USEPA Releases Mobile-Friendly Guidance on Solvents in the Workplace
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Office of Land and Emergency Management and Arizona's Department of Environmental Quality have developed the user-friendly, mobile device-navigable guidance "
When viewed electronically, the guide contains two types of links: one that leads to additional information available on EPA's website, and one that leads to additional information presented elsewhere in the document.
For more information, please contact EPA's
David Nicholas at nicholas.david@ epa.gov
USEPA Preliminary 2016 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan
USEPA published its Preliminary 2016 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan on June 27, 2016. The Plan announces actions USEPA is taking, or plans to take, to better control industrial wastewater discharges. USEPA also published its 2015 Annual Effluent Guidelines Review Report providing detailed information about industrial wastewater discharges.
USEPA is now soliciting public review and comment on the Preliminary 2016 Plan. Comments must be received no later than July 27, 2016. Please see the Federal Register notice for details:
USEPA Publishes its Spring Regulatory Agenda
On June 9, 2016, the USEPA published its Spring 2016 Regulatory Agenda. This agenda is intended to provide the public with notice of the USEPA's plans to review, propose, and issue regulations. USEPA's Semiannual Regulatory Agenda also includes information about rules that may have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
USEPA is committed to periodically review existing regulations to determine whether any may be modified, streamlined, expanded, or repealed in order to make the agency's regulatory program more effective or less burdensome in achieving regulatory objectives. Therefore USEPA is soliciting comments on regulations that might be appropriate for retrospective review within this document.
USEPA explains in greater detail the types of actions and information available in the Semiannual Regulatory Agenda, including the opportunity to suggest regulations that may be appropriate for retrospective review, and actions that are currently undergoing review specifically for impacts on small entities.
USEPA Adopts Rule Changes that Impact the Oil and Natural Gas Sectors
On June 3, 2016 the USEPA adopted rulemakings that will have impacts on the oil and natural gas sectors. These rules collectively are intended to address methane and volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions.
In the first rulemaking, USEPA is finalizing a revision to regulations applicable to permitting of stationary sources of air pollution under the New Source Review and title V programs under the Clean Air Act . For sources in the oil and natural gas sector, this rule clarifies the meaning of the term "adjacent'' that is used to determine the scope of a "stationary source'' for purposes of the Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Nonattainment NSR preconstruction permitting programs, and the scope of a ``major source'' in the title V operating permit program. The revised definitions are based on the proximity of emitting activities and consideration of whether the activities share equipment.
The next rulemaking for the oil and gas sector finalized amendments to the current new source performance standards in 40 CFR 60 Subpart OOOO and establishes new standards in 40 CFR 60 Subpart OOOOa. The new standards for the oil and natural gas source category set standards for both greenhouse gases (GHGs) and VOC. Except for the implementation improvements, and the new standards for GHGs, these requirements do not change the requirements for operations covered by the current standards.
USEPA Proposes Information Collection Request for Oil and Gas Facilities
The USEPA is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), ``Information Collection Effort for Oil and Gas Facilities'' (EPA ICR No. 2548.01, OMB Control No. 2060-NEW) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and approval. Before doing so, the USEPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection. In the draft information request the USEPA is seeking to require oil and natural gas companies to provide extensive information that USEPA needs to develop regulations to reduce methane emissions from existing oil and gas sources. In addition, USEPA announced plans to issue a Request for Information to seek information on innovative strategies that can accurately and cost-effectively locate, measure, and mitigate methane emissions. This is a request for approval of a new collection of information. An Agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
