[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 159 (Thursday, August 16, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 42974-42975]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-20773]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 141 and 142

[WH-FRL-7036-3]
RIN 2040-AB75


National Primary Drinking Water Regulations; Arsenic and 
Clarifications to Compliance and New Source Contaminants Monitoring

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule; correction.

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SUMMARY: Today's document announces a separate electronic mail (e-mail) 
address, [email protected], for arsenic comments on the 
proposal published on July 19, 2001, in the Federal Register. EPA 
expects a large number of comments on the July 19 arsenic proposal, 
based on public interest, so e-mail submissions to the new arsenic 
docket address will help the Agency process comments. In addition, 
today's document provides the new phone number for the Safe Drinking 
Water Hotline: (703) 412-3330. The Hotline's toll free number remains 
unchanged: (800) 426-4791.
    The July 19 proposal requested comment on key science, cost 
analyses, and benefits issues, as well as small systems compliance 
issues for the arsenic regulation. However the July proposal does not 
affect the clarifications to compliance and new source contaminants 
monitoring regulations also issued on January 22, 2001, for inorganic, 
volatile organic, and synthetic organic contaminants.

DATES: Your comments on the July 19 arsenic proposal must be in writing 
and either postmarked or received by EPA's Water Docket by October 31, 
2001.

ADDRESSES: EPA accepts comments by three delivery methods:
    (1) Mail sent to the W-99-16-VI Arsenic Comments Clerk, Water 
Docket (MC-4101); U.S. EPA; 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW; Washington, 
DC 20460.
    (2) Hand delivery (e.g., courier or overnight delivery service) to 
EPA's Water Docket, located at 401 M Street, SW; East Tower Basement 
Room 57; in Washington, DC; between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Eastern 
Time, Monday through Friday.
    (3) Electronically sent to [email protected]. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for file formats and other information about 
electronic filing and docket review.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Safe Drinking Water Hotline, 
phone: (800) 426-4791 or its new local number (703) 412-3330, e-mail: 
[email protected] for general information, meeting information, and 
copies of arsenic regulations and some of the support documents. For 
questions about the arsenic regulation, contact Irene Dooley, (202) 
260-9531, e-mail: [email protected]. EPA's web page contains links 
to arsenic Federal Register notices and arsenic technical support 
documents at www.epa.gov/safewater/arsenic.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Additional Information for Commenters

    No facsimiles (faxes), compressed or zipped files will be accepted, 
and comments must be submitted in writing. Please submit an original 
and three copies of your comments and enclosures (including references) 
and identify your submission by the docket number W-99-16-VI. To ensure 
that EPA can read, understand, and therefore properly respond to 
comments, the Agency would prefer that comments cite, where possible, 
the question(s) or sections and page numbers in the document or 
supporting documents to which each comment refers. Commenters should 
use a separate paragraph for each issue discussed. Commenters who want 
EPA to acknowledge receipt of their comments should include a self-
addressed, stamped envelope.
    EPA uses WordPerfect as its standard software, so e-mail file 
attachments must be submitted in WordPerfect 8 (or older version) or 
ASCII file format (unless four hard copies are also submitted). 
Comments submitted in other electronic formats (e.g., Word, pdf,

[[Page 42975]]

Excel, and compressed or zipped files) must also be submitted as hard 
copies. For purposes of dating dual hard copy/electronic copy 
submissions, the date of the electronic copy will be recorded as the 
date submitted. At the beginning of your e-mail, please indicate if you 
are sending hard copies so the Docket can link your two submissions 
rather than log in two sets of your comments. Electronic comments on 
this document may be filed online at many Federal Depository Libraries.
    In providing comment on the issues listed in the July 19 proposal 
(66 FR 37617), commenters should focus on the preamble, technical 
support documents, and record associated with the January 22, 2001, 
arsenic in drinking water regulation (66 FR 6976), not the June 2000 
proposal (65 FR 38888). EPA made many changes to the analyses 
supporting the January decisions in response to public comment on the 
June 2000 proposal. The Agency addressed comments on the June 2000 
proposed rule in the response-to-comments document in the docket for W-
99-16-III and summarized responses to the major comments in the 
preamble of the January 2001 regulation.
    In developing comments, commenters may also wish to consider 
information from the reviews described in the July proposal. EPA plans 
to announce when the new reviews are available. EPA will consider the 
new information and provide an additional opportunity for public 
comment this fall on the new analyses along with EPA's preliminary 
conclusion about whether the January 2001 arsenic rule should be 
revised, and if so, what the revised standard should be.

EPA's Review of Comments

    E-mail submissions to the new arsenic docket address, [email protected], will help the Agency process comments. Over 20,000 
people submitted 1,112 on-time comments during the 14-day comment 
period for the April 23 proposal to extend the effective date to 
February 22, 2002. However, electronic arsenic comments sent to [email protected] will also become part of the arsenic record.
    In the July 19 proposal, EPA requested comment on whether the data 
and technical analyses associated with the arsenic rule published in 
the January 22, 2001, Federal Register (66 FR 6976), as well as any new 
information that may be available, would support setting the 
enforceable arsenic drinking water standard, or Maximum Contaminant 
Level (MCL), at 3 micrograms per liter (g/L) (the feasible 
level), 5 g/L (the level proposed in June 2000), 10 
g/L (the level published in the January 2001 rule), 20 
g/L, or an alternative level. The Agency's response-to-
comments document for the final decision on the arsenic standard will 
address the comments received for the July 19 proposal, and this 
document will be made available in the docket. The response-to-comment 
document will also address comments on EPA's perspective of the new 
analyses, and EPA expects that notice will be published in the fall of 
2001. To facilitate development of the response-to-comments document, 
EPA appreciates receiving an electronic version in addition to the 
original and three copies for large submissions (e.g., over 10 pages). 
The Agency does not send out individual replies to respond to those who 
submit comments.

Availability of Docket

    For an appointment to review the docket for this rulemaking, call 
(202) 260-3027 between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 
Monday through Friday and refer to Docket W-99-16-VI. Every user is 
entitled to 100 free pages, and after that the Docket charges 15 cents 
a page. Users are invoiced after they copy $25, which is 267 
photocopied pages.

    Dated: August 13, 2001.
Ephraim King,
Acting Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 01-20773 Filed 8-15-01; 8:45 am]
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