[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 22 (Thursday, February 1, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 4655]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-02051]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9973-36--Region 9]


Clean Air Act Operating Permit Program; Petition for Objection to 
Proposed Permit for Alon USA--Bakersfield Refinery, San Joaquin Valley 
Unified Air Pollution Control District

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of final Order on petition to object to air permit.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This document announces that the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) Administrator has responded to a citizen petition asking 
the EPA to object to the proposed issuance of an Authority to 
Construct/Certificate of Conformity (Permit) issued by the San Joaquin 
Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District (SJVUAPCD). Specifically, 
on December 21, 2016, the then Administrator granted Part V of the 
December 16, 2014 petition (Petition) and on July 28, 2017, the current 
Administrator denied Parts II and III of the Petition submitted by the 
Association of Irritated Residents, Center for Biological Diversity, 
and the Sierra Club to object to SJVUAPCD's proposed issuance of the 
Permit for the Alon USA--Bakersfield Refinery located in Kern County, 
California.

ADDRESSES: You may review copies of the final Orders, the Petition, and 
other supporting information at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-3901.
    The EPA requests that you contact the individual listed in the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to view copies of the final Orders, 
the Petition, and other supporting information. You may view the hard 
copies Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., excluding federal 
holidays. If you wish to examine these documents, you should make an 
appointment at least 24 hours before the visiting day. Additionally, 
the final Orders for the Alon USA--Bakersfield Refinery are available 
electronically at: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-01/documents/alon_response2014.pdf (Part V), and https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-08/documents/alon_2nd_response2014.pdf 
(Parts II and III).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Yannayon, EPA Region IX, (415) 
972-3534, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SJVUAPCD Rule 2201 affords the EPA a 45-day 
period to review and object to, as appropriate, a proposed permit. Rule 
2201 Sec.  5.9.1. If the EPA does not object, Rule 2201 allows any 
person to petition the EPA, within 60 days, to object to the proposed 
permit. Petitions must be based only on objections to the permit that 
were raised with reasonable specificity during the public comment 
period, unless the petitioner demonstrates that it was impracticable to 
raise these issues during the comment period, or the grounds for the 
issue arose after this period.
    The EPA received the Petition dated December 16, 2014, requesting 
that the EPA object to the proposed issuance of the Permit to Alon 
USA--Bakersfield Refining, for modifications to its petroleum products 
refinery and gasoline terminal, located in Kern County, California. The 
Petition contained five different bases for its request for an 
objection. Pursuant to the terms of a settlement agreement, noticed on 
October 21, 2016 (81 FR 72804), the EPA issued a final Order responding 
to the claims made in Part V of the Petition on December 21, 2016, and 
a second Order responding to the claims made in Parts II and III of the 
Petition on July 28, 2017.\1\ Part V of the Petition requested that the 
EPA object to the Permit because it allegedly relies on invalid 
emission reduction credits. Parts II and III of the Petition requested 
that the EPA object to the Permit because the emissions baseline and 
the assumptions used to calculate project emissions were allegedly 
inaccurate.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ On August 8, 2017, pursuant to the settlement agreement, the 
Petitioners withdrew Parts I and IV of the Petition. See https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-08/documents/alon_withdrawal2014.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    On December 21, 2016, the then Administrator issued an order 
granting Part V of the Petition. On March 16, 2017, SJVUAPCD responded 
to the December 21, 2016 objection. On July 28, 2017, the current 
Administrator issued an order denying Parts II and III of the Petition. 
EPA's rationale for granting the Petition in part and denying the 
Petition in part are described in the Orders.

    Dated: January 16, 2018.
Alexis Strauss,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. 2018-02051 Filed 1-31-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


