atmosphere as a 

result of various chemical reactions. 

On July 18, 1997, EPA revised the 

NAAQS for PM to add new standards 

for fine particles, using PM2.5 as the 

indicator. (Previously EPA used PM10

(inhalable particles smaller than, or 

equal to 10 micrometers in diameter) as 

the indicator for the PM NAAQS.) EPA 

established health-based (primary) 

annual and 24-hour standards for PM2.5, 

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11EPA also issued a guidance document entitled 

‘‘Implementation of New Source Review 

Requirements in PM–2.5 Nonattainment Areas’’ (the 

‘‘2005 PM2.5 Nonattainment NSR Guidance’’), on 

April 5, 2005, the date that EPA’s PM2.5

nonattainment area designations became effective. 

This memorandum provides guidance on the 

implementation of the nonattainment major NSR 

provisions in PM2.5 nonattainment areas in the 

interim period between the effective date of the 

PM2.5 nonattainment area designations (April 5, 

2005) and EPA’s promulgation of final PM2.5

nonattainment NSR regulations. Besides reaffirming the continuation of the PM10 Surrogate 

Policy for PM2.5 attainment areas set forth in the 

Seitz memo, the 2005 PM2.5 Nonattainment NSR 

Guidance recommended that until EPA promulgates 

the PM2.5 major NSR regulations, States should use 

a PM10 nonattainment major NSR program as a 

surrogate to address the requirements of 

nonattainment major NSR for the PM2.5 NAAQS. As 

mentioned earlier in this rulemaking, Georgia’s 

September 30, 2010, SIP revision only relates to the 

PSD provisions for the PM2.5 standard. 

12Additional information on this issue can also 

be found in an August 12, 2009, final order on a 

title V petition describing the use of PM10 as a 

surrogate for PM2.5. In the Matter of Louisville Gas 

& Electric Company, Petition No. IV–2008–3, Order 

on Petition (August 12, 2009). 

13 Georgia’s submittal also relates to title V 

provisions which are not included in the SIP. As 

such, EPA is not proposing to take action to 

approve Georgia’s update to their title V regulations 

in this rulemaking. 

14On September 4, 2008, EPA proposed to 

approve Georgia’s submittal related to the 2002 NSR 

reform rules. See 73 FR 51606. EPA considered the 

comments received on the September 4, 2008, 

proposal, and has addressed the comments in a 

final rulemaking that was signed on November 12, 

2010. 

setting an annual standard at a level of 

15 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3) 

and a 24-hour standard at a level of 65 

μg/m3. 62 FR 38652. At the time the 

1997 primary standards were 

established, EPA also established 

welfare-based (secondary) standards 

identical to the primary standards. The 

secondary standards are designed to 

protect against major environmental 

effects of PM2.5, such as visibility 

impairment, soiling, and materials 

damage. On October 17, 2006, EPA 

revised the primary and secondary 

NAAQS for PM2.5. In that rulemaking, 

EPA reduced the 24-hour NAAQS for 

PM2.5 to 35 μg/m3 and retained the 

existing annual PM2.5 NAAQS of 15 μg/ 

m3. 71 FR 61144. 

B. Implementation of NSR for the PM2.5

NAAQS 

After EPA promulgated the NAAQS 

for PM2.5 in 1997, the Agency issued a 

guidance document entitled ‘‘Interim 

Implementation of New Source Review 

Requirements for PM2.5.’’ John S. Seitz, 

EPA, October 23, 1997 (the ‘‘Seitz 

memo’’).11 The Seitz memo was 

designed to help States implement PSD 

requirements pertaining to the new 

PM2.5 NAAQS in light of known 

technical difficulties posed by PM2.5, 

including the lack of necessary tools to 

calculate the emissions of PM2.5 and 

related precursors, the lack of adequate 

modeling techniques to project ambient 

impacts, and the lack of PM2.5

monitoring sites. Specifically, the Seitz 

memo authorized sources to use 

implementation of a PM10 program as a 

surrogate for meeting PM2.5 PSD 

requirements until EPA resolved these 

technical difficulties. 

On May 16, 2008, EPA finalized a rule 

to implement the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS, 

including changes to the NSR program. 

See 73 FR 28321. The 2008 NSR PM2.5

Rule revised the NSR program 

requirements to establish the framework 

for implementing preconstruction 

permit review for the PM2.5 NAAQS in 

both attainment and nonattainment 

areas. In summary, the NSR PM2.5 Rule: 

(1) Requires NSR permits to address 

directly emitted PM2.5 and precursor 

pollutants (2) establishes significant 

emission rates for direct PM2.5 and 

precursor pollutants; (3) allows 

interpollutant trading under the PM2.5

nonattainment NSR program; and (4) 

requires States to address condensable 

PM in establishing enforceable emission 

limits. With two exceptions, the 2008 

NSR PM2.5 Rule requires that major 

stationary sources seeking permits must 

begin directly satisfying the PM2.5

requirements as of the effective date of 

the rule, rather than relying on PM10 as 

a surrogate. The first exception is a 

‘‘grandfathering’’ provision in the 

Federal PSD program at 40 CFR 

52.21(i)(1)(xi). This grandfathering 

provision applied to sources that had 

applied for, but had not yet received, a 

final and effective PSD permit before the 

July 15, 2008 effective date of the May 

2008 final rule. The second exception 

was that States with SIP-approved PSD 

programs could continue to implement 

the Seitz Memo’s PM10 Surrogate Policy 

for up to three years (until May 2011) 

or until the individual revised State PSD 

programs for PM2.5 are approved by 

EPA, whichever comes first. For 

additional information on the NSR 

PM2.5 Rule, see 73 FR 28321. 

On February 11, 2010, EPA proposed 

to repeal the grandfathering provision 

for PM2.5 contained in the Federal PSD 

program at 40 CFR 52.21(i)(1)(xi), and to 

end early the PM10 Surrogate Policy 

applicable in States that have a SIPapproved PSD program. 75 FR 6827. In 

support of this proposal, EPA explained 

that the PM2.5 implementation issues 

that led to the adoption of the PM10

Surrogate Policy in 1997 have been 

largely resolved to a degree sufficient for 

sources and permitting authorities to 

conduct meaningful permit-related 

PM2.5 analyses. EPA has not yet taken 

final action on this proposal.12

Georgia’s September 30, 2010, 

submittal addresses the PSD 

requirements related to EPA’s May 16, 

2008, NSR PM2.5 Rule. Though EPA has 

not finalized a repeal of the PM2.5

grandfathering provision at 40 CFR 

52.21(i)(1)(xi), Georgia elected not to 

include this provision in its SIP 

submittal. 

V. What is EPA’s analysis of Georgia’s 

SIP revision? 

On September 30, 2010, EPD provided 

a revision to Georgia’s SIP to EPA for 

parallel processing and eventual 

approval. The proposed change 

pertaining to PSD permitting for GHGs 

is necessary because without it PSD 

requirements would apply for GHGs, as 

of January 2, 2011, at the 100- or 250- 

tpy levels provided under the CAA. 

This would greatly increase the number 

of required permits, imposing undue 

costs on small sources; which would 

overwhelm Georgia’s permitting 

resources and severely impair the 

function of the program. The proposed 

change pertaining to PSD permitting for 

PM2.5 is necessary to comply with 

Federal requirements. More detail 

regarding EPA’s analysis of the 

proposed changes to Georgia’s SIP (as 

provided in the September 30, 2010, 

submittal) is provided below. 

A. Analysis Regarding Georgia’s 

Changes To Incorporate the Tailoring 

Rule 

The State of Georgia’s September 30, 

2010, proposed SIP revision establishes 

thresholds for determining which 

stationary sources and modification 

projects become subject to permitting 

requirements for GHG emissions under 

Georgia’s PSD program. Specifically, 

Georgia’s September 30, 2010, proposed 

SIP revision incorporates by reference 

the Federal Tailoring Rule provisions at 

40 CFR 52.21 (as amended June 3, 2010, 

and effective August 2, 2010), into the 

Georgia SIP (Georgia’s Regulation 391– 

3–1–.02(7)—Prevention of Significant 

Deterioration of Air Quality) 13 to 

address the thresholds for GHG 

permitting applicability. 

Georgia is currently a SIP-approved 

State for the PSD program, and has 

incorporated by reference EPA’s 2002 

NSR reform revisions for PSD at 40 CFR 

52.21 into its SIP.14 The State has 

informed EPA that it interprets SIP Rule 

391–3–1-.02(7), which includes the 

preconstruction review program 

required by Part C of title I of the CAA, 

as providing it with authority to issue 

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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules 73025 

PSD permits governing GHGs. Georgia’s 

current PSD program incorporates by 

reference the Federal requirements, 

found at 40 CFR 52.21 (adopted prior to 

the promulgation of EPA’s Tailoring 

Rule), into the State’s major source PSD 

program (which applies to major 

stationary sources having the potential 

to emit at least 100-tpy or 250-tpy or 

more of a regulated NSR pollutant, 

depending on the type of source or 

modifications constructing in areas 

designated attainment or unclassifiable 

with respect to the NAAQS). 

This current SIP revision to Georgia’s 

Regulation 391–3–1-.02(7) (the subject 

of this proposed rulemaking) 

incorporates by reference the provisions 

at 40 CFR 52.21 as amended by the 

promulgation of the Tailoring Rule. 

Specifically, Georgia’s September 30, 

2010 revision updates its existing 

incorporation by reference of the 

Federal NSR program to include the 

relevant Federal Tailoring Rule 

provisions set forth at 40 CFR 52.21. 

EPA has preliminarily determined that 

Georgia’s proposed SIP revision is 

consistent with the Tailoring Rule. 

Furthermore, EPA has preliminarily 

determined that this revision to 

Georgia’s SIP is consistent with section 

110 of the CAA. See, e.g., Tailoring 

Rule, 75 FR at 31561. 

B. Analysis Regarding Georgia’s 

Changes To Incorporate the NSR PM2.5

Requirements for PSD 

Georgia’s Regulation 391–3–1-.02(7) 

(the subject of this proposed 

rulemaking) also incorporates by 

reference the provisions at 40 CFR 52.21 

as amended by the promulgation of the 

NSR PM2.5 Rule for PSD. Specifically, 

Georgia’s September 30, 2010, revision 

updates its existing incorporation by 

reference of the Federal NSR program to 

include the relevant Federal NSR PM2.5

Rule provisions for PSD set forth at 40 

CFR 52.21. However, in light of EPA’s 

proposed rulemaking to repeal the PM2.5

‘‘grandfathering’’ provision, as noted in 

section IV.B. above, Georgia’s revision 

excludes adoption of the relevant 

Federal rule provision, 40 CFR 

52.21(i)(1)(ix). EPA has preliminarily 

determined that Georgia’s proposed SIP 

revision is consistent with the NSR 

PM2.5 Rule for PSD. Furthermore, EPA 

has preliminarily determined that this 

revision to Georgia’s SIP is consistent 

with section 110 of the CAA. 

VI. Proposed Action 

EPA is proposing to approve Georgia’s 

September 30, 2010, SIP revision, 

relating to PSD requirements for GHGemitting sources and for the PM2.5

NAAQS. Specifically, Georgia’s 

September 30, 2010, proposed SIP 

revision establishes appropriate 

emissions thresholds for determining 

PSD applicability with respect to new 

and modified GHG-emitting sources in 

accordance with EPA’s Tailoring Rule, 

and incorporates Federal requirements 

related to PSD for the PM2.5 NAAQS. 

EPA has made the preliminary 

determination that this SIP revision is 

approvable because it is in accordance 

with the CAA and EPA regulations 

regarding PSD permitting for GHGs and 

for the PM2.5 NAAQS. 

VII. Statutory and Executive Order 

Reviews 

Under the CAA, the Administrator is 

required to approve a SIP submission 

that complies with the provisions of the 

Act and applicable Federal regulations. 

42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a). 

Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions, 

EPA’s role is to approve State choices, 

provided that they meet the criteria of 

the CAA. Accordingly, this proposed 

action merely approves the State’s law 

as meeting Federal requirements and 

does not impose additional 

requirements beyond those imposed by 

the State’s law. For that reason, this 

proposed action: 

• Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory 

action’’ subject to review by the Office 

of Management and Budget under 

Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735, 

October 4, 1993); 

• 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 does 

not have Tribal implications as 

specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 

FR 67249, November 9, 2000), because 

the SIP 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 preempt Tribal law. 

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52 

Environmental protection, Air 

pollution control, Intergovernmental 

relations, and Reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements. 

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

Dated: November 18, 2010. 

Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming, 

Regional Administrator, Region 4. 

[FR Doc. 2010–29951 Filed 11–26–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

40 CFR Part 52 

[EPA–R05–OAR–2010–0656; FRL–9232–1] 

Approval and Promulgation of Air 

Quality Implementation Plans; Ohio; 

Ohio Portion of the CincinnatiHamilton Area; 8-Hour Ozone 

Maintenance Plan 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: EPA is proposing to approve 

a revision to the maintenance plan for 

the Ohio portion of the CincinnatiHamilton, OH–KY–IN 8-hour ozone 

area. The Cincinnati-Hamilton area 

includes Butler, Clermont, Clinton, 

Hamilton, and Warren Counties in Ohio, 

Lawrenceburg Township in Dearborn 

County, Indiana, and Boone, Campbell, 

and Kenton Counties in Kentucky. The 

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency 

(Ohio EPA) submitted a maintenance 

plan revision on July 6, 2010. The 

submittal contained revisions to 2015 

and 2020 NOX point source emissions 

projections for Butler County to reflect 

modifications at a major source that will 

occur during the maintenance period. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before December 29, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

identified by Docket ID No. EPA–R05– 

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