Approval and Promulgation of Delegation of Authority for Designated Facilities and Pollutants; Allegheny County; Delegation of Authority of the Federal Plan for Existing Municipal Solid Waste Landfills
Key claim: The EPA is proposing to grant Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County Health Department the authority to implement and enforce federal Clean Air Act emissions regulations for existing municipal solid waste landfills.
Abstract
(Proposed Rule · Environmental Protection Agency) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a request from the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) for delegation of authority to implement and enforce the Federal Plan requirements for existing Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) landfills within Allegheny County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. On May 21, 2021, the EPA promulgated the Federal Plan for MSW landfills to fulfill the requirements of section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act (CAA). The Federal Plan addresses the implementation and enforcement of the emission guidelines applicable to existing MSW landfills located in areas not covered by an approved and currently effective State plan. The Federal Plan imposes emission limits and other control requirements for existing MSW landfills which will reduce designated pollutants.
Why this matters
The proposal would give Allegheny County’s health department authority to administer and enforce existing federal landfill emissions requirements locally, rather than establish new pollution limits. Its practical effect concerns regulatory administration and enforcement responsibility; the finding does not establish additional compliance costs or quantified health or environmental benefits, and the delegation remains proposed.