Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 19 / Monday, January 29, 1996 / Notices 2821

ACTION: Notice of permits.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) is approving 5-

year Phase I Acid Rain permits or

permit modifications including sulfur

dioxide (SO2) and/or nitrogen oxides

(NOX) compliance plans in accordance

with the Acid Rain Program regulations

(40 CFR parts 72 and 76), for the

following 21 utility plants: E C Gaston,

Gadsden, Gorgas, and J.H. Miller in

Alabama; Big Bend, Crist, Jack Watson,

Lansing Smith, Scholz, and Victor J.

Daniel in Florida; Arkwright, Harllee

Branch, McIntosh, Mitchell, Port

Wentworth, and Scherer in Georgia;

Dunkirk and Roseton in New York; and

Harrison, Rivesville, and Willow Island

in West Virginia.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Contact the following persons for more

information about a permit listed in this

notice: for plants in Alabama, Florida,

and Georgia, call Scott Davis, (404) 347–

5014; for plants in New York, call Gerry

DeGaetano, (212) 637–4020; and for

plants in West Virginia, call Linda

Miller, (215) 597–7547.

Dated: January 23, 1996.

Brian J. McLean,

Director, Acid Rain Division, Office of

Atmospheric Programs, Office of Air and

Radiation.

[FR Doc. 96–1547 Filed 1–26–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

[FRL–5409–3]

Clean Air Act; Acid Rain Provisions

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency.

ACTION: Notice of the 1996 EPA SO2

Allowance Auctions.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Title IV of the

Clean Air Act and 40 CFR Part 73, the

EPA is responsible for implementing a

program to reduce emissions of sulfur

dioxide (SO2), a precursor of acid rain.

The centerpiece of the SO2 control

program is the allocation of transferable

allowances, or authorizations to emit

SO2, which are distributed in limited

quantities for existing utility units and

which eventually must be held by

virtually all utility units to cover their

SO2 emissions. These allowances may

be transferred among polluting sources

and others, so that market forces may

govern their ultimate use and

distribution, resulting in the most costeffective sharing of the emissions

control burden. In addition, EPA is

directed under Section 416 of the Act to

conduct annual sales and auctions of a

small portion of allowances (2.8%)

withheld from the total allowances

allocated to utilities each year. Sales

and auctions are expected to stimulate

and support such a market in

allowances and to provide a public

source of allowances, particularly to

new units for which no allowances are

allocated. Today, the Acid Rain Division

is giving notice of the fourth annual SO2

allowance auctions. The regulations

governing the auctions and sales were

promulgated on December 17, 1991 (40

CFR Part 73, Subpart E).

EPA has delegated the administration

of the EPA allowance auctions to the

Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). The

auctions will be conducted under the

regulations cited above. Anyone can

participate in the EPA auctions and

bidders are not restricted as to the

quantity or price of their bid.

Allowances sold at the auctions will be

sold to the highest bidder until no

allowances remain. The 1996 auctions

will consist of one ‘‘spot’’ auction and

two ‘‘advance’’ auctions. Allowances

sold in the spot auction are useable for

compliance beginning in 1996.

Allowances sold in the 6-year advance

auction are useable for compliance

beginning in 2002; allowances sold in

the 7-year advance auction are useable

for compliance beginning in 2003.

25,000 allowances—the unsold

allowances from the 1995 direct sale—

will be sold in the 6-year advance

auction, 150,000 allowances will be sold

in the spot auction and 100,000

allowances will be sold in the 7-year

advance auction. Bid Forms for the 1996

auctions must be received by the CBOT

by the close of business on March 19,

1996. The auctions themselves will be

conducted on March 25, 1996, with the

results announced the next day.

All bids in previous auctions were

required to be in whole dollars.

Beginning with the March 1996

auctions, bids will be accepted in

increments of $0.01.

CBOT will also sell in the 1996

auctions any spot, 6-year advance, or 7-

year advance allowances that are offered

by others holding allowances in EPA’s

Allowance Tracking System. However,

offered allowances will be sold after the

allowances that were withheld from the

utilities, so offered allowances will

consequently be sold at a lower price

than the withheld allowances. Owners

of offered allowances may set a

minimum price for their allowances.

However, under 40 CFR § 73.70, such

offered allowances must have a

minimum price in whole dollars. To

offer allowances in the EPA auctions,

owners of allowances must submit a

SO2 Allowance Offer Form to EPA by

the close of business on March 1, 1996.

The auction and sale regulations require

that offer forms be received by EPA no

later than 15 business days prior to the

date of the auctions.

ADDRESSES:

U.S. EPA Acid Rain Division (6204J),

Attn: Auctions and Sales, 401 M St.,

S.W., Washington, DC 20460.

Chicago Board of Trade, Attn: EPA

Auctions, 141 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite

2240, Chicago, IL 60604.

Forms needed to participate in the

EPA auctions are available from the

Acid Rain Division. To obtain forms,

call the Acid Rain Hotline at (202) 233–

9620.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Information

on bidding in the 1996 EPA auctions

can be found in the brochure ‘‘How to

Bid in the EPA SO2 Allowance

Auctions, Fourth Annual Auctions—

March 25, 1996;’’ general information

on the EPA auctions can be found in the

‘‘Acid Rain Program Allowance

Auctions and Direct Sales’’ fact sheet.

These publications can be obtained by

calling the Acid Rain Hotline, by

writing to EPA at the address listed

above, or by accessing the Acid Rain

Program home page on the Internet at

http://www.epa.gov/docs/acidrain/

ardhome.html where additional

information on the Acid Rain Program

is also available.

Dated: January 19, 1996.

Brian J. McLean,

Director, Acid Rain Division.

[FR Doc. 96–1548 Filed 1–26–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

[FRL–5408–4]

Notice of Rechartering of the Local

Government Advisory Committee

The Environmental Protection

Agency’s (EPA) Local Government

Advisory Committee (LGAC) has been

rechartered through December 31, 1997,

as a necessary committee which is in

the public interest, and in accordance

with the provisions of the Federal

Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The

purpose of the LGAC is to provide

authoritative analysis and advice to the

EPA Administrator regarding how to

achieve more effective and efficient

implementation of Federal

environmental programs by local

governments. The Committee

membership is balanced with

representation from Local and State

government officials, Congressional

staff, environmental interest groups, and

labor unions.