[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 50 (Friday, March 14, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12349-12351]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-6300]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPPT 2003-0009; FRL-7298--3]


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

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 March 25-26, 2003. The 
meetings are being held in conjunction with the Office of Prevention, 
Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) Regional Division Directors 
meeting. 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 March 25, 2003, from 
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and March 26, 2003, from 8 a.m. to noon. A plenary 
session is being planned for the participants on Tuesday, March 26, 
2003, from 1 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Joint sessions will be held for the 
projects and the respective Regional Division Directors. Requests to 
participate in the spring FOSTTA meeting, identified by docket ID 
number OPPT-2003-0009, must be received by EPA on or before March 21, 
2003.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Western Tabor Center, 1672 
Lawrence Street, Denver, Colorado.
    Requests to participate in the meeting may be submitted to 
Christine Eppstein, listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 
Follow the detailed instructions as provided in Unit III. of the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

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: [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. General Information

A. 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.

B. 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-2003-0009. 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 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 I.B.1. Once in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the 
appropriate docket ID number.

II. 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-2003-0009, must be received on or before March 
21, 2003.

III. Background

    The Toxic Substances Control Act, 15 U.S.C. 2609, 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. The Tribal Affairs Project TAP 
concentrates on chemical and prevention issues that are most relevant 
to the Tribes, including lead control and abatement, Tribal 
traditional/subsistence lifeways, 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

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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.

IV. 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. High production volume data (CIMP).
    2. Environmental indicators (CIMP).
    3. Impact of State budget cuts on pollution prevention programs 
(P2).
    4. EPA's resource conservation challenge (P2).
    5. OPPTS Tribal strategy (TAP).
    6. Lead issues (TAP).
Stephen L. Johnson, Assistant Administrator, for the Office of 
Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, will be a speaker at the 
plenary session.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Chemicals, Pollution prevention.

    Dated: March 7, 2003.
Clarence O. Lewis, III
Acting Director, Environmental Assistance Division, Office of Pollution 
Prevention and Toxics.
[FR Doc. 03-6300 Filed 3-12-03; 1:03 pm]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S