§ 60.5740b - What must I include in my federally enforceable State plan?

§ 60.5740b What must I include in my federally enforceable State plan?

(a) You must include the components described in paragraphs (a)(1) through (13) of this section in your State plan submittal. The final State plan must meet the requirements and include the information required under § 60.5775b and must also meet any administrative and technical completeness criteria listed in § 60.27a(g)(2) and (3) that are not otherwise specifically enumerated here.

(1) Identification of affected EGUs. Consistent with § 60.25a(a), you must identify the affected EGUs covered by your State plan and all affected EGUs in your State that meet the applicability criteria in § 60.5845b. You must also identify the subcategory into which you have classified each affected EGU. States must subcategorize affected EGUs into one of the following subcategories:

(i) Long-term coal-fired steam generating units, consisting of coal-fired steam generating units that are not medium-term coal-fired steam generating units and do not plan to permanently cease operation before January 1, 2039.

(ii) Medium-term coal-fired steam generating units, consisting of coal-fired steam generating units that have elected to commit to permanently cease operations by a date after December 31, 2031, and before January 1, 2039.

(iii) Base load oil-fired steam generating units, consisting of oil-fired steam generating units with an annual capacity factor greater than or equal to 45 percent.

(iv) Intermediate load oil-fired steam generating units, consisting of oil-fired steam generating units with an annual capacity factor greater than or equal to 8 percent and less than 45 percent.

(v) Low load oil-fired steam generating units, consisting of oil-fired steam generating units with an annual capacity factor less than 8 percent.

(vi) Base load natural gas-fired steam generating units, consisting of natural gas-fired steam generating units with an annual capacity factor greater than or equal to 45 percent.

(vii) Intermediate load natural gas-fired steam generating units, consisting of natural gas-fired steam generating units with an annual capacity factor greater than or equal to 8 percent and less than 45 percent.

(viii) Low load natural gas-fired steam generating units, consisting of natural gas-fired steam generating units with an annual capacity factor less than 8 percent.

(2) Inventory of Data from Affected EGUs. You must include an inventory of the following data from the affected EGUs:

(i) The nameplate capacity of the affected EGU, as defined in § 60.5880b.

(ii) The base load rating of the affected EGU, as defined in § 60.5880b.

(iii) The data within the continuous 5-year period immediately prior to May 9, 2024 including:

(A) The sum of the CO₂ emissions during each quarter in the 5-year period.

(B) For affected EGUs in all subcategories except the low load natural gas- and oil-fired subcategories, the sum of the gross energy output during each quarter in the 5-year period; for affected EGUs in the low load natural gas- and oil-fired subcategories, the sum of the heat input during each quarter in the 5-year period.

(C) The heat input for each fuel type combusted during each quarter in the 5-year period.

(D) The start date and end date of the most representative continuous 8-quarter period used to determine the baseline of emission performance under § 60.5775b(d), the sum of the CO₂ mass emissions during that period, the sum of the gross energy output or, for affected EGUs in the low load natural gas-fired subcategory or low load oil-fired subcategory, the sum of the heat input during that period, and sum of the heat input for each fuel type combusted during that period.

(3) Standards of Performance. You must include all standards of performance for each affected EGU according to § 60.5775b. Standards of performance must be established at a level of performance that does not exceed the level calculated through the use of the methods described in § 60.5775b(b), unless a State establishes a standard of performance pursuant to § 60.5775b(e).

(4) Requirements related to Subcategory Applicability.

(i) You must include the following enforceable requirements to establish an affected EGU's applicability for each of the following subcategories:

(A) For medium-term coal-fired steam generating units, you must include a requirement to permanently cease operations by a date after December 31, 2031, and before January 1, 2039.

(B) For steam generating units that meet the definition of natural gas- or oil-fired, and that either retain the capability to fire coal after May 9, 2024, that fired any coal during the 5-year period prior to that date, or that will fire any coal after that date and before January 1, 2030, you must include a requirement to remove the capability to fire coal before January 1, 2030.

(C) For each affected EGU, you must also estimate coal, oil, and natural gas usage by heat input for the first 3 calendar years after January 1, 2030.

(D) For affected EGUs that plan to permanently cease operation, you must include a requirement that each such affected EGU comply with applicable State and Federal requirements for permanently ceasing operation, including removal from its respective State's air emissions inventory and amending or revoking all applicable permits to reflect the permanent shutdown status of the EGU.

(5) Increments of Progress. You must include in your State plan legally enforceable increments of progress as required elements for affected EGUs in the long-term coal-fired steam generating unit and medium-term coal-fired steam generating unit subcategories.

(i) For affected EGUs in the long-term coal-fired steam generating unit subcategory using carbon capture to meet their applicable standard of performance and affected EGUs in the medium-term coal-fired steam generating unit subcategory using natural gas co-firing to meet their applicable standard of performance, State plans must assign calendar-date deadlines to each of the increments of progress described in subsection (a)(5)(i) and meet the website reporting obligations of subsection (a)(5)(iii):

(A) Submittal of a final control plan for the affected EGU to the appropriate air pollution control agency. The final control plan must be consistent with the subcategory declaration for each affected EGU in the State plan.

(1) For each affected unit in the long-term coal-fired steam generating unit subcategory, the final control plan must include supporting analysis for the affected EGU's control strategy, including a feasibility and/or front-end engineering and design (FEED) study.

(2) For each affected unit in the medium-term coal-fired steam generating unit subcategory, the final control plan must include supporting analysis for the affected EGU's control strategy, including the design basis for modifications at the facility, the anticipated timeline to achieve full compliance, and the benchmarks the facility anticipates along the way.

(B) Completion of awarding of contracts. The owner or operator of an affected EGU can demonstrate compliance with this increment of progress by submitting sufficient evidence that the appropriate contracts have been awarded.

(1) For each affected unit in the long-term coal-fired steam generating unit subcategory, awarding of contracts for emission control systems or for process modifications, or issuance of orders for the purchase of component parts to accomplish emission control or process modification.

(2) For each affected unit in the medium-term coal-fired steam generating unit subcategory, awarding of contracts for boiler modifications, or issuance of orders for the purchase of component parts to accomplish boiler modifications.

(C) Initiation of on-site construction or installation of emission control equipment or process change.

(1) For each affected unit in the long-term coal-fired steam generating unit subcategory, initiation of on-site construction or installation of emission control equipment or process change required to achieve 90 percent carbon capture on an annual basis.

(2) For each affected unit in the medium-term coal-fired steam generating unit subcategory, initiation of on-site construction or installation of any boiler modifications necessary to enable natural gas co-firing at a level of 40 percent on an annual average basis.

(D) Completion of on-site construction or installation of emission control equipment or process change.

(1) For each affected unit in the long-term coal-fired steam generating unit subcategory, completion of on-site construction or installation of emission control equipment or process change required to achieve 90 percent carbon capture on an annual basis.

(2) For each affected unit in the medium-term coal-fired steam generating unit subcategory, completion of on-site construction of any boiler modifications necessary to enable natural gas co-firing at a level of 40 percent on an annual average basis.

(E) Commencement of permitting actions related to pipeline construction. The owner or operator of an affected EGU must demonstrate that they have commenced permitting actions by a date specified in the State plan. Evidence in support of the demonstration must include pipeline planning and design documentation that informed the permitting process, a complete list of pipeline-related permitting applications, including the nature of the permit sought and the authority to which each permit application was submitted, an attestation that the list of pipeline-related permits is complete with respect to the authorizations required to operate each affected unit at full compliance with the standard of performance, and a timeline to complete all pipeline permitting activities.

(1) For affected units in the long-term coal-fired steam generating unit subcategory, this increment of progress applies to each affected EGU that adopts CCS to meet the standard of performance and ensure timely completion of CCS-related pipeline infrastructure.

(2) For affected units in the medium-term coal-fired steam generating unit subcategory, this increment of progress applies to each affected EGU that adopts natural gas co-firing to meet the standard of performance and ensures timely completion of any pipeline infrastructure needed to transport natural gas to designated facilities.

(F) For each affected unit in the long-term coal-fired steam generating unit subcategory, a report identifying the geographic location where CO₂ will be injected underground, how the CO₂ will be transported from the capture location to the storage location, and the regulatory requirements associated with the sequestration activities, as well as an anticipated timeline for completing related permitting activities.

(G) Compliance with the standard of performance as follows:

(1) For each affected unit in the medium-term coal-fired subcategory, by January 1, 2030.

(2) For each affected unit in the long-term coal-fired steam generating subcategory, by January 1, 2032.

(ii) For any affected unit in the long-term coal-fired steam generating unit subcategory that will meet its applicable standard of performance using a control other than CCS or in the medium-term coal-fired steam generating unit subcategory that will meet its applicable standard of performance using a control other than natural gas co-firing:

(A) The State plan must include appropriate increments of progress consistent with 40 CFR 60.21a(h) specific to the affected unit's control strategy.

(1) The increment of progress corresponding to 40 CFR 60.21a(h)(1) must be assigned the earliest calendar date among the increments.

(2) The increment of progress corresponding to 40 CFR 60.21a(h)(5) must be assigned calendar dates as follows: for affected EGUs in the long-term coal-fired steam generating subcategory, no later than January 1, 2032; and for affected EGUs in the medium-term coal-fired steam generating subcategory, no later than January 1, 2030.

(iii) The owner or operator of the affected EGU must post within 30 business days of the State plan submittal a description of the activities or actions that constitute the increments of progress and the schedule for achieving the increments of progress on the Carbon Pollution Standards for EGUs website required by § 60.5740b(a)(10). As the calendar dates for each increment of progress occurs, the owner or operator of the affected EGU must post within 30 business days any documentation necessary to demonstrate that each increment of progress has been met on the Carbon Pollution Standards for EGUs website required by § 60.5740b(a)(10).

(iv) You must include in your State plan a requirement that the owner or operator of each affected EGU shall report to the State regulatory agency any deviation from any federally enforceable State plan increment of progress within 30 business days after the owner or operator of the affected EGU knew or should have known of the event. This report must explain the cause or causes of the deviation and describe all measures taken or to be taken by the owner or operator of the EGU to cure the reported deviation and to prevent such deviations in the future, including the timeframes in which the owner or operator intends to cure the deviation. You must also include in your State plan a requirement that the owner or operator of the affected EGU to post a report of any deviation from any federally enforceable increment of progress on the Carbon Pollution Standards for EGUs website required by § 60.5740b(a)(10) within 30 business days.

(6) Reporting Obligations and Milestones for Affected EGUs that Have Demonstrated They Plan to Permanently Cease Operations. You must include in your State plan legally enforceable reporting obligations and milestones for affected EGUs in the medium-term coal-fired steam generating unit (§ 60.5740b(a)(1)(ii)) subcategory, and for affected EGUs that invoke RULOF based on a unit's remaining useful life according to paragraphs (a)(6)(i) through (v) of this section:

(i) Five years before the date the affected EGU permanently ceases operations (either the date used to determine the applicable subcategory under these emission guidelines or the date used to invoke RULOF based on remaining useful life) or 60 days after State plan submission, whichever is later, the owner or operator of the affected EGU must submit an Initial Milestone Report to the applicable air pollution control agency that includes the information in paragraphs (a)(6)(i)(A) through (D) of this section:

(A) A summary of the process steps required for the affected EGU to permanently cease operations by the date included in the State plan, including the approximate timing and duration of each step and any notification requirements associated with deactivation of the unit.

(B) A list of key milestones that will be used to assess whether each process step has been met, and calendar day deadlines for each milestone. These milestones must include at least the initial notice to the relevant reliability authority or authorities of an EGU's deactivation date and submittal of an official retirement filing with the EGU's relevant reliability authority or authorities.

(C) An analysis of how the process steps, milestones, and associated timelines included in the Milestone Report compare to the timelines of similar EGUs within the State that have permanently ceased operations within the 10 years prior to the date of promulgation of these emission guidelines.

(D) Supporting regulatory documents, which include those listed in paragraphs (a)(6)(i)(D)(1) through (3) of this section:

(1) Any correspondence and official filings with the relevant Regional Transmission Organization (RTO), Independent System Operator, Balancing Authority, Public Utilities Commission (PUC), or other applicable authority;

(2) Any deactivation-related reliability assessments conducted by the RTO or Independent System Operator;

(3) Any filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or notices to investors, including but not limited to, those listed in paragraphs (a)(6)(i)(D)(3)(i) through (v) of this section.

(i) References in forms 10-K and 10-Q, in which the plans for the EGU are mentioned;

(ii) Any integrated resource plans and PUC orders approving the EGU's deactivation;

(iii) Any reliability analyses developed by the RTO, Independent System Operator, or relevant reliability authority in response to the EGU's deactivation notification;

(iv) Any notification from a relevant reliability authority that the EGU may be needed for reliability purposes notwithstanding the EGU's intent to deactivate; and

(v) Any notification to or from an RTO, Independent System Operator, or Balancing Authority altering the timing of deactivation for the EGU.

(ii) For each of the remaining years prior to the date by which an affected EGU has committed to permanently cease operations that is included in the State plan, the owner or operator of the affected EGU must submit an annual Milestone Status Report that includes the information in paragraphs (a)(6)(ii)(A) and (B) of this section:

(A) Progress toward meeting all milestones identified in the Initial Milestone Report, described in § 60.5740b(a)(6)(i); and

(B) Supporting regulatory documents and relevant SEC filings, including correspondence and official filings with the relevant RTO, Independent System Operator, Balancing Authority, PUC, or other applicable authority to demonstrate compliance with or progress toward all milestones.

(iii) No later than six months from the date the affected EGU permanently ceases operations (either the date used to determine the applicable subcategory under these emission guidelines or the date used to invoke RULOF based on remaining useful life), the owner or operator of the affected EGU must submit a Final Milestone Status Report. This report must document any actions that the EGU has taken subsequent to ceasing operation to ensure that such cessation is permanent, including any regulatory filings with applicable authorities or decommissioning plans.

(iv) The owner or operator of the affected EGU must post their Initial Milestone Report, as described in paragraph (a)(6)(i) of this section; annual Milestone Status Reports, as described in paragraph (a)(6)(ii) of this section; and Final Milestone Status Report, as described in paragraph (a)(6)(iii) of this section; including the schedule for achieving milestones and any documentation necessary to demonstrate that milestones have been achieved, on the Carbon Pollution Standards for EGUs website required by paragraph (a)(10) of this section within 30 business days of being filed.

(v) You must include in your State plan a requirement that the owner or operator of each affected EGU shall report to the State regulatory agency any deviation from any federally enforceable State plan reporting milestone within 30 business days after the owner or operator of the affected EGU knew or should have known of the event. This report must explain the cause or causes of the deviation and describe all measures taken or to be taken by the owner or operator of the EGU to cure the reported deviation and to prevent such deviations in the future, including the timeframes in which the owner or operator intends to cure the deviation. You must also include in your State plan a requirement that the owner or operator of the affected EGU to post a report of any deviation from any federally enforceable reporting milestone on the Carbon Pollution Standards for EGUs website required by § 60.5740b(a)(10) within 30 business days.

(7) Identification of applicable monitoring, reporting, and recordkeeping requirements for each affected EGU. You must include in your State plan all applicable monitoring, reporting and recordkeeping requirements, including initial and ongoing quality assurance and quality control procedures, for each affected EGU and the requirements must be consistent with or no less stringent than the requirements specified in § 60.5860b.

(8) State reporting. You must include in your State plan a description of the process, contents, and schedule for State reporting to the EPA about State plan implementation and progress.

(9) Specific requirements for existing coal-fired steam generating EGUs. Your State plan must include the requirements in paragraphs (a)(9)(i) through (iii) of this section specifically for existing coal-fired steam generating EGUs:

(i) Your State plan must require that any existing coal-fired steam-generating EGU shall operate only subject to a standard of performance pursuant to § 60.5775b or under an exemption of applicability provided under § 60.5850b (including any extension of the date by which an EGU has committed to cease operating pursuant to the reliability assurance mechanism, described in paragraph (a)(13) of this section).

(ii) You must include a list of the coal-fired steam generating EGUs that are existing sources at the time of State plan submission and that plan to permanently cease operation before January 1, 2032, and the calendar dates by which they have committed to cease operating.

(iii) The State plan must provide that an existing coal-fired steam generating EGU operating past the date listed in the State plan pursuant to paragraph (a)(9)(ii) of this section is in violation of that State plan, except to the extent the existing coal-fired steam generating EGU has received an extension of its date for ceasing operation pursuant to the reliability assurance mechanism, described in paragraph (a)(13) of this section.

(10) Carbon Pollution Standards for EGUs Websites. You must require in your State plan that owners or operators of affected EGUs establish a publicly accessible “Carbon Pollution Standards for EGUs Website” and that they post relevant documents to this website. You must require in your State plan that owners or operators of affected EGUs post their subcategory designations and compliance schedules as well as any emissions data and other information needed to demonstrate compliance with a standard of performance to this website in a timely manner. This information includes, but is not limited to, emissions data and other information relevant to determining compliance with applicable standards of performance, information relevant to the designation and determination of compliance with increments of progress and reporting obligations including milestones for affected EGUs that plan to permanently cease operations, and any extension requests made and granted pursuant to the compliance date extension mechanism or the reliability assurance mechanism. Data should be available in a readily downloadable format. In addition, you must establish a website that displays the links to these websites for all affected EGUs in your State plan.

(11) Compliance Date Extension. You may include in your State plan provisions allowing for a compliance date extension for owners or operators of affected EGU(s) that are installing add-on controls and that are unable to meet the applicable standard of performance by the compliance date specified in § 60.5740b(a)(4)(i) due to circumstances beyond the owner or operator's control. Such provisions may allow an owner or operator of an affected EGU to request an extension of no longer than one year from the specified compliance date and may only allow the owner or operator to receive an extension once. The optional State plan mechanism must provide that an extension request contains a demonstration of necessity that includes the following:

(i) A demonstration that the owner or operator of the affected EGU cannot meet its compliance date due to circumstances beyond the owner or operator's control and that the owner or operator has met all relevant increments of progress and otherwise taken all steps reasonably possible to install the controls necessary for compliance by the specified compliance date up to the point of the delay. The demonstration shall:

(A) Identify each affected unit for which the owner or operator is seeking the compliance extension;

(B) Identify and describe the controls to be installed at each affected unit to comply with the applicable standard of performance pursuant to § 60.5775b;

(C) Describe and demonstrate all progress towards installing the controls and that the owner or operator has itself acted consistent with achieving timely compliance, including:

(1) Any and all contract(s) entered into for the installation of the identified controls or an explanation as to why no contract is necessary or obtainable; and

(2) Any permit(s) obtained for the installation of the identified controls or, where a required permit has not yet been issued, a copy of the permit application submitted to the permitting authority and a statement from the permit authority identifying its anticipated timeframe for issuance of such permit(s).

(D) Identify the circumstances that are entirely beyond the owner or operator's control and that necessitate additional time to install the identified controls. This may include:

(1) Information gathered from control technology vendors or engineering firms demonstrating that the necessary controls cannot be installed or started up by the applicable compliance date listed in § 60.5740b(a)(4)(i);

(2) Documentation of any permit delays; or

(3) Documentation of delays in construction or permitting of infrastructure (e.g., CO₂ pipelines) that is necessary for implementation of the control technology;

(E) Identify a proposed compliance date no later than one year after the applicable compliance date listed in § 60.5740b(a)(4)(i) and, if necessary, updated calendar dates for the increments of progress that have not yet been met.

(ii) The State air pollution control agency is charged with approving or disapproving a compliance date extension request based on its written determination that the affected EGU has or has not made each of the necessary demonstrations and provided all of the necessary documentation according to paragraphs (a)(11)(i)(A) through (E) of this section. The following provisions for approval must be included in the mechanism:

(A) All documentation required as part of this extension must be submitted by the owner or operator of the affected EGU to the State air pollution control agency no later than 6 months prior to the applicable compliance date for that affected EGU.

(B) The owner or operator of the affected EGU must notify the relevant EPA Regional Administrator of their compliance date extension request at the time of the submission of the request.

(C) The owner or operator of the affected EGU must post their application for the compliance date extension request to the Carbon Pollution Standards for EGUs website, described in § 60.5740b(a)(10), when they submit the request to the State air pollution control agency.

(D) The owner or operator of the affected EGU must post the State's determination on the compliance date extension request to the Carbon Pollution Standards for EGUs website, described in § 60.5740b(a)(10), upon receipt of the determination and, if the request is approved, update the information on the website related to the compliance date and increments of progress dates within 30 days of the receipt of the State's approval.

(12) Short-Term Reliability Mechanism. You may include in your State plan provisions for a short-term reliability mechanism for affected EGUs in your State that operate during a system emergency, as defined in § 60.5880b. Such a mechanism must include the components listed in paragraphs (a)(12)(i) through (vi) of this section.

(i) A requirement that the short-term reliability mechanism is available only during system emergencies as defined in § 60.5880b. The State plan must identify the entity or entities that are authorized to issue system emergencies for the State.

(ii) A provision that, for the duration of a documented system emergency, an impacted affected EGU may comply with an emission limitation corresponding to its baseline emission performance rate, as calculated under § 60.5775b(d), in lieu of its otherwise applicable standard of performance. The State plan must clearly identify the alternative emission limitation that corresponds to the affected EGU's baseline emission rate and include it as an enforceable emission limitation that may be applied only during periods of system emergency.

(iii) A requirement that an affected EGU impacted by the system emergency and complying with an alternative emission limitation must provide documentation, as part of its compliance demonstration, of the system emergency according to (a)(12)(iii)(A) through (D) of this section and that it was impacted by that system emergency.

(A) Documentation that the system emergency was in effect from the entity issuing the system emergency and documentation of the exact duration of the event;

(B) Documentation from the entity issuing the system emergency that the system emergency included the affected source/region where the unit was located;

(C) Documentation that the source was instructed to increase output beyond the planned day-ahead or other near-term expected output and/or was asked to remain in operation outside of its scheduled dispatch during emergency conditions from a Reliability Coordinator, Balancing Authority, or Independent System Operator/RTO; and

(D) Data collected during the event including the sum of the CO₂ emissions, the sum of the gross energy output, and the resulting CO₂ emissions performance rate.

(iv) A requirement to document the hours an affected EGU operated under a system emergency and the enforceable emission limitation, whether the applicable standard of performance or the alternative emission limitation, under which that affected EGU operated during those hours.

(v) A provision that, for the purpose of demonstrating compliance with the applicable standard of performance, the affected EGU would comply with its baseline emissions rate as calculated under § 60.5775b(d) in lieu of its otherwise applicable standard of performance for the hours of operation that correspond to the duration of the event.

(vi) The inclusion of provisions defining the short-term reliability mechanism must be part of the public comment process as part of the State plan's development.

(13) Reliability Assurance Mechanism. You may include provisions for a reliability assurance mechanism in your State plan. If included, such provisions would allow for one extension, not to exceed 12-months of the date by which an affected EGU has committed to permanently cease operations based on a demonstration consistent with this paragraph (a)(13) that operation of the affected EGU is necessary for electric grid reliability.

(i) The State plan must require that the reliability assurance mechanism would only be appliable to the following EGUs which, for the purpose of this paragraph (a)(13), are collectively referred to as “eligible EGUs”:

(A) Coal-fired steam generating units that are exempt from these emission guidelines pursuant to § 60.5850b(k),

(B) Affected EGUs in the medium-term coal-fired steam-generating subcategory that have enforceable commitments to permanently cease operation before January 1, 2039, in the State plan, and

(C) Affected EGUs that have enforceable dates to permanently cease operation included in the State plan pursuant to § 60.24a(g).

(ii) The date from which an extension would run is the date included in the State plan by which an eligible EGU has committed to permanently cease operation.

(iii) The State plan must provide that an extension is only available to owners or operators of affected EGUs that have satisfied all applicable increments of progress and reporting obligations and milestones in paragraphs (a)(5) and (6) of this section. This includes requiring that the owner or operator of an affected EGU has posted all information relevant to such increments of progress and reporting obligations and milestones on the Carbon Pollution Standards for EGUs website, described in § 60.5740b(a)(10).

(iv) The State plan must provide that any applicable standard of performance for an affected EGU must remain in place during the duration of an extension provided under this mechanism.

(v) The State plan may provide for requests for an extension of up to 12 months without a State plan revision.

(A) For an extension of 6 months or less, the owner or operator of the eligible EGU requesting the extension must submit the information in paragraph (a)(13)(vi) to the applicable EPA Regional Administrator to review and approve or disapprove the extension request.

(B) For an extension of more than 6 months and up to 12 months, the owner or operator of the eligible EGU requesting the extension must submit the information in paragraph (a)(13)(vii) to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (through a process and at an office of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's designation) and to the applicable EPA Regional Administrator to review and approve or disapprove the extension request.

(vi) The State plan must require that to apply for an extension for 6 months or less, described in paragraph (a)(13)(v)(A) of this section, the owner or operator of an eligible EGU must submit a complete written application that includes the information listed in paragraphs (a)(13)(vi)(A) through (D) of this section no less than 30 days prior to the cease operation date, but no earlier than 12 months prior to the cease operation date.

(A) An analysis of the reliability risk that clearly demonstrates that the eligible EGU is critical to maintaining electric reliability. The analysis must include a projection of the length of time that the EGU is expected to be reliability-critical and the length of the requested extension must be no longer than this period or 6 months, whichever is shorter. In order to show an approvable reliability need, the analysis must clearly demonstrate that an eligible EGU ceasing operation by the date listed in the State plan would cause one or more of the conditions listed in paragraphs (a)(13)(vi)(A)(1) or (2) of this section. An eligible EGU that has received a Reliability Must Run designation, or equivalent from a Reliability Coordinator or Balancing Authority, would fulfill those conditions.

(1) Result in noncompliance with at least one of the mandatory reliability standards approved by FERC; or

(2) Would cause the loss of load expectation to increase beyond the level targeted by regional system planners as part of their established procedures for that particular region; specifically, this requires a clear demonstration that the eligible EGU would be needed to maintain the targeted level of resource adequacy.

(B) Certification from the relevant reliability planning authority that the claims of reliability risk are accurate and that the identified reliability problem both exists and requires the specific relief requested. This certification must be accompanied by a written analysis by the relevant planning authority consistent with paragraph (a)(13)(vi)(A) of this section, confirming the asserted reliability risk if the eligible EGU was not in operation. The information from the relevant reliability planning authority must also include any related system-wide or regional analysis and a substantiation of the length of time that the eligible EGU is expected to be reliability critical.

(C) Copies of any written comments from third parties regarding the extension.

(D) Demonstration from the owner or operator of the eligible EGU, grid operator, and other relevant entities of a plan, including appropriate actions to bring on new capacity or transmission, to resolve the underlying reliability issue is leading to the need to employ this reliability assurance mechanism, including the steps and timeframes for implementing measures to rectify the underlying reliability issue.

(E) Any other information requested by the applicable EPA Regional Administrator or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

(vii) The State plan must require that to apply for an extension longer than 6 months but up to 12 months, described in paragraph (a)(13)(v)(B) of this section, the owner or operator of an eligible EGU must submit a complete written application that includes the information listed in (a)(13)(vi)(A) through (E) of this section, except that the period of time under (a)(13)(vi)(A) would be 12 months. For requests for extensions longer than 6 months, this application must be submitted to the EPA Regional Administrator no less than 45 days prior to the date for ceasing operation listed in the State plan, but no earlier than 12 months prior to that date.

(viii) The State plan must provide that extensions will only be granted for the period of time that is substantiated by the reliability need and the submitted analysis and documentation, and shall not exceed 12 months in total.

(ix) The State plan must provide that the reliability assurance mechanism shall not be used more than once to extend an eligible EGU's planned cease operation date.

(x) The EPA Regional Administrator may reject the application if the submission is incomplete with respect to the requirements listed in paragraphs (a)(13)(vi)(A) through (E) of this section or if the submission does not adequately support the asserted reliability risk or the period of time for which the eligible EGU is anticipated to be reliability critical.

(b) [Reserved]