26606 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 89 / Monday, May 8, 2000 / Notices

for determining whether or not they do.

Conformity to a SIP means that

transportation activities will not

produce new air quality violations,

worsen existing violations, or delay

timely attainment of the national

ambient air quality standards.

The criteria by which we determine

whether a SIP’s motor vehicle emission

budgets are adequate for conformity

purposes are outlined in 40 CFR

93.118(e)(4). Please note that an

adequacy review is separate from EPA’s

completeness review, and it also should

not be used to prejudge EPA’s ultimate

approval of the SIP. Even if we find a

budget adequate, the SIP could later be

disapproved.

We’ve described out process for

determining the adequacy of submitted

SIP budgets in guidance (May 14, 1999

memo titled ‘‘Conformity Guidance on

Implementation of March 2, 1999

Conformity Court Decision’’). We

followed this guidance in making our

adequacy determination.

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401–7671 q.

Dated: April 6, 2000.

William J. Muszynski,

Acting Regional Administrator, Region 2.

[FR Doc. 00–11432 Filed 5–5–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–U

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6602–6]

Office of Research and Development

Board of Scientific Counselors Notice

of Charter Renewal

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of charter renewal.

The Charter for the Environmental

Protection Agency’s Board of Scientific

Counselors (BOSC) will be renewed for

an additional two-year period, as a

necessary committee which is in the

public interest, in accordance with the

provisions of the Federal Advisory

Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. App.

section 9(c). The purpose of the BOSC

is to provide advice and

recommendations to the Assistant

Administrator for the Office of Research

and Development (ORD) on issues

associated with ORD’s research

program. It is determined that the BOSC

is in the public interest in connection

with the performance of duties imposed

on the Agency by law. Inquiries may be

directed to Shirley Hamilton,

Designated Federal Officer, U.S. EPA,

Office of Research and Development

(mail code 8701–R), 1200 Pennsylvania

Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460.

Dated: May 3, 2000.

Peter W. Preuss,

Director, National Center for Environmental

Research.

[FR Doc. 00–11434 Filed 5–5–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–U

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6600–7]

Notice of Sixth Meeting of the

Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico

Watershed Nutrient Task Force

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice; announcement meeting.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

Sixth Meeting of the Mississippi River/

Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task

Force. The purpose of this Task Force

consisting of Federal, State, and Tribal

members, is to lead efforts to coordinate

and support nutrient management and

hypoxia-related activities in the

Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico

watersheds. The major matter to be

discussed at the meeting is what should

be included in a draft Action Plan

which will be available for public

comment. This plan of action is

required by section 604(b) of the

Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia

Research Control Act ( Public Law 105–

383—Coast Guard Authorization Act of

1998). The public will be afforded an

opportunity to provide input to the Task

Force during open discussion periods.

The room accommodates approximately

125 people. Those who plan to make a

statement are asked to indicate their

intention to Dr. Belefski (Contact

Information below).

DATES: The meeting will be held at 1

p.m.–5 p.m., June 15, 2000, and 8 a.m.—

12 p.m., June 16, 2000.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the St. Louis Marriott Pavilion

Downtown Hotel, One Broadway, St.

Louis, MO; (314) 421–1776 or 1(800)

228–9290.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Mary Belefski, U.S. EPA, Assessment

and Watershed Protection Division

(AWPD), Mail Code 4503F, 1200

Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20460, telephone

(202)-260–7061; Internet:

belefski.mary@epa.gov. For additional

information on hotel accommodations

contact Marquietta Davis, Tetra Tech,

Inc., 10306 Eaton Place, Suite 340,

Fairfax, Virginia 22030, telephone: (703)

385–6000; Internet:davisma@tetratechffx.com.

Dated: May 2, 2000.

Robert Wayland,

Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and

Watersheds.

[FR Doc. 00–11429 Filed 5–5–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6600–6]

Project XL Proposed Final Project

Agreement: Georgia-Pacific

Corporation Big Island, Virginia XL

Project

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: EPA is requesting comments

on a proposed Project XL Final Project

Agreement (FPA) for the Georgia-Pacific

Corporation Big Island, Virginia XL

Project (hereafter ‘‘Georgia-Pacific’’).

The FPA is a voluntary agreement

developed collaboratively by GeorgiaPacific, the Virginia Department of

Environmental Quality (VADEQ), the

USDA Forest Service (FS) and the EPA.

Project XL, announced in the Federal

Register on May 23, 1995 (60 FR 27282),

gives regulated entities the flexibility to

develop alternative strategies that will

replace or modify specific regulatory or

procedural requirements on the

condition that they produce greater

environmental benefits. EPA has set a

goal of implementing fifty XL projects

undertaken in full partnership with the

states.

Georgia-Pacific Corporation owns and

operates a non-sulfur, non-bleaching,

semi-chemical pulp and paper mill in

Big Island, Virginia (Mill). The Mill

produces corrugated medium and liner

board (the inside and outside

components of cardboard) from

hardwood pulp and secondary recycled

fiber. The Mill is subject to the Pulp and

Paper Mill Cluster Rule (a hazardous air

pollution standard promulgated under

the federal Clean Air Act (CAA)), which

is based on installation of Maximum

Achievable Control Technology (MACT)

on regulated emission sources. A second

MACT standard applicable to pulp and

paper mills (MACT II), was proposed on

April 15, 1998 to specifically address

emissions from combustion sources

associated with the recovery of pulping

chemicals. At the Mill pulping liquor is

added to hardwood chips, and the

mixture is passed through digesters to

produce the pulp. Currently the Mill

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 89 / Monday, May 8, 2000 / Notices 26607

takes the spent pulping or black liquor,

reduces it through evaporation, and

flame combusts the resultant

concentrated liquor in two ‘‘smelters,’’

also called ‘‘recovery furnaces.’’ The

smelters recover the sodium carbonate

in a molten smelt that is then dissolved

in water to produce new pulping liquor.

Due to the age and physical condition

of the existing smelters at the Mill, to

comply with MACT II Georgia-Pacific

would have to substantially upgrade or

rebuild these units and add additional

emission control devices. Alternatively,

they would need to replace the smelters

with a new recovery boiler that uses

conventional technology. GeorgiaPacific has investigated, and proposes to

install, a third alternative for recovering

pulping chemicals at its facility, using

an innovative black liquor gasification

system. Under this alternative, the

concentrated black liquor would be

pyrolyzed (thermal conversion of

organic compounds) to liberate a

combustible gas (primarily hydrogen),

which in turn would be burned as an

energy source to drive the pyrolysis and

to produce steam to be used elsewhere

in the Big Island facility. Sodium

carbonate pellets would be recovered

during this process for reuse in fresh

pulping liquor.

Georgia-Pacific’s proposed

installation of a black liquor gasification

system would be the first commercial

application of this innovative

gasification technology in the United

States. Deployment of the proposed

gasification technology promises

reduced consumption of fossil fuel,

increased efficiency in energy

conversion and chemical recovery,

elimination of the smelt-water explosion

hazard (inherent to the operation of

conventional recovery boilers), reduced

maintenance costs, and significantly

lower environmental emissions of

criteria pollutants (particulate, sulfur

dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile

organic compounds precursors to

ozone), carbon monoxide), hazardous

air pollutants, and greenhouse gases. If

Georgia-Pacific experiences no problems

or delays in construction and testing of

the gasification technology, GeorgiaPacific expects that its gasifier could be

operational in time to meet the MACT

II standards when they become

effective. However, Georgia-Pacific is

pursuing an XL Project for its Mill for

the following reasons:

(1) to be able to operate the existing

smelters past the otherwise applicable

MACT II compliance date, if necessary,

while the gasification system is brought

on line and during a limited trial of the

gasification system using black liquor

from Kraft pulp mills;

(2) to assure that if the gasification

system fails, Georgia-Pacific would be

allowed to operate its existing smelters,

as necessary, past the otherwise

applicable MACT II compliance date

while it constructs a conventional

recovery boiler; and

(3) to allow the steam generated by

the new process to be utilized elsewhere

at the Mill.

This project does not include

modifications to production areas of the

Mill. This project is not intended to

increase pulp or paper production. The

new gasification system will be similar

in capacity to the existing smelters. Due

to the extensive nature of the

stateholder process conducted by

Georgia-Pacific on this project, the

comment period will be 14 days.

DATES: The period for submission of

comments ends on May 22, 2000.

ADDRESSEES: All comments on the

proposed Final Project Agreement

should be sent to: Steven Donohue, EPA

Region III, 1650 Arch Street,

Philadelphia, PA 19103–2029, or David

Beck, Mail Drop 10 EPA Research

Triangle Park, NC 27711. Comments

may also be faxed to Mr. Donohue at

(215) 814–2783 or to Mr. Beck at (919)

541–2464. Comments may also be

received via electronic mail sent to:

donohue.steve@epa.gov or

beck.david@epa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To

obtain a copy of the proposed Final

Project Agreement or a Fact Sheet,

contact: Steven Donohue, EPA Region

III 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania 19103–2029, or David

Beck, Mail Drop 10 EPA Research

Triangle Park, NC 27711. The FPA and

related documents are also available via

the Internet at the following location:

http://www.epa.gov/ProjectXL. In

addition, public files on the project,

including the FPA, are located in the

Big Island Public Library, 1111

Schooldays Road, Big Island, VA 24526

(804) 299–5604 and in the Amherst

County Public Library, P.O. Box 370,

Amherst, Virginia 24521 (804) 946–

9388. Questions to EPA regarding the

documents can be directed to Steven

Donohue at (215) 814–3215 or David

Beck at (919) 541–5421. To be included

on the Georgia-Pacific Project XL

mailing list for information about future

public meetings, XL progress reports

and other mailings from Georgia-Pacific

on the XL project, contact Pat Moore,

Georgia-Pacific Corporation, P.O. Box 40

Highway 501 North, Big Island, Virginia

24526 (804) 299–5911 ext. 286. For

information on all other aspects of the

XL Program contact Christopher Knopes

at the following address: Office of

Policy, Economics and Innovation,

United States Environmental Protection

Agency, 401 M Street, SW Room M3802

(Mail Code 1802), Washington, DC

20460. Additional information on

Project XL, including documents

referenced in this notice, other EPA

policy documents related to Project XL,

regional XL contacts, application

information, and descriptions of

existing XL projects and proposals, is

available via the Internet at http://

www.epa.gov/ProjectXL.

Dated: May 2, 2000.

Elizabeth A. Shaw,

Deputy Associate Administrator for

Reinvention Programs.

[FR Doc. 00–11428 Filed 5–5–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6586–7]

Water Pollution Control; Program

Modification Application by Wisconsin

to Administer the Sludge Management

(Biosolids) Program

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of application and public

comment period.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to 40 CFR 123.62

and 40 CFR part 501, the State of

Wisconsin has submitted to EPA an

application to modify the existing

Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge

Elimination System (WPDES) program

to include administration and

enforcement of the sludge management

(biosolids) program where it has

jurisdiction. Specifically, the State is

seeking approval of a sludge

management program which addresses

the land application of sludge, surface

disposal of sludge, and the landfilling of

sludge. Wisconsin is not seeking

approval for the incineration of sludge

or the land application of septage. The

state’s sludge management program will

not extend to ‘‘Indian Country’’ as

defined in 18 U.S.C. 1151, and will not

include lands within the exterior

boundaries of Indian reservations

within or abutting the State of

Wisconsin, as they are not seeking

approval for these areas at this time.

According to the state’s proposal, this

program would be administered by the

Wisconsin Department of Natural

Resources (WDNR).

The application from Wisconsin is

complete and is available for inspection

and copying. Public comments are

requested and encouraged.