[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 40 (Thursday, February 28, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 9271]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-4789]



[[Page 9271]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7151-4]


EPA Draft Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment of 
Perchlorate

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of second extension of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending 
the public comment period on the revised draft report, ``Perchlorate 
Environmental Contamination: Toxicological Review and Risk 
Characterization'' (NCEA-1-0503), by 45 days to April 5, 2002. On 
January 2, 2002, EPA published a Federal Register notice (67 FR 75) 
announcing: (1) The public availability, expected on January 9, 2002, 
of the revised draft document; (2) the beginning of a 30-day public 
comment period; and (3) an external peer review workshop in Sacramento, 
California, on March 5 and 6, 2002. In addition, a notice correcting 
the address for electronic registration and electronic submission of 
public comments was published on January 14, 2002 (67 FR 1759). Because 
of an approximately one-week delay in public release and availability 
of the perchlorate external review draft, EPA extended the public 
comment period to February 19, 2002 (67 FR 3493, January 24, 2002). EPA 
has decided to extend the comment period to April 5, 2002, in response 
to the high level of interest in this draft document and because of 
several requests for extension of the comment period.
    Therefore, comments postmarked by February 19, 2002, will be made 
available to the peer review panel prior to the peer review. Comments 
received between February 19 and March 5, 2002, will be made available 
to the peer reviewers at the peer review meeting. Comments received 
after the peer review meeting and up until April 5, 2002, will also be 
made available to the peer reviewers. It should be noted that, as with 
all peer review meetings, the panelists are not charged directly with 
reading or considering all observer comments. Rather, it is up to the 
professional judgment of the reviewers to consider observer comments as 
they deem appropriate. In addition, the review of and response to 
public comments is the responsibility of the EPA, as the Agency moves 
forward with the development of the assessment.
    In order to be most effective, external comments need to be 
provided to the Agency contractor, Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG), 
by April 5, 2002. As is the EPA's normal procedure, the Agency will 
summarize and indicate the disposition of all major comments provided 
by April 5, 2002, in preparation for its release of the assessment in 
final form.

DATES: Comments should be in writing and must be received (not 
postmarked) by April 5, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the draft document should be submitted 
to Eastern Research Group (ERG), Attn: Meetings, 110 Hartwell Avenue, 
Lexington, MA 02421. Comments under 50 pages may be sent via e-mail 
attachment (in Word, WordPerfect, or pdf) to [email protected]. The 
external review draft of the perchlorate document is available on EPA's 
National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) Web site at http://www.epa.gov/ncea.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding observer 
registration for the workshop and submission of written comments should 
be directed to EPA's contractor, ERG, at 781-674-7374. For technical 
inquiries, please contact: Annie M. Jarabek, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (MD 52), U.S. EPA Mailroom, Research Triangle Park, 
NC 27711; telephone 919-541-4847; facsimile 919-541-1818; e-mail 
[email protected].

    Dated: February 22, 2002.
George W. Alapas,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 02-4789 Filed 2-27-02; 8:45 am]
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