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Regulations of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Reformulated Gasoline Covered Areas Provision Modification

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[Federal Register: April 11, 1997 (Volume 62, Number 70)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 17771-17772]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr11ap97_dat-28]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 80
[FRL-5810-9]

Regulations of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Reformulated Gasoline
Covered Areas Provision Modification

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: This document announces the time and place for a public
hearing regarding EPA's proposed rule to modify the covered areas
provision of the reformulated gasoline (RFG) rule. The agency published
this proposed rule in the Federal Register on March 28, 1997 (See 62 FR
15077 for further information on the proposal).

DATES: EPA will conduct a public hearing on the proposed rule on April
18, 1997, in Washington, DC beginning at 9:00 a.m. The hearing will
continue until all interested parties have had an opportunity to
testify. If you wish to testify at this public hearing, contact Karen
Smith at (202) 233-9674 by April 16, 1997. If no party has contacted
EPA by that date and stated their interest in testifying on the
proposal, the hearing with be subject to cancellation without further
notification. If you want to know if the hearing has been canceled
contact the person named above.

ADDRESSES: The public hearing will be held from 9:00 a.m. until its
completion at the Holiday Inn Capitol Hill, South Ballroom, 415 New
Jersey Avenue, Washington, DC. Material relevant to this document have
been placed in Docket A-96-30. The docket is located at the Air Docket
Section, Mail Code 6102, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M
Street, SW, Washington DC 20460, in room M-1500 Waterside Mall.
Documents may be inspected from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. A reasonable fee
may be charged for copying docket material.
    Written comments should be submitted (in duplicate) to Air Docket
Section, Mail Code 6102, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M
Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460. A copy should also be sent to Karen
Smith at the address listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section of this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Smith at U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency Office of Air and Radiation, 401 M Street, SW
(6406J), Washington, DC 20460, (202) 233-9674.

Procedures for Public Participation

A. Comments and the Public Docket

    The scope of EPA's modification of section 80.70(k) of the
reformulated gasoline rule is to allow states to opt into the federal
RFG program for any area classified as marginal, moderate, serious or
severe ozone nonattainment area as of November 15, 1990, the date of
the enactment of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, or any time
later. EPA is seeking comments on whether a minimum lead time of up to
one year should be used in setting the effective date and whether this
should apply to former nonattainment areas that opt-in and/or areas
that are classified as nonattainment when they opt-in.
    Persons with comments containing propriety information must
distinguish such information from other comments to the greatest extent
and label it as ``Confidential Business Information.'' If a person
making comments wants EPA to base the final rule in part on a
submission labeled as confidential business information, then a non-
confidential version of the document which summarizes the key data or
information should be placed in the public docket. Information covered
by a claim of confidentiality will be disclosed by EPA only to the
extent allowed by the procedures set forth in

[[Page 17772]]

40 CFR part 2. If no claim of confidentiality accompanies the
submission when it is received by EPA, it may be made available to the
public without further notice to the person making comments.

B. Public Participation

    Any person desiring to present testimony regarding this proposed
rule at the public hearing (see DATES) should notify the contact person
listed above of such intent as soon as possible. A sign-up sheet will
be available at the registration table the morning of the hearing for
scheduling testimony for those who have not notified the contact
person. This testimony will be scheduled on a first come, first serve
basis to follow the previously scheduled testimony.
    EPA suggests that approximately 50 copies of the statement or
material to be presented be brought to the hearing for distribution to
the audience. In addition, EPA would find it helpful to receive an
advance copy of any statement or material to be presented at the
hearing in order to give EPA staff adequate time to review such
material before the hearing. Such advance copies should be submitted to
the contact person listed previously.
    The official records of the hearing will be kept open for 30 days
following the hearing to allow submission of rebuttal and supplementary
testimony. All such submittals should be directed to the Air Docket,
Docket No. A-96-30 (see ADDRESSES).
    Mr. Charles Freed, Division Director of the Fuels and Energy
Division, Office of Mobile Sources, is hereby designated Presiding
Officer of the hearing. The hearing will be conducted informally and
technical rules of evidence will not apply. Because a public hearing is
designed to give interested parties an opportunity to participate in
the proceeding, there are no adversary parties as such. Statements by
participants will not be subject to cross examination by other
participants. A written transcript of the hearing will be placed in the
above docket for review. Anyone desiring to purchase a copy of the
transcript should make individual arrangements with the court reporter
recording the proceeding. The Presiding Officer is authorized to strike
from the record statements which he deems irrelevant or repetitious and
to impose reasonable limits on the duration of the statement of any
witness. EPA asks that persons who testify attempt to limit their
testimony to ten minutes, if possible. The Administrator will base her
decision with regard to the modification of the covered areas of the
reformulated gasoline rule on the record of the public hearing and on
any other relevant written submissions and other pertinent information.
This information will be available for public inspection at the EPA Air
Docket, Docket No. A-96-30 (see ADDRESSES).

    Dated: April 8, 1997.
Mary D. Nichols,
Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation.

[FR Doc. 97-9518 Filed 4-10-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P

 
 

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