[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 23, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 67035-67036]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-33325]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 144 and 146

[FRL-5939-1]


Federal Register Notice of Stakeholders Meeting on Revisions to 
the Underground Injection Control Regulations for Class V Injection 
Wells

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Announcement of stakeholders meetings.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold 
public meetings on January 20, 1998 in Washington, DC and January 27 in 
Chicago, IL. The purpose of these meetings will be to gather 
information and collect opinions from parties who will be affected by 
or are otherwise interested in the Revisions to the Underground 
Injection Control (UIC) Regulations for Class V Injection Wells. 
Typically, Class V wells are shallow wells which inject a variety of 
fluids directly below the land surface. The Class V wells under 
consideration for new requirements include motor vehicle waste disposal 
wells, cesspools, and industrial waste disposal wells in ground water-
based source water protection areas. EPA will consider the comments and 
views expressed in these meetings in developing the proposed 
regulation. EPA is especially interested in seeking input from small 
entities and small entity representatives. EPA encourages the full 
participation of all stakeholders throughout this process.

DATES: The stakeholder meetings regarding the Revisions to the 
Underground Injection Control Regulations for Class V Injection Wells 
will be held on:
    1. January 20, 1998, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST in Washington, DC
    2. January 27, 1998, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm EST in Chicago, IL

ADDRESSES: To register for the meeting, please contact the EPA Safe 
Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791, or Jennifer Greenamoyer of 
EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water at (202) 260-7829. 
Participants registering in advance will be mailed a packet of 
materials before the meeting. Interested parties 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 January 30, 1998 to Jennifer Greenamoyer, 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, S.W. (4606), 
Washington, DC 20460 or E-mail to [email protected]. 
The stakeholder meetings will be held in the following locations:
    1. Washington Information Center, 401 M Street, S.W., Room 3, 
Washington, DC 20460
    2. EPA, Region V, Ralph Metcalfe Federal Building, Lake Michigan 
Room (12th Floor), 77 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604

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 this rulemaking, 
contact: Jennifer Greenamoyer, U.S. EPA at (202) 260-7829.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Environmental Protection Agency is 
developing revisions to the Underground Injection Control

[[Page 67036]]

Regulations for Class V Injection Wells (40 CFR parts 144 and 146) to 
address the risk posed by Class V injection wells to drinking water 
supplies. EPA is considering changes to the Class V Underground 
Injection Control regulations that would add new requirements for 
relatively high-risk Class V wells in areas near drinking water 
supplies. Under consideration is a ban on Class V motor vehicle waste 
disposal wells and large-capacity cesspools located in ground water-
based source water protection areas being delineated by States under 
the 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act. In addition, fluids 
released in Class V industrial waste disposal wells in ground water-
based source water protection areas could be required to meet certain 
standards of quality.
    EPA is considering proposing these new requirements because 
available information shows that Class V motor vehicle waste disposal 
wells, cesspools, and industrial waste disposal wells pose a high risk 
of ground water contamination. Targeting the requirements to those 
wells near ground water-based drinking water supplies would achieve 
substantial protection of underground sources of drinking water. The 
rule addressed in this notification is being developed in response to a 
January 28, 1997 consent decree with the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund 
and has a court deadline of June 18, 1997 for proposal and July 31, 
1999 for final.
Elizabeth Fellows,
Acting Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 97-33325 Filed 12-22-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P