Federal Land Managers' Air Quality Related Values Work Group (FLAG). Phase I Report-Revised (2010)

摘要

Under the Clean Air Act, the Federal Land Manager (FLM) and the Federal official with direct responsibility for management of Federal Class I parks and wilderness areas (i.e., Park Superintendent, Refuge Manager, Forest Supervisor) have an affirmative responsibility to protect the air quality related values (AQRVs) (including visibility) of such lands, and to consider whether a proposed major emitting facility will have an adverse impact on such values. The FLMs decision regarding whether there is an adverse impact is then conveyed to the permitting authority usually a State agency for consideration in its determinations regarding the permit. The permitting authoritys determinations generally consider a wide range of factors, including the potential impact of the new source or major modification on the AQRVs of Class I areas, if applicable. Both State permitting agencies and permit applicants requested that the FLMs provide better consistency pertaining to their role in the review of new source permit applications near Federal Class I areas. To address this concern, the FLMs formed the Federal Land Managers Air Quality Related Values Work Group (FLAG). The official FLM is the Secretary of the department with authority over the Federal Class I areas (or the Secretarys designee). For the Department of the Interior, the Secretary has designated the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks as the FLM, whereas the Secretary of Agriculture has delegated the FLM responsibilities to the Regional Forester, and in some cases, the Forest Supervisor.