[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 7, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 36682]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-17201]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6367-6]


Transfer of Confidential Business Information to Contractors

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of transfer of data and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: EPA will transfer to its contractors, ERG, Inc. and Science 
Applications International Corporation (SAIC) Confidential Business 
Information (CBI) that has been or will be submitted to EPA under 
section 3007 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). 
Under RCRA, EPA is involved in activities to support, expand and 
implement solid and hazardous waste regulations.

DATES: Transfer of confidential data submitted to EPA will occur no 
sooner than July 19, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Regina Magbie, Document Control 
Officer, Office of Solid Waste (5305W), U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460. Comments should be 
identified as ``Transfer of Confidential Data.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Regina Magbie, Document Control 
Officer, Office of Solid Waste (5305W), U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460, 703-308-7909.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Transfer of Confidential Business Information

    Under EPA Contract No. 68-C5-0032, ERG., Inc. will support the 
Office of Water in developing and effluent guidelines rule for 
industrial laundries. As part of this effort, the contractor ERG., Inc. 
has conducted numerous site visits at industrial laundries, and 
implemented a national survey dealing with the demographics of 
materials handled by industrial laundries, including their major 
customers, the types and volumes of materials they launder, the 
technologies used to launder the incoming materials, and the 
concentration and volumes of discharges to the air, surface waters and 
landfills. Also, associated with this effort has been the development 
of economic and environmental impacts for this industry.
    Similarly, under EPA Contract 68-W-98-025, SAIC, Inc. will support 
the Office of Solid Waste in developing a proposed rule for solvent-
contaminated shop towels, wipes and rags that could affect an impact 
both generation facilities, such as printers and furniture 
manufacturers, and industrial laundries. As part of this effort, 
supporting data will be provided by the Office of Water and their 
contractor.
    The industrial laundry industry is quiet sensitive to having EPA 
reveal facility specific information that could jeopardize their 
competitive position. As a result, a considerable amount of facilities 
where site visits were conducted claimed CBI. The purpose of our visits 
is to better understand the relationship between the types and 
quantities of sludges generated by an industrial laundry as a function 
of (1) Incoming materials, particularly solvent-contaminated shop 
towels, and (2) the types of technologies industrial laundries might 
use to either remove RCRA hazardous solvents prior to the laundering 
process, such as centrifuges or hydraulic presses, or other 
technologies a laundry might employ to treat hazardous solvents during 
the laundering process, such as steam stripping. Therefore, RCRA CBI 
may be claimed by an industrial laundry facility because we are 
collecting data associated with the above, including performance and 
cost data associated with pretreatment and treatment technologies, and 
sludge characterization data.
    In accordance with 40 CFR 2.305(h) (see 42 U.S.C. 6927(b)), EPA has 
determined that ERG, Inc. and SAIC, Inc. require access to CBI 
submitted to EPA under the authority of RCRA to perform work 
satisfactorily under the above-noted contract. EPA is submitting this 
notice to inform all submitters of CBI of EPA's intent to transfer CBI 
to these firms on a need-to-know basis. Upon completing its review of 
materials submitted, ERG. Inc. and SAIC, Inc. will return all CBI to 
EPA.
    EPA will authorize ERG, Inc. and SAIC, Inc. access to RCRA CBI 
under the conditions and terms in EPA's ``Contractor Requirements for 
the Control and Security of RCRA Confidential Business Information 
Security Manual.'' Prior to transferring CBI to ERG, Inc. and SAIC, 
Inc. EPA will review and approve its security plans and ERG, Inc. and 
SAIC, Inc. will sign non-disclosure agreements.

    Dated: June 30, 1999.
Elizabeth Cotsworth,
Acting Director, Office of Solid Waste.
[FR Doc. 99-17201 Filed 7-6-99; 8:45 am]
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