[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 65 (Monday, April 6, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 16754-16755]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-8961]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR 372

[OPPTS-400128; FRL-5783-1]


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

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: EPA will hold a public meeting regarding the Agency's proposal 
to add dioxins and dioxin-like compounds to the list of chemicals for 
which reporting is required under section 313 of the Emergency Planning 
and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA), specifically to 
discuss potential impact on small entities. This meeting will also 
cover aspects of ongoing considerations by the Agency of two issues 
related to listing of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds: possible 
listing of other persistent bioaccumulative toxic (PBTs) chemicals 
under section 313 of EPCRA and possible lowering of EPCRA section 313 
reporting thresholds for persistent bioaccumulative chemicals.

DATES: The meeting will take place on Friday, May 1, 1998, from 9 a.m. 
to 5 p.m. The meeting will continue until all registered participants 
have spoken.

[[Page 16755]]

 Participants must register to speak by 5 p.m., Tuesday, April 28, 
1998.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at: EPA Auditorium, 401 M St., SW., 
Washington, DC.
    All comments should be sent in triplicate to: OPPT Document Control 
Officer (7407), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Rm. G-099 East Tower, 
Washington, DC 20460. Each comment must bear the docket control number 
``OPPTS-400128.'' Comments and data may also be submitted 
electronically to: [email protected]. Follow the instructions 
under Unit II. of this document. No Confidential Business Information 
(CBI) should be submitted through e-mail.
    All comments which contain information claimed as CBI must be 
clearly marked as such. Three sanitized copies of any comments 
containing information claimed as CBI must also be submitted and will 
be placed in the public record. Persons submitting information on any 
portion of what they believe is entitled to treatment as CBI by EPA 
must assert a business confidentiality claim in accordance with 40 CFR 
2.203(b) for each such portion. This claim must be made at the time 
that the information is submitted to EPA. If a submitter does not 
assert a confidentiality claim at the time of submission, EPA will 
consider this as a waiver of any confidentiality claim and the 
information may be made available to the public by EPA without further 
notice to the submitter.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Myra Karstadt at 202-260-0658, 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 telephone number: 
1-800-535-0202. In Virginia and Alaska call: 703-412-9877. The toll-
free TDD number is 1-800- 553-7672.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    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 as waste. The purpose of this requirement is to inform the 
public, government officials, and industry about chemical management 
practices for specified toxic chemicals.
    On August 28, 1996, EPA received a petition from Communities for a 
Better Environment that requested addition of dioxins to the list of 
chemicals for which reporting is required under section 313 of EPCRA. 
On May 7, 1997, EPA issued in the Federal Register a notice that 
proposed addition of ``a chemical category that includes dioxin and 27 
dioxin-like compounds'' to the chemicals for which reports are required 
under section 313 of EPCRA (62 FR 24887). In that Federal Register 
notice, it was stated that, because of the thresholds for reporting set 
out in section 313 of EPCRA: ``EPA believes that, under current 
reportiing thresholds, it is highly unlikely that any entities will be 
required to report for the proposed chemical category.''
    The Agency has been considering possibly lowering reporting 
thresholds for the chemicals in the proposed category of dioxins and 
dioxin-like chemicals. In addition, the Agency has been considering how 
best to use reporting authorities under section 313 of EPCRA to provide 
the public with information on persistent bioaccumulative toxic 
chemicals other than those in the category of dioxins and dioxin-like 
chemicals covered by the May 1997 Federal Register notice.
    This public meeting is one of a series of meetings that will 
provide opportunities for discussion among EPA, potentially affected 
industry groups, and the public, regarding EPA's proposed action 
concerning dioxins as well as possible actions concerning other 
persistent bioaccumulative toxic chemicals. This meeting is being held 
specifically to discuss the potential impacts of the proposed action 
and other possible actions on small entities, including small 
businesses and small local governments.
    Oral statements will be scheduled on a first-come first-serve 
basis. To schedule an oral statement, call Thelma Harvey at 202-260-
3941. Oral presentations or statements may be limited in time, 
depending on the number of individuals who have registered to speak. 
All statements will become part of the public record for the proposed 
rule and will be considered in the development of the proposed rule and 
other possible actions.

II. Public Record and Electronic Submissions

    The official record for this action, as well as the public version, 
has been established under docket control number ``OPPTS-400128.'' The 
record includes comments and data submitted electronically as described 
below. A public version of this record, which includes printed (paper) 
records of electronic comments, but 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 official 
record is located in the TSCA Nonconfidential Information Center, Rm. 
NE-B607, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460.
    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. Comments and data 
will be accepted on disks in WordPerfect 5.1/6.1 or ASCII file format. 
All comments and data in electronic form must be identified by the 
docket control number ``OPPTS-400128.'' Electronic comments on this 
action may be filed online at many Federal Depository Libraries.

    Dated: March 30, 1998.
William H. Sanders III,
Director, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.

[FR Doc. 98-8961 Filed 4-3-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F