[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 209 (Monday, October 28, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 55612-55613]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-27709]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 372

[OPPTS-400106A; FRL-5572-4]


Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know; Notice of Public 
Meetings

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: This Notice amends a Notice of Public Meetings that was 
published in the Federal Register of October 1, 1996, announcing two 
public meetings to receive public comment on issues raised by the 
Agency's advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) titled ``Addition 
of Reporting Elements; Toxic Chemical Release Reporting; Community 
Right-to-Know,'' also issued in the Federal Register of October 1. This 
Notice is to inform the public that EPA is extending the public meeting 
time in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to 2 days due to the large number of 
people who registered to speak at this meeting and that the location of 
the meeting is being changed. In order to allow all registered speakers 
sufficient time to publicly present their comments on these issues, EPA 
feels it is necessary to provide an additional meeting day. EPA is not 
extending registration for speakers for this meeting, therefore only 
those stakeholders already registered to speak at this meeting will be 
scheduled on the agenda. Speakers who registered on or before October 
11, 1996, will be notified by EPA as to which day of the meeting they 
will be scheduled to speak. The order of speakers will be based upon 
the order in which they signed up; no specific times will be assigned. 
Preferences for speaking on a particular day will be given in the order 
in which the speakers were registered. In addition, EPA is announcing a 
third public meeting on the issues associated with the ANPR. This 
meeting will be held in Washington, DC to provide additional 
opportunity for the public to present their comments to EPA.

DATES: The meeting in Baton Rouge, LA is schedule to take place on 
October 29 and 30, 1996. The meeting on October 29 is scheduled from 9 
a.m. to 5 p.m. The meeting on October 30 will start at 9 a.m. and will 
continue through the last registered speaker, which will be no later 
than 5 p.m. The meeting in Washington, DC is scheduled to take place on 
December 3 and 4, 1996, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or through the last 
registered speaker, which will be no later than 5 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting on October 29 and 30 will be held at the Best 
Western Richmond Suites Hotel, 5668 Hilton Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA. 
(Please note that this is a change of location.) The meeting on 
December 3 and 4, 1996, will be held at the Environmental Protection 
Agency, Education Center Auditorium, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To register to speak at the public 
meeting on December 3 or 4, contact Cassandra Vail at 202-260-0675, e-
mail: [email protected]. For additional information about 
the meetings, contact Denise Coutlakis at 202-260-5558, e-mail: 
[email protected]. For further information on EPCRA 
section 313, contact the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know 
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: 800-553-7672.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1986, Congress enacted the Emergency 
Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). Section 313 of EPCRA 
requires certain businesses to submit reports each year on the amounts 
of toxic chemicals their facilities release into the environment or 
otherwise manage. The information is placed in a publicly accessible 
data base known as the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). The purpose of 
this requirement is to inform the public, government officials, and 
industry about the chemical management practices of specified toxic 
chemicals.
    EPA is interested in expanding the information available via TRI to 
include chemical use information such as materials accounting data. The 
Agency

[[Page 55613]]

began reviewing this issue in 1993 and held public meetings in 1994 and 
1995. On August 8, 1995, President Clinton directed EPA to develop and 
implement, on an expedited schedule, a process for consideration of 
reporting use information under TRI. In response, EPA has begun the 
regulatory development process for additional review of chemical use 
reporting, which the Agency believes may provide a more detailed and 
comprehensive picture to the public about environmental performance and 
about toxic chemicals in their communities. EPA has provided an ANPR to 
give notice of EPA's consideration of this issue and to solicit 
comments on all aspects of chemical use and the collection of chemical 
use data. The purpose of the public meetings is to provide public 
forums for interested parties to provide input on the issues raised by 
the ANPR.
    Oral statements will be scheduled on a first-come first-serve basis 
by calling Cassandra Vail at the telephone number listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. EPA encourages meeting participants to 
provide written statements. All statements will become part of the 
public record and will be considered in the development of any proposed 
rule. In order to accommodate and schedule speakers, EPA requests that 
those interested in speaking at the December 3 and 4, 1996, public 
meeting register by Thursday, November 21, 1996. If there is sufficient 
interest, EPA will extend the public meeting for an additional day.

    Dated: October 23, 1996.
William H. Sanders III,
Director, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.

[FR Doc. 96-27709 Filed 10-25-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F