Public Notice: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Outer Continental Shelf Air Permit OCS-EPA-R4007 for Eni US Operating Co., Inc. Public Comment Period: September 2, 2011 – October 3, 2011 The United States Environmental Protection Agency (...

OTHER AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS
Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announces a hearing to which all persons are invited.
DATE AND TIME: October 4, 2011, 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
PLACE: Bay County Public Library, Northwest Regional Library System, 898 West 11th Street, Panama City, FL 32412-0625
GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED: Public Notice:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Outer Continental Shelf Air Permit OCS-EPA-R4007
for Eni US Operating Co., Inc.
Public Comment Period: September 2, 2011 – October 3, 2011
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public comment on a draft Clean Air Act (CAA) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) air permit for Eni US Operating Company Incorporated (Eni), 1201 Louisiana, Suite 3500 Houston, Texas 77002. The draft permit will regulate air pollutant emissions from the Pathfinder drillship that Eni proposes to operate within lease block, Lloyd Ridge 411, on the OCS in the Gulf of Mexico. The drill site is located at latitude 27° 35' and longitude 87° 12', or approximately 154 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and 189 miles south of the nearest Florida coast. The operation will last less than 150 days over two years.
The EPA Region 4 is the agency responsible for implementing and enforcing CAA requirements for OCS sources in the Gulf of Mexico east of 87°’30' (87.5). Pursuant to section 328 of the CAA, 42 U.S.C. § 7627, and the air quality regulations applicable to OCS sources set forth in Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), part 55, an OCS source is required to obtain an air quality permit before beginning construction and an operating permit within 12 months of becoming an OCS source. Eni has opted to apply for an operating permit concurrently with the preconstruction air quality permit. The EPA has completed review of Eni’s air permit application and supplemental material, including their request for exemption under 40 CFR §55.7, and is soliciting comments on our proposal to issue Permit No. OCS-EPA-R4007 to Eni for their exploratory drilling project subject to the terms and conditions described in the permit.
The EPA has prepared a draft permit for public comment, as well as a preliminary determination/statement of basis document that explains the derivation of the permit conditions. These documents are available on the EPA Region 4’s website: http://www.epa.gov/region4/air/permits/OCSPermits/OCSpemits.html.
To request a copy of these documents or to be added to our Eni permit mailing list, please contact: Ms. Rosa Yarbrough, Permit Support Specialist at [phone] or [e-mail]. For questions on the draft permit, please contact: Ms. Eva Land at [phone] or [e-mail].
Send comments on the draft permit and requests for a public hearing to: Eva Land, EPA Region 4, APTMD, 61 Forsyth Street, S.W., Atlanta, GA 30303, Fax: [phone], Email: [e-mail]. Public Comments must be received by email or postmarked by October 3, 2011. Public Hearing requests must be received by the EPA by email or mail by September 19, 2011.
Project Emissions: The maximum potential annual emissions in tons per year (TPY) from the Pathfinder drilling rig and its support vessels are summarized in the following table. Eni’s exploration drilling program is a major source under the applicable Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permitting requirements, because emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), volatile organic carbon (VOC), particulate matter (PM), particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5), particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 microns (PM10), and greenhouse gas (GHG), measured as carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e), emissions exceed the major source applicability thresholds, shown below. Hence, Eni is required to apply Best Available Control Technology for CO, VOC, PM, PM10, PM2.5, and GHG.
Pollutant Potential to Emit, TPY Significant Emission Rate, TPY PSD Review Required
CO 482.25 100 Yes
NOx1 2,055.37 40 Yes
VOC1 74.35 40 Yes
PM 61.92 25 Yes
PM10 36.73 15 Yes
PM2.5 35.71 10 Yes
SO2 0.91 40 No
GHG (CO2e) 98,953 75,000 Yes
1VOC and NOx are the measured precursors for the criteria pollutant ozone and NOx is also a precursor for PM2.5.
Class I Area Air Quality Impacts: Eni has requested an air quality permit for a maximum of 150 days exploratory drilling activity in the Lloyd Ridge 411 lease block in the Gulf of Mexico. Due to the limited duration, this project qualifies as a temporary source under the applicable PSD regulations. The impact related criteria that must be met for a temporary source include a demonstration that the project emissions will not impact any PSD Class I area. The nearest PSD Class I area to Lloyd Ridge lease block 411 is Breton National Wildlife Refuge located on the southeast coast of Louisiana. Lease block 411 is approximately 280 km from Breton PSD Class I area. The applicant performed an impact assessment to demonstrate that the proposed project’s impact to the PSD Class I increment would not be significant. This analysis is available in the application and is discussed in the EPA’s preliminary determination and statement of basis.
Public Comments: Any interested person may submit written comments on the draft permit during the public comment period. If you believe any condition of the permit is inappropriate, you must raise all reasonably ascertainable issues and submit all reasonably available arguments supporting your position by the end of the comment period. Any documents supporting your comments must be included in full and may not be incorporated by reference unless they are already part of the record for this permit or consist of state or federal statutes or regulations, the EPA documents of general applicability, or other generally available reference materials.
Comments should focus on the draft air quality permit, the permit terms, and the air quality aspects of the project. The objective of the OCS air quality program is to control air pollution from OCS sources to attain and maintain ambient air quality standards and to prevent significant adverse environmental impact from air pollution by a new or modified OCS source. If you have more general concerns regarding things such as leasing, non-air quality impacts, drilling safety, discharge, etc., these should be addressed during the leasing and permitting proceedings of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation, and Enforcement, which is the lead permitting agency for this project.
All timely comments will be considered in making the final decision, included in the record, and responded to by the EPA. The EPA may group similar comments together in our response, and will not respond to individual commenters directly.
All comments on the draft permit must be received by email or postmarked by October 3, 2011. An extension of the 30-day comment period may be granted if the request for an extension adequately demonstrates why additional time is required to prepare comments. Comments must be sent or delivered in writing to the address above. All comments will be included in the public docket without change and may be made available to the public, including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes Confidential Business Information or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Information that you consider Confidential Business Information or otherwise protected should be clearly identified as such and should not be submitted through email. If you send email directly to the EPA, your email address will be captured automatically and included as part of the public comment. Please note that an email or postal address must be provided with your comments if you wish to receive direct notification of the EPA’s final decision regarding the permit and responses to comments submitted during the public comment period.
Public Hearing: The EPA has discretion to hold a Public Hearing if we determine there is a significant amount of public interest in the draft permit. Requests for a Public Hearing must be received by the EPA by email or mail by September 19, 2011, and state the nature of the issues proposed to be raised in the hearing. You may submit oral or written comments on the draft permit at the public hearing. You do not need to attend the public hearing to submit written comments. You may send written comments to the above address, postmarked by October 3, 2011. If there is significant public interest, a public hearing will be held on October 4, 2011, 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., at the following location:
Bay County Public Library
Northwest Regional Library System
898 West 11th Street
Panama City, FL 32412-0625
[phone].
If a public hearing is held, the public comment period shall automatically be extended to the close of the public hearing. If no request for a public hearing is received by September 19, 2011, or the EPA determines that there is not significant interest, the hearing will be cancelled. An announcement of cancellation will be posted on the EPA’s website: http://www.epa.gov/region4/air/permits/OCSPermits/OCSpermits.html or you may call the EPA at the contact number above to determine if the public hearing has been cancelled.
Permit Documents: The EPA’s draft permit, the EPA’s preliminary determination and statement of basis, Eni’s application and supporting documentation, and comments received from the public, other government agencies, and the applicant during the public comment period become part of the administrative record for the permit. All data submitted by the applicant is available as part of the administrative record. The administrative record is available to the public and is available at the following locations (please call in advance for available viewing times):
Bay County Public Library
Northwest Regional Library System
898 West 11th Street
Panama City, FL 32412-0625
[phone]
EPA Region 4 Office
61 Forsyth Street, S.W.
Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: [phone]
The administrative record is also available on the EPA’s website: http://www.epa.gov/region4/air/permits/OCSPermits/OCSpermits.html.
Final Determination: A final decision to issue a permit, or to deny the application for the permit, shall be made after all comments have been considered. Notice of the final decision shall be sent to each person who has submitted written comments or requested notice of the final permit decision, provided the EPA has adequate contact information.
A copy of the agenda may be obtained by contacting: Rosa Yarbrough, [phone].
For more information, you may contact: Rosa Yarbrough, [phone].