[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 168 (Wednesday, August 28, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 44278-44279]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-22012]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 372

[OPPTS-400104D; FRL-5394-7]
RIN 2070-AC71


Addition of Facilities in Certain Industry Sectors; Toxic 
Chemical Release Reporting; Community Right-to-Know; Extension of 
Comment Period

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule; further extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: In the Federal Register of June 27, 1996, EPA issued a 
proposed rule to add seven industry groups to the list of industries 
required to report under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-
Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA) section 313 and section 6607 of the Pollution 
Prevention Act of 1990 (PPA). In order to provide additional time to 
comment on this proposal and the additional documents available as 
announced in the Federal Register on August 21, 1996 (61 FR 43207), EPA 
is extending the comment period until September 25, 1996.

DATES: Comments must be received by September 25, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted in triplicate to: OPPT 
Docket Clerk, TSCA Document Receipt Office (7407), Office of Pollution 
Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. E-G099, 401 
M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460. Comments containing information 
claimed as confidential must be clearly marked as confidential business 
information (CBI). If CBI is claimed, three additional sanitized copies 
must also be submitted. Nonconfidential versions of comments on the 
proposed rule will be placed in the rulemaking record and will be 
available for public inspection. Comments should include the docket 
control number for this document, OPPTS-400104D and the EPA contact for 
this document. Unit II. of this document contains additional 
information on submitting comments containing information claimed as 
CBI.
    Comments and data may also be submitted electronically by sending 
electronic mail (e-mail) to: [email protected]. Electronic 
comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special 
characters and any form of encryption. Comments and data will also be 
accepted on disks in WordPerfect 5.1 file format or ASCII file format. 
All comments and data in electronic form must be identified by the 
docket number OPPTS-400104D. No CBI should be submitted through e-mail. 
Electronic comments on this proposed rule may be filed online at many 
Federal Depository Libraries. Additional information on electronic 
submissions can be found in Unit II. of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Crawford at 202-260-1715, e-mail: 
[email protected], or Brian Symmes at 202-260-9121, e-mail: 
[email protected], or the Emergency Planning and Community 
Right-to-Know Information Hotline, Environmental Protection Agency, 
Mail Stop 5101, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460, Toll free: 1-800-
535-0202, in Virginia and Alaska: 703-412-9877 or Toll free TDD: 1-800-
553-7672.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    Current EPCRA section 313 reporting requirements apply to 
facilities classified in the manufacturing sector (Standard Industrial 
Classification codes 20-39) that have 10 or more full-time employees, 
and that manufacture, process, or otherwise use one or more listed 
section 313 chemicals above certain threshold amounts. EPA has been in 
the process of evaluating industry groups for potential addition under 
EPCRA section 313. EPA recently issued a proposed rule to add seven 
industry groups to the list of industries subject to EPCRA section 313 
reporting requirements (61 FR 33588, June 27, 1996) (FRL-5379-3). At 61 
FR 43207, August 21, 1996 (FRL-5393-4), EPA issued a Notice extending 
the comment period for certain additional documents to September 4, 
1996. This Notice further extends the comment period for the proposal 
and the additional documents to September 25, 1996.
    EPA believes that by extending the comment period by 30 days it can 
adequately satisfy the needs of those who strongly feel that they need 
additional time to prepare their comments on the proposed rule as well 
as those who feel equally strongly that the public's right to know 
about toxic chemical releases and other waste information from these 
additional industry groups should not be delayed another year. 
Expanding the amount of information available to the American public 
about the environment in their community is a priority for EPA. The 
Agency remains committed to receiving and reviewing public comments and 
moving expeditiously to finalize this important rulemaking.

II. Rulemaking Record

    A record has been established for this rulemaking under docket 
number ``OPPTS-400104D'' (including comments and data submitted 
electronically as described below). A public version of this record, 
including printed, paper versions of electronic comments, which does 
not include any information claimed as CBI, is available for inspection 
from noon to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. 
The public record is located in the TSCA Nonconfidential Information 
Center (NCIC), located at EPA Headquarters, Rm. E-B607, 401 M St., SW., 
Washington, DC 20460.
    Any person who submits comments claimed as CBI must mark the 
comments as ``confidential,'' ``CBI,'' or other appropriate 
designation. Comments not claimed as confidential at the time of 
submission will be placed in the public file. Any comments marked as 
confidential will be treated in accordance with the procedures in 40 
CFR part 2. Any person submitting comments claimed to be confidential 
must prepare a nonconfidential public version of the comments in 
triplicate that EPA can put in the public file.
    Electronic comments can be sent directly to EPA at:
    [email protected]
    Electronic comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the 
use of special characters and any form of encryption.
    The official record for this rulemaking, as well as the public 
version, described above will be kept in paper form. Accordingly, EPA 
will transfer all comments received electronically into printed, paper 
form as they are received and will place the paper copies in the 
official rulemaking record which will also include all comments 
submitted directly in writing. The official rulemaking record is the 
paper record maintained at the address in ADDRESSES at the beginning of 
this document.

[[Page 44279]]

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 372

    Environmental protection, Community right-to-know, Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements, Toxic chemicals.


    Dated: August 23, 1996.

Susan H. Wayland,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic 
Substances.

[FR Doc. 96-22012 Filed 8-23-96; 4:46 pm]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F