Approval and Promulgation of State Air Quality Plans for Designated Facilities and Pollutants Allegheny County, PA; Removal of Final Rule Pertaining to the Control of Landfill Gas Emissions from Existing Municipal Solid Waste Landfills

On April 10, 1998, EPA published (63 FR 17683) approval of the municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill 111(d) plan submitted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on behalf of Allegheny County for the purpose of controlling landfill gas emissions from existing MSW landfills. Approval of the 111(d) plan would have established certain emission limitations for landfill gas emissions, including operating, reporting and recordkeeping requirements. The intended effect of the action was to implement enforceable emission reductions in MSW landfill gas, which contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), other organic compounds, methane, and hazardous air pollutants. EPA approved this direct final rulemaking without prior proposal because the Agency viewed it as a noncontroversial amendment and anticipated no adverse comments. The final rule was published in the Federal Register with a provision for a 30 day comment period (63 FR 17683). At the same time, EPA announced that this final rule would convert to a proposed rule in the event that adverse comments were submitted to EPA within 30 days of publication of the rule in the Federal Register (63 FR 17683, April 10, 1998). The final rulemaking action would be withdrawn by publishing a document announcing withdrawal of this action. Adverse comments were submitted to EPA within the prescribed comment period. Therefore, EPA is amending 40 CFR part 62, subpart NN, by removing the April 10, 1998 final rulemaking action. All public comments received will be addressed in a subsequent rulemaking action based on the proposed rule.