If a permit is prioritized for enhanced outreach, does this mean that EPA will require stricter emission or discharge limits, or deny a permit?
An EPA regional’ office’s decisions on whether to issue a permit and, if so, the conditions to impose within a permit are distinct from the EPA regional office’s decisions about the outreach EPA may perform during the permitting process. EPA’s decisions on whether to issue a permit and what permit conditions to impose are governed by statute and regulation. Neither EPA Actions nor Promising Practices affects that. However, enhanced outreach to communities during the permitting process can provide an EPA regional office with information relevant to the decision to issue a permit, and what conditions to require. For example, community involvement in the permitting process might provide EPA information on vulnerable portions of the community. Based on that information, EPA might require additional monitoring or reporting to learn more about how pollution from the permitted activity impacts vulnerable sub‐populations, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.