[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 197 (Thursday, October 10, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63088-63089]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-25862]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPPT-2002-0052; FRL-7276-3]


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 fall meeting of the Forum on State and 
Tribal Toxics Action (FOSTTA) to collaborate on environmental 
protection and chemical and prevention issues. The Chemical Information 
and Management, Pollution Prevention, Toxics Release Inventory, and 
Tribal Affairs Projects, components of FOSTTA, will hold meetings 
October 21-22, 2002. 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 four projects will meet concurrently October 21, 2002, from 
10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and October 22, 2002, from 8 a.m. to noon. A plenary 
session is being planned for the participants on Monday, October 21, 
2002, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
    Requests to participate in the fall FOSTTA meeting, identified by 
docket ID number OPPT-2002-0052, must be received by EPA on or before 
October 11, 2002.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Hall of States, 444 North 
Capitol Street, NW., Washington, DC. The building is located across 
from the Union Station metro stop on the red line.
    Requests to participate in the meeting may be submitted to 
Christine Eppstein, listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

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-
0001; telephone number: (202) 554-1404; e-mail address: TSCA-
[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 20460-0001; 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 Street, NW., Suite 445, Washington, DC 20001; telephone number: 
(202) 624-3661; fax number: (202) 624-3666; e-mail address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    You may be potentially affected by this action if you are 
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. Potentially affected entities may include, but are not limited 
to:
    [sbull] States and federally recognized tribes.
    [sbull] State, Federal, and local environmental and public health 
organizations.
    [sbull] Chemical trade associations.
    The listing is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a 
guide for readers regarding entities likely to be affected by this 
action. 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.

II. How Can I Get Copies of this Document and Other Related Documents?

    1. Docket. EPA has established an official public docket for this 
action under docket ID number OPPT-2002-0052. The official public 
docket consists of the documents specifically referenced in this 
action, any public comments received, and other information related to 
this action. Although a part of the official docket, the public docket 
does not include Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. The official 
public docket is the collection of materials that is available for 
public viewing at the EPA Docket Center, Rm. B102-Reading Room, EPA 
West, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket 
Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. The EPA Docket Center Reading Room telephone 
number is (202) 566-1744 and the telephone number for the OPPT Docket, 
which is located in EPA Docket Center, is (202) 566-0280.
    2. Electronic access. You may access this Federal Register document 
electronically through the EPA Internet under the ``Federal Register'' 
listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
    An electronic version of the public docket is available through 
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, EPA Dockets. You may 
use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view public 
comments, access the index listing of the contents of the official 
public docket, and to

[[Page 63089]]

access those documents in the public docket that are available 
electronically. Although not all docket materials may be available 
electronically, you may still access any of the publicly available 
docket materials through the docket facility identified in Unit II.1. 
Once in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the appropriate 
docket ID number.

III. How Can I Request to Participate in this Meeting?

    You may submit a request to participate in this meeting to 
Christine Eppstein, the technical person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT. Do not submit any information in your request that 
is considered CBI. Requests to participate in the meeting, identified 
by docket ID number OPPT-2002-0052, must be received on or before 
October 11, 2002.

IV. 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 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 (TRI). 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 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.

V. The Meeting

    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. 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. Use of environmental indicators for integrating strategies among 
state, federal, and international agencies (CIMP).
    2. State laboratory capacity study (CIMP).
    3. Challenges of promoting pollution prevention (P2).
    4. Supplemental environmental projects and environmental management 
systems (P2).
    5. OPPTS Tribal strategy (TAP).
    6. Tribal risk assessment (TAP).
    7. Electronic facility data profile (TRI).
    8. Demonstration of state bulletin board (TRI).
    Stephen L. Johnson, Assistant Administrator, Prevention, Pesticides 
and Toxic Substances, and Carol Jorgensen, Director, American Indian 
Environmental Office, will be the speakers at the plenary session.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Chemicals, Pollution prevention.

    Dated: October 1, 2002.
Barbara A. Cunningham,
Acting Director, Environmental Assistance Division, Office of Pollution 
Prevention and Toxics.
[FR Doc. 02-25862 Filed 10-9-02; 8:45 a.m.]
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