[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 69 (Wednesday, April 10, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17427-17429]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-8421]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPPT-2002-0003; FRL-6832-4]


Forum on State and Tribal Toxics Action; Notice of Public Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing the spring meeting of the Forum on State and

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Tribal Toxics Action (FOSTTA) to collaborate on environmental 
protection and chemical and prevention issues. The Chemical Information 
and Management, Pollution Prevention, and Tribal Affairs Projects, 
components of FOSTTA, will hold meetings May 14-15, 2002. The Toxics 
Release Inventory Project will not be participating in these meetings. 
This notice announces the location and times for the meetings and sets 
forth some tentative agenda topics. EPA invites all interested parties 
to attend the public meetings.

DATES: The three projects will meet concurrently May 14, 2002, from 10 
a.m. to 5 p.m. and May 15, 2002, from 8 a.m. to noon. A plenary session 
is being planned for the participants on Tuesday, May 14, 2002, from 8 
a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
    Requests to participate in the spring FOSTTA meeting must be 
received by EPA on or before May 9, 2002. Your request must be 
submitted by mail or electronically to one of the technical persons 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Crystal City Marriott, 1999 
Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA. The hotel is located at the 
Crystal City metro stop on the blue and yellow lines.
    You may respond to this notice by mail, electronically, or in 
person. Please follow the detailed instructions for each method as 
provided in Unit I. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. To ensure proper 
receipt by EPA, it is imperative that you identify docket control 
number OPPT-2002-0003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information contact: 
Barbara Cunningham, Acting Director, Environmental Assistance Division 
(7408M), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: (202) 554-1404; e-mail address: [email protected].
    For technical information contact: Darlene Harrod, Environmental 
Assistance Division (7408M), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-8814; fax number: 
(202) 564-8813; e-mail address: [email protected].
    Christine Eppstein, Environmental Council of the States, 444 North 
Capitol St., NW., Suite 445, Washington, DC 20001; telephone number: 
(202) 624-3661; fax number: (202) 624-3666; e-mail address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    This action is directed to the public in general. This action may, 
however, be of interest to all parties interested in FOSTTA and hearing 
more about the perspectives of the states and tribes on EPA programs 
and information exchange regarding important issues related to human 
health and environmental exposure to toxics. Since other entities may 
be interested, the Agency has not attempted to describe all the 
specific entities that may be affected by this action. However, in the 
interest of time and efficiency, the meetings are structured to provide 
maximum opportunity for state, tribal, and EPA participants to discuss 
items on the predetermined agenda. At the discretion of the chair, an 
effort will be made to accommodate participation by observers attending 
the proceedings. If you have any questions regarding the applicability 
of this action to a particular entity, consult the technical persons 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

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

    1. Electronically. You may obtain electronic copies of this 
document, and certain other related documents that might be available 
electronically, from the EPA Internet Home Page at http://www.epa.gov/. 
To access this document, on the Home Page select ``Laws and 
Regulations,'' ``Regulations and Proposed Rules,'' and then look up the 
entry for this document under the ``Federal Register--Environmental 
Documents.'' You can also go directly to the Federal Register listings 
at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
    2. In person. The Agency has established an official record for 
this action under docket control number OPPT-2002-0003. 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.

II. Background

    The Toxic Substances Control Act, 15 U.S.C. 2609 section 10(g), 
authorizes EPA and other federal agencies to establish and coordinate a 
system for exchange among federal, state, and local authorities of 
research and development results respecting toxic chemical substances 
and mixtures, including a system to facilitate and promote the 
development of standard data format and analysis and consistent testing 
procedures. Through FOSTTA, the Chemical Information and Management 
Project (CIMP) focuses on EPA's Chemical Right-to-Know Program and 
works to develop a more coordinated effort involving federal, state, 
and tribal agencies. The Pollution Prevention Project (P2) promotes the 
prevention ethic across society, helping companies incorporate P2 
approaches and techniques and integrating P2 into mainstream 
environmental activities at both the federal level and among the 
states. Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, 
EPA, the states, and the tribes share responsibility for handling toxic 
chemical release information and making it available to the public 
through the Toxics Release Inventory. The Tribal Affairs Project (TAP) 
concentrates on chemical and prevention issues that are most relevant 
to the tribes, including lead control and abatement, subsistence 
lifestyles, and hazard communications and outreach. FOSTTA's vision is 
to reinvigorate the projects, focus on major policy-level issues, 
recruit more senior state and tribal leaders, increase outreach to all 
50 states and some 560 federally recognized tribes, and vigorously seek 
ways to engage the states and tribes in ongoing substantive discussions 
on complex and oftentimes controversial environmental issues that 
states and tribes resolve at their respective levels of government.
    In January 2002, the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), in 
cooperation with the National Tribal Environmental Council (NTEC), was 
awarded the new FOSTTA cooperative agreement. ECOS, NTEC, and EPA's 
Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) are co-sponsoring the 
meetings. As part of a cooperative agreement, ECOS facilitates ongoing 
efforts of the state and tribal leaders and

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OPPT to increase understanding and improve collaboration on toxics and 
pollution prevention issues and to continue a dialogue on how federal 
environmental programs can best be implemented among the states, 
tribes, and EPA.
    The fall FOSTTA meeting is scheduled October 21-22, 2002.

III. Purpose of Meeting

    The FOSTTA representatives and EPA will collaborate on 
environmental protection and chemical and prevention issues. The 
tentative agenda items identified by the states and the tribes follow:
    1. Pilot project ideas for interfacing environment and public 
health (CIMP).
    2. How to integrate the High Production Volume Challenge Program/
Voluntary Children's Chemical Evaluation Program data with existing 
tools (e.g., risk screening environmental indicators) (CIMP).
    3. The cumulative risk exposure initiative (CIMP).
    4. Future directions for pollution prevention incentives for state 
grant programs (P2).
    5. Pollution prevention and compliance assistance (P2).
    6. Tribal risk assessment (TAP).
    7. Tribal science council (TAP).
    During the first half hour of the plenary session, ECOS and NTEC 
will discuss their plans for interacting with FOSTTA. At the remainder 
of the plenary, another topic of mutual interest to the approximately 
30 state and tribal leaders will be discussed.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Chemicals, Pollution prevention.

    Dated: March 27, 2002.
  Barbara Cunningham,
Acting Director, Environmental Assistance Division, Office of Pollution 
Prevention and Toxics.
[FR Doc. 02-8421 Filed 4-9-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S