Document ID: EPA-HQ-OGC-2023-0511-0001
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Proposed Consent Decree: Clean Air Act Citizen Suit
Posted Date: 2023-10-20T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 202 (Friday, October 20, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72478-72479]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23142]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OGC-2023-0511; FRL-11460-01-OGC]

Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of proposed consent decree; request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with section 113(g) of the Clean Air Act, as 
amended (``CAA'' or ``the Act''), the Environmental Protection Agency 
(``EPA'' or ``the Agency'') is providing notice of a proposed consent 
decree in California Communities Against Toxics v. Regan, No. 1:22-cv-
1457 (D.D.C.). On May 24, 2022, California Communities Against Toxics, 
Clean Air Council, Clean Power Lake County, Delaware Concerned 
Residents for Environmental Justice, Greater-Birmingham Alliance to 
Stop Pollution, Kentucky Resources Council, New Castle Prevention 
Coalition, United Congregations of Metro-East, and Sierra Club 
(collectively, ``Plaintiffs'') filed a complaint in the United States 
District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that EPA failed to 
perform its non-discretionary duty to ``review, and revise as 
necessary'' the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air 
Pollutants (``NESHAP'') for Chemical Manufacturing Area Sources 
(``CMAS''), at least every 8 years. The proposed consent decree would 
establish deadlines for the EPA Administrator (``Administrator'') to 
sign a notice of proposed rulemaking and a final rule for this action.

DATES: Written comments on the proposed consent decree must be received 
by November 20, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OGC-2023-0511, online at https://www.regulations.gov (EPA's preferred 
method). Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket ID 
number for this action. Comments received may be posted without change 
to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided. For detailed instructions on sending comments and additional 
information on the rulemaking process, see the ``Additional Information 
about Commenting on the Proposed Consent Decree'' heading under the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stacey Simone Garfinkle, Air and 
Radiation Law Office, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency; telephone: (202) 564-3103; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Obtaining a Copy of the Proposed Consent Decree

    The official public docket for this action (identified by Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OGC-2023-0511) contains a copy of the proposed consent 
decree. The official public docket is available for public viewing at 
the Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket in the EPA Docket 
Center, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC. 
The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The 
telephone number for the Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the 
telephone number for the OEI Docket is (202) 566-1752.
    The electronic version of the public docket for this action 
contains a copy of the proposed consent decree, and is available 
through https://www.regulations.gov. You may use https://www.regulations.gov to submit or view public comments, access the index 
listing of the contents of the official public docket, and access those 
documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once 
in the system, key in the appropriate docket identification number then 
select ``search.''

II. Additional Information About the Proposed Consent Decree

    On May 24, 2022, Plaintiffs filed a complaint in the United States 
District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that EPA failed to 
perform its nondiscretionary duty under CAA section 112(d)(6) to 
``review, and revise as necessary'' the CMAS NESHAP, 40 CFR part 63, 
subpart VVVVVV, at least every 8 years. EPA promulgated the CMAS NESHAP 
in 2009 (75 FR 77760, December 14, 2010) and most recently revised the 
standards in 2012 (77 FR 75740, December 21, 2012). The proposed 
consent decree, if finalized, would resolve Plaintiffs' complaint and 
would require that EPA review, and revise as necessary, the CMAS 
NESHAP, pursuant to CAA section 112(d)(6), by a date certain. 
Specifically, under the terms of the proposed consent decree, the 
Administrator would be required to sign a notice of proposed rulemaking 
for the CMAS source category by November 13, 2024, and a final rule by 
September 17, 2025.
    For a period of thirty (30) days following the date of publication 
of this notice, the Agency will accept written comments relating to the 
proposed consent decree. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw 
or withhold consent to the proposed consent decree if the comments 
disclose facts or considerations that indicate that such consent is 
inappropriate, improper, inadequate, or inconsistent with the 
requirements of the Act.

III. Additional Information About Commenting on the Proposed Consent 
Decree

    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OGC-2020-

[[Page 72479]]

0511, via https://www.regulations.gov. Once submitted, comments cannot 
be edited or removed from this docket. The EPA may publish any comment 
received to its public docket. Do not submit to EPA's docket at https://www.regulations.gov any information you consider to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must 
be accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered 
the official comment and should include discussion of all points you 
wish to make. The EPA will generally not consider comments or comment 
contents located outside of the primary submission (i.e., on the web, 
cloud, or other file sharing system). For additional submission 
methods, the full EPA public comment policy, information about CBI or 
multimedia submissions, and general guidance on making effective 
comments, please visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets. For additional information about submitting information 
identified as CBI, please contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document. Note that written 
comments containing CBI and submitted by mail may be delayed and 
deliveries or couriers will be received by scheduled appointment only.
    If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you 
include your name, mailing address, and an email address or other 
contact information in the body of your comment. This ensures that you 
can be identified as the submitter of the comment and allows EPA to 
contact you in case EPA cannot read your comment due to technical 
difficulties or needs further information on the substance of your 
comment. Any identifying or contact information provided in the body of 
a comment will be included as part of the comment that is placed in the 
official public docket and made available in EPA's electronic public 
docket. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties 
and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to 
consider your comment.
    Use of the https://www.regulations.gov website to submit comments 
to EPA electronically is EPA's preferred method for receiving comments. 
The electronic public docket system is an ``anonymous access'' system, 
which means EPA will not know your identity, email address, or other 
contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment.
    Please ensure that your comments are submitted within the specified 
comment period. Comments received after the close of the comment period 
will be marked ``late.'' EPA is not required to consider these late 
comments.

Gautam Srinivasan,
Associate General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2023-23142 Filed 10-19-23; 8:45 am]
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