Delegation of Authority to North Carolina and the Western North Carolina Regional Air Quality Agency of Federal Plan for Existing Sewage Sludge Incineration Units

The EPA is providing notice of and is codifying its prior approval of requests submitted by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), through its Division of Air Quality, and the Western North Carolina Regional Air Quality Agency (WNCRAQA) for delegation of authority to implement and enforce the Federal plan for existing affected Sewage Sludge Incineration (SSI) units. The Federal plan establishes emission limits and monitoring, operating, and recordkeeping requirements for SSI units constructed on or before October 14, 2010. NCDEQ and WNCRAQA representatives have signed separate but similar Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs), each of which constitutes the mechanism for the transfer of authority from the EPA to each respective air pollution control agency. The MOAs and the corresponding delegations of authority were effective upon signature by the Regional Administrator on April 2, 2018. The MOAs delineate policies, responsibilities, and procedures by which the Federal plan will be administered and enforced by the NCDEQ and WNCRAQA, respectively, as well as the authorities retained by the EPA.