[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 118 (Wednesday, June 19, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 41668-41669]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-15456]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 9, 122, 123, 124, and 125

[FRL-7231-1]
RIN 2040-AD62


Extension of Comment Period for National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System; Regulations Addressing Cooling Water Intake 
Structures for Phase II Existing Facilities; Proposed Rule

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: EPA is extending the comment period for the proposed rule 
addressing cooling water intake structures for Phase II existing 
facilities. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on 
April 9, 2002 (67 FR 17122). The comment period for the proposed rule 
is extended by 30 days for a total of 120 days, ending on August 7, 
2002.

DATES: Comments on the proposed rule will be accepted through August 7, 
2002.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Cooling Water Intake Structure 
(Existing Facilities) Proposed Rule Comment Clerk-W-00-32, Water 
Docket, Mail Code 4101, EPA, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. Comments delivered in person 
(including overnight mail) should be submitted to the Cooling Water 
Intake Structure (Existing Facilities) Proposed Rule Comment Clerk-W-
00-32, Water Docket, Room EB 57, 401 M Street, SW., Washington DC 
20460. Please submit any references cited in your comments. Submit an 
original and three copies of your written comments and enclosures. No 
facsimiles (faxes) will be accepted. In addition to accepting hard-copy 
written comments, EPA will also accept comments submitted 
electronically. Electronic comments must be submitted as a Word Perfect 
5/6/7/8 or ASCII file and must be submitted to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional technical information, 
contact Debbi D. Hart at (202) 566-6379 or Deborah G. Nagle at (202) 
566-1063. For additional economic information, contact Lynne Tudor at 
(202) 566-1043.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 9, 2002, EPA published proposed 
regulations addressing cooling water intake structures for existing 
facilities in the Federal Register for public review

[[Page 41669]]

and comment (67 FR 17122). The proposal provided for a 90-day comment 
period, which was scheduled to end on July 8, 2002.
    EPA received multiple requests from the potentially regulated 
community to extend the comment period. In most cases, a general 
extension of 60 days was requested. In one case, a 30-day comment 
extension was requested for the proposed rule with an additional 30 
days required to prepare comments related to the case studies, economic 
and benefits assessment, and related portions of the proposed rule. 
These requests argued that an extension of the comment period was 
necessary because of the large volume of material associated with the 
proposed rule, including the extensive rulemaking record; the 
complexity of the proposal and the need for coordination among 
multidisciplinary areas of expertise (e.g., economic, scientific, 
engineering, and legal); the inclusion in the proposal of several 
innovative concepts, such as trading and mitigation through restoration 
measures, that require time and effort to comprehend and evaluate; 
difficulty in accessing several electronic documents contained in the 
rulemaking record; the amount of time needed to copy all written 
materials in the record for offsite review; difficulty in ascertaining 
how various aspects of the record support the proposal; and numerous 
information requests made by EPA within the proposal (i.e., 88 separate 
requests for comment solicited from the regulated community). Parties 
requesting an extension argued that the 90-day comment period was 
insufficient to fully understand the entire content of the proposal, 
verify data and calculations associated with the proposal (especially 
impingement and entrainment losses and correlated benefits), and 
prepare written comments.
    In response to these requests, EPA is extending the comment period 
by 30 days, through August 7, 2002, because of the complexity and the 
range of issues raised in the proposal. EPA made copies of the proposed 
rule and preamble available to potentially regulated industries, 
States, environmental groups, and the public on March 6, 2002, 34 days 
prior to publication of the proposed rule and preamble in the Federal 
Register. EPA believes that 120 days is a sufficient period of time for 
comment on the proposed rule, especially in light of the prepublication 
availability of the proposed rule and preamble.

    Dated: June 7, 2002.
Diane C. Regas,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Water.
[FR Doc. 02-15456 Filed 6-18-02; 8:45 am]
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