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EPA to hold hearings on proposed air regulations

Release Date: 03/06/2007
Contact Information: William Omohundro, (312) 353-8254, [email protected] Don de Blasio, (312) 886-4360, [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 07-OPA34

CHICAGO (March 5, 2007) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold hearings to take comments on proposed air quality regulations for the Forest County Potawatomi Community reservation. The hearings will be held Tuesday, March 27, at the FCP Executive Building, 5416 Everybody's Road, on the reservation, and Wednesday, March 28, at the Crandon, Wis., Community Building (City Hall), 601 W. Washington St.

The March 27 session will begin with a brief meeting from 6 to 6:30 p.m. to explain the proposal followed by a hearing from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The March 28 session will begin with a brief meeting from 2 to 2:30 p.m. to explain the proposal followed by a hearing from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

The proposed action is a result of the FCP community's 1995 application to redesignate certain trust lands within their reservation. If EPA approves the FCP community's request, the Agency will designate air quality for these lands as Class I - the highest quality - through a document called a Federal Implementation Plan. The FIP could require large-scale facilities to take measures to ensure air quality for these lands is not damaged by the emission of certain air pollutants.

EPA will accept comments on the proposal through April 27, 2007. Persons who submitted comments during EPA's previous public comment period in 1997 on the FCP community's request for Class I redesignation do not have to resubmit. Their comments will be taken into consideration for this proposal.

More information about the proposal is available at the Forest County Potawatomi Community Natural Resources Department on Wensaut Lane; the Crandon Public Library, 110 W. Polk St.; Rhinelander District Library, 106 N. Stevens St.; and EPA Region 5 Air and Radiation Division, 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, Ill. Call Constantine Blathras (312) 886-0671 for an appointment to view documents in Chicago or in Washington, D.C. The full FCP docket can be found on the Web by going to www.regulations.gov and entering docket number EPA-R05-OAR-2004-WI-0002 in the keyword or ID search field.

More information about the public hearings is available from Benjamin Giwojna and Don de Blasio in EPA's Region 5 Office in Chicago. They may be reached toll free at (800) 621-8431, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Persons needing special accommodations should contact Don de Blasio at the toll-free number.

Written comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R05-OAR-2004-WI-0002 should be submitted to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA West (Air Docket), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Mailcode: 6102T, Washington, D.C. 20460. Please send two copies. Hand deliveries can be made to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA West (Air Docket), 1301 Constitution Ave., N.W., Room 3334, Washington, D.C. Special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information.