Revisions to Federal Operating Permits Program Fee Payment Deadlines for California Agricultural Sources

EPA is taking direct final action to amend the Federal Operating Permits Program under title V of the Clean Air Act (Act) to extend the date by which State-exempt major agricultural sources in California must pay fees and to allow their permit applications to be considered complete even though fees may not have been paid on or before the date that applications are due. This action allows EPA to process the applications and issue permits while the Agency computes a fee amount based on the cost of administering the permits program for these sources. The amendments extend the due date for submitting operating permit fees to EPA until May 14, 2004, for agricultural sources that are major sources subject to title V but are not being permitted by 35 local air districts in the State of California. We are issuing the amendments as a direct final rule, without prior proposal, because we view the revisions as noncontroversial and anticipate no significant adverse comments.