In the Federal Agencies

• Date: 01 December 2024

54 ELR 11084ENVIRONMENTAL LAW REPORTER 122024

In the Federal Agencies

"In the Federal Agencies" contains summaries of notab le agency activity during the month of Octobe r 2024. Citations are

to the Federal Register (FR). Entries below are organized by Final Rules, Proposed Rules, and Notices. Within each sec tion,

entries are further subdivided by the subject matter area, with entries listed chronologically. To see ELR's entire collection,

visit https://www.elr.info/federal-register.

FINAL RULES

AIR

EPA established an emissions reduction and recla mation pro-

gram for the mana gement of hydrouorocarbons (HFCs) that

includes requirements for leak repair a nd installation and use

of automatic leak detection systems for cer tain equipment us-

ing refrigerants conta ining HFCs, the servicing and/or repair

of certain refrigerant-containing equipment to be done with

reclaimed HFCs, the initial installation and servicing and/or

repair of re suppression equipment to be done with recycled

HFCs, the removal of HFCs from di sposable cylinders before

discarding them, and certain recordkeeping, reporting, and

labeling requirements. 89 FR 82682 (10/11/24).

EPA nalized amendments to the new source performance

standards for volatile orga nic liquid storage vessels that com-

mence construction, reconstruction, or modication after

October 4, 2023, requiring reductions in the vapor pressure

applicability thresholds and revisions of the volatile organic

compound standards to reect the best system of emission

reduction; the Agency also nalized degassing emission con-

trols; clarication of startup, shutdown, and malfunction re-

quirements; additional monitoring requirements; and other

technical improvements. 89 FR 83296 (10/15/24).

EPA nalized removal of the a rmative defense provisions in

NESHA Ps for both the oil and nat ural gas production source

category and the natural gas transmission and storage source

category. 89 FR 84291 (10/22/24).

WATER

NOAA designated Chumash Heritage National Marine

Sanctuary in the waters along and oshore of the coast of

central California to recognize the national signicance of

the area’s ecological, historical, archaeological, and cultural

resources and to manage it as part of the National Marine

Sanctuar y System. 89 FR 83554 (10/16/24).

EPA nalized revisions to the National Primary Drinking

Water Regulation for lead and copper concerning the replac e-

ment of lead and certain galvanized service lines, removal of

the lead trigger level, reduction of the lead action level to

0.010 mg/L, and stronger tap sampling procedures , corrosion

control treatments, public education and consumer aware-

ness, requirements for small sy stems, and sampling in schools

and childcare facilities. 89 FR 86418 (10/30/24).

WILDLIFE

FWS reclassied the red-cockaded woodpecker from endan-

gered to threatened under the ESA and issued a rule under

§4(d) of the Act that provides for the conservation of the spe-

cies. 89 FR 85294 (10/25/24).

FWS listed the Ocmulgee skullcap as an endangered species

under the ESA and designated approximately 6,661 acres

across Georgia and South Carolina as critical habitat for the

species. 89 FR 86670 (10/30/24).

PROPOSED RULES

AIR

EPA proposed deadlines for the submission of SIP revisions

and implementation of the relevant control requirements that

will apply for nonattainment areas reclassied as Moderate,

Serious, and Severe under the current and any future ozone

NAAQS. 89 FR 80833 (10/4/24).

GOVERNANCE

e Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administra-

tion proposed to revise the hazardous materials regulations

to adopt several modal-specic amendments that would en-

hance the safe transportation of haza rdous materials in com-

merce. 89 FR 85590 (10/28/24).

Copyright © 2024 Environmental Law Institute®, Washington, DC. Reprinted with permission from ELR®, http://www.eli.org.