[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 126 (Monday, July 2, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35991-35992]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12764]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2004-0122; FRL-8136-4]


Pollution Prevention through Nanotechnology Conference; Notice of 
Public Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: EPA is convening a conference to better understand the 
benefits that nanotechnology can offer by preventing pollution, and to 
encourage development of nanotechnology that offers such benefits. A 
multi-stakeholder Steering Committee has helped develop a scope and 
agenda for the conference. Through a series of presentations and case 
studies, this conference will help inform subsequent research and 
commercialization of nanotechnology and nanomaterials that promote 
pollution prevention in an environmentally responsible manner.

DATES: The conference will be held on September 25 and 26, 2007 .
    You may register for the conference on or before September 14, 
2007. See also Unit IV. for additional registration information.
    To request accommodation of a disability, please contact the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATON CONTACT, preferably at least 10 
days prior to the conference, to give EPA as much time as possible to 
process your request.
    Poster applications are due July 31, 2007.

ADDRESSES: The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn Rosslyn at 
Key Bridge, 1900 Fort Myer Dr., Arlington, VA 22209.
    See Unit III. for poster application submissions.
    See Unit IV. for registration submissions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information contact: Colby 
Lintner, Regulatory Coordinator, Environmental Assistance Division 
(7408M), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: (202) 564-1404; e-mail: [email protected].
    For technical information contact: Clive Davies, Design for the 
Environment Branch, Economics, Exposure, and Technology Division 
(7406M), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: (202) 564-3821; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    This action is directed to the public in general, and may be of 
particular interest to those persons who manufacture, import, process, 
or use nanoscale materials, especially to prevent pollution. 
Representatives from industry; non-governmental organizations concerned 
with the environment and human health; academia; and government may all 
be interested in attending.
    Since many entities may be interested, the Agency has not attempted 
to fully describe all of the entities that may have an interest in this 
matter. If you have 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 a docket for this action under 
docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2004-0122. All documents in the docket are 
listed in the docket's index available at http://www.regulations.gov. 
Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly 
available, e.g., Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other 
material, such as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only 
in hard copy. Publicly available docket materials are available 
electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, or, if only available in 
hard copy, at the OPPT Docket. The OPPT Docket is located in the EPA 
Docket Center (EPA/DC) at Rm. 3334, EPA West Bldg., 1301 Constitution 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public Reading Room hours of 
operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding 
Federal holidays. The telephone number of the EPA/DC Public Reading 
Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the OPPT Docket is 
(202) 566-0280. Docket visitors are required to show photographic 
identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor 
log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and 
subject to search. Visitors will be provided an EPA/DC badge that must 
be visible at all times in the building and returned upon departure. 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. All documents relating to this 
conference are available at http://www.epa.gov/oppt/nano.

II. Background

A. Pollution Prevention

    Pollution prevention is reducing or eliminating waste at the source 
by modifying production processes, promoting the use of non-toxic or 
less-toxic substances, implementing conservation techniques, and re-
using materials rather than putting them into the waste stream.

B. Beneficial Characteristics

    The unique and potentially useful properties of nanomaterials 
include dramatically increased surface areas and reactivities, improved 
strength-weight ratios, increased electrical conductivity, and changes 
in color and opacity. Materials designed to take advantage of these 
properties are finding application in a variety of areas, such as 
electronics, medicine, and environmental protection.
    This conference is focused on three major areas of pollution 
prevention:
     Products. Products that are less toxic, less polluting, 
and wear-resistant.
     Processes. Processes that are more efficient and waste-
reducing.
     Energy and resource efficiency. Processes and products 
that use less energy and fewer raw materials because of greater 
efficiency.
    To emphasize the importance of the responsible development \1\ of

[[Page 35992]]

nanotechnology, conference speakers and attendees are encouraged to 
apply ``life-cycle thinking'' as they make presentations or attend 
conference sessions. Life-cycle thinking involves consideration of 
environmental and human health endpoints such as toxicity and exposure 
that occur over the material's life cycle. Design, production, use, and 
disposal are all relevant to life-cycle thinking.
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    \1\ A Matter of Size: Triennial Review of the National 
Nanotechnology Initiative, 2006, The National Academies Press, 
``Responsible Development'', page 73, ``...responsible development 
of nanotechnology can be characterized as the balancing of efforts 
to maximize the technology's positive contributions and minimize its 
negative consequences. Thus, responsible development involves an 
examination both of applications and of potential implications. It 
implies a commitment to develop and use technology to help meet the 
most pressing human and societal needs, while making every 
reasonable effort to anticipate and mitigate adverse implications or 
unintended consequences.''
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    The questions below are intended to focus presentations and 
discussions at the conference. Answers to these questions could help 
guide subsequent work in P2 through nanotechnology.
    1. Which nanotechnologies show the greatest promise for preventing 
pollution?
    Considerations:
     This question should be viewed through the lens of life-
cycle thinking to minimize the possibility of unintended consequences.
     Which pollution prevention applications are the most 
likely to find real-world applications?
     What barriers exist to the adoption of nanotechnology-
enabled pollution prevention applications?
    2. What are the most promising areas of research on pollution 
prevention applications of nanotechnologies?
    Considerations:
     Which research areas could improve our understanding of 
the full life-cycle of nanomaterials?
     How can the beneficial properties of engineered products 
of nanotechnology such as increased surface activity, greater 
conductivity, improved strength-weight ratio, altered optical 
properties (changes in color or opacity), and flame retardancy be used 
to improve materials and products and reduce the production of 
pollutants at their source?
    3. What recommendations do conference participants have for 
promoting and encouraging pollution prevention in the development and 
application of nanotechnology?
    Considerations:
     What actions could be taken, and by whom?
     What mechanisms, programs, or associations could promote 
the research, development, and adoption of such applications?
     What role can EPA programs play?

III. Call for Posters

    Posters are an excellent forum for authors to present informally, 
yet in a highly visible fashion, their most recent work regarding 
pollution prevention through nanotechnology. A poster session provides 
an opportunity for authors to directly communicate with participants of 
the conference and engage in detailed one-on-one discussions. 
Successful posters should reflect the goals of the Pollution Prevention 
through Nanotechnology Conference. We encourage you to submit an entry 
for the poster session in the area of nanotechnology products, 
nanotechnology processes, or nanotechnology energy/resource efficiency. 
Posters with a focus on safer chemistries through use of nanotechnology 
are especially encouraged. Because of space constraints, a limited 
number of posters will be accepted in each area. To submit an entry for 
the poster session, please send a short description (less than one-
page) of the poster you would like to display. The description should 
identify which category your poster fits within (products, processes, 
or efficient use of resources), how it responds to the concepts raised 
in the three questions listed above and how it addresses responsible 
development, and whether environmental benefits can be quantified, such 
as reduction of use of hazardous chemicals or energy or resource 
savings. Poster applications are due July 31, 2007. Please submit 
poster applications to the technical person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.

IV. How Can I Request to Attend this Conference?

    You may register for the conference electronically through EPA's 
website, at http://www.epa.gov/oppt/nano by September 14, 2007. Advance 
requests will assist in planning adequate seating; however, members of 
the public may attend without prior registration. You may also submit a 
request to attend this conference to the technical person listed under 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Do not submit any information in your 
request that is considered CBI. Requests to attend the conference, 
identified by docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2004-0122, must be received 
on or before September 14, 2007.

List of Subjects Environmental protection, Chemicals, Pollution 
prevention, Nanotechnology, Nanoscale materials.


    Dated: June 25, 2007.
Charles M. Auer,
Director, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.
[FR Doc. E7-12764 Filed 6-29-07; 8:45 am]
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