Water Quality Standards; Withdrawal of Certain Federal Water Quality Criteria Applicable to Alaska, Arkansas, and Puerto Rico

EPA is taking final action to amend the Federal regulations to withdraw certain water quality criteria applicable to Alaska, Arkansas, and Puerto Rico. In 1992, EPA promulgated Federal regulations, through the National Toxics Rule ("NTR"), establishing water quality criteria for toxic pollutants for 12 states and two territories, including Alaska, Arkansas, and Puerto Rico. These two states and one territory have now adopted, and EPA has approved, certain water quality criteria included in the NTR. Since Alaska, Arkansas, and Puerto Rico now have criteria, effective under the Clean Water Act, for the same priority toxic pollutants in the NTR, EPA has determined that the Federally promulgated criteria are no longer needed for these pollutants. In today's action, EPA is amending the Federal regulations to withdraw those certain criteria applicable to Alaska, Arkansas, and Puerto Rico. EPA is withdrawing its criteria without a notice and comment rulemaking because the adopted criteria are no less stringent than Federal criteria (see 65 FR 19659, April 12, 2000).