December 20, 1999

Dear Participants:

This is an announcement of a public meeting on January 13, 2000 to discuss EPA's thinking on an alternative approach for compliance with new source review (NSR) requirements. The meeting will be held on January 13, 2000 in the Polaris Room, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20004, telephone (202) 312-1300, beginning at 10:00 a.m., and ending no later than 3:30 p.m.

The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss an approach that could be workable specifically for the utility sector. At the meeting, we plan to present our current thinking on this approach, and to receive comment from stakeholders. Attached for background purposes are four proposals that we have received to date from various stakeholders (Attachments 1 through 4).

We plan to evaluate comments received from stakeholders, and to determine whether and how to propose this alternative approach in the Federal Register. In concert with this decision, we will also evaluate options for obtaining further stakeholder input.

Plans for how the meeting will be run are still under discussion within EPA. There is uncertainty as to how many attendees will be present, and there are constraints as to the size of the meeting room. Initial thoughts are that at the table, which will seat about 40-45 people, an equal number of seats will be made available to representatives from: (1) the industrial sector, (2) the public interest groups, (3) State and local governments, and (4) the Federal government. There will be additional seating, theater style, in the meeting room, available on a first come first served basis, for about 100 people. To the extent possible, everyone who wishes to speak will have an opportunity.

An address list of persons who are being sent this letter is also attached (Attachment 5) and an announcement will be published in the Federal Register. It is also being placed on the Office of Air and Radiation's Internet website: (http://www.epa.gov/oar/oarnew.html) and the

NSR website (http://www.epa.gov/ttn/nsr/rule_dev.html). If you know of someone who may not have received this letter but is interested in participating in such an effort, feel free to contact them.

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Metro Center Marriott, which is a short distance away from the Ronald Reagan Building. The cut-off date for reservations is January 3, 2000 and is reserved as "US EPA Group Rooms". The telephone number at the Metro Center Marriott is (703) 553-5329.

If you wish to attend the meeting, please E-mail or call Pam Smith, at E-mail address "smith.pam@epa.gov" or telephone number (919) 541-0641, by January 6. If you have further questions regarding the stakeholder meeting on January 13, you may call Kathy Kaufman at (919) 541-0102 or Karen Blanchard at (919) 541-5503.

Sincerely,

Signed by Thomas C. Curran for John S. Seitz

John S. Seitz

Director

Office of Air Quality Planning

and Standards

Attachments (5)

1. - 4. Stakeholder proposals

5. Addressee list

USEPA:OAQPS:ITPID:IIG:KKAUFMAN:PJSMITH:NCMU:MD-12:12/20/99

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