[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 160 (Thursday, August 17, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 50200]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-20969]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6853-4]


Regulatory Reinvention (XL) Pilot Projects

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Project XL Draft Final Project 
Agreement for the Labs21 Project.

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SUMMARY: EPA is requesting comments on a Draft Project XL Final project 
Agreement (FPA) for the Labs21 Project. The FPA is a voluntary 
agreement developed collaboratively by the U.S. EPA, potential 
sponsors, and interested stakeholders. Project XL, announced in the 
Federal Register on May 23, 1995 (60 FR 27282), gives regulated 
entities the flexibility to develop alternative strategies that will 
replace or modify specific regulatory or procedural requirements on the 
condition that they produce greater environmental benefits.
    Through the Labs21 XL Project, EPA is planning to offer 
laboratories regulatory or policy flexibility through a customized XL 
review process as a means to enable laboratories to maximize 
environmental performance under Labs21. Labs21 is a voluntary 
initiative being developed by EPA to improve laboratory environmental 
performance through gains in energy and water efficiencies.
    EPA envisions developing the Labs21 XL project in two stages. The 
first stage is the completion and signing of the FPA that is the 
subject of this Federal Register Notice. In signing this FPA, the 
relevant EPA offices will commit to working internally within the EPA 
and with laboratories to determine how to harmonize Labs21 and XL 
application and review processes with the goal of making it possible 
for EPA to utilize information compiled on facilities under Labs21 as 
the core data for the XL review. The second stage of the Labs21 XL 
project will be to develop and issue case-specific agreements for 
testing innovative ways to maximize environmental performance at 
laboratories. EPA will negotiate these case-specific agreements through 
the existing XL process, and the agreements will consequently need to 
meet XL criteria for sponsors and for the project as a whole.

DATES: The period for submission of comments ends on August 31, 2000.

ADDRESSES: All comments on the proposed Final Project Agreement should 
be sent to: Nina Bonnelycke, U.S. EPA, Room 1027WT (1802), 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. Comments may also be 
faxed to Ms. Bonnelycke at (202) 260-1812 or sent via electronic mail 
to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain a copy of the draft Final 
Project Agreement, contact: Nina Bonnelycke, Room 1027WT (1802) U.S. 
EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. The FPA and 
related documents are also available via the Internet at the following 
location: http://www.epa.gov/ProjectXL. Questions regarding the draft 
FPA should be directed to Nina Bonnelycke at 202-260-3344. For 
information on all other aspects of the XL Program contact Christopher 
Knopes at the following address: Office of Policy, Economics and 
Innovation, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Room 1029WT (Mail Code 1802), Washington, DC 
20460. Additional information on Project XL, including documents 
referenced in this notice, other EPA policy documents related to 
Project XL, regional XL contacts, application information, and 
descriptions of existing XL projects and proposals, is available via 
the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/ProjectXL.
    For more information on EPA's Labs21 program, please contact Phil 
Wirdzek at Mail Code 3204 U.S. EPA, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, phone: 202-564-2094, 
email: [email protected].

    Dated: August 11, 2000.
Elizabeth A. Shaw,
Director, Office of Environmental Policy Innovation.
[FR Doc. 00-20969 Filed 8-16-00; 8:45 am]
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