*** PUBLIC NOTICE ***

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Outer Continental Shelf Air Permit OCS-EPA-R4008

for BHP Billiton Petroleum, Inc.

Public Comment Period: April 4 – May 7, 2012

The United States Environmental Protection Agency is seeking public comment on a draft Clean 

Air Act (CAA) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) air permit for BHP Billiton Petroleum, Inc.

(BHPB), 1360 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 150, Houston, Texas 77056. The draft permit will regulate 

air pollutant emissions from one of two deepwater exploratory drilling vessels and associated 

support fleet that BHPB proposes to operate within DeSoto Canyon OCS lease blocks 499, 543-

545, 586-592, 631-640, 676-685, 721-729, 768-773, and 815-817 in the Gulf of Mexico. The 

drilling area is located approximately 120 miles southeast of the nearest Louisiana shoreline, 139 

miles south southeast of the nearest Mississippi shoreline, and 125 miles south of the nearest 

Alabama and Florida shorelines. The project will last for less than two years and does not 

include the establishment of any permanent production platforms.

EPA Region 4 is the agency responsible for implementing and enforcing CAA 

requirements for OCS sources in the Gulf of Mexico east of longitude 87.5o. Pursuant to section 

328 of the CAA, 42 U.S.C. § 7627, and the air quality regulations applicable to OCS sources set 

forth in Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), part 55, an OCS source is required to 

obtain an air quality permit before beginning construction and an operating permit within 12 

months of becoming an OCS source. BHPB has opted to apply for an operating permit 

concurrently with the preconstruction air quality permit. EPA has completed review of BHPB’s

air permit application and supplemental material and is soliciting comments on our proposal to 

issue Permit No. OCS-EPA-R4008 to BHPB for an exploratory drilling project subject to the 

terms and conditions described in the permit.

EPA has prepared a draft permit for public comment, as well as a preliminary 

determination/statement of basis document that explains the derivation of the permit conditions. 

These documents are available on EPA Region 4’s website at: 

http://www.epa.gov/region4/air/permits/ocspermits/ocspermits.html. To request a copy of these 

documents or to be added to our BHPB permit mailing list, please contact: Ms. Rosa Yarbrough,

Permit Support Specialist at 404-562-9643 or R4OCSpermits@epa.gov. For questions on the 

draft permit, please contact: Mr. Andrew Porter at 404-562-9184 or porter.andrew@epa.gov.

Send comments on the draft permit and requests for a public hearing to: Andrew 

Porter, EPA Region 4, APTMD, 61 Forsyth Street, SW, Atlanta, GA 30303; Fax: (404) 562-9066

Email: R4OCSpermits@epa.gov, or submit comments electronically via www.regulations.gov, 

which can be accessed through the EPA Region 4 website listed above. Public Comments must 

be received by email, submitted electronically via www.regulations.gov, or postmarked by

May 7, 2012. Public Hearing requests must be received by EPA by email or mail by April 

20, 2012.

Project Emissions: The maximum potential annual emissions in tons per year for each 

drillship and support vessels are summarized in the following table. The project is a temporary 

source subject to Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Title V permitting requirements. 

BHPB is required to apply Best Available Control Technology for emissions of NOX, CO, VOC, 

PM/PM10/PM2.5, and greenhouse gases (GHGs).
Pollutant C.R. Luigs

Potential to 

Emit, Tons per 

Year

DD1

Potential to Emit, 

Tons per Year

Significant Emission 

Rate, Tons per year

PSD Review 

Required?

PM 66.02 59.62 25 Yes

PM10 41.15 34.94 15 Yes

PM2.5 40.16 33.96 10 Yes

NOX

1

1699.60 1306.04 40 Yes

SO2

1

0.91 0.88 40 No

H2SO4 0.03 0.03 7 No

CO 373.69 308.53 100 Yes

VOC181.61 74.36 40 Yes

GHGs 

(CO2e) 101,574.72 97,503.61 75,000 (subject toregulation threshold) Yes

Lead 0.02 0.02 0.60 No

1 NOX and VOC are the measured precursors for the criteria pollutant ozone. NOX & SO2 are precursors for PM2.5.

Public Comments: Any interested person may submit written comments on the draft 

permit during the public comment period. If you believe any condition of the permit is 

inappropriate, you must raise all reasonably ascertainable issues and submit all reasonably 

available arguments supporting your position by the end of the comment period. Any documents 

supporting your comments must be included in full and may not be incorporated by reference 

unless they are already part of the record for this permit or consist of state or federal statutes or 

regulations, EPA documents of general applicability, or other generally available reference 

materials. 

Comments should focus on the draft air quality permit, the permit terms, and the air quality 

aspects of the project. The objective of the OCS air quality program is to control air pollution 

from OCS sources to attain and maintain ambient air quality standards and to prevent significant 

adverse environmental impact from air pollution by a new or modified OCS source. If you have 

more general concerns regarding things such as leasing, non-air quality impacts, drilling safety, 

discharge, etc., these should be addressed during the leasing and approval proceedings of the 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which is the lead agency for this project. 

All comments on the draft permit must be received by email, submitted electronically via 

www.regulations.gov, which can be accessed through the EPA Region 4 website listed above, or 

postmarked by May 7, 2012. An extension of the 30-day comment period may be granted if the 

request for an extension adequately demonstrates why additional time is required to prepare

comments. Comments must be sent or delivered in writing to the address above. All comments 

will be included in the public docket without change and may be made available to the public, 

including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes Confidential Business 

Information or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Information that you 

consider Confidential Business Information or otherwise protected should be clearly identified as 

such and should not be submitted through email. If you send email directly to EPA, your email 

address will be captured automatically and included as part of the public comment. Please note 

that an email or postal address must be provided with your comments if you wish to receive 

direct notification of EPA’s final decision regarding the permit and responses to comments 

submitted during the public comment period.

All timely comments will be considered in making the final decision, included in the 
record, and responded to by EPA. Similar comments may be grouped together in our response, 

and EPA will not respond to individual commenters directly.

Public Hearing: EPA has discretion to hold a public hearing if we determine there is 

significant public interest in the draft permit. Requests for a public hearing must be received by 

EPA by email or mail by April 20, 2012, and must state the nature of the issues proposed to be 

raised in the hearing. If a public hearing is held, you may submit oral or written comments on the 

proposed permit at the hearing. You do not need to attend the public hearing to submit written 

comments. If there is significant public interest, a public hearing will be held on May 3, 2012, 

from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., at the following location: Palmetto Branch Library,

923 6th Street West, Palmetto, Florida, 34221, (941) 722-3333. If no timely request for a public 

hearing is received or EPA determines that there is not significant interest, the hearing will be 

cancelled. An announcement of cancellation will be posted on EPA’s website at:

http://www.epa.gov/region4/air/permits/ocspermits/ocspermits.html or you may call EPA at the 

contact number above to determine if the public hearing has been cancelled.

Permit Documents: EPA’s draft permit and preliminary determination/statement of 

basis; BHPB’s application and supporting documentation; and comments received from the 

public, other government agencies, and the applicant during the public comment period become 

part of the administrative record for the permit. All data submitted by the applicant is available 

as part of the administrative record. The administrative record is available through EPA’s 

website: http://www.epa.gov/region4/air/permits/ocspermits/ocspermits.html. The administrative 

record is also available at the EPA Region 4 office (please call in advance for available viewing 

times): 61 Forsyth Street, SW, Atlanta, GA 30303, Phone: (404) 562-9643.

Final Determination: A final decision to issue a permit or to deny the application for the 

permit shall be made after all comments have been considered. Notice of the final decision shall 

be sent to each person who has submitted written comments or requested notice of the final 

permit decision, provided EPA has adequate contact information.