[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 189 (Monday, October 2, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45845-45846]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-21108]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-9968-52-Region 6]
Notice of Final NPDES General Permit; Final NPDES General Permit
for New and Existing Sources and New Dischargers in the Offshore
Subcategory of the Oil and Gas Extraction Category for the Western
Portion of the Outer Continental Shelf of the Gulf of Mexico
(GMG290000)
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of Final NPDES General Permit.
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SUMMARY: The Director of the Water Division, EPA Region 6 today
provides notice that the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) General Permit No. GMG290000 for existing and new
sources and new dischargers in the Offshore Subcategory of the Oil and
Gas Extraction Point Source Category, located in and discharging to the
Outer Continental Shelf offshore of Louisiana and Texas was reissued on
September 19, 2017, with an effective date of October 1, 2017. The
discharge of produced water to that portion of the Outer Continental
Shelf from Offshore Subcategory facilities located in the territorial
seas of Louisiana and Texas is also authorized by this permit.
DATES: This permit was issued September 19, 2017, is effective on
October 1, 2017, and expires September 30, 2022. This effective date is
necessary to provide dischargers with the immediate opportunity to
comply with Clean Water Act requirements in light of the expiration of
the 2012 permit on September 30, 2017. In accordance with 40 CFR 23,
this permit shall be considered issued for the purpose of judicial
review on October 16, 2017. Under section 509(b) of the CWA, judicial
review of this general permit can be held by filing a petition for
review in the United States Court of Appeals within 120 days after the
permit is considered issued for judicial review. Under section
509(b)(2) of the CWA, the requirements in this permit may not be
challenged later in civil or criminal proceedings to enforce these
requirements. In addition, this permit may not be challenged in other
agency proceedings. Deadlines for submittal of notices of intent are
provided in Part I.A.2 of the permit.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Evelyn Rosborough, Region 6, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 1445 Ross Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75202-
2733. Telephone: (214) 665-7515. Email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice of the proposal of the draft permit
was published in the Federal Register on May 11, 2017. EPA Region 6 has
considered all comments received and makes several significant changes
as listed below. A copy of the Region's responses to comments and the
final permit may be found online from the Federal eRulemaking Portal:
http://www.regulations.gov with Docket ID No EPA-R6-OW-2017-0217.
Significant changes include:
1. An operator is not required to file eNOI 24-hour in advance to
obtain permit coverage;
2. An operator has up to one year after termination of lease
ownership to file a Notice of Termination (NOT);
3. In a case-by-case circumstance, the primary operator may require
day-to-day or vessel operators to file their own eNOIs for dual
coverages;
4. Drilling vessels performing jobs within the same lease block may
file one NOI for coverage;
5. Bridged facilities may file one eNOI;
6. In the event the eNOI system is temporarily unavailable, a
written temporary NOI filed with certification and signature is good
for seven days from the day of filing, but must be followed up with an
eNOI;
7. Existing permittees covered under the 2012 permit will be
covered by this permit until April 1, 2018, with eNOIs to continue
coverage due on or before that date;
8. An oil and grease confirmation sample shall be taken within two
hours after sheen is observed from produced water discharge;
9. Toxicity testing frequency for produced water discharges remains
the same as in the previous permit;
10. Existing dischargers under the 2012 permit shall commence
testing schedules in the 2017 permit as of the effective day of this
permit;
11. Additional toxicity testing for produced water after an
application of well treatment, completion or workover fluids is not
required; information on these discharges will be collected as part of
the well treatment, completion, and workover fluids (TCW) Studies;
12. The deadlines for operators to submit the Industry-wide Study
Plan and the final report for well treatment, completion, and workover
fluids are changed;
13. A condition which requires operators to flush and capture
hydrate control fluids or pipeline brine contained in pipelines,
umbilical, or
[[Page 45846]]
jumpers before or at the time of abandonment is removed from the final
permit;
14. Fixed monitoring frequency is replaced with tier-approach
monitoring frequency for intake velocity through the cooling water
intake structure; and
15. An exception to allow operators to submit SEAMAP data instead
of entrainment monitoring is added.
16. Monitoring exception for sanitary and domestic waste discharges
using approved Marine Sanitation Devices (MSDs) from previous permit
was reinstated.
Other Legal Requirements
Executive Order 12866: Regulatory Planning and Review and Executive
Order 13563: Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review
Under Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993), this
action is a ``significant regulatory action.'' Accordingly, EPA
submitted this action to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for
review under Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 (76 FR 3821, January 21,
2011) and any changes made in response to OMB recommendations have been
documented in the docket for this action.
Consideration of Other Federal or State Laws. State certification
under section 401 of the CWA; consistency with the State Coastal
Management Program; and compliance with National Environmental Policy
Act, Endangered Species Act, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act, Historic Preservation Act, Paperwork Reduction Act, and
Regulatory Flexibility Act are discussed in the Region's Final Permit
Fact Sheet.
Dated: September 19, 2017.
William B. Honker,
Director, Water Division, EPA Region 6.
[FR Doc. 2017-21108 Filed 9-29-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P