§ 71.4 - Program implementation.

§ 71.4 Program implementation.

(a) Part 71 programs for States. The Administrator will administer and enforce a full or partial operating permits program for a State (excluding Indian country) in the following situations:

(1) A program for a State meeting the requirements of part 70 of this chapter has not been granted full approval under § 70.4 of this chapter by the Administrator by July 31, 1996, and the State's part 70 program has not been granted interim approval under § 70.4(d) of this chapter for a period extending beyond July 31, 1996. The effective date of such a part 71 program is July 31, 1996.

(2) An operating permits program for a State which was granted interim approval under § 70.4(d) of this chapter has not been granted full approval by the Administrator by the expiration of the interim approval period or July 31, 1996, whichever is later. Such a part 71 program shall be effective upon expiration of the interim approval or July 31, 1996 whichever is later.

(3) Any partial part 71 program will be effective only in those portions of a State that are not covered by a partial part 70 program that has been granted full or interim approval by the Administrator pursuant to § 70.4(c) of this chapter.

(b) Part 71 programs for Indian country. The Administrator will administer and enforce an operating permits program in Indian country, as defined in § 71.2, when an operating permits program which meets the requirements of part 70 of this chapter has not been explicitly granted full or interim approval by the Administrator for Indian country.

(1) [Reserved]

(2) The effective date of a part 71 program in Indian country shall be March 22, 1999.

(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (i)(2) of this section, within 2 years of the effective date of the part 71 program in Indian country, the Administrator shall take final action on permit applications from part 71 sources that are submitted within the first full year after the effective date of the part 71 program.

(c) Part 71 programs imposed due to inadequate implementation.

(1) The Administrator will administer and enforce an operating permits program for a permitting authority if the Administrator has notified the permitting authority, in accordance with § 70.10(b)(1) of this chapter, of the Administrator's determination that a permitting authority is not adequately administering or enforcing its approved operating permits program, or any portion thereof, and the permitting authority fails to do either of the following:

(i) Correct the deficiencies within 18 months after the Administrator issues the notice; or

(ii) Take significant action to assure adequate administration and enforcement of the program within 90 days of the Administrator's notice.

(2) The effective date of a part 71 program promulgated in accordance with this paragraph (c) shall be:

(i) Two years after the Administrator's notice if the permitting authority has not corrected the deficiency within 18 months after the date of the Administrator's notice; or

(ii) Such earlier time as the Administrator determines appropriate if the permitting authority fails, within 90 days of the Administrator's notice, to take significant action to assure adequate administration and enforcement of the program.

(d) Part 71 programs for OCS sources.

(1) Using the procedures of this part, the Administrator will issue permits to any source which is an outer continental shelf (OCS) source, as defined under § 55.2 of this chapter, is subject to the requirements of part 55 of this chapter and section 328(a) of the Act, is subject to the requirement to obtain a permit under title V of the Act, and is either:

(i) Located beyond 25 miles of States' seaward boundaries; or

(ii) Located within 25 miles of States' seaward boundaries and a part 71 program is being administered and enforced by the Administrator for the corresponding onshore area, as defined in § 55.2 of this chapter, for that source.

(2) The requirements of § 71.4(d)(1)(i) shall apply on July 31, 1996.

(3) The requirements of § 71.4(d)(1)(ii) apply upon the effective date of a part 71 program for the corresponding onshore area.

(e) Part 71 program for permits issued to satisfy an EPA objection. Using the procedures of this part and 40 CFR 70.8 (c) or (d), or 40 CFR 70.7(g)(4) or (5) (i) and (ii), as appropriate, the Administrator will deny, terminate, revise, revoke or reissue a permit which has been proposed or issued by a permitting authority or will issue a part 71 permit when:

(1) A permitting authority with an approved part 70 operating permits program fails to respond to a timely objection to the issuance of a permit made by the Administrator pursuant to section 505(b) of the Act and § 70.8(c) and (d) of this chapter.

(2) The Administrator, under § 70.7(g) of this chapter, finds that cause exists to reopen a permit and the permitting authority fails to either:

(i) Submit to the Administrator a proposed determination of termination, modification, or revocation and reissuance, as appropriate; or

(ii) Resolve any objection EPA makes to the permit which the permitting authority proposes to issue in response to EPA's finding of cause to reopen, and to terminate, revise, or revoke and reissue the permit in accordance with that objection.

(3) The requirements of this paragraph (e) shall apply on July 31, 1996.

(f) Use of selected provisions of this part. The Administrator may utilize any or all of the provisions of this part to administer the permitting process for individual sources or take action on individual permits, or may adopt, through rulemaking, portions of a State or Tribal permit program in combination with provisions of this part to administer a Federal program for the State or in Indian country in substitution of or addition to the Federal program otherwise required by this part.

(g) Public notice of part 71 programs. In taking action to administer and enforce an operating permits program under this part, the Administrator will publish a notice in the Federal Register informing the public of such action and the effective date of any part 71 program as set forth in § 71.4(a), (b), (c), or (d)(1)(ii). The publication of this part in the Federal Register on July 1, 1996 serves as the notice for the part 71 permit programs described in § 71.4(d)(1)(i) and (e). The EPA will also publish a notice in the Federal Register of any delegation of a portion of the part 71 program to a State, eligible Tribe, or local agency pursuant to the provisions of § 71.10. In addition to notices published in the Federal Register under this paragraph (g), the Administrator will, to the extent practicable, post a notice on a public Web site identified by the Administrator of the part 71 program effectiveness or delegation, and will send a letter to the Tribal governing body for an Indian Tribe or the Governor (or his or her designee) of the affected area to provide notice of such effectiveness or delegation.

(h) Effect of limited deficiency in the State or Tribal program. The Administrator may administer and enforce a part 71 program in a State or within Indian country even if only limited deficiencies exist either in the initial program submittal for a State or eligible Tribe under part 70 of this chapter or in an existing State or Tribal program that has been approved under part 70 of this chapter.

(i) Transition plan for initial permits issuance. If a full or partial part 71 program becomes effective in a State or within Indian country prior to the issuance of part 70 permits to all part 70 sources under an existing program that has been approved under part 70 of this chapter, the Administrator shall take final action on initial permit applications for all part 71 sources in accordance with the following transition plan.

(1) All part 71 sources that have not received part 70 permits shall submit permit applications under this part within 1 year after the effective date of the part 71 program.

(2) Final action shall be taken on at least one-third of such applications annually over a period not to exceed 3 years after such effective date.

(3) Any complete permit application containing an early reduction demonstration under section 112(i)(5) of the Act shall be acted on within 12 months of receipt of the complete application.

(4) Submittal of permit applications and the permitting of affected sources shall occur in accordance with the deadlines in title IV of the Act and 40 CFR parts 72 through 78.

(j) Delegation of part 71 program. The Administrator may promulgate a part 71 program in a State or Indian country and delegate part of the responsibility for administering the part 71 program to the State or eligible Tribe in accordance with the provisions of § 71.10; however, delegation of a part of a part 71 program will not constitute any type of approval of a State or Tribal operating permits program under part 70 of this chapter. Where only selected portions of a part 71 program are administered by the Administrator and the State or eligible Tribe is delegated the remaining portions of the program, the Delegation Agreement referred to in § 71.10 will define the respective roles of the State or eligible Tribe and the Administrator in administering and enforcing the part 71 operating permits program.

(k) EPA administration and enforcement of part 70 permits. When the Administrator administers and enforces a part 71 program after a determination and notice under § 70.10(b)(1) of this chapter that a State or Tribe is not adequately administering and enforcing an operating permits program approved under part 70 of this chapter, the Administrator will administer and enforce permits issued under the part 70 program until part 71 permits are issued using the procedures of part 71. Until such time as part 70 permits are replaced by part 71 permits, the Administrator will revise, reopen, revise, terminate, or revoke and reissue part 70 permits using the procedures of part 71 and will assess and collect fees in accordance with the provisions of § 71.9.

(l) Transition to approved part 70 program. The Administrator will suspend the issuance of part 71 permits promptly upon publication of notice of approval of a State or Tribal operating permits program that meets the requirements of part 70 of this chapter. The Administrator may retain jurisdiction over the part 71 permits for which the administrative or judicial review process is not complete and will address this issue in the notice of State program approval. After approval of a State or Tribal program and the suspension of issuance of part 71 permits by the Administrator:

(1) The Administrator, or the permitting authority acting as the Administrator's delegated agent, will continue to administer and enforce part 71 permits until they are replaced by permits issued under the approved part 70 program. Until such time as part 71 permits are replaced by part 70 permits, the Administrator will revise, reopen, revise, terminate, or revoke and reissue part 71 permits using the procedures of the part 71 program. However, if the Administrator has delegated authority to administer part 71 permits to a delegate agency, the delegate agency will revise, reopen, terminate, or revoke and reissue part 71 permits using the procedures of the approved part 70 program. If a part 71 permit expires prior to the issuance of a part 70 permit, all terms and conditions of the part 71 permit, including any permit shield that may be granted pursuant to § 71.6(f), shall remain in effect until the part 70 permit is issued or denied, provided that a timely and complete application for a permit renewal was submitted to the permitting authority in accordance with the requirements of the approved part 70 program.

(2) A State or local agency or Indian Tribe with an approved part 70 operating permits program may issue part 70 permits for all sources with part 71 permits in accordance with a permit issuance schedule approved as part of the approved part 70 program or may issue part 70 permits to such sources at the expiration of the part 71 permits.

(m) Exemption for certain territories. Upon petition by the Governor of Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, the Administrator may exempt any source or class of sources in such territory from the requirement to have a part 71 permit under this chapter. Such an exemption does not exempt such source or class of sources from any requirement of section 112 of the Act, including the requirements of section 112 (g) or (j).

(1) Such exemption may be granted if the Administrator finds that compliance with part 71 is not feasible or is unreasonable due to unique geographical, meteorological, or economic factors of such territory, or such other local factors as the Administrator deems significant. Any such petition shall be considered in accordance with section 307(d) of the Act, and any exemption granted under this paragraph (m) shall be considered final action by the Administrator for the purposes of section 307(b) of the Act.

(2) The Administrator shall promptly notify the Committees on Energy and Commerce and on Interior and Insular Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Environment and Public Works and on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate upon receipt of any petition under this paragraph (m) and of the approval or rejection of such petition and the basis for such action.

(n) Retention of records. The records for each draft, proposed, and final permit application, renewal, or modification shall be kept by the Administrator for a period of 5 years.

[61 FR 34228, July 1, 1996, as amended at 64 FR 8262, Feb. 19, 1999; 67 FR 38330, June 3, 2002; 81 FR 71630, Oct. 18, 2016]