Effective Date for the Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Lakes and Flowing Waters
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing an extension of the July 6, 2012, effective date of the ``Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Lakes and Flowing Waters; Final Rule'' (inland waters rule) for six months to January 6, 2013. EPA's inland waters rule currently includes an effective date of July 6, 2012, for the entire regulation except for the site-specific alternative criteria provision, which took effect on February 4, 2011.
This extension of the July 6, 2012, effective date for the inland waters rule to January 6, 2013, does not affect or change the February 4, 2011, effective date for the site-specific alternative criteria provision.
The revision to Sec. 131.43 in this final rule is effective January 6, 2013. The effective date of Sec. 131.43, revised on December 6, 2010 (75 FR 75805), and delayed on March 7, 2012 (77 FR 13949) to July 6, 2012, is further delayed until January 6, 2013.
ADDRESSES: EPA has established a docket for this action under Docket ID No. EPA-OW-2009-0596. All documents in the docket are listed on the www.regulations.gov Web site. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information of which disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically through www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the EPA Docket Center, EPA West Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20004, Attention: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0596. The Office of Water (OW) Docket Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The OW Docket Center telephone number is 202-566-1744. The Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is 202-566-1744.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information concerning this rulemaking, contact: Tracy Bone, U.S. EPA, Office of Water, Mailcode 4305T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number 202-564-5257; email address: bone.tracy@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
Does this action apply to me?
Citizens concerned with water quality in Florida may be interested in this rulemaking. Entities discharging nitrogen or phosphorus to lakes and flowing waters of Florida could be indirectly affected by this rulemaking because water quality standards (WQS) are used in determining National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit limits. Categories and entities that may ultimately be affected include:
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Examples of potentially affected
Category entities
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Industry.......................... Industries discharging pollutants to lakes and flowing waters in the State of Florida.
Municipalities.................... Publicly-owned treatment works
discharging pollutants to lakes and
flowing waters in the State of
Florida.
Stormwater Management Districts... Entities responsible for managing
stormwater runoff in Florida.
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This table is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a
guide for entities that may be directly or indirectly affected by this
action. This table lists the types of entities of which EPA is now
aware that potentially could be affected by this action. Other types of
entities not listed in the table, such as nonpoint source contributors
to nitrogen/phosphorus pollution in Florida's waters may be indirectly
affected through implementation of Florida's water quality standards
program (i.e., through Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs)). Any
parties or entities conducting activities within watersheds of the
Florida waters covered by this rule, or who rely on, depend upon,
influence, or contribute to the water quality of the lakes and flowing
waters of Florida, may be indirectly affected by this rule. To
determine whether your facility or activities may be affected by this
action, you should carefully examine the language in 40 CFR 131.43,
which is the final rule. If you have questions regarding the
applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the person
listed in the preceding FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
II. Background
On December 6, 2010, EPA's final inland waters rule, entitled
``Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Lakes and Flowing
Waters; Final Rule,'' was published in the Federal Register at 75 FR
75762, and codified at 40 CFR 131.43. The final inland waters rule
established numeric nutrient criteria in the form of total nitrogen,
total phosphorus, nitrate+nitrite, and chlorophyll a for the different
types of Florida's inland waters to assure attainment of the State's
applicable water quality designated uses. More specifically, the
numeric nutrient criteria translated Florida's narrative nutrient
provision at Subsection 62-302.530(47)(b), Florida Administrative Code
(F.A.C.), into numeric values that apply to lakes and springs
throughout Florida and flowing waters outside of the South Florida
Region. (EPA has distinguished the South Florida Region as those areas
south of Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River watershed to the
west of Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie watershed to the east of Lake
Okeechobee.) This final inland waters rule seeks to improve water
quality, protect public health and aquatic life, and achieve the long-
term recreational uses of Florida's waters, which are a critical part
of the State's economy.
III. Revised Effective Date
A. Rationale for Extending the July 6, 2012 Effective Date
As stated in the rule itself (75 FR 75762, December 6, 2010), the
inland waters rule was originally scheduled to take effect on March 6,
2012, except for the site-specific alternative criteria (SSAC)
provision at 40 CFR 131.43(e), which took effect on February 4, 2011.
On March 7, 2012, EPA published an extension of the effective date of
the rule for four months to July 6, 2012 (77 FR 13497). On May 17, 2012
(77 FR 29271) EPA proposed a shorter-term extension of the July 6,
2012, effective date in order to avoid the confusion and inefficiency that could occur
should Federal criteria become effective while EPA reviews State
standards for approval or disapproval under CWA section 303(c). On June
7, 2012, the State of Florida Division of Administrative Hearings ruled
in favor of the State's rule, enabling the State to officially submit
its package to EPA on June 13, 2012.
Extending the July 6, 2012, effective date of EPA's inland waters
rule to January 6, 2013, would avoid the confusion and inefficiency
that may occur should Federal criteria become effective while EPA is
reviewing Florida's rule. This six-month extension will provide EPA
time to review and approve or disapprove Florida's rule under CWA
section 303(c). If EPA approves Florida's rule, this six-month
extension will also allow EPA to request permission from the Court to
finalize a further extension of the January 6, 2013, effective date for
a period of time for EPA to withdraw the Federal criteria corresponding
to those State criteria approved by EPA. Finally, if the Court grants
EPA permission to finalize a further extension of the January 6, 2013,
effective date, this six-month extension will allow EPA to actually
finalize such further extension of the January 6, 2013, effective date
to allow EPA to withdraw Federal criteria corresponding to those State
standards approved by EPA. If EPA does not approve Florida's standards,
EPA expects that its inland waters rule would become effective January
6, 2013.
Note that regarding two portions of EPA's original inland waters
rule--streams and default downstream protection values (DPVs) for
unimpaired lakes--the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida invalidated and remanded those two portions of the inland
waters rule to EPA on February 18, 2012 (FWF v. Jackson, 4:08-cv-00324-
RH-WCS). EPA is preparing to propose in a separate rulemaking process
numeric nutrient criteria for such streams and default DPVs.
B. Public Comment
EPA received twelve comments on the proposed extension of the July
6, 2012, effective date. One commenter noted that any extension of the
inland waters rule effective date does not prevent Florida from
developing protective numeric nutrient standards. This commenter
provided information showing that Florida continues to experience
nitrogen and phosphorus-fueled algae blooms. This commenter asserted
that the sooner numeric criteria are put in place, the sooner Florida
waters will be on the path to being fishable, swimmable, and drinkable.
EPA agrees with the commenter that control of excess nitrogen and
phosphorus is important, however, EPA is finalizing this six-month
extension of the effective date to allow EPA time to review the
submitted State standards (discussed earlier) for approval or
disapproval under CWA section 303(c). As mentioned earlier, having
EPA's criteria take effect while EPA is reviewing the State standards
could cause confusion and administrative inefficiency for the State and
regulated entities, something the EPA wants to avoid. The commenter
also argued against granting the longer extension of one year that was
discussed in the proposed rule. EPA agrees with the commenter and has
finalized a six-month extension. The commenter also provided input on
the submitted Florida numeric nutrient standards. Those comments are
outside the scope of this rule.
The other eleven commenters supported the proposal to extend the
effective date, arguing that the additional time would avoid the
confusion and inefficiency that may occur should Federal criteria
become effective prior to allowing full consideration of the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection's (FDEP's) nutrient standards
and withdrawal of Federal numeric nutrient criteria rulemakings in
Florida. The commenters supported extension of the effective date by
one year as discussed in the proposal rather than the proposed three-
month extension. Some of these commenters also proposed that EPA extend
the effective date beyond one year in case more time is needed to
withdraw its Federal nutrient criteria.
EPA agrees that a longer extension than three months is warranted,
but that six months is appropriate in order to provide sufficient time
to allow EPA to take the actions described earlier. Therefore, based on
public comment as well as the June 13, 2012, submission by Florida of
its nutrient standards, EPA believes that a six-month extension is
warranted.
EPA received several comments urging actions related to an EPA
rulemaking under development (i.e., not the inland waters rule). These
comments are outside the scope of this action and therefore EPA is not
addressing them.
C. Good Cause Exemption
Section 553(d)(3) of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C.
553(d)(3), provides that ``[t]he required publication or service of a
substantive rule shall be made not less than 30 days before its
effective date, except * * * (3) as otherwise provided by the agency
for good cause found and published with the rule.'' Today's final rule
is a rule that relieves a restriction, i.e., that delays the effective
date of a Federal rule. Today's rule does not establish any
requirements but rather merely extends the effective date of already-
promulgated requirements. On this basis, EPA has determined that there
is ``good cause'' for having this rule take effect upon publication in
the Federal Register. EPA thus finds that this constitutes ``good
cause'' under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3).
IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
A. Executive Order 12866: Regulatory Planning and Review and Executive
Order 13563: Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review
This action is not a ``significant regulatory action'' under the
terms of Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993), since it
merely extends the effective date of an already promulgated rule, and
is therefore not subject to review under Executive Order 12866 and
13563 (76 FR 3821, January 21, 2011).