Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Oregon: Permitting and General Rule Revisions

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to approve, and incorporate by reference, specific changes to Oregon's State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted on April 22, 2015. The changes relate to the criteria pollutants for which the EPA has established national ambient air quality standards--carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide. Specifically, the changes account for new federal requirements for fine particulate matter, update the major and minor source pre-construction permitting programs, and add state-level air quality designations. The changes also address public notice procedures for informational meetings, and tighten emission standards for dust and smoke. In addition, Oregon reorganized rules in the SIP by consolidating definitions, removing duplicate provisions, correcting errors, and removing outdated provisions. We note that certain rule changes are not appropriate for SIP approval, or are inconsistent with Clean Air Act requirements. In those cases, we are not approving the revisions.