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Regulations of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Baseline Requirements for Gasoline Produced by Foreign Refiners

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[Proposed Rules]
[Page 25879-25880]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12my97-34]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 80

[FRL-5825-3]


Regulations of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Baseline Requirements
for Gasoline Produced by Foreign Refiners

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: This document announces the time and place for a public
hearing regarding EPA's proposed rule to revise the requirements for
imported gasoline. The Agency is proposing that a foreign refiner could
choose to petition EPA to establish an individual baseline reflecting
the quality and quantity of gasoline produced at a foreign refinery in
1990 that was shipped to the United States. The foreign refiner would
be required to meet the same requirements relating to the establishment
and use of individual refinery baselines as are met by domestic
refiners. The agency published this proposed rule in the Federal
Register on May 6, 1997 (See 62 FR 24775 for further information on the
proposal).

DATES: EPA will conduct a public hearing on the proposed rule from 9:00
a.m. on May 20, 1997, in Washington, D.C. If you wish to testify at
this public hearing, contact Karen Smith at (202) 233-9674 by Tuesday,
May 13, 1997. If there are no parties interested in testifying on this
proposal, the hearing will be subject to cancellation without further
notification. If you want to know if the hearing has been canceled
contact the person named above.

ADDRESSES: The public hearing will be held from 9:00 a.m. until noon at
the The Wyndham Bristol Hotel, The Potomac Rooms 2430 Pennsylvania
Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 22037. If additional time is needed to
hear testimony, the hearing will continue from 1:00 until 5:00 p.m. in
the same location. Materials relevant to this document have been placed
in Docket A-97-26. The docket is located at the Air Docket Section,
Mail Code 6102, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW,
Washington, DC 20460, in room M-1500 Waterside Mall. Documents may be
inspected from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. A reasonable fee may be charged
for copying docket materials.
    Written comments should be submitted (in duplicate, if possible) to
Air Docket Section, Mail Code 6102, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460. A copy should also be
sent to Karen Smith at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of
Air and Radiation, 401 M Street, SW (6406J), Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Smith at U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency Office of Air and Radiation, 401 M Street, SW
(6406J), Washington, DC 20460, (202) 233-9674.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A copy of this notice is available on the
OAQPS Technology Transfer Network Bulletin Board System (TTNBBS) and on
the Office of Mobile Sources' World Wide Web cite, http://www.epa.gov/
OMSWWW.

Procedures for Public Participation

A. Comments and the Public Docket

    The Agency is proposing that a foreign refiner could choose to
petition EPA to establish an individual baseline reflecting the quality
and quantity of gasoline produced at a foreign refinery in 1990 that
was shipped to the United States. The foreign refiner would be required
to meet the same requirements relating to the establishment and use of
individual refinery baselines as are met by domestic refiners.
Additional requirements are also being proposed to address issues that
are unique to refiners and refineries located outside the United
States, related to tracking the movement of gasoline from the refinery
to the United States border, monitoring compliance with the
requirements that apply to parties outside the United States, and
imposition of appropriate sanctions for violations. EPA is also
proposing that it would monitor the quality of imported gasoline, and
if it exceeded a specified benchmark, EPA would apply appropriate
remedial action. EPA is proposing that the baseline for gasoline
imported from refiners without an individual baseline would be adjusted
to remedy the exceedance.
    Persons with comments containing propriety information must
distinguish such information from other comments to the greatest extent
and label it as ``Confidential Business Information.'' If a person
making comments wants EPA to base the final rule in part on a
submission labeled as confidential business information, then a non-
confidential version of the document which summarizes the key data or
information should be placed in the public docket. Information covered
by a claim of confidentiality will be disclosed by EPA only to the
extent allowed by the procedures set forth in

[[Page 25880]]

40 CFR part 2. If no claim of confidentiality accompanies the
submission when it is received by EPA, it may be made available to the
public without further notice to the person making comments.

B. Public Participation

    Any person desiring to present testimony regarding this proposed
rule at the public hearing (see DATES) should notify the contact person
listed above of such intent as soon as possible. A sign-up sheet will
be available at the registration table the morning of the hearing for
scheduling testimony for those who have not notified the contact
person. This testimony will be scheduled on a first come, first served
basis to follow the previously scheduled testimony.
    EPA suggests that approximately 50 copies of the statement or
material to be presented be brought to the hearing for distribution to
the audience. In addition, EPA would find it helpful to receive an
advance copy of any statement or material to be presented at the
hearing in order to give EPA staff adequate time to review such
material before the hearing. Such advance copies should be submitted to
the contact person listed previously.
    The official records of the hearing will be kept open for 30 days
following the hearing to allow submission of rebuttal and supplementary
testimony. All such submittals should be directed to the Air Docket,
Docket No. A-97-26 (see ADDRESSES).
    Mr. Charles Freed, Division Director of the Fuels and Energy
Division, Office of Mobile Sources, is hereby designated Presiding
Officer of the hearing. The hearing will be conducted informally and
technical rules of evidence will not apply. Because a public hearing is
designed to give interested parties an opportunity to participate in
the proceeding, there are no adversary parties as such. Statements by
participants will not be subject to cross examination by other
participants. A written transcript of the hearing will be placed in the
above docket for review. Anyone desiring to purchase a copy of the
transcript should make individual arrangements with the court reporter
recording the proceeding. The Presiding Officer is authorized to strike
from the record statements which he deems irrelevant or repetitious and
to impose reasonable limits on the duration of the statement of any
witness. EPA asks that persons who testify attempt to limit their
testimony to ten minutes, if possible. The Administrator will base her
decision with regard to the revised requirements for imported gasoline
on the record of the public hearing and on any other relevant written
submissions and other pertinent information. This information will be
available for public inspection at the EPA Air Docket, Docket No. A-97-
26 (see ADDRESSES).

    Dated: May 8, 1997.
Mary D. Nichols,
Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 97-12476 Filed 5-9-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P

 
 

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