Notice2022-10793
Clean Air Act Operating Permit Program; Petitions for Objection to State Operating Permit for ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricant Company, Baton Rouge Refinery, Reforming Complex and Utilities Units, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
Primary source
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Published
May 20, 2022
Issuing agencies
Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator signed an Order dated March 18, 2022, granting two title V permit Petitions and resolving two related petitions filed by the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Earthjustice, Environmental Integrity Project, and Sierra Club (the Petitioners). The Administrator granted the petition filed on January 29, 2021 by Petitioners on title V permit 2261-V8 issued for the Reformer Unit. This action also effectively resolves the Petitioner's petition filed on May 11, 2020 for the same permit. In the same action, the Administrator granted the petition filed on February 12, 2021 by Petitioners on title V permit 2363-V8 issued for the Utilities Unit. This action also effectively resolves the Petitioner's petition filed on March 27, 2020 filed on the same permit. The Petitions requested that the EPA object to the Clean Air Act (CAA) title V operating permits issued by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricant Company for its Baton Rouge Refinery located in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 98 (Friday, May 20, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 98 (Friday, May 20, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30937-30938]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-10793]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-9872-01-R6]
Clean Air Act Operating Permit Program; Petitions for Objection
to State Operating Permit for ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricant Company,
Baton Rouge Refinery, Reforming Complex and Utilities Units, East Baton
Rouge Parish, Louisiana
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of final Order on Petition for objection to Clean Air
Act title V operating permits.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator signed
an Order dated March 18, 2022, granting two title V permit Petitions
and resolving two related petitions filed by the Louisiana Bucket
Brigade, Earthjustice, Environmental Integrity Project, and Sierra Club
(the Petitioners). The Administrator granted the petition filed on
January 29, 2021 by Petitioners on title V permit 2261-V8 issued for
the Reformer Unit. This action also effectively resolves the
Petitioner's petition filed on May 11, 2020 for the same permit. In the
same action, the Administrator granted the petition filed on February
12, 2021 by Petitioners on title V permit 2363-V8 issued for the
Utilities Unit. This action also effectively resolves the Petitioner's
petition filed on March 27, 2020 filed on the same permit. The
Petitions requested that the EPA object to the Clean Air Act (CAA)
title V operating permits issued by the Louisiana Department of
Environmental Quality to ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricant Company for its
Baton Rouge Refinery located in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana.
ADDRESSES: The EPA requests that you contact the individual listed in
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to view copies of the final
Order, the Petition, and other supporting information. Out of an
abundance of caution for members of the public and our staff, the EPA
Region 6 office may be closed to the public to reduce the risk of
transmitting COVID-19. Please call or email the contact listed below if
you need alternative access to the final Order and Petition, which are
available electronically at: <a href="https://www.epa.gov/title-v-operating-permits/title-v-petition-database">https://www.epa.gov/title-v-operating-permits/title-v-petition-database</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brad Toups, EPA Region 6 Office, Air
Permits Section, (214) 665-7258, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#51253e2421227f33233035113421307f363e27"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9ce8f3e9ecefb2feeefdf8dcf9ecfdb2fbf3ea">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The CAA affords EPA a 45-day period to
review and object to, as appropriate, operating permits proposed by
state permitting authorities under title V of the CAA. Section
505(b)(2) of the CAA authorizes any person to petition the EPA
Administrator to object to a title V operating permit within 60 days
after the expiration of the EPA's 45-day review period if the EPA has
not objected on its own initiative. Petitions must be based only on
objections to the permit that were raised with reasonable specificity
during the public comment period provided by the state, unless the
petitioner demonstrates that it was impracticable to raise these issues
during the comment period or unless the grounds for the issue arose
after this period.
The EPA received a total of four Petitions filed by the Louisiana
Bucket Brigade, Earthjustice, Environmental Integrity Project, and
Sierra Club. Petitioners filed a Petition on May 11, 2020 which was
superseded by the filing of a second petition on January 29, 2021 on
title V permit 2261-V8 issued for the Reformer Unit. The
Administrator's action granted the Petitioner's Reformer Unit petition
filed January 29, 2021 and effectively resolves the superseded petition
filed on May 11, 2020 for the same permit. Similarly, Petitioners filed
a petition on March 27, 2020 which was superseded by the filing of a
second petition on February 12, 2021 on title V permit 2363-V8 issued
for the Utilities Unit. The same Administrator's action granted the
Petitioner's Utility Unit petition filed February 12, 2021 and
effectively resolves the superseded petition filed on March 27, 2020
for the same permit.
The Petitioners made five claims in their Petition on the Reformer
Permit. The claims were related to volatile organic compound (VOC)
emissions monitoring, justification for such monitoring, changing of
VOC emissions factors without adequate permit modification, and that
the permit failed to ensure compliance with 40 CFR part
[[Page 30938]]
68, Chemical Accident Prevention Provision requirements. The
Petitioners also made three claims in the Petition on the Utilities
Permit consisting of inadequate monitoring and estimation of VOC
emissions from the wastewater system, inadequate monitoring and
emissions calculations of particulate matter (PM) emissions from the
cooling towers, and an inadequate reasoned explanation for why the
proposed permit ensures compliance with the VOC and PM limits at issue.
On March 18, 2022, the EPA Administrator issued an Order granting
all claims to both permits in the respective Petitions. The Order
explains the basis for EPA's decision.
Dated: May 16, 2022.
David Garcia,
Director, Air and Radiation Division, Region 6.
[FR Doc. 2022-10793 Filed 5-19-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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