Notice of Proposed Modification to the NPDES General Permit for Oil and Gas Exploration, Development and Production Facilities Located in Cook Inlet, Alaska
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Region 10
1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900, OWW-130
Seattle, Washington 98101
NOTICE OF PROPOSED MODIFICATION TO THE
NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES)
GENERAL PERMIT FOR
Oil and Gas Exploration, Development and Production Facilities
Located in State and Federal Waters
in Cook Inlet, Alaska
Permit No. AKG-31-5000
Summary
EPA proposes to modify the NPDES General Permit for Oil and Gas Exploration, Development and Production Facilities in State and Federal Waters in Cook Inlet, AKG-31-5000 (Permit). The proposed Permit modification is in response to a settlement agreement between Union Oil Company of California and XTO Energy, Inc. (Petitioners) and EPA (Ninth Circuit, Case No. 07-72656).
Below are the provisions EPA proposes to remove from the Permit:
- Condition II.A.10, third sentence: "Monitoring for compliance with technology based limits, such as the oil and grease concentration of produced water, must be accomplished prior to commingling."
- Condition II.C.3, second sentence: "However, samples collected for compliance with the produced water oil and grease limits shall be taken prior to commingling the produced water stream with deck drainage or any other waste stream."
- Footnote 1, Table 7-A, fourth sentence: "Samples shall be collected prior to the addition of any seawater to the produced water waste stream."
The replacement pages with the above provisions removed are contained in the Permit modification.
Tentative Determination
The Region 10 Office of EPA has tentatively determined to issue the Permit modification described in the “Summary” section above.
State Certification
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) intends to waive the Permit under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act since State water quality standards are not affected by the modification. For information concerning the waiver, please contact Sharmon Stambaugh at (907) 269-7565.
Public Comments
EPA will only be accepting comments on the proposed modification of the Permit. Comments must be received by November 20, 2008 to be considered. All comments must include the name, address and telephone number of the commenter and a concise statement of the exact basis of any comment and the relevant facts upon which it is based. All written comments and requests should be submitted to EPA to the attention of the Director, Office of Water and Watersheds, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900, OWW-130, Seattle, WA 98101. Comments may also be submitted via email to shaw.hanh@epa.gov.
Document Availability
The draft Permit modification and fact sheet can be reviewed at EPA’s offices between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the following locations:
USEPA Alaska Operations Office
Federal Building, Room 537
222 West 7th Avenue
Anchorage, Alaska 99513-7588
Telephone: (800) 781-0983 (in Alaska)
USEPA Region 10
1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900
Seattle, WA 98101
Telephone: (206) 553-0171
Copies of the draft modified Permit and fact sheet may be obtained by contacting Hanh Shaw at (206) 553-0171 and can be viewed on the internet at the EPA, Region 10 website at: http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/WATER.NSF/NPDES+Permits/DraftPermitsAK
Draft Modification for the NPDES General Permit for Oil and Gas Exploration, Development, and Production Facilities in State and Federal Waters in Cook Inlet, Alaska (PDF) (5 pp. 1MB)
Fact Sheet for modification of the NPDES General Permit for Oil and Gas Exploration, Development and Production Facilities in state and federal waters in Cook Inlet, Alaska (PDF) (5 pp. 1.2MB)
Federal Register Notice of the Draft Modification for the NPDES General Permit for Oil and Gas Exploration in Cook Inlet, Alaska (PDF) (2 pp. 53K)