[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 194 (Tuesday, October 7, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57892-57894]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-25405]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPPT-2003-0054; FRL-7329-7]


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 meeting of the Forum on State and

[[Page 57893]]

Tribal Toxics Action (FOSTTA) to collaborate on environmental 
protection and toxic chemical issues. The Chemical Information and 
Management Project and the Tribal Affairs Project, components of 
FOSTTA, will be meeting October 20-21, 2003. The meeting is being held 
to provide the participants of the two projects an opportunity to have 
in depth discussions on issues concerning the environment and human 
health, which are affecting the States and Indian country. This notice 
announces the location and times for the meeting and sets forth some 
tentative agenda topics. EPA invites all interested parties to attend 
the public meeting.

DATES: The two projects will meet concurrently on October 20, 2003, 
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and October 21, 2003, from 8 a.m. to noon. A 
plenary session is being planned for the participants on Monday, 
October 20,
    Requests to participate in the meeting, identified by docket ID 
number OPPT-2003-0054, must be received on or before October 16, 2003.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Washington Court Hotel, 525 
New Jersey Ave., NW., Washington, DC.
    Requests to participate in the meeting may be submitted to the 
technical person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information contact: 
Barbara Cunningham, 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.
    This 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 person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

B. How Can I Get Copies of this Document and Other Related Information?

    1. Docket. EPA has established an official public docket for this 
action under docket ID number OPPT-2003-0054. 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. EPA's 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 the 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 athttp://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. 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. 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 
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.

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

     You may submit a request to participate in this meeting to the 
technical persons, 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-
2003-0054, must be received on or before October 16, 2003.

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 prevention issues. The tentative agenda items identified by the 
States and the Tribes follow:
    1. Tribal environmental indicators project.
    2. Risk Screening Environmental Indicators model.
    3. OPPTS Tribal Strategy.
    4. High Production Volume (HPV) Challenge Program and data base 
update.
    5. Practical and conceptual aspects of environmental indicators.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Chemical information and management.

    Dated: September 30, 2003.
Barbara Cunningham,
Director, Environmental Assistance Division, Office of Pollution 
Prevention and Toxics.
[FR Doc. 03-25405 Filed 10-6-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S