[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 26 (Monday, February 9, 2004)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 5944-5945]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-2814]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Parts 51, 72, 75, and 96
[FRL-7619-9]
Public Hearings for Rule To Reduce Interstate Transport of Fine
Particulate Matter and Ozone (Interstate Air Quality Rule) and Proposed
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants; and, in the
Alternative, Proposed Standards of Performance for New and Existing
Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Steam Generating Units
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rules; announcement of public hearings.
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SUMMARY: In a Federal Register document published on February 2, 2004,
EPA announced the dates and cities for three public hearings to be held
jointly for two related proposals. Today's document provides the
remaining details for the hearings, including the facility locations
and daily schedules.
The public hearings are for the proposed ``Rule to Reduce
Interstate Transport of Fine Particulate Matter and Ozone (Interstate
Air Quality Rule)'' and the ``Proposed National Emission Standards for
Hazardous Air Pollutants; and, in the Alternative, Proposed Standards
of Performance for New and Existing Stationary Sources: Electric
Utility Steam Generating Units,'' which is also known as the proposed
Utility Mercury Reductions Rule. These proposals were published in the
Federal Register on January 30, 2004.
DATES: The three 2-day public hearings will be held concurrently on
February 25 and 26, 2004. Please refer to SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for
additional information on the public hearings.
ADDRESSES: The hearings will be held at the following locations:
1. Hilton Chicago, 720 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
60605, phone 312-726-7500;
2. Wyndham Philadelphia at Franklin Plaza, 17th and Race Streets,
Philadelphia, PA 19103, phone 215-448-2000;
3. Holiday Inn Raleigh-Durham Airport, 4810 Old Page Road, Research
Triangle Park, NC, 919-941-6000.
Written comments on these proposed rules may also be submitted to
EPA electronically, by mail, by facsimile, or through hand delivery/
courier. Please refer to the proposals for the addresses and detailed
instructions.
Documents relevant to this action are available for public
inspection at the EPA Docket Center, located at 1301 Constitution
Avenue, NW., Room B102, Washington, DC between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. A reasonable fee may
be charged for copying. Documents are also available through EPA's
electronic Docket system at http://www.epa.gov/edocket.
The EPA Web sites for the rulemakings, which include the proposals
and information about the public hearings, are at http://www.epa.gov/interstateairquality and http://www.epa.gov/mercury.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you would like to speak at the
public hearings or have questions concerning the public hearings,
please contact JoAnn Allman at the address given below under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. Questions concerning the Interstate Air
Quality Rule should be addressed to Scott Mathias, U.S. EPA, Office of
Air Quality Planning and Standards, Air Quality Strategies and
Standards Division (C539-01), Research Triangle Park, NC 27711,
telephone number (919) 541-5310, e-mail at [email protected].
Questions concerning the Utility Mercury Reductions Rule should be
addressed to William Maxwell, U.S. EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning
and Standards, Emission Standards Division, Combustion Group (C439-01),
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, telephone number (919) 541-5430, e-
mail at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Proposed Rules
The EPA's proposed Interstate Air Quality Rule would reduce
emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxides in 29 eastern States
and the District of Columbia that are significantly contributing to
fine particulate matter and 8-hour ozone nonattainment problems in
downwind States. Each State would be required to adopt control measures
to meet specific statewide emission reduction requirements. The EPA
believes that the most cost-effective way for States to achieve the
required reductions would be to regulate utilities under a cap and
trade program similar to EPA's highly successful Acid Rain Program. The
proposed Utility Mercury Reductions Rule provides options that would
reduce mercury emissions and would set a mandatory, declining cap on
the total mercury emissions allowed from utilities nationwide. The
proposal also would reduce nickel emissions from utilities. The EPA is
coordinating these rulemakings to allow the emissions reductions to be
achieved in the most cost-effective manner by sources affected by both
actions.
Public Hearings
The proposals for which EPA is holding the public hearings were
published in the Federal Register on January 30, 2004 (69 FR 4566 for
the Interstate Air Quality Rule and 69 FR 4652 for the Utility Mercury
Reductions Rule) and are available on the Web sites listed under
ADDRESSES. The public hearings will provide interested parties the
opportunity to present data, views, or arguments concerning the
proposed rules. The EPA may ask clarifying questions during the oral
presentations, but will not respond to the presentations at that time.
Written statements and supporting information submitted during the
comment period will be considered with the same weight as any oral
comments and supporting information presented at the public hearings.
Written comments must be postmarked by the last day of the comment
period, as specified in the proposals.
The three 2-day public hearings will be held concurrently in
Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Research Triangle
Park, North Carolina. Each hearing will last two days and is scheduled
for February 25 and 26, 2004. Persons wishing to present oral testimony
for one or both proposals may speak on either day. The meeting
facilities and their phone numbers are provided above under ADDRESSES.
[[Page 5945]]
If you would like to present oral testimony at the hearings, please
notify JoAnn Allman, U.S. EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards, Air Quality Strategies and Standards Division, C539-02,
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, telephone (919) 541-1815, e-mail
[email protected] no later than February 20, 2004. She will provide
you with a specific time and date to speak.
The public hearings will begin each day at 8 a.m. and continue into
the evening until 9 p.m., or later if necessary, depending on the
number of speakers. On the evening of the second day, February 26, EPA
will accommodate all speakers that arrive and register by 8 p.m. or
that have arranged in advance to speak at a later time. The EPA is
scheduling lunch breaks from 12:30 until 2 p.m. and dinner breaks from
6 to 7:30 p.m. each day.
Oral testimony will be limited to 10 minutes for each commenter to
address either or both proposals. We will not be providing equipment
for commenters to show overhead slides or make computerized slide
presentations unless we receive special requests in advance. Commenters
should notify JoAnn Allman if they will need specific equipment. The
EPA encourages commenters to provide written versions of their oral
testimonies either electronically on computer disk or CD ROM or in
paper copy.
The hearing schedules, including lists of speakers, will be posted
on EPA's Web pages for the proposals at http://www.epa.gov/interstateairquality and http://www.epa.gov/mercury prior to the
hearing. Verbatim transcripts of the hearings and written statements
will be included in the rulemaking dockets.
How Can I Get Copies of This Document and Other Related Information?
The EPA has established the official public docket for the
Interstate Air Quality Rule under Docket ID No. OAR-2003-0053. The EPA
has established the official public docket for the Utility Mercury
Reductions Rule under Docket ID No. OAR-2002-0056. The EPA has also
developed Web sites for the proposals at the addresses given above.
Please refer to the proposals, which were published in the Federal
Register on January 30, 2004, for detailed information on accessing
information related to the proposals.
Dated: February 4, 2004.
Anna B. Duncan,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 04-2814 Filed 2-9-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-U