[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 88 (Monday, May 7, 2001)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 22927-22929]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-10988]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 62

[SC-038-200102(a); FRL-6973-9]


Approval and Promulgation of State Plans for Designated 
Facilities and Pollutants: South Carolina

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Direct final rule.

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SUMMARY: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is 
approving the section 111(d)/129 Plan submitted by the South Carolina 
Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) for the State of 
South Carolina on September 19, 2000, to implement and enforce the 
Emissions Guidelines (EG) for existing Hospital/Medical/Infectious 
Waste Incinerator (HMIWI) units.

DATES: This direct final rule is effective on July 6, 2001, without 
further notice, unless EPA receives adverse comment by June 6, 2001. If 
EPA receives adverse comment, we will publish a timely withdrawal of 
the direct final rule in the Federal Register and inform the public 
that the rule will not take effect.

ADDRESSES: You should address comments on this action to Gregory 
Crawford, EPA Region 4, Air Planning Branch, 61 Forsyth Street, SW, 
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3104.
    Copies of all materials considered in this rulemaking may be 
examined during normal business hours at the following locations: EPA 
Region 4, Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center, 61 Forsyth Street, SW, 
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3104; and at the South Carolina Department of 
Health and Environmental Control, Bureau of Air Quality Control, 2600 
Bull Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29201.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory Crawford at (404) 562-9046 or 
Scott Davis at (404) 562-9127.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

I. What action is being taken by EPA today?
II. The HMIWI State Plan Requirement
    What is a HMIWI State Plan?
    Why are we requiring South Carolina to submit a HMIWI State 
Plan?
    Why do we need to regulate air emissions from HMIWIs?
    What criteria must a HMIWI State Plan meet to be approved?
III. What does the South Carolina State Plan contain?
IV. Is my HMIWI subject to these regulations?
V. What steps do I need to take?
VI. Why is the South Carolina HMIWI State Plan approvable?
VII. Administrative Requirements

I. What Action Is Being Taken by EPA Today?

    We are approving the South Carolina State Plan, as submitted on 
September 19, 2000, for the control of air emissions from HMIWIs, 
except for those HMIWIs located in Indian Country. When EPA developed 
our New Source Performance Standard (NSPS) for HMIWIs, we also 
developed EG to control air emissions from older HMIWIs. (See 62 FR 
48348-48391, September 15, 1997, 40 CFR part 60, subpart Ce [Emission 
Guidelines and Compliance Times for HMIWIs] and subpart Ec [Standards 
of Performance for HMIWIs for Which Construction is Commenced After 
June 20, 1996]). The South Carolina DHEC developed a State Plan, as 
required by sections 111(d) and 129 of the Clean Air Act (the Act), to 
adopt the EG into their body of regulations, and we are acting today to 
approve it.
    We are publishing this action without prior proposal because we 
view this as a noncontroversial amendment and anticipate no adverse 
comments. However, in a separate document in this Federal Register 
publication, we are proposing to approve the revision should 
significant, material, and adverse comments be filed. This action is 
effective July 6, 2001, unless by June 6, 2001, adverse or critical 
comments are received. If we receive such comments, this action will be 
withdrawn before the effective date by publishing a subsequent notice 
that will withdraw the final action. All public comments received will 
be addressed in a subsequent final rule based on this action serving as 
a proposed rule. We will not institute a second comment period on this 
action. Any parties interested in commenting on this action should do 
so at this time. If no such comments are received, this action is 
effective July 6, 2001.

II. The HMIWI State Plan Requirement

What Is a HMIWI State Plan?

    A HMIWI State Plan is a plan to control air pollutant emissions 
from existing incinerators which burn hospital waste or medical/
infectious waste. The plan also includes source and emission 
inventories of these incinerators in the State.

[[Page 22928]]

Why Are We Requiring South Carolina To Submit a HMIWI State Plan?

    States are required under sections 111(d) and 129 of the Act to 
submit State Plans to control emissions from existing HMIWIs in the 
State. The State Plan requirement was triggered when EPA published the 
EG for HMIWIs under 40 CFR part 60, subpart Ce (see 62 FR 48348, 
September 15, 1997).
    Under section 129, EPA is required to promulgate EG for several 
types of existing solid waste incinerators. These EG establish the 
Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards that States must 
adopt to comply with the Act. The HMIWI EG also establishes 
requirements for monitoring, operator training, permits, and a waste 
management plan that must be included in State Plans.
    The intent of the State Plan requirement is to reduce several types 
of air pollutants associated with waste incineration.

Why Do We Need To Regulate Air Emissions From HMIWIs?

    The State Plan establishes control requirements which reduce the 
following emissions from HMIWIs: particulate matter; sulfur dioxide; 
hydrogen chloride; nitrogen oxides; carbon monoxide; lead; cadmium; 
mercury; and dioxin/furans. These pollutants can cause adverse effects 
to the public health and the environment. Dioxin, lead, and mercury 
bioaccumulate through the food web. Serious developmental and adult 
effects in humans, primarily damage to the nervous system, have been 
associated with exposures to mercury. Exposure to dioxin and furans can 
cause skin disorders, cancer, and reproductive effects such as 
endometriosis. Dioxin and furans can also affect the immune system. 
Acid gases affect the respiratory tract, as well as contribute to the 
acid rain that damages lakes and harms forests and buildings. Exposure 
to particulate matter has been linked with adverse health effects, 
including aggravation of existing respiratory and cardiovascular 
disease and increased risk of premature death. Nitrogen oxide emissions 
contribute to the formation of ground level ozone, which is associated 
with a number of adverse health and environmental effects.

What Criteria Must a HMIWI State Plan Meet To Be Approved?

    The criteria for approving a HMIWI State Plan include requirements 
from sections 111(d) and 129 of the Act and 40 CFR part 60, subpart B. 
Under the requirements of sections 111(d) and 129 of the Act, a State 
Plan must be at least as protective as the EG regarding applicability, 
emission limits, compliance schedules, performance testing, monitoring 
and inspections, operator training and certification, waste management 
plans, and recordkeeping and reporting. Under section 129(e), State 
Plans must ensure that affected HMIWI facilities submit Title V permit 
applications to the State by September 15, 2000. Under the requirements 
of 40 CFR part 60, subpart B, the criteria for an approvable section 
111(d) plan include demonstration of legal authority, enforceable 
mechanisms, public participation documentation, source and emission 
inventories, and a State progress report commitment.

III. What Does the South Carolina State Plan Contain?

    The South Carolina DHEC adopted the Federal EG and NSPS into 
Chapter 61 of the South Carolina Code, Regulation No. 61-62.5, Standard 
Number 3.1, ``Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators.'' The 
State rules were effective on May 26, 2000. The South Carolina State 
Plan contains:
    1. A demonstration of the State's legal authority to implement the 
section 111(d)/129 State Plan;
    2. State rule, Standard Number 3.1, as the enforceable mechanism;
    3. An inventory of approximately 4 known designated facilities, 
along with estimates of their potential air emissions;
    4. Emission limits that are as protective as the EG;
    5. A compliance date of May 26, 2001;
    6. Testing, monitoring, reporting and recordkeeping requirements 
for the designated facilities;
    7. Records from the public hearing on the State Plan; and,
    8. Provisions for progress reports to EPA.

IV. Is My HMIWI Subject to These Regulations?

    The EG for existing HMIWIs affect any HMIWI built on or before June 
20, 1996. If your facility meets this criterion, you are subject to 
these regulations.

V. What Steps Do I Need To Take?

    You must meet the requirements listed in South Carolina Regulation 
No. 61-62.5, Standard Number 3.1, summarized as follows:
    1. Determine the size of your incinerator by establishing its 
maximum design capacity.
    2. Each size category of HMIWI has certain emission limits 
established which your incinerator must meet. See Table I of Section 
III (Emission Limitations) of Standard Number 3.1, to determine the 
specific emission limits which apply to you. The emission limits apply 
at all times, except during startup, shutdown, or malfunctions, 
provided that no waste has been charged during these events.
    3. There are provisions to address small rural incinerators (if 
your unit is applicable).
    4. You must meet a 10% opacity limit on your discharge, averaged 
over a six-minute block.
    5. You must have a qualified HMIWI operator available to supervise 
the operation of your incinerator. This operator must be trained and 
qualified through a State-approved program, or a training program that 
meets the requirements listed under Section IX (Operator Training and 
Qualification Requirements) of Standard Number 3.1.
    6. Your operator must be certified, as discussed in 5 above, no 
later than May 26, 2001.
    7. You must develop and submit to South Carolina DHEC a waste 
management plan. This plan must be developed under guidance provided by 
the American Hospital Association publication, An Ounce of Prevention: 
Waste Reduction Strategies for Health Care Facilities, 1993, and must 
be submitted to South Carolina DHEC no later than 60 days following the 
initial performance test for the affected unit.
    8. You must conduct an initial performance test to determine your 
incinerators compliance with these emission limits. This performance 
test must be completed no later than May 26, 2001, and as required 
under 40 CFR 60.37e and Section IV (Performance Specifications) of 
Standard Number 3.1.
    9. You must install and maintain devices to monitor the parameters 
listed under Table IV of Section V (Monitoring Requirements) of 
Standard 3.1.
    10. You must document and maintain information concerning pollutant 
concentrations, opacity measurements, charge rates, and other 
operational data. This information must be maintained for a period of 
five years.
    11. You must submit an annual report to South Carolina DHEC 
containing records of annual equipment inspections, any required 
maintenance, and unscheduled repairs. This annual report must be signed 
by the facilities manager.y

VI. Why Is the South Carolina HMIWI State Plan Approvable?

    EPA compared the South Carolina rules (Chapter 61 of the South 
Carolina Code, Regulation No. 61-62.5, Standard

[[Page 22929]]

Number 3.1) against our HMIWI EG. EPA finds the South Carolina rules to 
be at least as protective as the EG. The South Carolina State Plan was 
reviewed for approval against the following criteria: 40 CFR 60.23 
through 60.26, Subpart B--Adoption and Submittal of State Plans for 
Designated Facilities; 40 CFR 60.30e through 60.39e, Subpart Ce--
Emission Guidelines and Compliance Times for Hospital/Medical/
Infectious Waste Incinerators; and, 40 CFR 62.14400 through 62.14495, 
Subpart HHH--Federal Plan Requirements for Hospital/Medical/Infectious 
Waste Incinerators Constructed on or before June 20, 1996. The South 
Carolina State Plan satisfies the requirements for an approvable 
section 111(d)/129 plan under subparts B and Ce of 40 CFR part 60 and 
subpart HHH of 40 CFR part 62. For these reasons, we are approving the 
South Carolina HMIWI State Plan.

VII. Administrative Requirements

    Under Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993), this 
action is not a ``significant regulatory action'' and therefore is not 
subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget. This action 
merely approves state law as meeting federal requirements and imposes 
no additional requirements beyond those imposed by state law. 
Accordingly, the Administrator certifies that this rule will not have a 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities 
under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). Because 
this rule approves pre-existing requirements under state law and does 
not impose any additional enforceable duty beyond that required by 
state law, it does not contain any unfunded mandate or significantly or 
uniquely affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded 
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-4). This rule also does not 
have a substantial direct effect on one or more Indian tribes, on the 
relationship between the Federal Government and Indian tribes, or on 
the distribution of power and responsibilities between the Federal 
Government and Indian tribes, as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 
FR 67249, November 9, 2000), nor will it have substantial direct 
effects on the States, on the relationship between the national 
government and the States, or on the distribution of power and 
responsibilities among the various levels of government, as specified 
in Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999), because it 
merely approves a state rule implementing a federal standard, and does 
not alter the relationship or the distribution of power and 
responsibilities established in the Clean Air Act. This rule also is 
not subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997), 
because it is not economically significant.
    In reviewing SIP submissions, EPA's role is to approve state 
choices, provided that they meet the criteria of the Clean Air Act. In 
this context, in the absence of a prior existing requirement for the 
State to use voluntary consensus standards (VCS), EPA has no authority 
to disapprove a SIP submission for failure to use VCS. It would thus be 
inconsistent with applicable law for EPA, when it reviews a SIP 
submission, to use VCS in place of a SIP submission that otherwise 
satisfies the provisions of the Clean Air Act. Thus, the requirements 
of section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement 
Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) do not apply. As required by section 3 
of Executive Order 12988 (61 FR 4729, February 7, 1996), in issuing 
this rule, EPA has taken the necessary steps to eliminate drafting 
errors and ambiguity, minimize potential litigation, and provide a 
clear legal standard for affected conduct. EPA has complied with 
Executive Order 12630 (53 FR 8859, March 15, 1988) by examining the 
takings implications of the rule in accordance with the ``Attorney 
General's Supplemental Guidelines for the Evaluation of Risk and 
Avoidance of Unanticipated Takings'' issued under the executive order. 
This rule does not impose an information collection burden under the 
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et 
seq.)
    The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. section 801 et seq., as 
added by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 
1996, generally provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency 
promulgating the rule must submit a rule report, which includes a copy 
of the rule, to each House of the Congress and to the Comptroller 
General of the United States. EPA will submit a report containing this 
rule and other required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House 
of Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United States 
prior to publication of the rule in the Federal Register. A major rule 
cannot take effect until 60 days after it is published in the Federal 
Register. This action is not a ``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C. 
section 804(2).
    Under section 307(b)(1) of the Act, petitions for judicial review 
of this action must be filed in the United States Court of Appeals for 
the appropriate circuit by July 6, 2001. Filing a petition for 
reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule does not affect 
the finality of this rule for the purposes of judicial review nor does 
it extend the time within which a petition for judicial review may be 
filed, and shall not postpone the effectiveness of such rule or action. 
This action may not be challenged later in proceedings to enforce its 
requirements. (See section 307(b)(2).)

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 62

    Environmental protection, Administrative practice and procedure, 
Air pollution control, Hospital/medical/infectious waste incineration, 
Intergovernmental relations, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

    Dated: April 12, 2001.
A. Stanley Meiburg,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4.

    40 CFR part 62 of the Code of Federal Regulations is amended as 
follows:

PART 62--[AMENDED]

    1. The authority citation for part 62 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401-7642.

Subpart PP--South Carolina

    2. Section 62.10100 is amended by adding paragraphs (b)(5) and 
(c)(5) to read as follows:


Sec. 62.10100  Identification of plan.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (5) South Carolina Designated Facility Plan (Section 111(d)/129) 
for Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators, submitted on 
September 19, 2000, by the South Carolina Department of Health and 
Environmental Control.
    (c) * * *
    (5) Existing hospital/medical/infectious waste incinerators.
    3. Subpart PP is amended by adding a new Sec. 62.10170 and a new 
undesignated center heading to read as follows:

Air Emissions From Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators


Sec. 62.10170  Identification of sources.

    The plan applies to existing hospital/medical/infectious waste 
incinerators for which construction, reconstruction, or modification 
was commenced before June 20, 1996, as described in 40 CFR part 60, 
subpart Ce.

[FR Doc. 01-10988 Filed 5-4-01; 8:45 am]
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