[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