2024-25483. Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

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Environmental Protection Agency

1. [EPA-HQ-OGC-2024-0490; FRL-12343-01-OGC]

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice of proposed consent decree; request for public comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with section 113(g) of the Clean Air Act, as amended (CAA or the Act), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is providing notice of a proposed consent decree in Center for Biological Diversity and Sierra Club v. Regan, No. 4:24-cv-01900-HSG (N.D. Cal.). On May 11, 2024, Plaintiffs Center for Biological Diversity and Sierra Club (collectively Plaintiffs) filed an amended complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Plaintiffs alleged that EPA failed to perform certain non-discretionary duties in accordance with the Act: to determine that certain nonattainment areas under the 2010 primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for sulfur dioxide (SO₂) had failed to submit required state implementation plans (SIPs); to promulgate federal implementation plans (FIPs) for certain SO₂ nonattainment areas; and to determine whether certain nonattainment areas had timely attained the NAAQS. The proposed consent decree would establish deadlines for EPA to take actions.

DATES:

Written comments on the proposed consent decree must be received by December 2, 2024.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OGC-2024-0490, online at https://www.regulations.gov (EPA's preferred method). Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.

Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket ID number for this action. Comments received may be posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. For detailed instructions on sending comments and additional information on the rulemaking process, see the “Additional Information about Commenting on the Proposed Consent Decree” heading under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael Thrift, Air and Radiation Law Office, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; telephone: [phone]; email address: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Obtaining a Copy of the Proposed Consent Decree

The official public docket for this action (identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OGC-2024-0490 contains a copy of the proposed consent decree. The official public docket is available for public viewing at the Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket in the EPA Docket Center, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is [phone], and the telephone number for the OEI Docket is [phone].

The electronic version of the public docket for this action contains a copy of the proposed consent decree, and is available through https://www.regulations.gov. You may use https://www.regulations.gov to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the official public docket, and access those documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, key in the appropriate docket identification number then select “search.”

II. Additional Information About the Proposed Consent Decree

Plaintiffs filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California alleging that EPA failed to perform certain non-discretionary duties in accordance with the Clean Air Act under sections 110 and 179 to (i) determine that certain nonattainment areas under the 2010 primary SO₂ NAAQS had failed to submit required SIPs; (ii) promulgate ( print page 87369) FIPs for certain SO₂ nonattainment areas; and (iii) determine whether certain nonattainment areas had timely attained the NAAQS. Subsequently, EPA issued a notice determining that the areas alleged to have failed to submit SIPs in fact had so failed, thus mooting Plaintiffs' claim on those grounds.

The EPA solicits public comments on a proposed consent decree that would establish deadlines for EPA to take proposed and final actions pursuant to CAA sections 110(c) and 179(c) related to the 2010 primary SO₂ NAAQS. The consent decree would require that EPA no later than December 19, 2024, sign a final notice (or notices) determining under CAA section 179(c) whether the Anne-Arundel/Baltimore County, MD; Alton Township, IL; St. Clair, MI; Freestone-Anderson, TX; Rusk-Panola. TX; Titus, TX; Evangeline Parish, LA; and Piti-Cabras, Guam, nonattainment areas timely attained the 2010 primary SO₂ NAAQS; and by August 29, 2025, sign a final notice under CAA section 179(c) determining whether the Huntington, IN nonattainment area timely attained the NAAQS and sign a final notice promulgating a FIP for that area under the NAAQS. The consent decree would also require that EPA no later than September 30, 2025, sign a proposed notice (or notices) to promulgate FIPs under the NAAQS for the Piti-Cabras, Guam and Evangeline Parish, LA nonattainment areas and by March 31, 2026, sign a final notice (or notices) promulgating FIPs under the NAAQS for the Piti-Cabras, Guam and Evangeline Parish, LA nonattainment areas; and by August 28, 2026, sign a final notice promulgating a FIP under the NAAQS for the Hayden, AZ nonattainment area. In addition, the consent decree would require that EPA no later than January 14, 2027, sign a proposed notice (or notices) to promulgate FIPs under the NAAQS for the Guayama-Salinas and San Juan, Puerto Rico nonattainment areas and by June 1, 2027, sign a final notice (or notices) promulgating FIPs under the NAAQS for the Guayama-Salinas and San Juan, Puerto Rico nonattainment areas; and by November 1, 2027, sign a final notice (or notices) determining whether the Guayama-Salinas and San Juan, Puerto Rico nonattainment areas timely attained the NAAQS.

For a period of thirty (30) days following the date of publication of this notice, the Agency will accept written comments relating to the proposed consent decree. The EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed consent decree if the comments disclose facts or considerations that indicate that such consent is inappropriate, improper, inadequate, or inconsistent with the requirements of the Act.

III. Additional Information About Commenting on the Proposed Consent Decree

Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OGC-2024-0490, via https://www.regulations.gov. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from this docket. The EPA may publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not submit to EPA's docket at https://www.regulations.gov any information you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered the official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish to make. The EPA will generally not consider comments or comment contents located outside of the primary submission ( i.e., on the web, cloud, or other file sharing system). For additional submission methods, the full EPA public comment policy, information about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general guidance on making effective comments, please visit https://www.epa.gov/​dockets/​commenting-epa-dockets. For additional information about submitting information identified as CBI, please contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document. Note that written comments containing CBI and submitted by mail may be delayed and deliveries or couriers will be received by scheduled appointment only.

If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name, mailing address, and an email address or other contact information in the body of your comment. This ensures that you can be identified as the submitter of the comment and allows EPA to contact you in case EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties or needs further information on the substance of your comment. Any identifying or contact information provided in the body of a comment will be included as part of the comment that is placed in the official public docket and made available in EPA's electronic public docket. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment.

Use of the https://www.regulations.gov website to submit comments to EPA electronically is EPA's preferred method for receiving comments. The electronic public docket system is an “anonymous access” system, which means EPA will not know your identity, email address, or other contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment.

Please ensure that your comments are submitted within the specified comment period. Comments received after the close of the comment period will be marked “late.” The EPA is not required to consider these late comments.

Gautam Srinivasan,

Associate General Counsel.