
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 162 (Wednesday, August 23, 2023)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 57361-57363]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18110]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[EPA-R09-OAR-2022-0682; FRL-10126-02-R9]


Air Plan Approval; California; San Diego County Air Pollution 
Control District; Oxides of Nitrogen

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final 
action to approve a revision to the San Diego County Air Pollution 
Control District (SDCAPCD) portion of the California State 
Implementation Plan (SIP). The California Air Resources Board (CARB) 
submitted the rule, on behalf of SDCAPCD, to the EPA as part of the 
requirement to implement major source reasonable available control 
technology (RACT) for emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOX) 
for the San Diego County ozone nonattainment area. This revision 
concerns NOX emissions from boilers, process heaters, and 
steam generators. We are approving a local rule to regulate these 
emission sources under the Clean Air Act (CAA or the ``Act'').

DATES: This rule is effective September 22, 2023.

ADDRESSES: The EPA has established a docket for this action under 
Docket ID No. EPA-R09-OAR-2022-0682. All documents in the docket are 
listed on the https://www.regulations.gov website. Although listed in 
the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as 
copyrighted material, is not placed on the internet and will be 
publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket 
materials are available through https://www.regulations.gov, or please 
contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
section for additional availability information. If you need assistance 
in a language other than English or if you are a person with a 
disability who needs a reasonable accommodation at no cost to you, 
please contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: La Kenya Evans-Hopper, EPA Region IX, 
75 Hawthorne St., San Francisco, CA 94105. By phone: (415) 972-3245 or 
by email at [email protected].

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

Table of Contents

I. Proposed Action
II. Public Comments and EPA Responses
III. EPA Action
IV. Incorporation by Reference
V. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

I. Proposed Action

    On January 30, 2023 (88 FR 5833), the EPA proposed to approve the 
following rule into the California SIP.

                                             Table 1--Submitted Rule
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Local agency                Rule No.              Rule title               Adopted        Submitted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SDCAPCD...........................          69.2.2  Medium Boilers, Process             09/09/21        03/09/22
                                                     Heaters, and Steam
                                                     Generators.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    We proposed to approve this rule because we determined that it 
complies with the relevant CAA requirements. Our proposed action 
contains more information on the rule and our evaluation.

II. Public Comments and EPA Responses

    The EPA's proposed action provided a 30-day public comment period. 
During this period, we received three comments, two of which were 
submitted by the same commenter. The full text of all three comments is 
available in the docket for this rulemaking. The comments were broadly 
supportive of SIPs, in the general sense, as a necessary tool to

[[Page 57362]]

address air pollution, particularly NOX emissions, although 
they were not specific to this rulemaking action. After stating the 
need for the EPA to approve and enforce SIPs to ensure areas meet the 
national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS), one comment contained a 
general statement that SIPs could be argued to be overly burdensome 
because of their economic impacts on businesses and consumers. After 
reviewing this comment, the EPA has determined that the comment does 
not raise issues germane to our proposed finding that SDCAPCD Rule 
69.2.2 satisfies the requirements of CAA sections 110 and part D, which 
focuses the rule evaluation on enforceability, stringency, and 
interference with CAA requirements. Therefore, we have determined that 
this comment does not necessitate a response, and the EPA will not 
provide a specific response to the comment in this document.

III. EPA Action

    No comments were submitted that change our assessment of the rule 
as described in our proposed action that this rule meets CAA 
requirements and is consistent with relevant guidance regarding 
enforceability, RACT, and SIP revisions. Therefore, as authorized in 
section 110(k)(3) of the Act, the EPA is fully approving this rule into 
the California SIP.

IV. Incorporation by Reference

    In this rule, the EPA is finalizing regulatory text that includes 
incorporation by reference. In accordance with requirements of 1 CFR 
51.5, the EPA is finalizing the incorporation by reference of San Diego 
County Air Pollution Control District, Rule 69.2.2, ``Medium Boilers, 
Process Heaters, and Steam Generators,'' adopted on September 9, 2021, 
which regulates NOX emissions from boilers, process heaters, 
and steam generators with a heat input rating greater than 2 million 
British thermal unit (Btu) per hour to less than 5 million Btu per hour 
that are manufactured, sold, offered for sale or distributed, or 
installed for use within San Diego County. The EPA has made, and will 
continue to make, these documents 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).

V. 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 action merely approves state law as meeting Federal 
requirements and does not impose additional requirements beyond those 
imposed by state law. For that reason, this 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 14094 (88 FR 21879, April 11, 2023);
     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 subject to Executive Order 13045 (62 FR 19885, 
April 23, 1997) because it approves a state program;
     Is not a significant regulatory action subject to 
Executive Order 13211 (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001); and
     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.
    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 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).
    Executive Order 12898 (Federal Actions To Address Environmental 
Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations, 59 FR 7629, 
Feb. 16, 1994) directs Federal agencies to identify and address 
``disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental 
effects'' of their actions on minority populations and low-income 
populations to the greatest extent practicable and permitted by law. 
The EPA defines environmental justice (EJ) as ``the fair treatment and 
meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, 
national origin, or income with respect to the development, 
implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and 
policies.'' The EPA further defines the term fair treatment to mean 
that ``no group of people should bear a disproportionate burden of 
environmental harms and risks, including those resulting from the 
negative environmental consequences of industrial, governmental, and 
commercial operations or programs and policies.''
    The State did not evaluate environmental justice considerations as 
part of its SIP submittal; the CAA and applicable implementing 
regulations neither prohibit nor require such an evaluation. The EPA 
did not perform an EJ analysis and did not consider EJ in this action. 
Due to the nature of the action being taken here, this action is 
expected to have a neutral to positive impact on the air quality of the 
affected area. Consideration of EJ is not required as part of this 
action, and there is no information in the record inconsistent with the 
stated goal of E.O. 12898 of achieving environmental justice for people 
of color, low-income populations, and Indigenous peoples.
    This action is subject to the Congressional Review Act, and the EPA 
will submit a rule report to each House of the Congress and to the 
Comptroller General of the United States. This action is not a ``major 
rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2).
    Under section 307(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act, petitions for 
judicial review of this action must be filed in the United States Court 
of Appeals for the appropriate circuit by October 23, 2023. Filing a 
petition for reconsideration by the Administrator of this final rule 
does not affect the finality of this action for the purposes of 
judicial review nor does it extend the time within which a petition for 
judicial review may be filed, and shall not postpone the effectiveness 
of such rule or action. This action may not be challenged later in 
proceedings to enforce its requirements. (See section 307(b)(2).)

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52

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

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


[[Page 57363]]


    Dated: August 17, 2023.
Cheree Peterson,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region IX.
    For the reasons stated in the preamble, the Environmental 
Protection Agency amends part 52, chapter I, title 40 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations as follows:

PART 52--APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS

0
1. The authority citation for part 52 continues to read as follows:

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

Subpart F--California

0
2. Section 52.220 is amended by adding paragraph (c)(604) to read as 
follows:


Sec.  52.220  Identification of plan.

* * * * *
    (c) * * *
    (604) The following regulations were submitted on March 9, 2022, by 
the Governor's designee as an attachment to a letter dated March 9, 
2022.
    (i) Incorporation by reference. (A) San Diego County Air Pollution 
Control District.
    (1) Rule 69.2.2, ``Medium Boilers, Process Heaters, and Steam 
Generators,'' adopted on September 9, 2021.
    (2) [Reserved]
    (B) [Reserved]
    (ii) [Reserved]

[FR Doc. 2023-18110 Filed 8-22-23; 8:45 am]
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