[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 149 (Friday, August 2, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 37816-37818]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-16576]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[EPA-R09-OAR-2019-0422; FRL-9997-67-Region 9]


Air Plan Approval; California; Ventura County Air Pollution 
Control District

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to 
approve a revision to the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District 
(VCAPCD) portion of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). 
This revision concerns emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOX) 
from natural gas-fired water heaters. We are proposing to approve a 
local rule to regulate these emission sources under the Clean Air Act 
(CAA or the Act). We are taking comments on this proposal and plan to 
follow with a final action.

DATES: Any comments must arrive by September 3, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R09-
OAR-2019-0422 at https://www.regulations.gov. For comments submitted at 
Regulations.gov, follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from 
Regulations.gov. The EPA may publish any comment received to its public 
docket. Do not submit electronically 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, please contact the person identified in 
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. For the full EPA public 
comment policy, information about CBI or multimedia submissions, and 
general guidance on

[[Page 37817]]

making effective comments, please visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Schwartz, EPA Region IX, 75 
Hawthorne St., San Francisco, CA 94105. By phone: (415) 972-3286 or by 
email at schwartz.robert@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, ``we,'' ``us'' and 
``our'' refer to the EPA.

Table of Contents

I. The State's Submittal
    A. What rule did the State submit?
    B. Are there other versions of this rule?
    C. What is the purpose of the submitted rule revision?
II. The EPA's Evaluation and Action
    A. How is the EPA evaluating the rule?
    B. Does the rule meet the evaluation criteria?
    C. The EPA's Recommendations To Further Improve the Rule
    D. Public Comment and Proposed Action
III. Incorporation by Reference
IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

I. The State's Submittal

A. What rule did the State submit?

    Table 1 lists the rule addressed by this proposal with the dates 
that it was adopted by the local air agency and submitted by the 
California Air Resources Board (CARB).

                                             Table 1--Submitted Rule
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            Local agency                  Rule No.            Rule title            Revised         Submitted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VCAPCD..............................           74.11   Natural Gas-Fired Water       5/11/2010        6/21/2011
                                                        Heaters.
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    On July 15, 2011, the EPA determined that the submittal for VCAPCD 
Rule 74.11 met the completeness criteria in 40 CFR part 51 Appendix V, 
which must be met before formal EPA review.

B. Are there other versions of this rule?

    We approved an earlier version of Rule 74.11 into the SIP on 
September 24, 1999 (64 FR 51688). The VCAPCD adopted revisions to the 
SIP-approved version on May 11, 2010, and CARB submitted them to us on 
June 21, 2011.

C. What is the purpose of the submitted rule revision?

    Emissions of NOX contribute to the production of ground-
level ozone, smog and particulate matter, which harm human health and 
the environment. Section 110(a) of the CAA requires states to submit 
regulations that control NOX emissions. The current SIP-
approved Rule 74.11 establishes NOX emission limits, and 
certification, compliance, and testing requirements for residential 
natural gas-fired water heaters sold or installed by anyone in Ventura 
County. Revisions to the SIP-approved rule include broadening the 
applicability to any natural gas-fired water heater rated at less than 
75,000 Btu/hr \1\ (not just residential units), lower NOX 
limits, the addition of NOX limits for mobile homes 
(previously exempt from the rule), and the acceptance of water heaters 
certified, exclusively, by the South Coast Air Quality Management 
District (SCAQMD) (in accordance with SCAQMD Rule 1121) as certified 
for sale or installation in Ventura County. Other rule revisions 
include additional compliance report documentation related to 
certification, additional enforcement requirements, and the re-
arrangement of and additions to the definitions. The EPA's technical 
support document (TSD) has more information about this rule.
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    \1\ British thermal unit (Btu): The amount of heat required to 
raise the temperature of one pound of water from 59 [deg]F to 60 
[deg]F at one atmosphere.
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II. The EPA's Evaluation and Action

A. How is the EPA evaluating the rule?

    Rules in the SIP must be enforceable (see CAA section 110(a)(2)), 
must not interfere with applicable requirements concerning attainment 
and reasonable further progress or other CAA requirements (see CAA 
section 110(l)), and must not modify certain SIP control requirements 
in nonattainment areas without ensuring equivalent or greater emissions 
reductions (see CAA section 193).
    Generally, SIP rules must require Reasonably Available Control 
Technology (RACT) for each major source of NOX in ozone 
nonattainment areas classified as Moderate or above (see CAA sections 
182(b)(2) and 182(f)). The VCAPCD regulates an ozone nonattainment area 
classified as Serious for the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality 
Standards (NAAQS) (40 CFR 81.305). However, because this rule does not 
affect major sources, it does not need to implement section 182(b)(2) 
RACT. While section 182(b)(2) RACT does not apply, the Ventura County 
ozone nonattainment area is subject to the SIP requirement to provide 
for the implementation of all reasonably available control measures 
(RACM) and for attainment of the NAAQS.
    Guidance and policy documents that we used to evaluate 
enforceability, revision/relaxation and rule stringency requirements 
for the applicable criteria pollutants include the following:
    1. ``State Implementation Plans; General Preamble for the 
Implementation of Title I of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990,'' 57 
FR 13498 (April 16, 1992); 57 FR 18070 (April 28, 1992).
    2. ``Issues Relating to VOC Regulation Cutpoints, Deficiencies, and 
Deviations,'' EPA, May 25, 1988 (the Bluebook, revised January 11, 
1990).
    3. ``Guidance Document for Correcting Common VOC & Other Rule 
Deficiencies,'' EPA Region 9, August 21, 2001 (the Little Bluebook).
    4. ``State Implementation Plans; Nitrogen Oxides Supplement to the 
General Preamble; Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 Implementation of 
Title I; Proposed Rule,'' (the NOX Supplement), 57 FR 55620, 
November 25, 1992.
    5. ``Alternative Control Techniques Document--NOX 
Emissions from Industrial/Commercial/Institutional (ICI) Boilers,'' EPA 
453/R-94-022, March 1994.
    6. ``Alternative Control Techniques Document--NOX 
Emissions from Process Heaters (Revised),'' EPA-453/R-93-034, September 
1993.

B. Does the rule meet the evaluation criteria?

    We have reviewed VCAPCD Rule 74.11 and determined that it is 
consistent with CAA requirements and relevant guidance regarding 
enforceability, RACM, and SIP revisions. With respect to our evaluation 
for compliance of this SIP revision with CAA section 110(l), we note 
that the 2016 Ventura County Air Quality Management Plan relies on the 
emissions reductions from VCAPCD Rule 74.11, as amended in 2010, as 
part of the strategy to attain the 2008 ozone NAAQS by the applicable 
attainment date.\2\ The TSD has more information on our evaluation.
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    \2\ See VCAPCD, Final 2016 Ventural County Air Quality 
Management Plan (February 14, 2017), table 3-1 on page 33.

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[[Page 37818]]

C. EPA Recommendations To Further Improve the Rule

    The TSD includes recommendations for the next time the local agency 
modifies the rule.

D. Public Comment and Proposed Action

    As authorized in section 110(k)(3) of the Act, the EPA proposes to 
fully approve the submitted rule because it fulfills all relevant 
requirements. We will accept comments from the public on this proposal 
until September 3, 2019. If we take final action to approve the 
submitted rule, our final action will incorporate this rule into the 
federally enforceable SIP.

III. Incorporation by Reference

    In this rule, the EPA is proposing to include in a final EPA rule 
regulatory text that includes incorporation by reference. In accordance 
with requirements of 1 CFR 51.5, the EPA is proposing to incorporate by 
reference the VCAPCD rule described in Table 1 of this preamble. The 
EPA has made, and will continue to make, these materials available 
through https://www.regulations.gov and at the EPA Region IX Office 
(please contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section of this preamble for more information).

IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

    Under the Clean Air Act, the Administrator is required to approve a 
SIP submission that complies with the provisions of the Act and 
applicable federal regulations. 42 U.S.C. 7410(k); 40 CFR 52.02(a). 
Thus, in reviewing SIP submissions, the EPA's role is to approve state 
choices, provided that they meet the criteria of the Clean Air Act. 
Accordingly, this proposed action merely proposes to approve state law 
as meeting federal requirements and does not impose additional 
requirements beyond those imposed by state law. For that reason, this 
proposed action:
     Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' subject to 
review by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Orders 
12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993) and 13563 (76 FR 3821, January 21, 
2011);
     Is not an Executive Order 13771 (82 FR 9339, February 2, 
2017) regulatory action because SIP approvals are exempted under 
Executive Order 12866;
     Does not impose an information collection burden under the 
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.);
     Is certified as not having a significant economic impact 
on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
     Does not contain any unfunded mandate or significantly or 
uniquely affect small governments, as described in the Unfunded 
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4);
     Does not have federalism implications as specified in 
Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999);
     Is not an economically significant regulatory action based 
on health or safety risks subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR 
19885, April 23, 1997);
     Is not a significant regulatory action subject to 
Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001);
     Is not subject to requirements of Section 12(d) of the 
National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 
note) because application of those requirements would be inconsistent 
with the Clean Air Act; and
     Does not provide the EPA with the discretionary authority 
to address disproportionate human health or environmental effects with 
practical, appropriate, and legally permissible methods under Executive 
Order 12898 (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).
    In addition, the SIP is not approved to apply on any Indian 
reservation land or in any other area where the EPA or an Indian tribe 
has demonstrated that a tribe has jurisdiction. In those areas of 
Indian country, the proposed rule does not have tribal implications and 
will not impose substantial direct costs on tribal governments or 
preempt tribal law as specified by Executive Order 13175 (65 FR 67249, 
November 9, 2000).

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Incorporation by 
reference, Intergovernmental relations, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, 
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.

    Dated: July 23, 2019.
Michael Stoker,
Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. 2019-16576 Filed 8-1-19; 8:45 am]
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