[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 163 (Tuesday, August 22, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50987-50988]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-21381]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6856-2]


Regulatory Reinvention (XL) Pilot Projects; Project XL Final 
Project Agreement: PPG Industries, Inc.

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of Project XL final project agreement.

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SUMMARY: EPA is requesting comments on a proposed Project XL Final 
Project Agreement (FPA) for PPG Industries, Inc. (hereafter ``PPG''). 
The FPA is a voluntary Agreement developed collaboratively by PPG and 
EPA.

DATES: The period for submission of comments ends on September 5, 2000.

ADDRESSES: All comments on the proposed Final Project Agreement should 
be sent to: Mr. Bill Waugh, US EPA, Ariel Rios Building, Mail Code 
7403, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20460 or Ms. Lisa 
Reiter, US EPA, Ariel Rios Building, Mail Code 1802, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20460. Comments may also be faxed to Bill 
Waugh (202) 260-1216 or Lisa Reiter (202) 260-3125. Comments may also 
be received via electronic mail sent to: [email protected] or 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain a copy of the Project Fact 
Sheet or the proposed Final Project Agreement, contact: Bill Waugh, US 
EPA, Ariel Rios Building, Mail Code 7403, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, 
Washington, D.C. 20460 or Ms. Lisa Reiter, US EPA, Ariel Rios Building, 
Mail Code 1802, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20460. 
The FPA and related documents are also available via the Internet at 
the following location: http://www.epa.gov/ProjectXL. In addition, a 
hard copy of the proposed FPA will be available from PPG--contact Jean 
Chun, Senior Toxicologist, PPG XL Coordinator for a copy (412) 492-
5482.
    Questions to EPA regarding the documents can be directed to Bill 
Waugh at (202) 260-3489 or Lisa Reiter at (202) 260-9041. To be 
included on the PPG XL mailing list about future public meetings, XL 
progress reports and other mailings from PPG on the XL project, contact 
Jean Chun, Senior Toxicologist, PPG Industries, Inc., 4325 Rosanna 
Drive, Allison Park, PA 15101 or at (412) 492-5482. For information on 
all other aspects of the XL Program, contact Christopher Knopes at the 
following address: Office of Environmental Policy Innovation, US EPA, 
Mail Code 1802, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, 
Washington, D.C. 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Project XL, announced in the Federal 
Register on May 23, 1995 (60 FR 27282), gives regulated entities the 
opportunity to develop alternative strategies that will replace or 
modify specific regulatory or procedural requirements on the condition 
that they produce greater environmental benefits.
    The EPA Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances 
(OPPTS) has developed a set of computerized risk screening tools that 
have the potential to significantly advance pollution prevention 
objectives. The objective of the P2 Framework approach is to inform 
decision making at early stages of new chemical product development and 
to promote the selection and application of safer chemical substances 
and processes. Annually, EPA evaluates approximately two thousand 
(2000) Pre-Manufacture Notifications (PMNs) that are submitted to the 
Agency pursuant to Section 5 of EPA's Toxic Substances Control Act 
(TSCA). The Act requires that persons who manufacture (or import) a new 
chemical substance provide such notice to EPA 90 days prior to 
commencing nonexempt commercial manufacture. However, the law does not 
require that the submitter conduct laboratory tests to evaluate the 
potential hazard and risk of the new chemical substance. If the Agency 
does not take regulation action within 90 days of receipt of the PMN, 
the submitter may manufacture that new chemical substance. Operating 
under this time limitation, and often lacking sufficient data, EPA has 
developed methods to quickly screen chemical substances in the absence 
of data--known as the P2 Framework. In an outreach effort to industry, 
the Agency is making the P2 Framework methodologies available and is 
demonstrating how these tools can help design safer chemical 
substances, reduce waste generation, and identify other P2 Framework 
opportunities. Industry response to the incorporation of EPA's P2 
Framework into the chemical development process has been positive.
    PPG proposes to apply the P2 Framework early in its new product 
development process to help it identify and develop products and 
processes that can be sustained both environmentally and economically. 
Applying the P2 Framework as a part of its new product development 
process, PPG will incorporate environmental and health information into 
the early stages of its chemical development operations as well as 
identify opportunities for pollution prevention. PPG is planning on 
using the P2 Framework at three Research and Development (R&D) 
facilities located at Monroeville, Allison Park, and Harmarville; all 
are located in the greater Pittsburgh, PA area. PPG believes many other 
companies can develop environmentally preferable products by applying 
the P2 Framework, especially at the R&D stage of product development. 
The use of the P2 Framework will assist PPG when it is designing new 
chemical substances and products by enabling PPG to conduct an analysis 
similar to that performed by EPA for each PMN that is submitted to EPA. 
PPG will incorporate information obtained from use of the P2

[[Page 50988]]

Framework methodologies into its TSCA Section 5 submissions.
    Unless the requirements for an exemption are met, a PMN submitter 
may not manufacture a new chemical substance until 90 days after it has 
submitted a PMN, even if information submitted to EPA indicates that 
the chemical substance will not present an unreasonable risk. However, 
when EPA determines during its initial review that a PMN chemical 
substance does not present an unreasonable risk to the environment or 
human health, the substance is not likely to be regulated by EPA. 
Therefore, PPG and EPA have agreed that, with respect to PMN substances 
that meet these criteria, based on PPG's initial pre-submission screen 
of the PMN materials using the P2 Framework and EPA's own review, PPG 
will be allowed to submit a Simultaneous Test Market Exemption (TME) 
Application and PMN for those chemical substances which have been 
evaluated by PPG in accordance with P2 principles. If the TME 
requirements are met (see 40 CFR 720.38) and the chemical substance 
gets dropped from PMN review 30 days of submission, PPG may begin 
manufacture under the TME within 45 days of submission in accordance 
with the limitations of the TME Application, and may commence normal 
manufacture at the conclusion of the 90-day PMN review period.
    PPG's Project includes a series of innovative actions to help 
demonstrate to other chemical manufacturers how the P2 Framework can 
help develop products that are sustainable both environmentally and 
economically, while saving companies significant resources. This 
Project also includes several outreach initiatives for the purpose of 
promoting the use of the P2 Framework. Each initiative is designed to 
make other industry representatives aware of the source reduction, 
pollution prevention and economic benefits that can be realized by 
using the P2 Framework.

    Dated: August 16, 2000.
Christopher A. Knopes,
Associate Director, Office of Environmental Policy and Innovation.
[FR Doc. 00-21381 Filed 8-21-00; 8:45 am]
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