[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 205 (Monday, October 25, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 57430-57431]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-27545]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 144 and 146

[FRL-6462-4]


Notice of Availability of Class V Injection Well Study

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: EPA and the Sierra Club entered into a modified consent decree 
on January 28, 1997. In accordance with the second action required by 
this decree, EPA has completed a study of all Class V wells not 
included in the July 29, 1998 proposed rulemaking (63 FR 40586).

ADDRESSES: The study is available on the EPA, Office of Ground Water 
and Drinking Water, Underground Injection Control web site: http://
www.epa.gov/OGWDW/uic/cl5study.html or in the Water Docket, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency; 401 M Street, SW, East Tower Basement, 
Washington, D.C. 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, contact the 
Safe Drinking Water Hotline, toll-free 800-426-4791. The Safe Drinking 
Water Hotline is open Monday through Friday, excluding federal 
holidays, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. For 
technical inquiries, contact Amber Moreen, Underground Injection 
Control Program, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (mail code 
4606), EPA, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, D.C., 20460. Phone: 202-260-
4891. E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The study of Class V underground injection 
wells required by a 1997 consent decree with the Sierra Club (Sierra 
Club v. Browner, D.D.C. No. 93-2644 NHJ) has been completed. The 
consent decree required EPA to complete a study of all Class V wells 
not included in an initial rulemaking (63 FR 40586). This initial 
rulemaking, also required by the consent decree, was proposed on July 
29, 1998 and covers Class V wells determined by EPA to be the highest 
risk and for which additional study was not necessary. The Class V 
study provides background information for EPA to use in evaluating the 
risk that approximately 20 types of Class V wells pose to underground 
sources of drinking water. Information collected for each well type 
includes: inventory, injectate constituents, contamination incidents, 
and current State regulations.
    EPA coordinated extensive peer and EPA workgroup reviews of each 
well-specific draft report to ensure technical accuracy and 
completeness of the documents. Technical experts were located through 
the Ground Water Protection Council, three Federal Register notices 
seeking peer reviewers (64 FR 1007-1008), the UIC technical workgroup, 
the Internet, and EPA. More detailed explanations of the well-types and 
the components of the study can be found in 64 FR 37803.
    The information in the Study will be used to aid EPA in determining 
if additional federal regulations for these well types are warranted. 
According to the modified consent decree, no later than April 30, 2001, 
EPA must propose a decision regarding whether further rulemaking for 
each Class V well not included in the initial rulemaking is necessary 
and, if so, how each well should be regulated. A final rule or rules 
must be signed by the Administrator by May 31, 2002. Before these 
decisions are made, EPA plans to seek comment from the public. EPA 
plans to consider comments received at that time in deciding the most 
appropriate manner of ensuring that the remaining Class V wells are not 
endangering underground sources of drinking water.


[[Page 57431]]


    Dated: October 12, 1999.
Cynthia C. Dougherty,
Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 99-27545 Filed 10-22-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-U