§ 70.8 - Permit review by EPA and affected States.

§ 70.8 Permit review by EPA and affected States.

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 85 FR 6445, Feb. 5, 2020.

(a) Transmission of information to the Administrator.

(1) The permit program shall must require that the permitting authority provide to the Administrator a copy of each permit application (including any application for significant or minor permit modification), the statement required by § 70.7(a)(5) (sometimes referred to as the `statement of basis'), each proposed permit, and each final part 70 permit. each final permit, and, if significant comment is received during the public participation process, the written response to comments (which must include a written response to all significant comments raised during the public participation process on the draft permit and recorded under § 70.7(h)(5) of this part), and an explanation of how those public comments and the permitting authority's responses are available to the public. The applicant may be required by the permitting authority to provide a copy of the permit application (including the compliance plan) directly to the Administrator. Upon agreement with the Administrator, the permitting authority may submit to the Administrator a permit application summary form and any relevant portion of the permit application and compliance plan, in place of the complete permit application and compliance plan. To the extent practicable, the preceding information shall be provided in computer-readable format compatible with EPA's national database management system.

(i) Where the public participation process for a draft permit concludes before the proposed permit is submitted to the Administrator, the statement required by § 70.7(a)(5) (sometimes referred to as the `statement of basis') and the written response to comments, if significant comment was received during the public participation process, must be submitted with the proposed permit along with other supporting materials required in § 70.8(a)(1) of this part, excepting the final permit. The Administrator's 45-day review period for this proposed permit will not begin until such materials have been received by the EPA.

(ii) In instances where the Administrator has received a proposed permit from a permitting authority before the public participation process on the draft permit has been completed, the statement required by § 70.7(a)(5) (sometimes referred to as the `statement of basis') must be submitted with the proposed permit along with other supporting materials, required in § 70.8(a)(1) of this part, excepting the final permit and the written response to comments. If the permitting authority receives significant comment on the draft permit during the public participation process, but after the submission of the proposed permit to the Administrator, the Administrator will no longer consider the submitted proposed permit as a permit proposed to be issued under section 505 of the Act. In such instances, the permitting authority must make any revisions to the permit and permit record necessary to address such public comments, including preparation of a written response to comments (which must include a written response to all significant comments raised during the public participation process on the draft permit and recorded under § 70.7(h)(5) of this part), and must submit the proposed permit and the supporting material required under § 70.8(a)(1)(i) of this part, excepting the final permit, to the Administrator after the public comment period has closed. This later submitted permit will then be considered as a permit proposed to be issued under section 505 of the Act, and the Administrator's review period for the proposed permit will not begin until all required materials have been received by the EPA.

(2) The Administrator may waive the requirements of paragraphs (a)(1) and (b)(1) of this section for any category of sources (including any class, type, or size within such category) other than major sources according to the following:

(i) By regulation for a category of sources nationwide, or

(ii) At the time of approval of a State program for a category of sources covered by an individual permitting program.

(3) Each State permitting authority shall keep for 5 years such records and submit to the Administrator such information as the Administrator may reasonably require to ascertain whether the State program complies with the requirements of the Act or of this part.

(b) Review by affected States.

(1) The permit program shall provide that the permitting authority give notice of each draft permit to any affected State on or before the time that the permitting authority provides this notice to the public under § 70.7(h) of this part, except to the extent § 70.7(e) (2) or (3) of this part requires the timing of the notice to be different.

(2) The permit program shall provide that the permitting authority, as part of the submittal of the proposed permit to the Administrator [or as soon as possible after the submittal for minor permit modification procedures allowed under § 70.7(e) (2) or (3) of this part], shall notify the Administrator and any affected State in writing of any refusal by the permitting authority to accept all recommendations for the proposed permit that the affected State submitted during the public or affected State review period. The notice shall include the permitting authority's reasons for not accepting any such recommendation. The permitting authority is not required to accept recommendations that are not based on applicable requirements or the requirements of this part.

(c) EPA objection.

(1) The Administrator will object to the issuance of any proposed permit determined by the Administrator not to be in compliance with applicable requirements or requirements under this part. No permit for which an application must be transmitted to the Administrator under paragraph (a) of this section shall be issued if the Administrator objects to its issuance in writing within 45 days of receipt of the proposed permit and all necessary supporting information required under § 7 0.8(a)(1), including under § 70.8(a)(1)(i) or (ii) where applicable.

(2) Any EPA objection under paragraph (c)(1) of this section shall include a statement of the Administrator's reasons for objection and a description of the terms and conditions that the permit must include to respond to the objections. The Administrator will provide the permit applicant a copy of the objection.

(3) Failure of the permitting authority to do any of the following also shall constitute grounds for an objection:

(i) Comply with paragraphs (a) or (b) of this section;

(ii) Submit any information necessary to review adequately the proposed permit; or

(iii) Process the permit under the procedures approved to meet § 70.7(h) of this part except for minor permit modifications.

(4) If the permitting authority fails, within 90 days after the date of an objection under paragraph (c)(1) of this section, to revise and submit a proposed permit in response to the objection, the Administrator will issue or deny the permit in accordance with the requirements of the Federal program promulgated under title V of this Act.

(d) Public petitions to the Administrator. The program shall provide that, if the Administrator does not object in writing under paragraph (c) of this section, any person may petition the Administrator within 60 days after the expiration of the Administrator's 45-day review period to make such objection. The petitioner shall provide a copy of such petition to the permitting authority and the applicant. Any such petition shall be based only on objections to the permit that were raised with reasonable specificity during the public comment period provided for in § 70.7(h) of this part, unless the petitioner demonstrates that it was impracticable to raise such objections within such period, or unless the grounds for such objection arose after such period. If the Administrator objects to the permit as a result of a petition filed under this paragraph, the permitting authority shall not issue the permit until EPA's objection has been resolved, except that a petition for review does not stay the effectiveness of a permit or its requirements if the permit was issued after the end of the 45-day review period and prior to an EPA objection. If the permitting authority has issued a permit prior to receipt of an EPA objection under this paragraph, the Administrator will modify, terminate, or revoke such permit, and shall do so consistent with the procedures in § 70.7(g)(4) or (g)(5)(i) and (ii) of this part except in unusual circumstances, and the permitting authority may thereafter issue only a revised permit that satisfies EPA's objection. In any case, the source will not be in violation of the requirement to have submitted a timely and complete application.

(e) Prohibition on default issuance. Consistent with § 70.4(b)(3)(ix) of this part, for the purposes of Federal law and title V of the Act, no State program may provide that a part 70 permit (including a permit renewal or modification) will issue until affected States and EPA have had an opportunity to review the proposed permit as required under this section. When the program is submitted for EPA review, the State Attorney General or independent legal counsel shall certify that no applicable provision of State law requires that a part 70 permit or renewal be issued after a certain time if the permitting authority has failed to take action on the application (or includes any other similar provision providing for default issuance of a permit), unless EPA has waived such review for EPA and affected States.

[57 FR 32295, July 21, 1992, as amended at 85 FR 6445, Feb. 5, 2020]