[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 156 (Friday, August 11, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49239-49240]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-20516]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6850-5]


Public Information Hearings on Discharges From Cruise Ships

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of meetings.

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SUMMARY: EPA, supported by the Coast Guard and other Federal agencies, 
is hosting three regional public information hearings to gather 
information regarding the management of wastewater, solid waste, 
hazardous waste, and other discharges by cruise ships. These hearings 
are part of an information gathering effort to prepare an assessment of 
the quality and quantity, environmental impacts, existing control 
measures, and possible regulation of discharges from cruise ships. 
Information is being sought from the cruise ship industry, the public 
and other interested parties. These three information hearings will 
provide an opportunity for the interested public to provide input into 
our assessment of waste management on cruise ships.

DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for meeting dates.

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for meeting locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on the 
hearings or our approach to the assessment of cruise ship discharges, 
write to the Marine Pollution Control Branch, ATTN: Cruise Ships, US 
Environmental Protection Agency, MC 4504F, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, 
NW., Washington, DC, 20460, or send an email to [email protected]. 
You may also call Dorn Carlson at telephone 202/260-6411, or Tom 
Charlton at telephone 202/260-6960. For information about a specific 
hearing, please call the Regional contact for that hearing: Los 
Angeles, CA, Allan Ota (EPA Region 9), 415/744-1980; Juneau, AK, Steve 
Torok (EPA Region 10), 907/586-7658; Miami, FL, Bob Howard (EPA Region 
4), 404/562-9370.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Public Hearing Information: The public hearings will be held on the 
following dates, times, and locations:
    1. Wednesday, September 6, 2000, Session I, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., 
and Session II, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., in Los Angeles, CA--Multipurpose 
Room, Port of Los Angeles, Port Plaza, 100 West 5th St., San Pedro, CA 
90731.
    2. Friday, September 8, 2000, Session I, from 12 Noon to 6 p.m., 
and Session II, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., in Juneau, AK--Centennial Hall, 
101 Egan Drive, Sheffield Ballroom #3, Juneau, AK 99801.
    3. Tuesday, September 12, 2000, Session I, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., 
and Session II, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Miami, FL--Embassy Suites Hotel, 
3974 NW South River Drive, Miami, FL 33142.
    Anyone who plans to speak at any of these hearings should write, 
call or email a request to speak to the address listed above in the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. Include your name, affiliation, 
address, phone number and email address, approximately how much 
speaking time you desire, and which hearing and session you will 
attend. We will use this information to try to arrange enough time on 
the agenda for all comments.
    We will make every effort to accommodate your request, but because 
we do not know how many speakers will come forward, we cannot guarantee 
that you will be given all the time you request.
    To assure that adequate time is alloted for each speaker, please 
send all requests to present oral comments at the public hearing by 
August 23, 2000.
    Special note for potential attendees for the Juneau, AK, meeting: 
For the Juneau session, oral presentations will be limited to the 
evening session. If you are unavailable for the evening session, we 
will make arrangements to record your statement in the afternoon. The 
afternoon session in Juneau will be an open house format from Noon to 
6:00 p.m. Information displays will be provided and personnel from EPA, 
U.S. Coast Guard, and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation 
will be available to answer questions.
    Information on Services for Individuals with Disabilities: For 
information on facilities or services for individuals with 
disabilities, or to request special assistance at the meeting, please 
contact one of the people listed under the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section as soon as possible.
    Providing Written Information: We are also interested in receiving 
any documents that support your oral information, or any other written 
information on the subject. These written materials may be mailed or 
emailed to the same address listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section. Please submit your written material or documentation 
on cruise ship discharges in an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ 
x  11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing. Submit an 
original and three copies. If you want an acknowledgment of receipt of 
your

[[Page 49240]]

correspondence, enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope. 
Please submit electronic comments in Microsoft Word, Wordperfect, or 
ASCII (plain text) format. Avoid using special characters and 
encryption in your document(s). Please include your name, affiliation, 
address and phone number. All information provided will become part of 
the public record. To avoid duplication of documents in the public 
record, please do not send the same information by paper copy and 
email.
    To assure we have time to review all written information before 
completing our assessment, please send all written information by 
August 23, 2000.
    How and where to review written information and comments: The 
record for this notice has been established under docket number W-00-17 
(Cruise Ships), and includes supporting documentation as well as 
printed versions of electronic correspondence. The record is available 
for inspection from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding 
legal holidays, at the Water Docket, EB 57, USEPA Headquarters, 401 M. 
St., SW., Washington, DC. For access to docket materials, please call 
202-260-3027.
    Background: On March 17, 2000, EPA received a petition asking that 
EPA undertake an ``assessment of the volumes and characteristics of the 
spectrum of waste streams from cruise ships, analysis of their 
potential impact on water quality, the marine environment, and human 
health.'' In response to that petition, we are assessing whether 
discharges from cruise ships currently pose a risk to the environment. 
EPA is working with the Coast Guard and other Federal agencies on this 
assessment.
    The discharges of particular interest from cruise ships are gray 
water (wastewater from baths, sinks and galleys), black water 
(wastewater from toilets), oily bilge water, solid waste (e.g., food 
waste, paper, cardboard, plastic, wood, metal, glass) and wastes from 
equipment operations, hotel and restaurant services, photo labs, dry-
cleaning, and paints.
    Specific information that we are requesting for wastewater, solid 
waste, and hazardous materials includes:
    (1) Quantities and properties;
    (2) Methods of discharge or disposal;
    (3) Locations of discharge or disposal, such as outside of State 
waters, 10 miles from port, or in-port waste receptacles;
    (4) Environmental impacts; and
    (5) Existing regulatory or voluntary controls.
    As we consider the range of environmental issues concerning these 
cruise ship discharges, we are also interested in learning about 
voluntary environmental management programs and standards used by 
various cruise ships. We are interested in hearing about new and 
alternative approaches being proposed or used by the cruise ship 
industry or by public-private partnerships. These approaches may 
include: environmental management systems based on ISO 14000 and/or the 
International Safety Management (ISM) System Code; environmental 
certification programs developed by Ship Classification Societies; and 
local or regional Memoranda of Understanding or other agreements 
between the industry, government, and other stakeholders. We are 
interested in a comprehensive picture of how various pollution 
prevention programs are currently being used and how these efforts 
might be advanced to protect the marine environment. In addition, we 
are soliciting comments on whether we should consider changes to 
existing controls or regulations or add new regulations for control of 
these discharges in order to more adequately protect the environment 
from the effects of these discharges.
    We are not attempting to collect information or comment on air 
emissions from cruise ships, or on possible impacts of cruise ships 
other than from their waste management or discharge practices, at these 
public information hearings.

    Dated: August 7, 2000.
Robert H. Wayland III,
Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds.
[FR Doc. 00-20516 Filed 8-10-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P