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# OAR Box 1781 Prepped by Ollie Stewart



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Number: 

# 117 ) IV-C-3 1 Docket Number: 

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1 UNITE D STATE S ENVIRONMENTA L PROTECTIO N AGENC Y V Q £/ t^i °fc- *~ WASHINGTON , D.C . 2046 0 OC T 2 2 199 9 

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FFICEO F AI R AN D RADIATIO N Honorabl e Davi d E . Pric e Hous e o f Representative s Washington , D C 2051 5 Dea r Congressma

n Price : Than k yo u fo r you r letter o f Septembe r 29,199 9 t o Administrato r Browner , i n suppor

t o f ou r efforts t o simplif

y an d streamlin e th e ne w sourc e revie w (NSR) program . Yo u expresse d concer n ove r th e lengt h o f tim e tha t i t take s alarg e plan t

t o get apermi t andtha t applicabilit

y i s based o n 2 0 year s o f

Environmenta

l Protectio n Agenc y (EPA ) interpretatio n o f complicate d regulations . Yo u als o expresse d concer n ove r report s o f EP A engagin g i n only on e more roun d o f stakeholde

r meeting s befor

e makin g decision s o n finalizin g th e NS RRefor mrul e an d encourage d u s t o continu e th e discussion s wit h th e participatin g stakeholde r group s an dwor

k t o reach aresolutio n supporte d b y al l o f th e stakeholders . You allude d t o a

n announcemen

t i n 199 1 tha

t EPA wa s goin g t o simplif

y th e NS R regulations . T o clarify , tha t announcemen

t wa s i n referenc e t o th e revisio n o f regulation s t o implemen t th e Clea n Ai r Ac t Amendment s o f

1990 . Th e projec t

t o refor mth e NS RRegulation s wa s no t initiate d b y th e Offic e o f

Ai r Qualit y Plannin g an dStandard s unti l 199 2 wit h tw o publi c workshop s i n respons e t o complaint s b y industr y tha t th e progra

mwa s complex an dburdensome . I n 1993 , w e forme d an NS RRefor mSubcommitte e o f

th e Clea n Air Ac t Advisor y Committe e (CAAAC ) t o allo w th e stakeholde r discussion s t o mov e towardconsensus . Eigh t publi c meeting s o f

th e NS RRefor

mSubcommitte e were convene di n th e 1993-9 4 tim e frame. Durin g thi s period , publi c comment wa s sough

t o n element s o f

th e packag e o n severa

l occasion s including apreliminar

y draf t i n th e summe

r o f 1994 afte r whic h EP A bega n draftin g th e proposa

l package . Numerou s meeting s wit h separat e industr y group s wer

e intersperse dbetwee n th e fall o f 199 4 and proposa

l i n th e summe

r o f 1996 . A final meetin g o f

th e NS RRefor

mSubcommitte e wa s convene d shortl y afte

r proposa l a s wel l a s apubli c hearin g anda6-mont h publi c commen

t period. j Afte r that time , furthe

r discussion s wer

e conducte dunde

r th e auspice s o f

th e Titl e V , Toxic s an d NS Rsubcommitte e o f th e CAAAC . I n 1997-9 8 EPA , throug h analyzin g an d summarizing th e man

y comment s on NS RReform , refine dke y issue s tha

t neede dt o b e addressed b y th e Refor

mrulemaking . Th e ensuin g Notic e o f Availabilit

y that wa s publishe d i n th e Federa l Register triggere d anothe

r roun do f meeting s requeste db y variou s stakeholder groups .

Recycled/Recyclabl e • Printe d wit h Vegetabl e Oi l Base d Ink s o n 100 % Recycle d Pape r (20 % Postconsumer) 

# /JLtfAXlOP. 3

•t

I n late 199 8 durin g discussion s over litigatio n o f

th e rule s governin g NS Rapplicabilit y fo r utilities , EPA mad e a n overture fo r industr y t o try on e more time t o com e u p with abette r systemfo r detenriinin g wh o o r

wha t i s or i s no t covere db y NSR . Again , th e goal wa s t o provid e mor e flexibility fo

r industry , streamlin e th e permittin g proces s wher e possible , bu t

preserv e th e environmenta

l protectio n calle d fo

r b y th e Clea n Ai r

Act . Industr

y aske dt o b e allowe dt o pursu e th e task . We hav e made aspecia l effor t over th e pas t yea r t o seek furthe r inpu t fromal l stakeholder s o n ne w approache s that wil l hel p achiev e thi s goal . A larg e stakeholde r meetin g wa s convene d o n Februar

y 2- 3 o f thi s yea r an dmultipl e round s o f

follow-o n meeting s hav e bee n hel d wit h th e stakeholder s throug h th e mont h o f September . Consensu s o n reformin g NS Rapplicabilit y ha s bee n elusiv e u p t o th e present , eve n amon g industr

y groups ; however , th e meeting s hav e bee n constructive . Relativ e t o you r reques t that w e continu e thes e discussions , follow-up meeting s o n certai n issue s ar e likel y i n October an d November . Base d o n th e recent progress , w e believ e w e ca n craf t apackag e that

provide s a

n acceptabl e resolutio n o n mos t issue s by late fall . W e ar

e als o investigatin g alonge r term solution , i.e. , sector-base d approache s fo r selecte dindustrial groups , suc h a s utilities , that hav e simila r manufacturin g an d emission s characteristics . Thi s wil l likel y b e aseparate effor t tha t wil l require^furthe

r discussio n wit

h stakeholders * bu t

ma y yiel dimportant

dividend s i f

th e legal an d polic y issue s can b e resolved . Again , thank

yo u fo r your concer n an dcomments . I f

I can b e o f

furthe r service , pleas e d

o no t hesitat e t o contac t

me . Sincerely , 

# ^5^/^ve<^€^ c Rober t Perciasep e Assistant Administrato r



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# 2P. 4

Controlle d Correspondenc e Fo r OFFIC E O F AI R AN D RADIATIO N CONGRESSIONA L CORRESPONDENC E

CONTRO L NO : OAR-990129 1 ALT . NUMBER : AI>990211 0 STATUS : PENDIN G ORIG . DU E DATE : 10/18/9 9 CORRES.DATE : 09/29/9 9 RECEIVE D DATE : 10/08/9 9 ASSIGNE D DATE : 10/08/9 9 CLOSE D DATE : FROM : ORG : SALUTATION : CONSTITUENT : PRIC E DAVI D E .

U . S . HOUS E O F REPRESENTATIVE S DEA RCONGRESSMA N PRICE : TO : T O ORG : SUBJECT : ASSIGNED : CAROL M . BROWNE R

EP A PROPOSED NE W SOURC E REVIEW (NSR ) RUL E UNDE RTH E CLEA N AI RAC T Office o f Ai r Qualit

y Plannin g & Standard

s - RTP COPD2 S O F INCOMIN G PROVTOE D TO : SIGNATURE : ASSISTAN T ADMINISTRATO R OARCOMMENTS : OARINSTRUCTIONS : [Lea d Assigne d

OAQP S Dat e Assigne d 10/08/9 9 Code/Statu s ACTIO N Dat e Complete d b y Assigne e

- Dat e Returne d t o OAR :

-

(Untitled )P. 5 DAVI D PRICE ' ' ^ o m 4T H DISTRIC T 4t(fit} ^ 216 2 ^YBUR N BUILDIN G "lllllzi ? WASHINGTON , DC 2051 5 NORT H CAROLIN AJS£BM (202)225-178 4 1 r. » «^^^Ki ? 1 6 E . ROWA N STREE T COMMITTE E O N APPROPRIATION S TMffflmW SUITE52 5 COMMITTE E O N TH E BUDGE T RALEIGH , N C 2760 9 (919)789-377 1 

### CONGRES S O F TH E UNITE D STATE S ,7n, 

### ZSKi BLV a HOUS E O F REPRESENTATIVE S CHAPE L H.LL.N C 2751 4 WASHINGTON , D C 2051 5 (919 ) 967 " 7924 Septembe r 29,199 9 315E T.TE^ STREE T DURHAM , N C 2770 1 ,_,_,,,, , . , . . (919)688-300 4 Hon . Caro l M . Browner , Administrator U.S . Environmenta

l Protectio n Agenc

y 40 1 M Street , S.W . Washington , D C 20460-000 3 Dea r Carol : I a mwritin g t o urg e yo

u t o continu e th e dialogu e whic h EP A bega n wit h stakeholder s o n it s propose d Ne w Sourc e Review (NSR) rul e unde r th e Clea n Ai r Act . A s you know , th e NS Ri s aClea n Ai r Ac t permitting revie

w tha t i s require dbefor

e certai n project s o r facilit y modification s ca

n b e undertaken . I

n 1991 , EP

A announcedi

t woul dsimplif

y an drefor m th e 198 0 NS Rregulations , which consis t o f overiseve n volume s of

interpretiv e guidanc e fromth e Agency . NS Ra

t alarg e plan

t ca n reportedly talt

e fourtee n month s o r

longer . Determining whethe r NS Ri s eve

n applicable t o aproject

depend s o

n analyzin g twent y year s o f EPA interpretatio n of

complicated regulations . The stakeholde

r meetin g convened b

y EP A i n Februar y o f thi s yea r wa s a n importan

t first ste p in forgin g aconsensu s approach t o simplifyin g th e NS Rprocess , an

dI commen

dyo u fo r initiating thi s dialogue . I

n June , stat

e regulator s askedEP

A t o continu e discussion s concernin g th e alternativ e approache s tha

t EP A asked th e stakeholder s t o develop . EP A i s reportedly plannin

g t o hold onl

y on e additiona

l roundo f stakeholde

r meeting s befor

e makin g adecision o n finalizing a

n NSi Rrule . I f thi s repor t i s accurate , I a

mconcerne dtha

t asingle additiona l round o f stakeholde

r discussion s ma

y b e insufficien

t t o full y revie w th e alternativ e approache s t o NS Rrefor

man d bring th e variouststakeholder s int o agreement . I realiz e it

i s no t alway s possibl e fo

r th e Agenc

y t o satisf y ever y concernedgrou

p prio r t o finalizing arule , bu t

it i s certainl y preferable t o maintai

n acooperativ e approach t o th e greates t exten t possible . I urg e yo u t o continu e discussion s o n improving th e NS Rproces s an dt o wor k diligentl y toward a resolutio n tha

t ca n b e supporte d b y al

l o f th e stakeholders .

DAVI D PRICE Membe r of Congres s DP.dn

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