[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 9 (Thursday, January 14, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 2460-2461]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-894]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 745

[OPPTS-62156F; FRL-6056-1]
RIN 2070-AC63


Lead: Identification of Dangerous Levels of Lead; Reopening of 
Comment Period

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of comment period.

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SUMMARY: EPA is reopening the comment period on a proposed rule that 
would provide guidelines for managing lead in paint, dust, and soil in 
residences and child-occupied facilities. EPA has received additional 
comments from various parties involved with environmental justice 
issues regarding extension of the comment period. In order to ensure 
that all parties, including those that may lack access to the various 
publications in which EPA has publicized the issuance of the proposal, 
have sufficient opportunity to submit their comments, the Agency will 
continue to accept comments until March 1, 1999.
DATES: The comment period is reopened and comments are due on or before 
March 1, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Each written comment must bear the docket control number 
OPPTS-62156F. 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.
    Written comments and data may also be submitted electronically to: 
[email protected]. Follow the instructions in Unit II. of this 
document. No Confidential Business Information (CBI) should be 
submitted through e-mail.
    All written comments which contain information claimed as CBI must 
be clearly marked as such. Three copies, sanitized of any comments 
containing information claimed as CBI, must also be submitted and will 
be placed in the public record for this rulemaking. Persons submitting 
information, any portion of which 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: General information: National Lead 
Information Center's Clearinghouse, 1-800-424-LEAD (5323).
    Technical and policy questions: Jonathan Jacobson, Office of 
Pollution Prevention and Toxics (7404), Environmental Protection 
Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone: (202) 260-
3779; e-mail address: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    In the Federal Register of June 3, 1998 (63 FR 30302) (FRL-5791-9), 
EPA published a proposed rule under Title IV of the Toxic Substances 
Control Act (TSCA). Section 403 of TSCA (15 U.S.C. 2683) directs EPA to 
promulgate regulations identifying lead-based paint hazards, lead-
contaminated dust, and lead-contaminated soil. Section 402 of TSCA (15 
U.S.C. 2682) directs EPA to promulgate regulations governing lead-based 
paint activities. Section 404 of TSCA (15 U.S.C. 2684) requires that 
any State that seeks to administer and enforce the requirements 
established by the Agency under section 402 of TSCA must submit to the 
Administrator a request for authorization of such a program.
    On October 1 and November 5, 1998, EPA announced in the Federal 
Register extensions to the comment period for this proposed rule (63 FR 
52662 (FRL-6037-7) and 63 FR 59754 (FRL-6044-9), respectively). The 
last extension gave the public until December 31, 1998, to submit 
comments. EPA has decided to reopen the comment period as discussed in 
the ``SUMMARY'' of this document. Comments that were submitted between 
December 31, 1998 (the closing date of the previous comment period) and 
January 14, 1999, need not be resubmitted. The Agency will accept any 
comments submitted on or before March 1, 1999. The Agency is not likely 
to extend the comment period beyond that date.

[[Page 2461]]

II. Public Record and Electronic Submissions

    The official record for this rulemaking, as well as the public 
version, has been established for this rulemaking under docket control 
number OPPTS-62156F (including comments and data submitted 
electronically as described in this unit). 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 12 noon to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding 
legal holidays. The official rulemaking record is located in the TSCA 
Nonconfidential Information Center, Rm. NE-B607, 401 M St., SW., 
Washington, DC. 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 also 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-62156F. Electronic 
comments on this proposed rule may be filed online at many Federal 
Depository Libraries.

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 745

    Environmental protection, Hazardous substances, Lead-based paint, 
Lead poisoning, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

Dated: January 7, 1999.

William H. Sanders, III,

Director, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.

[FR Doc. 99-894 Filed 1-13-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F