Document ID: EPA-HQ-OGC-2023-0191-0001
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Proposed Consent Decree: Clean Air Act Citizen Suit
Posted Date: 2023-04-04T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 4, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19951-19952]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-06887]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OGC-2023-0191; FRL-10804-01-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 the Clean Air Act, as amended (CAA or the 
Act), notice is hereby given of a proposed consent decree in Citizens 
for Clean Air, et al. v. Michael S. Regan, et al., No. 2:22-cv-01382-
RSL (W.D. Wa.). On September 28, 2022, Plaintiffs Citizens for Clean 
Air and Sierra Club filed a complaint in the United States District 
Court for the Western District of Washington alleging that the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) failed to perform a 
non-discretionary duty in accordance with the Act to take final action 
to approve, disapprove or conditionally approve, in whole or in part, a 
nonattainment state implementation plan (SIP) submission made by the 
State of Alaska. The State made the SIP submission at issue to address 
certain nonattainment area plan requirements for purposes of the 2006 
24-hour PM2.5 national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) 
for the Fairbanks North Star Borough area. The proposed consent decree 
would establish a deadline for EPA to take final action on the SIP 
submission.

DATES: Written comments on the proposed consent decree must be received 
by May 4, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OGC-2023-0191, 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: Geoffrey L. Wilcox, Air and Radiation 
Law Office, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency; telephone (202) 564-5601; 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-2023-0191) 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

[[Page 19952]]

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

    The proposed consent decree would resolve a lawsuit filed by the 
Plaintiffs seeking to compel the EPA to take final action required by 
CAA section 110(k)(2)-(4) to approve, disapprove, or conditionally 
approve, in whole or in part, the State of Alaska's nonattainment plan 
SIP submission for the Fairbanks North Star Borough area for purposes 
of the 2006 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS (the Fairbanks Plan). The 
State made the SIP submission at issue on December 15, 2020, to address 
Serious area nonattainment plan requirements, and Section 189(d) plan 
requirements, in the Fairbanks North Star Borough area. Under the terms 
of the proposed consent decree, EPA would be required to sign a notice 
or notices of final rulemaking to approve, disapprove, or conditionally 
approve, in whole or in part, the Fairbanks Plan pursuant to section 
110(k)(2)-(4) of the CAA by no later than November 22, 2023. 
Thereafter, the EPA shall, within 15 business days, send the required 
signed notice or notices of final rulemaking to the Office of Federal 
Register for review and publication.
    In accordance with section 113(g) of the CAA, for a period of 
thirty (30) days following the date of publication of this document, 
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-2023-
0191, via https://www.regulations.gov. Once submitted, comments cannot 
be edited or removed from this docket. 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. 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.
    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. 2023-06887 Filed 4-3-23; 8:45 am]
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