[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 169 (Tuesday, September 2, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46265-46266]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-23230]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5886-4]


Announcement of Stakeholders Meeting on the new Regulatory Impact 
Analysis Framework for implementing the Safe Drinking Water Act 
Amendments of 1996

AGENCY:Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of stakeholders meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be holding a 
one and a half day public meeting on September 23 and 24, 1997. The 
purpose of this meeting is to have a dialogue with stakeholders and the 
public at large on EPA's development of a new regulatory impact 
analysis framework for proposed drinking water regulations. The Safe 
Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 require that, whenever EPA 
proposes a national primary drinking water regulation, EPA must publish 
a cost-benefit analysis. EPA would like to have a dialogue with 
stakeholders and the public at large on the various components of this 
analysis, including treatment design, unit treatment costs and national 
costs, model systems development, baseline estimates, data quality 
objectives, and benefits analysis. EPA is seeking input from national, 
State, Tribal, municipal, and individual stakeholders and other 
interested parties. This meeting is a continuation of stakeholder 
meetings that started in 1995 to obtain input on the Agency's Drinking 
Water Program. These meetings were initiated as part of the Drinking 
Water Program Redirection efforts to help refocus EPA's drinking water 
priorities and to support strong, flexible partnerships among EPA, 
States, Tribes, local governments, and the public. At the upcoming 
meeting, EPA is seeking input from state and Tribal drinking water 
programs, the regulated community (public water systems), public health 
organizations, academia, environmental and public interest groups, 
engineering firms, and other stakeholders on a number of issues related 
to developing the new regulatory impact analysis framework. EPA 
encourages the full participation of stakeholders throughout this 
process.

DATES: The stakeholder meeting on the new regulatory impact analysis 
framework for drinking water regulations will be held on Tuesday, 
September 23, 1997 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT and Wednesday, 
September 24, 1997 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES: To register for the meeting, please contact the Safe 
Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 between 9:00 am and 5:30 pm 
EDT. Those registered for the meeting by Friday, September 12, 1997 
will receive an agenda, logistics sheet, and background materials prior 
to the meeting. Members of the public who cannot attend the meeting in 
person may participate via conference call and should register with the 
Safe Drinking Water Hotline. Conference lines will be allocated on the 
basis of first-reserved, first served. Members of the public who cannot 
participate via conference call or in person may submit comments in 
writing by October 24, 1997, in order for comments to be included in 
the meeting summary, to Ben Smith, at the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, 401 M St, SW (4607), Washington, DC, 20460 or 
[email protected]. The meeting will be held in Suite 275, 1255 
23rd Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on meeting 
logistics, please contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-
4791. For information on the activities related to developing the new 
regulatory impact analysis framework and other EPA activities under the 
Safe Drinking Water Act, contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-
800-426-4791.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

    Under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996, EPA 
must provide a thorough cost-benefit analysis, as well as 
comprehensive, informative, and understandable information to the 
public. The 1996 SDWA amendments require that new regulations be 
developed so as to ensure that they represent a meaningful opportunity 
for health risk reduction. Also required is a detailed analysis of the 
relationship to: health impacts, including those to sensitive 
subgroups; impacts of other contaminants; treatment objectives; 
incremental impacts above a baseline that considers current 
regulations, uncertainty, and affordability. EPA must also consider the 
impact on the technical, financial, and managerial capacity of water 
systems. In so doing, EPA must also use the best available, peer 
reviewed science and methods. The amendments provide EPA with 
flexibility to identify and incorporate new benefits, including 
willingness to pay. In addition, EPA has expanded information-gathering 
authority, and must consider point-of-use and point-of-entry devices. 
After first defining a maximum contaminant level (MCL), or treatment 
technique standard based on affordable technology, EPA must determine 
whether the costs of that standard would be justified by the benefits. 
If not, EPA may adjust an MCL to a level that maximizes health risk 
reduction benefits at a cost that is justified by the benefits. The 
authority to adjust the MCL has limits that also require evaluation. In 
addition to the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
Act and the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act impose 
additional analytical and consultative requirements in connection with 
new rules.
    The upcoming meeting deals specifically with EPA's efforts to 
prepare the framework for the new regulatory impact analysis, which 
includes a series of proposed regulatory support documents, and plans 
for public involvement in rule development. These documents fall into 
three categories: periodically updated reference works, regulation 
specific data documents, and regulation specific analytical documents. 
The reference works consist of manuals for baseline definition, model 
systems, benefits methodologies, data quality objectives,

[[Page 46266]]

and treatment system design. The regulation specific data documents 
cover cost and technology, occurrence and monitoring, and health 
effects from exposure. The regulation specific analytical documents 
consist of an analytical support document, a cost/benefit document, and 
an regulatory/economic impact analysis. Outlines for these documents 
and discussions of how they may be used to fulfill statutory objectives 
will be presented.

B. Request for Stakeholder Involvement

    EPA has announced this public meeting to hear the views of 
stakeholders on EPA's plans for activities to develop a new framework 
for regulatory impact analysis. The public is invited to provide 
comments on the issues listed above and other issues related to the new 
framework for regulatory impact analysis during the September 23 and 
24, 1997 meeting, or in writing by October 24, 1997.

    Dated: August 26, 1997.
Elizabeth Fellows,
Acting Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, 
Environmental Protection Agency.
[FR Doc. 97-23230 Filed 8-29-97; 8:45 am]
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