Document ID: EPA_FRDOC_0001-15639
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Clean Air Act Operating Permit Program: Objections; Georgia Power/Southern Co.
Posted Date: 2014-05-08T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 89 (Thursday, May 8, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 26426]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-10589]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Petitions IV-2012-1 Through 5; FRL-9910-57-Region 4]

Clean Air Act Operating Permit Program; Petitions for Objection 
to State Operating Permit Renewals for Georgia Power/Southern Company

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of final order on petitions to object to a state 
operating permit.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator signed 
an Order, dated April 14, 2014, partially granting and partially 
denying petitions to object to Clean Air Act (CAA) title V operating 
permit renewals issued by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division 
to Georgia Power Company for the following steam-electric generation 
stations: Hammond located near Coosa in Floyd County, Georgia; Kraft 
located near Port Wentworth in Chatham County, Georgia; McIntosh 
located near Rincon in Effingham County, Georgia; Scherer located near 
Juliette in Monroe County, Georgia; and Wansley located near Carrollton 
in Heard County, Georgia. This Order constitutes a final action on the 
petitions submitted by GreenLaw on behalf of Sierra Club and other 
environmental groups (Petitioners) and received by EPA on June 13 and 
15, September 5, October 23 and November 13, 2012, respectively.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Order, the petitions, and all pertinent 
information relating thereto are on file at the following location: EPA 
Region 4; Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division; 61 Forsyth 
Street SW., Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960. The Order is also available 
electronically at the following address: http://www.epa.gov/region07/air/title5/petitiondb/petitions/ga_power_plants_response2012.pdf.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Art Hofmeister, Air Permits Section, 
EPA Region 4, at (404) 562-9115 or hofmeister.art@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The CAA affords EPA a 45-day period to 
review and, as appropriate, the authority to object to operating 
permits proposed by state permitting authorities under title V of the 
CAA, 42 U.S.C. 7661-7661f. Section 505(b)(2) of the CAA and 40 CFR 
70.8(d) authorize any person to petition the EPA Administrator to 
object to a title V operating permit within 60 days after the 
expiration of EPA's 45-day review period if EPA has not objected on its 
own initiative. Petitions must be based only on objections to the 
permit that were raised with reasonable specificity during the public 
comment period provided by the state, unless the petitioner 
demonstrates that it was impracticable to raise these issues during the 
comment period or the grounds for the issues arose after this period. 
Pursuant to sections 307(b) and 505(b)(2) of the CAA, a petition for 
judicial review of those parts of the Order that deny issues in the 
petition may be filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the 
appropriate circuit within 60 days from the date this notice is 
published in the Federal Register.
    Petitioners submitted petitions regarding the aforementioned 
Georgia Power facilities, requesting that EPA object to the CAA title V 
operating permit renewals (4911-115-0003-V-03-0, 4911-051-
0006-V-03-0, 4911-103-0003-V-03-0, 4911-207-0008-V-03-0, and 4911-149-
0001-V-03-0, respectively). Petitioners alleged that the permit 
renewals were not consistent with the CAA because they: (1) Lack 
sufficiently detailed information regarding the facilities' compliance 
obligations related to hazardous air pollutant emissions under the 
National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for electric 
utility steam generating units; (2) fail to assure compliance with the 
sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions limit in Georgia's rules due 
to a permit provision authorizing facilities not to operate their 
SO2 continuous emission monitoring systems during startup, 
shutdown, malfunction and other periods; (3) lack sufficient monitoring 
requirements to assure compliance with applicable particulate matter 
limits; (4) contain vague and unenforceable fugitive dust control 
requirements; and (5) fail to apply preconstruction requirements under 
the CAA's Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Nonattainment New 
Source Review programs to recent and planned upgrades to Scherer's 
steam turbines.
    On April 14, 2014, the Administrator issued an Order partially 
granting and partially denying the petitions. The Order explains EPA's 
rationale for partially granting and partially denying the petitions.

    Dated: May 1, 2014.
A. Stanley Meiburg
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4.
[FR Doc. 2014-10589 Filed 5-7-14; 8:45 am]
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