[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 245 (Wednesday, December 20, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79854-79855]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-32530]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6917-9]


Regulatory Reinvention (XL) Pilot Projects

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Project XL draft final project 
agreement and draft addenda for New Jersey Gold Task Program.

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SUMMARY: EPA is requesting comments on a Draft Project XL Final Project 
Agreement (FPA) and Draft Addenda for the New Jersey Gold Track 
Program. The Draft FPA and Addenda are a voluntary agreement developed 
collaboratively by the New Jersey Department of Environmental 
Protection (NJDEP), stakeholders, and EPA. Project XL, announced in the 
Federal Register on May 23, 1995 (60 FR 27282), gives regulated 
entities, communities and states 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.
    The Gold Track Project XL project embodies the final and highest 
tier of NJDEP's Silver and Gold Track Programs. NJDEP has led detailed 
stakeholder discussions to frame the Silver and Gold Track Program for 
Environmental Performance (Silver and Gold) since the summer of 1999. 
New Jersey's Silver and Gold Tracks are designed as a tiered system, 
requiring an increased level of commitment to environmental performance 
in return for concomitant regulatory flexibility.
    The first or baseline tier, Silver Track, requires participating 
entities to meet certain core criteria in return for baseline 
incentives such as recognition

[[Page 79855]]

as a top-performing company, a single point of contact in the 
department to expedite and coordinate permitting needs, and 
consolidated reporting (among others). The incentives offered under 
Silver Track are within the rubric of existing regulations, and, as 
such, do not require rule changes. The Silver Track portion of the 
program was implemented in September of 1999.
    Silver Track II, the second tier of the program, maintains the 
original core requirements of the baseline tier, as well as some 
additional commitments. Participants must commit to attaining agreed-
upon emission reductions of CO2 or Greenhouse Gas 
equivalents. In turn, participants will not have to seek certain pre-
construction air permits for sources that emit less than prescribed de 
minimus emission levels.
    The third and highest tier, Gold Track, which is covered by this 
Agreement, represents the highest degree of commitment by participating 
entities and additional incentives offered by the NJDEP. Gold Track is 
envisioned to be multi-media in scope, with this Agreement serving as 
an ``umbrella'' document to define basic criteria and processes for 
participation in Gold Track. Core requirements for participating in 
Gold Track include (among others): Certifying current compliance with 
all applicable environmental rules and regulations, demonstrating a 
historically acceptable compliance record, conducting advanced 
community outreach, having an Environmental Management System (EMS) 
with an independent third party review component, and entering into a 
covenant with NJDEP to memorialize commitments and incentives as well 
as accountability milestones for the duration of the project. Media-
specific requirements for participation are presented in the draft 
media-specific addenda.
    Implementing the negotiated incentives under Gold Track may require 
both federal and state rule changes, which NJDEP plans to pursue 
through EPA's Project XL Program. Current federal rule change requests 
from NJDEP are described in the draft media-specific addenda.

DATES: The period for submission of comments ends on January 19, 2001.

ADDRESSES: All comments on the proposed Final Project Agreement should 
be sent to: Aleksandra Dobkowski-Joy, USEPA, 290 Broadway, New York, NY 
10007, or Chad Carbone, U.S. EPA, Room 1027WT (1802), 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. Comments may also be faxed to Ms. 
Dobkowski-Joy (212) 637-5045, or Mr. Carbone (202) 260-1812. 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 proposed Final 
Project Agreement or Fact Sheet, contact: Aleksandra Dobkowski-Joy, 
USEPA, 290 Broadway, New York, NY 10007, or Chad Carbone, U.S. EPA, 
Room 1027WT (1802), 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 to EPA 
regarding the documents can be directed to Aleksandra Dobkowski-Joy at 
(212) 637-3676 or Chad Carbone at (202) 260-4296. 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 Projection 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.

    Dated: December 15, 2000.
Elizabeth A. Shaw,
Director, Office of Environmental Policy Innovation.
[FR Doc. 00-32530 Filed 12-19-00; 8:45 am]
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