Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Arkansas; Prevention of Significant Deterioration; Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule Revisions

The EPA is taking final action to approve two revisions to the Arkansas State Implementation Plan (SIP) submitted by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) to EPA on February 17, 2010, and November 6, 2012. The February 17, 2010, SIP revision to the Arkansas New Source Review (NSR) Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program updates the Arkansas SIP to incorporate by reference (IBR) requirements for the federal PSD permitting program under EPA's November 29, 2005 Phase 2 8-hour Ozone Implementation rule. The November 6, 2012, SIP revision to the Arkansas NSR PSD program provides the state of Arkansas with the authority to issue PSD permits governing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and establishes appropriate emission thresholds for determining which new stationary sources and modifications to existing stationary sources become subject to Arkansas's PSD permitting requirements for their GHG emissions. The November 6, 2012 SIP revision also defers until July 21, 2014, application of the PSD permitting requirements to biogenic carbon dioxide emissions from bioenergy and other biogenic stationary sources. EPA is approving the February 17, 2010, and November 6, 2012, SIP revisions to the Arkansas NSR PSD permitting program as consistent with federal requirements for PSD permitting. As a result of this approval, EPA is rescinding the GHG PSD Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) for Arkansas that was put in place on December 30, 2010, to ensure the availability of a permitting authority for GHG permitting in Arkansas. EPA is finalizing this action under section 110 and part C of the Act.