Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 153 / Monday, August 10, 2015 / Proposed Rules 47883 

TABLE 1—SUBMITTED RULES—Continued 

Agency Citation 

(section) Title State effective date Submitted Explanation 

SRCAA ........ 8.04 Emission Performance Standards .............. 09/02/15 07/10/15 Except SRCAA’s incorporation 

by reference of WAC 173– 

433–130, 173–433–170, and 

173–433–200. 

SRCAA ........ 8.05 Opacity Standards ...................................... 09/02/15 07/10/15 

SRCAA ........ 8.06 Prohibited Fuel Types ................................ 09/02/15 07/10/15 

SRCAA ........ 8.07 Curtailment (Burn Ban) ............................... 09/02/15 07/10/15 

SRCAA ........ 8.08 Exemptions ................................................. 09/02/15 07/10/15 

SRCAA ........ 8.09 Procedure to Geographically Limit Solid 

Fuel Burning Devices.

09/02/15 07/10/15 

SRCAA ........ 8.10 Restrictions on Installation and Sales of 

Solid Fuel Burning Devices.

09/02/15 07/10/15 

IV. Incorporation by Reference 

In accordance with requirements of 1 

CFR 51.5, the EPA is proposing to revise 

our incorporation by reference of 40 

CFR 52.2470(c)—Table 9 ‘‘Additional 

Regulations Approved for the Spokane 

Regional Clean Air Agency (SRCAA) 

Jurisdiction’’ to reflect the regulations 

shown in Table 1. The EPA has made, 

and will continue to make, these 

documents generally available 

electronically through 

www.regulations.gov and/or in hard 

copy at the appropriate EPA office (see 

the ADDRESSES section of this preamble 

for more information). 

V. Statutory and Executive Order 

Reviews 

Under the CAA, the Administrator is 

required to approve a SIP submission 

that complies with the provisions of the 

CAA and applicable Federal regulations. 

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

Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions, the 

EPA’s role is to approve state choices, 

provided that they meet the criteria of 

the CAA. Accordingly, this action 

merely proposes to approve state law as 

meeting Federal requirements and does 

not impose additional requirements 

beyond those imposed by state 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 

this action does not involve technical 

standards; and 

• does not provide the 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 rule does not have 

tribal implications as specified by 

Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, 

November 9, 2000), because it will not 

impose substantial direct costs on tribal 

governments or preempt tribal law. This 

SIP revision is not approved to apply in 

Indian reservations in the State or any 

other area where the EPA or an Indian 

tribe has demonstrated that a tribe has 

jurisdiction. 

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52 

Environmental protection, Air 

pollution control, Incorporation by 

reference, and Particulate matter. 

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

Dated: July 27, 2015. 

Dennis J. McLerran, 

Regional Adminstrator, Region 10. 

[FR Doc. 2015–19280 Filed 8–7–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

40 CFR Part 52 

[EPA–R04–OAR–2015–0247; FRL–9932–23– 

Region 4] 

Approval and Promulgation of 

Implementation Plans; Mississippi; 

Memphis, TN-MS-AR Emissions 

Statements for the 2008 8-Hour Ozone 

Standard 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency. 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a 

draft state implementation plan (SIP) 

revision submitted by the State of 

Mississippi, through the Mississippi 

Department of Environmental Quality 

(MDEQ) on June 1, 2015, for parallel 

processing, to address the emissions 

statement requirements for the State’s 

portion of the Memphis, TennesseeMississippi-Arkansas (Memphis, TNMS-AR) 2008 8-hour ozone national 

ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) 

nonattainment area (hereafter referred to 

as the ‘‘Memphis, TN-MS-AR Area’’ or 

‘‘Area’’). Annual emissions reporting 

(i.e., emissions statements) is required 

for all ozone nonattainment areas. The 

Area is comprised of Shelby County in 

Tennessee, Crittenden County in 

Arkansas, and a portion of DeSoto 

County in Mississippi. In a separate 

action, EPA approved Tennessee’s 

regulations addressing emissions 

statements for its portion of the 

Memphis, TN-MS-AR Area. EPA will 

consider and take action on the 

emissions statements requirements for 

the Arkansas portion of this Area in a 

separate action. This proposed action is 

being taken pursuant to the Clean Air 

Act (CAA or Act) and its implementing 

regulations. 


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47884 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 153 / Monday, August 10, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before September 9, 

2015. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

identified by Docket ID No. EPA–R04– 

OAR–2015–0247, by one of the 

following methods: 

1. www.regulations.gov: Follow the 

on-line instructions for submitting 

comments. 

2. Email: R4-ARMS@epa.gov. 

3. Fax: (404) 562–9019. 

4. Mail: ‘‘EPA–R04–OAR–2015– 

0247,’’ Air Regulatory Management 

Section (formerly Regulatory 

Development Section), Air Planning and 

Implementation 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: Lynorae 

Benjamin, Chief, Air Regulatory 

Management Section (formerly 

Regulatory Development Section), Air 

Planning and Implementation 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 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding 

Federal holidays. 

Instructions: Direct your comments to 

Docket ID No. EPA–R04–OAR–2015– 

0247. EPA’s policy is that all comments 

received will be included in the public 

docket without change and may be 

made available online at 

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 

www.regulations.gov or email, 

information that you consider to be CBI 

or otherwise protected. The 

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 email comment directly 

to EPA without going through 

www.regulations.gov, your email 

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 

www.regulations.gov index. Although 

listed in the index, some information 

may not be 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 www.regulations.gov or 

in hard copy at the Air Regulatory 

Management Section, Air Planning and 

Implementation 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 a.m. to 

4:30 p.m., excluding Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Tiereny Bell, Air Regulatory 

Management Section, Air Planning and 

Implementation Branch, Air, Pesticides 

and Toxics Management Division, U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, 

Region 4, 61 Forsyth Street SW., 

Atlanta, Georgia 30303–8960. Ms. Bell 

can be reached at (404) 562–9088 and 

via electronic mail at bell.tiereny@

epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. What is parallel processing? 

Consistent with EPA regulations 

found at 40 CFR part 51, appendix V, 

section 2.3.1, for purposes of expediting 

review of a SIP submittal, parallel 

processing allows a state to submit a 

plan to EPA prior to actual adoption by 

the state. 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’s 

notice of proposed rulemaking is 

published in the Federal Register 

during the same time frame that the 

state is holding its public process. The 

state and EPA then provide for 

concurrent public comment periods on 

both the state action and federal action. 

If the revision that is finally adopted 

and submitted by the State is changed 

in aspects other than those identified in 

the proposed rulemaking on the parallel 

process submission, EPA will evaluate 

those changes and if necessary and 

appropriate, issue another notice of 

proposed rulemaking. The final 

rulemaking action by EPA will occur 

only after the SIP revision has been 

adopted by the state and submitted 

formally to EPA for incorporation into 

the SIP. 

On June 1, 2015, the State of 

Mississippi, through MDEQ, submitted 

a formal letter request for parallel 

processing of a draft SIP revision that 

the State had already taken through 

public comment. The letter also 

contains a schedule for final adoption of 

the draft SIP revision. MDEQ requested 

parallel processing so that EPA could 

begin to take action on its draft SIP 

revision in advance of the State’s 

submission of the final SIP revision. As 

stated above, the final rulemaking action 

by EPA will occur only after the SIP 

revision has been: (1) Adopted by 

Mississippi, (2) submitted formally to 

EPA for incorporation into the SIP; and 

(3) evaluated by EPA, including any 

changes made by the State after the June 

1, 2015, draft was submitted to EPA. 

II. Background 

On March 12, 2008, EPA promulgated 

a revised 8-hour ozone NAAQS of 0.075 

parts per million (ppm). See 73 FR 

16436 (March 27, 2008). Under EPA’s 

regulations at 40 CFR part 50, the 2008 

8-hour ozone NAAQS is attained when 

the 3-year average of the annual fourthhighest daily maximum 8-hour average 

ambient air quality ozone 

concentrations is less than or equal to 

0.075 ppm. See 40 CFR 50.15. Ambient 

air quality monitoring data for the 3- 

year period must meet a data 

completeness requirement. The ambient 

air quality monitoring data 

completeness requirement is met when 

the average percent of days with valid 

ambient monitoring data is greater than 

90 percent, and no single year has less 

than 75 percent data completeness as 

determined in appendix I of part 50. 

Upon promulgation of a new or 

revised NAAQS, the CAA requires EPA 

to designate as nonattainment any area 

that is violating the NAAQS, based on 

the three most recent years of ambient 

air quality data at the conclusion of the 

designation process. The Memphis, TNMS-AR Area was designated 

nonattainment for the 2008 8-hour 


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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 153 / Monday, August 10, 2015 / Proposed Rules 47885 

1The SIP Requirements Rule addresses a range of 

nonattainment area SIP requirements for the 2008 

ozone NAAQS, including requirements pertaining 

to attainment demonstrations, reasonable further 

progress (RFP), reasonably available control 

technology, reasonably available control measures, 

major new source review, emission inventories, and 

the timing of SIP submissions and of compliance 

with emission control measures in the SIP. The rule 

also revokes the 1997 ozone NAAQS and 

establishes anti-backsliding requirements. 

2A state may waive the emissions statements 

requirement for any class or category of stationary 

sources which emit less than 25 tons per year of 

VOCs or NOX if the state meets the requirements 

of section 182(a)(3)(B)(ii). 

3Mississippi originally submitted a rule to 

address the 2008 8-hour ozone standard in a 

January 14, 2015, SIP revision. However, the State 

subsequently revised its rule to more fully address 

the requirements of section 182(a)(3)(B) and 

submitted the draft revised rule to EPA in a June 

1, 2015, draft SIP submission for parallel 

processing. The June 1, 2015, draft SIP submission 

supersedes the January 14, 2015, submission. 

4This regulation conforms to the new 

nomenclature for Mississippi’s state regulations 

pursuant to the State’s recently amended 

Administrative Procedures Act. Mississippi has not 

provided EPA with a SIP revision to renumber the 

state regulations currently incorporated into the 

SIP. 

ozone NAAQS on April 30, 2012 

(effective July 20, 2012) using 2008– 

2010 ambient air quality data. See 77 FR 

30088 (May 21, 2012). At the time of 

designation, the Memphis, TN-MS-AR 

Area was classified as a marginal 

nonattainment area for the 2008 8-hour 

ozone NAAQS. On March 6, 2015, EPA 

finalized a rule entitled 

‘‘Implementation of the 2008 National 

Ambient Air Quality Standards for 

Ozone: State Implementation Plan 

Requirements’’ (SIP Requirements Rule) 

that establishes the requirements that 

state, tribal, and local air quality 

management agencies must meet as they 

develop implementation plans for areas 

where air quality exceeds the 2008 8- 

hour ozone NAAQS.1 See 80 FR 12264. 

This rule establishes nonattainment area 

attainment dates based on Table 1 of 

section 181(a) of the CAA, including an 

attainment date three years after the July 

20, 2012, effective date, for areas 

classified as marginal for the 2008 8- 

hour ozone NAAQS. Therefore, the 

attainment date for the Memphis, TNMS-AR Area is July 20, 2015. 

Based on the nonattainment 

designation, Mississippi is required to 

develop a nonattainment SIP revision 

addressing certain CAA requirements. 

Specifically, pursuant to CAA section 

182(a)(3)(B), Mississippi is required to 

submit a SIP revision addressing 

emissions statements requirements. 

Ground level ozone is not emitted 

directly into the air, but is created by 

chemical reactions between oxides of 

nitrogen (NOX) and volatile organic 

compounds (VOC) in the presence of 

sunlight. Emissions from industrial 

facilities and electric utilities, motor 

vehicle exhaust, gasoline vapors, and 

chemical solvents are some of the major 

sources of NOX and VOC. Section 

182(a)(3)(B) of the CAA requires each 

state with ozone nonattainment areas to 

submit a SIP revision requiring annual 

emissions statements to be submitted to 

the state by the owner or operator of 

each NOX or VOC stationary source 2

located within a nonattainment area 

showing the actual emissions of NOX

and VOC from that source. The first 

statement is due three years from the 

area’s nonattainment designation, and 

subsequent statements are due at least 

annually thereafter. 

On June 1, 2015, Mississippi 

submitted a draft SIP revision, for 

parallel processing, containing an 

emissions statements requirement 

related to its portion of the Memphis, 

TN-MS-AR Area.3 EPA is now 

proposing to approve this draft SIP 

revision as meeting the requirements of 

section 182(a)(3)(B) of the CAA. More 

information on EPA’s analysis of 

Mississippi’s draft SIP revision is 

provided below. 

III. Analysis of State’s Submittal 

Mississippi’s June 1, 2015, draft 

submission seeks to include 11 

Mississippi Administrative Code 

(MAC), Part 2, Chapter 11, ‘‘Regulations 

for Ambient Air Quality NonAttainment Areas,’’ into its SIP to meet 

the emissions statements requirement of 

the CAA section 182(a)(3)(B).4 This new 

state regulation addresses the emissions 

statements requirement and is 

applicable to sources in the portion of 

DeSoto County, Mississippi, that is 

located within the Area. The June 1, 

2015, draft SIP submittal adds Rule 

11.1—General, which states the purpose 

of the regulation; Rule 11.2— 

Definitions, which defines Commission, 

Department, NAAQS, Nonattainment 

Area and Emissions Statement; and Rule 

11.3—Emissions Statement, which: (1) 

Applies to all stationary sources of NOX

or VOCs which have the potential to 

emit 25 tons or more of either pollutant 

per calendar year and are located in 

areas designated as nonattainment for 

the 2008 ozone NAAQS; (2) requires 

owners and operators of those stationary 

sources of NOX and VOC to provide a 

statement showing the actual emissions 

of NOX and VOCs from that source; and 

(3) requires that emissions statements be 

submitted to MDEQ by July 1 of every 

year, showing actual emissions of the 

previous calendar year and containing a 

certification that the information 

contained in the statement is accurate to 

the best knowledge of the individual 

certifying the statement. EPA has 

determined that this regulation meets all 

of the requirements of CAA section 

182(a)(3)(B) for the Mississippi portion 

of the Area because it covers the portion 

of DeSoto County within the Area and 

satisfies the applicability, certification, 

and other emissions statements criteria 

contained therein. 

IV. Incorporation by Reference 

In this proposed rule, EPA is 

proposing to finalize regulatory text that 

includes incorporation by reference. In 

accordance with requirements of 1 CFR 

51.5, EPA is proposing to finalize the 

incorporate by reference of 11 MAC, 

Part 2, Chapter 11 entitled ‘‘Regulations 

for Ambient Air Quality NonAttainment Areas.’’ EPA has made, and 

will continue to make, these documents 

generally available electronically 

through www.regulations.gov and/or in 

hard copy at the Region 4 EPA office 

(see the ADDRESSES section of this 

preamble for more information). 

V. Proposed Action 

EPA is proposing to approve the draft 

SIP revision submitted by Mississippi 

on June 1, 2015, to incorporate 11 MAC, 

Part 2, Chapter 11, ‘‘Regulations for 

Ambient Air Quality Non-Attainment 

Areas,’’ into its SIP to meet the section 

182(a)(3)(B) emissions statements 

requirement for the Mississippi portion 

of the Memphis, TN-MS-AR Area. EPA 

has preliminarily concluded that the 

State’s submission meets the 

requirements of sections 110 and 182 of 

the CAA. 

VI. 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. 

See 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 action 

merely approves state law as meeting 

federal requirements and does not 

impose additional requirements beyond 

those imposed by state law. For that 

reason, this 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); 

• Does not impose an information 

collection burden under the provisions 

of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.); 


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47886 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 153 / Monday, August 10, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

• 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, the SIP is not approved 

to apply on any Indian reservation land 

or in any other area where EPA or an 

Indian tribe has demonstrated that a 

tribe has jurisdiction. In those areas of 

Indian country, the proposed rule does 

not have tribal implications as specified 

by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, 

November 9, 2000), nor will it impose 

substantial direct costs on tribal 

governments or preempt tribal law. 

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52 

Environmental protection, Air 

pollution control, Incorporation by 

reference, Intergovernmental relations, 

Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements, Volatile 

organic compounds. 

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

Dated: July 30, 2015. 

Heather McTeer Toney, 

Regional Administrator, Region 4. 

[FR Doc. 2015–19589 Filed 8–7–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS 

COMMISSION 

47 CFR Part 11 

[PS Docket No. 15–94; FCC 15–77] 

Amendment of the Commission’s 

Rules Regarding the Emergency Alert 

System 

AGENCY: Federal Communications 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking. 

SUMMARY: In this document, the Federal 

Communications Commission (FCC or 

Commission) seeks comment on 

proposed changes to its rules governing 

the Emergency Alert System (EAS) to 

incorporate three new event codes into 

and revise two geographic location 

codes identified in the EAS rules. 

DATES: Comments are due on or before 

September 9, 2015 and reply comments 

are due on or before September 24, 

2015. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by EB Docket No. 04–296 by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Federal Communications 

Commission’s Web site: http://

www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Mail: Filings can be sent by hand or 

messenger delivery, by commercial 

overnight courier, or by first-class or 

overnight U.S. Postal Service mail 

(although the Commission continues to 

experience delays in receiving U.S. 

Postal Service mail). All filings must be 

addressed to the Commission’s 

Secretary, Office of the Secretary, 

Federal Communications Commission. 

• People with Disabilities: Contact the 

Commission to request reasonable 

accommodations (accessible format 

documents, sign language interpreters, 

CART, etc.) by email: FCC504@fcc.gov 

or phone: 202–418–0530 or TTY: 202– 

418–0432. For detailed instructions for 

submitting comments and additional 

information on the rulemaking process, 

see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

section of this document. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa 

Fowlkes, Deputy Bureau Chief, Public 

Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, 

at (202) 418–7452, or by email at 

Lisa.Fowlkes@fcc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a 

summary of the Commission’s Notice of 

Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in PS 

Docket No. 15–94, FCC 15–77, adopted 

on July 8, 2015, and released on July 10, 

2015. The full text of this document is 

available for inspection and copying 

during normal business hours in the 

FCC Reference Center (Room CY–A257), 

445 12th Street SW., Washington, DC 

20554. The full text may also be 

downloaded at: www.fcc.gov. 

Synopsis of the NPRM 

1. In the NPRM, the Federal 

Communications Commission (FCC or 

Commission) proposes to revise the 

Emergency Alert System (EAS) rules, as 

set forth in a letter and subsequent 

comments filed by the National Weather 

Service (NWS) of the National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA). Specifically, NWS requests 

that the Commission add three new EAS 

event codes, covering extreme wind and 

storm surges, as well as revise the 

territorial boundaries of the geographic 

location codes for two offshore marine 

areas listed in the EAS rules as location 

codes 75 and 77. The Commission 

agrees with NWS that targeted, specific 

warnings ‘‘will help the public and 

emergency officials better respond to 

local threat(s).’’ 

I. Background 

2. The EAS is a national public 

warning system through which 

broadcasters, cable systems, and other 

service providers (EAS Participants) 

deliver alerts to the public to warn them 

of impending emergencies and dangers 

to life and property. The primary 

purpose of the EAS is to provide the 

President with ‘‘the capability to 

provide immediate communications and 

information to the general public at the 

national, state and local levels during 

periods of national emergency.’’ The 

EAS also is used by state and local 

governments, as well as NWS, to 

distribute alerts. According to NWS, 

about 90 percent of all EAS activations 

are generated by NWS and relate to 

short-term weather events. The 

Commission, the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency (FEMA), and the 

NWS implement the EAS at the federal 

level. The EAS is a broadcast-based, 

hierarchical alert message distribution 

system through which an alert message 

originator at the local, state or national 

level encodes (or arranges to have 

encoded) a message in the EAS Protocol, 

which provides basic information about 

the emergency involved. The message is 

then broadcast by one or more EAS 

Participants and subsequently relayed 

from one station to another until all 

affected EAS Participants have received 

the alert and delivered it to the public. 

This process of EAS alert distribution 

among EAS Participants is often referred 

as the ‘‘daisy chain’’ distribution 

architecture. 


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