[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 231 (Monday, December 2, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72080-72081]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-28819]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-9903-65-Region-6]
Draft NPDES General Permit Modification for Discharges From the
Oil and Gas Extraction Point Source Category to Coastal Waters in Texas
and Onshore Stripper Well Category East of The 98th Meridian
(TXG330000)
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice; Proposal of NPDES general permit modification.
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SUMMARY: EPA Region 6 today proposes modifications for the National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general permit
regulating discharges from oil and gas wells in the Coastal Subcategory
in Texas and in the Stripper Subcategory which discharge into waters in
Texas. These modifications would restore coverage eligibility for
certain inland discharges that existed in the previous permit and
require freshwater whole effluent toxicity species for discharges to
freshwater receiving waters.
DATES: Comments must be received by January 16, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to: Ms. Diane Smith (6WQ-NP), U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6, 1445 Ross Avenue, Dallas,
Texas 75202-2733.
Comments may also be submitted via email to the following address:
[email protected]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Diane Smith, Region 6, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 1445 Ross Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75202-
2733. Telephone: (214) 665-2145.
A complete draft permit and a fact sheet more fully explaining the
proposal may be obtained online from the Web site below or from Ms.
Smith. In addition, the Agency's current administrative record on the
proposal is available for examination at the Region's Dallas offices
during normal working hours after providing Ms. Smith 24 hours advance
notice. A copy of the proposed permit, fact sheet, and this Federal
Register Notice may be found on the EPA Region 6 Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/region6/water/npdes/genpermit/index.htm.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This permit modification action proposes to
clarify the coverage of discharges from stripper wells located east of
the 98th meridian whose produced water comes from the Carrizo/Wilcox,
Reklaw or Bartosh formations in Texas and whose produced water does not
exceed 3000
[[Page 72081]]
mg/l total dissolved solids. The modification also adds WET testing
requirements using freshwater species for produced waters which
discharge to freshwater receiving waters. To determine whether your
facility, company, business, organization, etc. is regulated by this
action, you should carefully examine the applicability criteria in Part
I, Section A.1 of this permit. If you have questions regarding the
applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the person
listed in the preceding FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. (Note
that previous permit was noticed in the Federal Register at 77 FR 47380
on August 8, 2012.)
Other Legal Requirements
A. State Certification
Under section 401(a)(1) of the CWA, EPA may not issue an NPDES
permit until the State in which the discharge will occur grants or
waives certification to ensure compliance with appropriate requirements
of the CWA and State law. EPA will seek certification from the Railroad
Commission of Texas prior to issuing a final permit.
B. Other Regulatory Requirements
When EPA issued the general permit in 2012, EPA had conducted
evaluations required by Coastal Zone Management Act, National
Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Historic Preservation Act,
Paperwork Reduction Act, and Regulatory Flexibility Act. The scope of
Today's permit modification action does not trigger requirements for
new evaluations for compliance with those regulatory requirements.
These requirements were discussed in the fact sheet dated March 7,
2012, when EPA proposed the permit.
Dated: November 20, 2013.
William K. Honker,
Director, Water Quality Protection Division, EPA Region 6.
[FR Doc. 2013-28819 Filed 11-29-13; 8:45 am]
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