[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 229 (Tuesday, November 28, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70907-70908]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-30280]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OEI-100002; FRL-6722-1]
RIN 2070-AD09


Guidance Documents for: Mercury and Mercury Compounds, Polycyclic 
Aromatic Compounds, Pesticides and Other Persistent Bioaccumulative 
Toxic (PBT) Chemicals; Community Right-to-Know Toxic Chemical Release 
Reporting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing the availability of three draft guidance 
documents for certain persistent bioaccumulative toxic (PBT) chemicals 
which are subject to reporting under section 313 of the Emergency 
Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA) and section 
6607 of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (PPA). In a rule made 
final on October 29, 1999, EPA lowered the reporting thresholds of 
certain PBT chemicals which were already on the EPCRA section 313 list. 
In addition, EPA added new PBT chemicals to this list, and established 
the lower reporting thresholds for these chemicals. EPA is requesting 
comments on these draft guidance documents.
    On June 15, 2000, EPA published a Federal Register notice, (65 FR 
37548)(FRL-6497-9) asking if there was interest in forming a workgroup 
to assist in the preparation of the final guidance documents. A 
workgroup has been formed in response to this notice. EPA welcomes 
additional stakeholders to this workgroup.

DATES: Written comments, identified by the docket control number OEI-
100002, must be received by EPA on or before December 28, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by mail, electronically, or in 
person. Please follow the detailed instructions for each method as 
provided in Unit I. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this 
document.
    FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gail Froiman, (202) 260-0697, e-mail: 
[email protected], for specific information on these documents, or 
for more information on EPCRA section 313, the Emergency Planning and 
Community Right-to-Know Hotline, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail 
Code 5101, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, Toll 
free: 1-800-535-0202, in Virginia and Alaska: (703) 412-9877 or Toll 
free TDD: 1-800-553-7672.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Notice Apply to Me?

    You may be interested in this notice if you manufacture, process, 
or otherwise use aldrin, chlordane, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, 
isodrin, mercury, mercury compounds, methoxychlor, octachlorostyrene, 
pendimethalin, pentachlorobenzene, polychlorinated biphenyls, certain 
polycyclic aromatic compounds, tetrabromobisphenol A, toxaphene, and 
trifuralin. Potentially interested categories and entities may include, 
but are not limited to:

 
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                                     Examples of Potentially Interested
             Category                             Entities
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Industry                            SIC major group codes 10 (except
                                     1011, 1081, and 1094), 12 (except
                                     1241), or 20 through 39; industry
                                     codes 4911 (limited to facilities
                                     that combust coal and/or oil for
                                     the purpose of generating power for
                                     distribution in commerce); 4931
                                     (limited to facilities that combust
                                     coal and/or oil for the purpose of
                                     generating power for distribution
                                     in commerce); or 4939 (limited to
                                     facilities that combust coal and/or
                                     oil for the purpose of generating
                                     power for distribution in
                                     commerce); or 4953 (limited to
                                     facilities regulated under the
                                     Resource Conservation and Recovery
                                     Act, subtitle C, 42 U.S.C. section
                                     6921 et seq.), or 5169, or 5171, or
                                     7389 (limited to facilities
                                     primarily engaged in solvent
                                     recovery services on a contract or
                                     fee basis)
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Federal Government                  Federal facilities
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    This table is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a 
guide for readers regarding entities likely to be interested in this 
notice. Other types of entities not listed in the table could also be 
interested. To determine whether your facility may be interested in 
this notice, you should carefully examine the applicability criteria in 
part 372, subpart B of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations. If 
you have questions regarding the applicability of this notice to a 
particular entity, consult the person listed in the preceding FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.

B. How Can I Get Additional Information or Copies of this Document or 
Other Support Documents?

    1. Electronically. You may obtain electronic copies of this 
document from the EPA internet Home Page at http:// www.epa.gov/. On 
the Home Page select ``Laws and Regulations'' and then look up the 
entry for this document under

[[Page 70908]]

the ``Federal Register -- Environmental Documents.'' You can also go 
directly to the ``Federal Register'' listings at http:/ /www.epa.gov/homepage/fedrgstr/. The draft guidance documents for the Mercury and 
Mercury Compounds Category, Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds Category and 
Pesticides and Other Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic (PBT) Chemicals 
are available for downloading at http://www.epa.gov/tri.
    2. In person. The Agency has established an official record for 
this action under docket control number OEI-100002. The official record 
consists of the documents specifically referenced in this action, any 
public comments received during an applicable comment period, and other 
information related to this action, including any information claimed 
as confidential business information (CBI). This official record 
includes the documents that are physically located in the docket, as 
well as the documents that are referenced in those documents. The 
public version of the official record does not include any information 
claimed as CBI. The public version of the official record, which 
includes printed, paper versions of any electronic comments submitted 
during an applicable comment period, is available for inspection in the 
TSCA Nonconfidential Information Center, North East Mall Rm. B-607, 
Waterside Mall, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC. The Center is open from 
noon to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The 
telephone number of the Center is (202) 260-7099.

C. How and to Whom Do I Submit Comments?

    You may submit comments through the mail, in person, or 
electronically. Be sure to identify the appropriate docket control 
number (i.e., ``OEI-100002'') in your correspondence.
    1. By mail. Submit written comments to: Document Control Office 
(7407), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
    2. In person or by courier. Deliver your comments to: OPPT Document 
Control Office (DCO) in East Tower Rm. G-099, Waterside Mall, 401 M 
St., SW., Washington, DC. The DCO is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the 
DCO is: (202) 260-7093.
    3. Electronically. Submit your comments electronically by e-mail 
to: ``[email protected].'' Please note that you should not submit any 
information electronically that you consider to be CBI. Electronic 
comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special 
characters and any form of encryption. Comments and data will also be 
accepted on standard computer disks in WordPerfect 6.1/8.0 or ASCII 
file format. All comments and data in electronic form must be 
identified by the docket control number OEI-100002. Electronic comments 
on these documents may also be filed online at many Federal Depository 
Libraries.

D. How Should I Handle CBI Information That I Want to Submit to the 
Agency?

    You may claim information that you submit in response to these 
documents as CBI by marking any part or all of that information as CBI. 
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with 
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2. A copy of the comment that does 
not contain CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public record. 
Information not marked confidential will be included in the public 
docket by EPA without prior notice. If you have any questions about CBI 
or the procedures for claiming CBI, please consult with the technical 
person identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.

II. Background Information

A. What is the Purpose of This Notice?

    The purpose of this notice is to make available for comment drafts 
of three documents. They are entitled:
    (1) Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act--Section 313 
Guidance for Reporting Toxic Chemicals: Mercury and Mercury Compounds 
Category;
    (2) Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act--Section 313 
Guidance for Reporting Toxic Chemicals: Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds 
Category;
    (3) Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act--Section 313 
Guidance for Reporting Toxic Chemicals: Pesticides and Other Persistent 
Bioaccumulative (PBT) Chemicals.
    Some of the toxic chemicals discussed in these guidance documents 
were added to the list of EPCRA section 313 toxic chemicals as part of 
a final PBT chemical rule (64 FR 58666, October 29, 1999)(FRL-6389-11). 
The remainder of the chemicals in these three draft documents were 
previously on the list, and have lower reporting thresholds as a result 
of the final PBT chemical rule. EPA would like to receive comments on 
the technical contents of the guidance documents, particularly on the 
methods of estimating releases and other waste management quantities 
for these chemicals. Unit I.B. contains information on how to get 
copies of the draft guidance documents.
    EPA is providing two methods through which interested parties may 
help complete the final version of the PBT technical guidance 
documents. As always, there will be a 30-day comment period for 
responding to the draft PBT documents. In addition, EPA will be meeting 
directly with stakeholders to improve these guidance documents. A 
workgroup has already been formed for this purpose. EPA welcomes 
additional stakeholders to this workgroup. If you are interested in 
participating, please contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section by December 28, 2000.

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 372

    Environmental protection, Chemicals, Community right-to-know, 
Hazardous substances, Intergovernmental relations, Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements, Superfund.

    Dated: November 21, 2000.
Elaine G. Stanley,
Director, Office of Information Analysis and Access, Office of 
Environmental Information.
[FR Doc. 00-30280 Filed 11-27-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F