Document ID: EPA-R10-OAR-2021-0216-0017
Agency: epa
Document Type: Rule
Title: Air Quality State Implementation Plans; Approvals and Promulgations: Alaska; Incorporation by Reference Updates and Permit Program Revisions
Posted Date: 2022-02-10T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 28 (Thursday, February 10, 2022)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 7722-7725]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-02763]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[EPA-R10-OAR-2021-0216; FRL-9168-02-R10]

Air Plan Approval; AK; Incorporation by Reference Updates and 
Permit Program Revisions

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving 
revisions to the Alaska State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted on 
November 10, 2020. The revisions update the adoption by reference of 
certain Federal air regulations and add a pre-approved emission limit 
option that may be used to permit diesel engine facilities, among other 
changes. The EPA's approval makes the revisions federally enforceable 
as part of the Alaska SIP.

DATES: This final rule is effective March 14, 2022.

ADDRESSES: The EPA has established a docket for this action under 
Docket ID No. EPA-R10-OAR-2021-0216. All documents in the docket are 
listed on the https://www.regulations.gov website. Although listed in 
the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., 
Confidential Business Information or other information the disclosure 
of which 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 at https://www.regulations.gov, or please 
contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
section for additional availability information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristin Hall, EPA Region 10, 1200 
Sixth Avenue (Suite 155), Seattle, WA 98101, at (206) 553-6357, or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document wherever ``we'' or 
``our'' is used, it is intended to refer to the EPA.

[[Page 7723]]

Table of Contents

I. Background
II. Final Action
III. Incorporation by Reference
IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

I. Background

    Each state has a SIP containing the control measures and strategies 
to attain and maintain the national ambient air quality standards 
(NAAQS). Alaska establishes state air quality regulations in Alaska 
Administrative Code Title 18 Environmental Conservation, Chapter 50 Air 
Quality Control (18 AAC 50) and submits these regulations for EPA 
approval and incorporation by reference into the Alaska SIP in the Code 
of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 40 CFR part 52, subpart C.
    On November 10, 2020, Alaska submitted revisions to the SIP and the 
EPA proposed to approve the changes on November 17, 2021 (86 FR 
64105).\1\ The reasons for approval are included in the proposed action 
and will not be restated here. The public comment period for the 
proposed action closed on December 17, 2021 and we received no 
comments. Therefore, we are finalizing the action as proposed.
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    \1\ The November 10, 2020 SIP submission also requested EPA 
approval of the Mendenhall Valley and Eagle River Limited 
Maintenance Plans. We approved these submitted plans in separate 
actions. Please see our actions published October 25, 2021 (86 FR 
58807) and November 9, 2021 (86 FR 62096).
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II. Final Action

    The EPA is approving, and incorporating by reference, revisions to 
the Alaska SIP, submitted on November 10, 2020, as being consistent 
with Clean Air Act section 110 and part C and D requirements. Upon the 
effective date of this final action, the Alaska SIP will include the 
following regulations, state effective November 7, 2020:
     18 AAC 50.015 Air Quality Designations, Classifications, 
and Control Regions;
     18 AAC 50.030 State Air Quality Control Plan, except (a);
     18 AAC 50.035 Documents, Procedures and Methods Adopted by 
Reference, except (a)(6), (a)(9), and (b)(4);
     18 AAC 50.040 Federal Standards Adopted by Reference, 
except (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (g), (j) and (k);
     18 AAC 50.077 Standards for Wood-Fired Heating Devices, 
except (h);
     18 AAC 50.205 Certification;
     18 AAC 50.230 Preapproved Emission Limits;
     18 AAC 50.250 Procedures and Criteria for Revising Air 
Quality Classifications;
     18 AAC 50.311 Nonattainment Area Major Stationary Source 
Permits;
     18 AAC 50.502 Minor Permits for Air Quality Protection;
     18 AAC 50.540 Minor Permit: Application;
     18 AAC 50.542 Minor Permit: Review and Issuance; and
     18 AAC 50.990 Definitions.

III. Incorporation by Reference

    In this document, the EPA is finalizing regulatory text in an EPA 
final rule that includes incorporation by reference. In accordance with 
requirements of 1 CFR 51.5, the EPA is finalizing the incorporation by 
reference of the regulations described in section II of this preamble. 
The EPA has made, and will continue to make, these materials generally 
available through https://www.regulations.gov and at the EPA Region 10 
Office (please contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this preamble for more information). 
Therefore, these materials have been approved by the EPA for inclusion 
in the SIP, have been incorporated by reference by the EPA into that 
plan, are fully federally enforceable under sections 110 and 113 of the 
CAA as of the effective date of the final rule of the EPA's approval, 
and will be incorporated by reference by the Director of the Federal 
Register in the next update to the SIP compilation.\2\
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    \2\ 62 FR 27968 (May 22, 1997).
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IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

    Under the Clean Air Act, the Administrator is required to approve a 
SIP submission that complies with the provisions of the Clean Air Act 
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 Clean Air Act. 
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.);
     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 Clean Air Act; 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).
    The SIP is not approved to apply on any Indian reservation land or 
in any other area where the EPA or an Indian tribe has demonstrated 
that a tribe has jurisdiction. In those areas of Indian country, the 
rule does not have tribal implications and it will not impose 
substantial direct costs on tribal governments or preempt tribal law as 
specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, November 9, 2000).
    The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 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. The EPA will submit a report containing this action 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. 
804(2).
    Under section 307(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act, petitions for 
judicial review of this action must be filed in the United States Court 
of Appeals for the appropriate circuit by April 11, 2022.

[[Page 7724]]

Filing a petition for reconsideration by the Administrator of this 
final rule does not affect the finality of this action 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 52

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Carbon monoxide, 
Incorporation by reference, Intergovernmental relations, Lead, Nitrogen 
dioxide, Ozone, Particulate matter, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements, Sulfur oxides, Volatile organic compounds.

    Dated: February 4, 2022.
Michelle L. Pirzadeh,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 10.

    For the reasons set forth in the preamble, 40 CFR part 52 is 
amended as follows:

PART 52--APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS

0
1. The authority citation for part 52 continues to read as follows:

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

Subpart C--Alaska

0
2. In Sec.  52.70, the table in paragraph (c) is amended by revising 
the entries for ``18 AAC 50.015'', ``18 AAC 50.030'', ``18 AAC 
50.035'', ``18 AAC 50.040'', ``18 AAC 50.077'', ``18 AAC 50.205'', ``18 
AAC 50.230'', ``18 AAC 50.250'', ``18 AAC 50.311'', ``18 AAC 50.502'', 
``18 AAC 50.540'', ``18 AAC 50.542'', and ``18 AAC 50.990'' to read as 
follows:

Sec.  52.70  Identification of plan.

* * * * *
    (c) * * *

                                  EPA-Approved Alaska Regulations and Statutes
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                                                             State
          State citation              Title/subject     effective date   EPA approval date       Explanations
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   Alaska Administrative Code Title 18 Environmental Conservation, Chapter 50--Air Quality Control (18 AAC 50)
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                              18 AAC 50--Article 1. Ambient Air Quality Management
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                                                  * * * * * * *
18 AAC 50.015....................  Air Quality               11/7/2020  2/10/2022, [INSERT   ...................
                                    Designations,                        Federal Register
                                    Classifications,                     CITATION].
                                    and Control
                                    Regions.
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
18 AAC 50.030....................  State Air Quality         11/7/2020  2/10/2022, [INSERT   except (a).
                                    Control Plan.                        Federal Register
                                                                         CITATION].
18 AAC 50.035....................  Documents,                11/7/2020  2/10/2022, [INSERT   except (a)(6),
                                    Procedures, and                      Federal Register     (a)(9), and
                                    Methods Adopted by                   CITATION].           (b)(4).
                                    Reference.
18 AAC 50.040....................  Federal Standards         11/7/2020  2/10/2022, [INSERT   except (a), (b),
                                    Adopted by                           Federal Register     (c), (d), (e),
                                    Reference.                           CITATION].           (g), (j) and (k).
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
18 AAC 50.077....................  Standards for Wood-       11/7/2020  2/10/2022, [INSERT   except (h).
                                    Fired Heating                        Federal Register
                                    Devices.                             CITATION].
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  18 AAC 50--Article 2. Program Administration
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
18 AAC 50.205....................  Certification......       11/7/2020  ...................  ...................
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
18 AAC 50.230....................  Preapproved               11/7/2020  2/10/2022, [INSERT   ...................
                                    Emission Limits.                     Federal Register
                                                                         CITATION].
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
18 AAC 50.250....................  Procedures and            11/7/2020  2/10/2022, [INSERT   ...................
                                    Criteria for                         Federal Register
                                    Revising Air                         CITATION].
                                    Quality
                                    Classifications.
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
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                              18 AAC 50--Article 3. Major Stationary Source Permits
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[[Page 7725]]

 
                                                  * * * * * * *
18 AAC 50.311....................  Nonattainment Area        11/7/2020  2/10/2022, [INSERT   ...................
                                    Major Stationary                     Federal Register
                                    Source Permits.                      CITATION].
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
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                                       18 AAC 50--Article 5. Minor Permits
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18 AAC 50.502....................  Minor Permits for         11/7/2020  2/10/2022, [INSERT   ...................
                                    Air Quality                          Federal Register
                                    Protection.                          CITATION].
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
18 AAC 50.540....................  Minor Permit:             11/7/2020  2/10/2022, [INSERT   ...................
                                    Application.                         Federal Register
                                                                         CITATION].
18 AAC 50.542....................  Minor Permit:             11/7/2020  2/10/2022, [INSERT   ...................
                                    Review and                           Federal Register
                                    Issuance.                            CITATION].
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
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                                    18 AAC 50--Article 9. General Provisions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
18 AAC 50.990....................  Definitions........       11/7/2020  2/10/2022, [INSERT   ...................
                                                                         Federal Register
                                                                         CITATION].
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
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* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2022-02763 Filed 2-9-22; 8:45 am]
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