EPA is withdrawing a direct rule it had published in the Federal Register on February 15, 2013, to revise the definition of VOCs for purposes of preparing SIPs to attain the NAAQS for ozone under title I of the CAA.
EPA published a direct final rule that excluded trans 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoroprop-1-ene from the definition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for purposes of preparing state implementation plans (SIPs) to attain the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone under title I of the Clean Air Act (CAA). The substance was proposed to be excluded from the definition of VOCs based on EPA’s determination that the compound makes a negligible contribution to tropospheric ozone formation.
However, because EPA received one adverse comment to the proposed rule, they are withdrawing the direct final rule effective April 18, 2013. The proposed rule will now go through normal rulemaking processes and all public comments that were received will be addressed in a final rulemaking action based on the proposed rule.