[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 134 (Wednesday, July 12, 2000)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 42936-42937]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-17751]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 125

[FRL-6734-8]


Ocean Discharge Criteria: Revisions to Ocean Discharge Criteria 
Regulations; Notice of Public Meetings

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of meetings.

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SUMMARY: This document announces that the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) is inviting all interested members of the public to 
participate in any or all of a series of public meetings on its plan 
for revising the Ocean Discharge Criteria regulations and to solicit 
public input on the plan. These regulations implement section 403 of 
the Clean Water Act. The EPA is hosting these meetings in five cities 
between late July and mid-August 2000.

DATES: See Supplementary information section for meeting dates.

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for meeting locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the 
meetings, write Marine Pollution Control Branch, ATTN: Ocean Discharge 
Criteria, US Environmental Protection Agency, MC 4504F, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20460, or email to: 
[email protected], or fax to: 202/260-9920. You may also call 
Macara Lousberg, at telephone 202/260-9109.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Meeting Information

    The public meetings will be held on the following dates, times and 
locations:

1. Tuesday, July 25, 2000, 9 a.m. to 12:00 noon; and 1-4:30 p.m, in 
Washington, DC--Holiday Inn--National Airport, 2650 Jefferson Davis 
Highway, Arlington, VA 22202
2. Thursday, July 27, 2000, 1-4:30 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., in Boston, MA--
Wyndham Boston Hotel, 89 Broad Street, Boston, MA 02110
3. Tuesday, August 1, 2000, 1-4:30 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., in Portland, OR--
Portland Conference Center, (Morrison Room), 300 NE Multnomah Street, 
Portland, OR 97232
4. Thursday, August 3, 2000, 1-4:30 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., in Los Angeles, 
CA.--Los Angeles Convention Center, 201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, 
CA 90015
5. Wednesday, August 9, 2000, 1-4:30 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., in Tampa, FL--
Holiday Inn Express--Airport\Stadium, (Lakeside  x 4), 4732 N. Dale 
Mabry Highway, Tampa, FL 33614

    Members of the public who plan to attend any of these meetings 
should write, call, email or fax to the address listed in the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section above. Include your name, 
affiliation, address and phone number, and whether you wish to make a 
statement. The Agency will use the information to arrange enough time 
on the agenda for public comment.

Background

    On May 26, 2000, President Clinton signed Executive Order 13158 
which among other things explicitly directs EPA to take action to 
better protect marine and coastal areas. Section 4(f) of the Executive 
Order on Marine Protected Areas states:


[[Page 42937]]


    To better protect beaches, coasts, and the marine environment 
from pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), relying 
upon existing Clean Water Act authorities, shall expeditiously 
propose new science-based regulations, as necessary, to ensure 
appropriate levels of protection for the marine environment. Such 
regulations may include the identification of areas that warrant 
additional pollution protections and the enhancement of marine water 
quality standards. The EPA shall consult with the Federal agencies 
identified in subsection 4(a) of this order, States, territories, 
tribes, and the public in the development of such new regulations.

    EPA believes that revisions to the Ocean Discharge Criteria (also 
called the section 403 regulations) is the most appropriate approach to 
implementing the order.
    In 1972, Congress passed the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 
commonly known as the Clean Water Act (CWA). Under the CWA, point 
source discharges (i.e., discharges from municipal and industrial 
facilities) to waters of the United States must obtain a National 
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, which requires 
compliance with technology- and water quality-based treatment 
standards. In addition, because of the complexity and ecological 
significance of marine ecosystems, discharges to the marine environment 
beyond the baseline (i.e., the territorial sea, contiguous zone, and 
oceans) must also comply with section 403 of the CWA (section 403), 
which specifically addresses impacts from such point sources on marine 
resources.
    The current Ocean Discharge Criteria regulations consider 10 
criteria in evaluating NPDES permits for discharges into marine waters. 
These criteria emphasize an assessment of the impact of an ocean 
discharge both on the biological community in the area of the discharge 
and on surrounding biological communities. The current regulations 
governing section 403 were issued in 1980. Revising these regulations 
could potentially impact holders of NPDES permits that discharge into 
ocean waters and anyone who might apply for such a permit in the 
future.
    EPA is holding these five meetings to present EPA's plans for 
section 403 regulatory revisions in support of the Executive Order. 
These meetings will provide the interested public an opportunity to 
comment on EPA's approach for regulatory revisions and to present data 
or opinions regarding the impacts of ocean discharges under CWA section 
403 on the ocean environment.
    These five meetings will provide an opportunity for the interested 
public to comment on EPA's approach to meeting the requirements of the 
Executive Order. Specifically, the Agency may reconsider revising the 
existing scientific standards for protecting coastal and ocean waters 
under section 403 of the Clean Water Act, and proposing a list of 
Special Aquatic Sites (SAS's). The Agency's actions may also include 
strengthening the existing regulations regarding permits to discharge 
into ocean waters under section 403 of the CWA, including specific 
protection for SAS's in ocean waters.

    Dated: July 7, 2000.
Robert H. Wayland III,
Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds.
[FR Doc. 00-17751 Filed 7-11-00; 8:45 am]
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