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New Source Performance Standards Review for Volatile Organic Liquid Storage Vessels (Including Petroleum Liquid Storage Vessels): Proposed rule - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing amendments to the Standards of Performance for Volatile Organic Liquid Storage Vessels (Including Petroleum Liquid Storage Vessels) as the preliminary results of the review of the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) required by the Clean Air Act. The EPA is proposing revisions to the NSPS that are applicable to volatile organic liquid (VOL) storage vessels that commence construction, reconstruction, or modification after 4 October 2023 under a new NSPS subpart. In the new NSPS subpart, the EPA is proposing to reduce the vapor pressure applicability thresholds In addition, the EPA is proposing to revise the volatile organic compound (VOC) standards to reflect the best system of emissions reductions (BSER) for affected storage vessels. We are also proposing additional monitoring and operating requirements to ensure continuous compliance with the standard. In addition, the EPA is proposing degassing emission controls; clarification of startup, shutdown, and malfunction requirements; requirements for electronic reporting; and other technical improvements. The EPA is also proposing to amend NSPS subpart Kb to apply to VOL storage vessels that commence construction, reconstruction or modification after 23 July 1984 and on or before 4 October 2023 and to add electronic reporting requirements.

Regulation Number 26 Control of Emissions from Engines and Major Stationary Sources: Proposed rule and announcement of online public hearing on 12 December 2023 - Amends rules to reduce emissions of ozone precursors and other pollutants for purposes of, without limitation, attaining the federal National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone and improving public health and welfare, consistent with the proposal from the Air Pollution Control Division. This proposal includes revisions to Colorado's State Implementation Plan (SIP) and revisions to associated regulations, both in and outside of the SIP.

Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons: Management of Certain Hydrofluorocarbons and Substitutes Under Subsection (h) of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020: Notice of proposed rulemaking and advance notice of proposed rulemaking - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to issue regulations to implement certain provisions of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020. This rulemaking proposes to establish a program for the management of hydrofluorocarbons that includes requirements for leak repair and use of automatic leak detection systems for certain equipment using refrigerants containing hydrofluorocarbons and certain substitutes; requirements for the use of reclaimed hydrofluorocarbons in certain sectors or subsectors; the use of recycled hydrofluorocarbons in fire suppression equipment; recovery of hydrofluorocarbons from cylinders; container tracking; and certain recordkeeping, reporting, and labeling requirements. The Environmental Protection Agency is also proposing alternative Resource Conservation and Recovery Act standards for spent ignitable refrigerants being recycled for reuse. Finally, EPA requests advance comment on approaches for establishing requirements for technician training and/or certification (...)

Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: Updates Related to the Use of Ozone-Depleting Substances as Process Agents: Proposed rule - This action proposes to establish recordkeeping and reporting requirements for uses of ozone-depleting substances as process agents and to update definitions to reflect current practice. Codified recordkeeping and reporting requirements would provide clear and consistent notice each year of information EPA collects, aggregates, and reports as a party to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer; effectively monitor these narrow uses in a more routine and consistent manner under the Clean Air Act; and enhance understanding of emissions of substances harmful to the ozone layer.

Trichloroethylene (TCE); Regulation Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA): Proposed rule - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to address the unreasonable risk of injury to human health presented by trichloroethylene (TCE) under its conditions of use as documented in EPA's November 2020 Risk Evaluation for TCE and January 2023 revised risk determination for TCE pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). TCE is widely used as a solvent in a variety of industrial, commercial and consumer applications including for hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) production, vapor and aerosol degreasing, and in lubricants, greases, adhesives, and sealants. TSCA requires that when EPA determines a chemical substance presents unreasonable risk that EPA address by rule the unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment and apply requirements to the extent necessary so the chemical no longer presents unreasonable risk. (...) To address the identified unreasonable risk, EPA is proposing to: prohibit all manufacture (including import), processing, and distribution in commerce of TCE and industrial and commercial use of TCE for all uses, with longer compliance timeframes and workplace controls for certain processing and industrial and commercial uses (including proposed phaseouts and time-limited exemptions); prohibit the disposal of TCE to industrial pre-treatment, industrial treatment, or publicly owned treatment works, with a time-limited exemption for cleanup projects; and establish recordkeeping and downstream notification requirements.

Chapter 80: Reduction of Toxics in Packaging: Proposed rule - The purpose of this rulemaking proposal is to update the existing Chapter 80 in accordance with changes in the law and to update language and formatting. The proposed changes include the incorporation of an existing statutory sales prohibition on the use of phthalates in food packaging. The proposal also adds a new section 5, establishing a sales prohibition on the use of specific applications of intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to certain types of food packaging. The addition of the new section 5 is major substantive rulemaking.

Guideline on Air Quality Models; Enhancements to the AERMOD Dispersion Modeling System: Proposed rule; notification of public hearing and conference - In this action, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to revise the Guideline on Air Quality Models ("Guideline"). The Guideline has been incorporated into EPA's regulations, satisfying a requirement under the Clean Air Act (CAA) section 165(e)(3)(D) for the EPA to specify, with reasonable particularity, models to be used in the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program. It provides EPA-preferred models and other recommended techniques, as well as guidance for their use in predicting ambient concentrations of air pollutants. In this action, the EPA is proposing revisions to the Guideline, including enhancements to the formulation and application of the EPA's near-field dispersion modeling system, AERMOD, and updates to the recommendations for the development of appropriate background concentration for cumulative impact analyses. Within this action, the EPA is also announcing the Thirteenth Conference on Air Quality Modeling and invites the public to participate in the conference. The conference will focus on the proposed revisions to the Guideline, and part of the conference will also serve as the public hearing for these revisions.

Zero-Emission Forklift Regulation: The Proposed Regulation would reduce criteria-pollutant and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within California by accelerating the transition of Large Spark-Ignition (LSI) engine powered forklifts to zero-emission technology (i.e., battery-electric, fuel cell-electric, or other zero-emission technology as the only source of power for propulsion and work) . Certain types of forklifts, such as rough-terrain forklifts and diesel forklifts, would not be addressed by the Proposed Regulation.

Laundry Detergents Containing Nonylphenol Ethoxylates: Proposed rule - California's Safer Consumer Products (SCP) regulations were adopted in October 2013 to meet the statutory requirements outlined in HSC sections 25252 and 25253. The regulations outline a science-based process for evaluating Chemicals of Concern in consumer products and safer alternatives by: Establishing a list of Candidate Chemicals and specifying criteria by which these may be designated Chemicals of Concern; Establishing a process to identify and prioritize product and Candidate Chemical combinations that may be listed as Priority Products; Requiring manufacturers of a product listed as a Priority Product to notify DTSC within 60 days of the listing regulation's effective date; Requiring manufacturers of a Priority Product to determine how best to reduce exposures to the Chemical(s) of Concern in the product; Allowing DTSC to identify and require implementation of Regulatory Responses following completion of an Alternatives Analysis, if needed; and Creating a process for persons to petition DTSC to add chemicals to the Candidate Chemicals list, add or remove Candidate Chemicals lists in their entirety, or to add or remove a product-chemical combination from the Priority Products List. DTSC proposes to amend section 69511 and add section 69511.8 to Article 11 of the SCP regulations. The proposed action will add laundry detergents containing nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) as a Priority Product to the Priority Products List. This listing applies to any product that is placed into commerce in California that contains NPEs, and that may be marketed, sold, or offered for sale as a chemical substance to clean or remove soil or unwanted deposits from laundered clothes and textile products, such as sheets and tablecloths. (...)

Decabromodiphenyl Ether and Phenol, Isopropylated Phosphate (3:1); Revision to the Regulation of Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic Chemicals Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA):