§ 144.8 - Noncompliance and program reporting by the Director.

§ 144.8 Noncompliance and program reporting by the Director.

The Director shall prepare quarterly and annual reports as detailed below. When the State is the permit-issuing authority, the State Director shall submit any reports required under this section to the Regional Administrator. When EPA is the permit-issuing authority, the Regional Administrator shall submit any report required under this section to EPA Headquarters.

(a) Quarterly reports. The Director shall submit quarterly narrative reports for major facilities as follows:

(1) Format. The report shall use the following format:

(i) Provide an alphabetized list of permittees. When two or more permittees have the same name, the lowest permit number shall be entered first.

(ii) For each entry on the list, include the following information in the following order:

(A) Name, location, and permit number of the noncomplying permittees.

(B) A brief description and date of each instance of noncompliance for that permittee. Instances of noncompliance may include one or more the kinds set forth in paragraph (a)(2) of this section. When a permittee has noncompliance of more than one kind, combine the information into a single entry for each such permittee.

(C) The date(s) and a brief description of the action(s) taken by the Director to ensure compliance.

(D) Status of the instance(s) of noncompliance with the date of the review of the status or the date of resolution.

(E) Any details which tend to explain or mitigate the instance(s) of noncompliance.

(2) Instances of noncompliance to be reported. Any instances of noncompliance within the following categories shall be reported in successive reports until the noncompliance is reported as resolved. Once noncompliance is reported as resolved it need not appear in subsequent reports.

(i) Failure to complete construction elements. When the permittee has failed to complete, by the date specified in the permit, an element of a compliance schedule involving either planning for construction or a construction step (for example, begin construction, attain operation level); and the permittee has not returned to compliance by accomplishing the required elements of the schedule within 30 days from the date a compliance schedule report is due under the permit.

(ii) Modifications to schedules of compliance. When a schedule of compliance in the permit has been modified under §§ 144.39 or 144.41 because of the permittee's noncompliance.

(iii) Failure to complete or provide compliance schedule or monitoring reports. When the permittee has failed to complete or provide a report required in a permit compliance schedule (for example, progress report or notice of noncompliance or compliance) or a monitoring report; and the permittee has not submitted the complete report within 30 days from the date it is due under the permit for compliance schedules, or from the date specified in the permit for monitoring reports.

(iv) Deficient reports. When the required reports provided by the permittee are so deficient as to cause misunderstanding by the Director and thus impede the review of the status of compliance.

(v) Noncompliance with other permit requirements. Noncompliance shall be reported in the following circumstances:

(A) Whenever the permittee has violated a permit requirement (other than reported under paragraph (a)(2) (i) or (ii) of this section), and has not returned to compliance within 45 days from the date reporting of noncompliance was due under the permit; or

(B) When the Director determines that a pattern of noncompliance exists for a major facility permittee over the most recent four consecutive reporting periods. This pattern includes any violation of the same requirement in two consecutive reporting periods, and any violation of one or more requirements in each of four consecutive reporting periods; or

(C) When the Director determines significant permit noncompliance or other significant event has occurred, such as a migration of fluids into a USDW.

(vi) All other. Statistical information shall be reported quarterly on all other instances of noncompliance by major facilities with permit requirements not otherwise reported under paragraph (a) of this section.

(b) Annual reports -

(1) Annual noncompliance report. Statistical reports shall be submitted by the Director on nonmajor UIC permittees indicating the total number reviewed, the number of noncomplying nonmajor permittees, the number of enforcement actions, and number of permit modifications extending compliance deadlines. The statistical information shall be organized to follow the types of noncompliance listed in paragraph (a) of this section.

(2) For State-administered UIC Programs only. In addition to the annual noncompliance report, the State Director shall:

(i) Submit each year a program report to the Administrator (in a manner and form prescribed by the Administrator) consisting of:

(A) A detailed description of the State's implementation of its program;

(B) Suggested changes, if any to the program description (see § 145.23(f)) which are necessary to reflect more accurately the State's progress in issuing permits;

(C) An updated inventory of active underground injection operations in the State.

(ii) In addition to complying with the requirements of paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section, the Director shall provide the Administrator, on February 28th and August 31st of each of the first two years of program operation, the information required in 40 CFR 146.15, 146.25, and 146.35.

(iii) All Class VI program reports shall be consistent with reporting requirements set forth in § 146.91 of this chapter.

(c) Schedule.

(1) For all quarterly reports. On the last working day of May, August, November, and February, the State Director shall submit to the Regional Administrator information concerning noncompliance with permit requirements by major facilities in the State in accordance with the following schedule. The Regional Administrator shall prepare and submit information for EPA-issued permits to EPA Headquarters in accordance with the same schedule.

Quarters Covered by Reports on Noncompliance by Major Facilities

[Date for completion of reports]

January, February, and March	1 May 31
April, May, and June	1 Aug. 31
July, August, and September	1 Nov. 30
October, November, and December	1 Feb. 28

¹ Reports must be made available to the public for inspection and copying on this date.

(2) For all annual reports. The period for annual reports shall be for the calendar year ending December 31, with reports completed and available to the public no more than 60 days later.

[48 FR 14189, Apr. 1, 1983, as amended at 75 FR 77287, Dec. 10, 2010]