[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 141 (Monday, July 24, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37890-37892]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-18119]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5261-9]


Clean Water Act; Contractor Access to Confidential Business 
Information

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of intended transfer of confidential business 
information to contractors.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intends to transfer 
to EPA contractors and subcontractors, technical and financial 
confidential business information (CBI) collected under EPA's contract 
for the commodities industries including the pulp and paper industry, 
pharmaceutical industry, industrial laundries industry and 
transportation equipment cleaning industry. EPA also intends to 
transfer to EPA contractors and subcontractors, technical and financial 
CBI collected under EPA contracts for the pesticide industry and the 
oil and gas industry. Transfer of the information will allow the 
contractors and subcontractors to assist EPA in developing effluent 
limitations guidelines and standards under the Clean Water Act (CWA) 
for the industries mentioned. The information being transferred was 
collected under the authority of section 308 of the Clean Water Act. 
Interested persons may submit comments on this intended transfer of 
information to the address noted below.

DATES: Comments on the transfer of data are due August 3, 1995.


[[Page 37891]]

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to Janet Goodwin, Engineering and 
Analysis Division (4303), Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, 
DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Goodwin at the above address or 
at (202) 260-7152.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA is today noticing the transfer of 
confidential business information (CBI) under six new contracts to 
support the Agency in the collection and evaluation of technical data 
to support effluent guidelines regulations. These six contracts replace 
three contracts which were supporting the 1. Commodities Industries 
(including the pulp and paper, pharmaceutical, industrial laundries, 
and transportation equipment cleaning industries), 2. Pesticides 
Industry, and 3. Oil and Gas Industry. The commodities industries 
contract has been broken into four industry specific contracts. The 
following discussion describes the information currently held by 
contractors under the three existing contracts and to whom this 
information will be transferred for the six new contracts.
    1. Commodities Industries. EPA has previously transferred to its 
contractor Radian Corporation of Herndon, Virginia (and subcontractors) 
information, including confidential business information (CBI), 
concerning the pulp and paper, pharmaceutical, industrial laundries, 
transportation equipment cleaning, and pesticides industries collected 
under the authority of the Clean Water Act section 308.
    The information transferred includes the following:
    Pulp and Paper. Data collected through questionnaires mailed to 
almost 600 pulp and paper facilities in 1990 which requested data on 
production, production processes water usage and wastewater treatment, 
were transferred to EPA's engineering contractor. Also transferred were 
the results obtained from sampling and site visits conducted at pulp 
and paper facilities and treatability studies conducted on pulp and 
paper wastewaters from 1988 to the summer of 1994, including data 
provided to EPA through a trade association. EPA also transferred all 
public comments submitted in response to the proposed rule for pulp and 
paper published in the Federal Register on December 17, 1993 as well as 
any data that was submitted with or subsequent to the comments.
    Pharmaceutical. Data collected through screener questionnaires 
mailed to 1,163 pharmaceutical facilities in 1989, and 280 detailed 
questionnaires mailed in 1991, requesting data on production, 
production processes, water usage and wastewater treatment were 
transferred to the contractor. Also transferred were data and 
information collected by the financial and economic portion of this 
questionnaire. EPA also transferred the results obtained from sampling 
and site visits conducted at pharmaceutical facilities and treatability 
studies conducted on pharmaceutical wastewaters from 1991 through 1994 
to Radian Corp.
    Industrial Laundries. EPA has transferred data collected through 
detailed questionnaires were mailed to 254 industrial laundry 
facilities and 100 screener questionnaires mailed to hotels, hospitals 
and prisons in 1993 and 1994 and requested information on laundry 
practices, water usage and wastewater treatment. Also transferred were 
the responses to the economic and financial portion of the 
questionnaire. Data collected through site and sampling visits to 
industrial laundry facilities collected from 1992 through 1995 has also 
been transferred. This included information collected on the 
characteristics of wastewaters generated by industrial laundries and 
the technologies used to treat industrial laundries wastewater.
    Transportation Equipment Cleaning. Data collected through a 
screener questionnaire sent to 4,000 transportation equipment cleaning 
facilities in 1994 has been transferred to Radian Corp. This data 
includes limited information about the water use and subsequent 
wastewater treatment, commodities cleaned from transportation 
equipment, the organizational structure and financial data of 
transportation equipment cleaning facilities. Also transferred were 
data collected through site visits and sampling visits to 
transportation equipment facilities conducted from 1994 through 1995. 
Data collected through the current data collection with a detailed 
questionnaire that has been mailed to about 300 facilities and will be 
transferred to Radian under their new contract with EPA to support the 
Transportation Equipment Cleaning Industry rulemaking development as 
the responses are received.
    EPA determined that this transfer was necessary to enable the 
contractor and subcontractors to perform their work under EPA Contract 
No. 68-C0-0032 and related subcontracts by assisting EPA in developing 
effluent limitations guidelines and standards for these four 
industries. Notice to this effect was provided to the affected 
companies at the time the data was collected or through Federal 
Register notice.
    Today, EPA is giving notice that it has entered into four new 
contracts, as follows:
    The following contracts replace the Commodities Industries 
Contract, contract number 68-C0-0032:
    Pulp and Paper: New Contract No. 68-C5-0013, with Radian 
Corporation of Herndon, Virginia. Subcontractors are DynCorp--EENSP; 
Eastern Research Group, Inc.; Amendola Engineering, Inc.; and N. 
McCubbin Consultants, Inc. The effective date for this contract is June 
13, 1995.
    Pharmaceutical: New Contract No. 68-C5-0025, with Radian 
Corporation of Herndon, Virginia. Subcontractors are DynCorp--EENSP; 
Westat, Inc.; ECG, Inc.; and Neal A. Jannelle. The effective date for 
this contract is May 24, 1995.
    Industrial Laundries: New Contract No. 68-C5-0032, with Radian 
Corporation of Herndon, Virginia. Subcontractors are DynCorp--EENSP; 
Cambodie, Limited; Eastern Research Group, Inc.; GeoLogics Corporation; 
SJV Consultants; and TN and Associates, Inc. The effective date for 
this contract is June 22, 1995.
    Transportation Equipment Cleaning: New Contract 68-C5-0033, with 
Radian Corporation of Herndon, Virginia. Subcontractors are DynCorp--
EENSP; Eastern Research Group, Inc.; TN and Associates, Inc.; and 
GeoLogics Corporation. The effective date for this contract is June 19, 
1995.
    In each of these contracts, Radian Corp. will provide technical and 
engineering support such as completion of the technical portions of the 
public docket for the proposed rulemaking and completion of the work on 
the draft proposed technical development document. The contractor shall 
also provide support on post proposal efforts, including assisting with 
public meetings, assisting EPA in responding to comments on technical 
issues, such as estimates of costs or loadings, filling data gaps that 
arise through comments on the proposed rule, and assisting with the 
assembly of the rulemaking record for the final rule.
    In accordance with 40 CFR part 2, subpart B, the previously 
collected information described above (including confidential business 
information) will be transferred to Radian Corp. under each of these 
new contracts. EPA has determined that this transfer is necessary to 
enable the contractors to perform their work under the EPA Contracts 
listed above.
    2. Pesticides Industry. EPA has transferred data collected to 
support two rulemaking efforts, the pesticide manufacturing industry 
which was promulgated on September 28, 1993, 

[[Page 37892]]
and the pesticide formulating, packaging and repackaging industry which 
was proposed on April 14, 1994, to Radian Corp. under Contract No. 68-
C0-0081. The data transferred include the questionnaires sent to 90 
pesticide active ingredient manufacturing facilities in 1988 to collect 
information about the production, production processes, water usage and 
wastewater treatment and discharge practices. Another questionnaire 
sent to about 700 pesticide formulating, packaging and repackaging 
facilities in 1990 and requested information on production processes, 
water usage and wastewater discharge and treatment practices has also 
been transferred to Radian. Also included in this transfer are 
financial and economic data collected in the same pesticide 
formulating, packaging and repackaging questionnaire. EPA has also 
transferred data collected through site visits and sampling visits 
conducted at pesticide manufacturing and pesticide formulating, 
packaging and repackaging facilities during 1988 through 1995. These 
visits collected information on production processes, water usage and 
wastewater generation, pollution prevention practices in use and 
wastewater characteristics and wastewater treatment performance. Also 
transferred are data and information collected through treatability 
studies, data submitted in support of comments on proposed rules and 
data submitted post-promulgation in support of litigation.
    EPA has entered into a new contract to support the continuation of 
the pesticide industry rulemaking development. The new contract is 
Contract No. 68-C5-0023 with Radian Corp. of Herndon, Virginia. Radian 
Corp. will continue to support EPA on the pesticides rulemaking 
development along with their subcontractors including: DynCorp--EENSP; 
Westat, Inc.; GeoLogics Corporation; and Chemical Consultants 
International, Inc. The effective date of this contract is June 2, 
1995.
    3. Oil and Gas Industry. Data collected through questionnaires 
mailed to 361 Coastal Oil and Gas facilities in 1992 and collected 
information on production, drilling, wastewater generation, and 
wastewater treatment and disposal practices were transferred to EPA's 
engineering contractor SAIC under Contract No. 68-C0-0044. Also 
transferred were data collected through sampling and site visits at 
coastal oil and gas facilities and treatability studies conducted on 
coastal oil and gas wastewaters. In addition all data included as part 
of the rulemaking record for the Offshore Oil and Gas industry was 
transferred to EPA's engineering contractor.
    EPA has entered into a new contract to support the continuation of 
the oil and gas rulemaking development and litigation support. The new 
contract is Contract No. 68-C5-0035 with Avanti Corporation of Vienna, 
Virginia. Avanti will support EPA on the oil and gas rulemaking efforts 
along with their subcontractors: Radian Corp.; DynCorp--EENSP; 
Louisiana State University and as a consultant Dr. Michael Kavanaugh. 
The effective date of this contract is June 2, 1995.
    Anyone wishing to comment on the above matters must submit comments 
to the address given above by August 3, 1995.

    Dated: July 13, 1995.
Robert Perciasepe,
Assistant Administrator for Water.
[FR Doc. 95-18119 Filed 7-21-95; 8:45 am]
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