[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 225 (Friday, November 23, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65733-65734]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-22899]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2007-1126; FRL-8498-8]


Notice of Availability and Request for Comment on Draft Plan of 
Action for Reducing, Mitigating, and Controlling Hypoxia in the 
Northern Gulf of Mexico and Improving Water Quality in the Mississippi 
River Basin

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of Availability and Request for Public Comment.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on behalf of the 
Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force (Task 
Force), invites public comments on the draft Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan 
2008 for Reducing, Mitigating, and Controlling Hypoxia in the Northern 
Gulf of Mexico and Improving Water Quality in the Mississippi River 
Basin (2008 Action Plan). The Task Force is comprised of senior 
policymakers from eight Federal agencies, nine States, and two Tribal 
governments. The Action Plan is the result of several years of study 
and discussion by the members of the Task Force and many interested 
officials and

[[Page 65734]]

citizens who participated in their deliberations.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 4, 2008. All 
comments received during the formal comment period will be reviewed and 
delivered to the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient 
Task Force for their consideration prior to the development of the 
final Action Plan. Late comments will be considered as time allows. 
Submission of comments prior to the end of the comment period is highly 
encouraged.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2007-1126, by one of the following methods:
     Web: Visit www.regulations.gov or http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Docket ID No. 
EPA-HQ-OW-2007-1126, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Water Docket, MC 
2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460.
     FedEx, UPS, or Hand Delivery: U.S. EPA Docket Center, 
Attention Docket EPA-HQ-OW-2007-1126, 1301 Constitution Ave., Room 
3334, Washington, DC 20460. Such deliveries are only accepted during 
the Docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should 
be made for deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2007-
1126. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in 
the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, 
unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to 
be CBI or otherwise protected through www.regulations.gov or e-mail. 
The www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system, 
which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information 
unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-
mail comment directly to EPA without going through www.regulations.gov 
your e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part 
of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available 
on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends 
that you include your name and other contact information in the body of 
your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read 
your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for 
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic 
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of 
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center 
homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Colianni, U.S. EPA, Office of 
Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Mail 
Code 4504T, Washington, DC 20460 (202) 566-1249; Internet: [email protected]. The draft Action Plan below, as well as related 
information, may be reached via the EPA Web site: at http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

    Additional Comment Information: Comments may also be submitted 
electronically. Comments should be sent to the following Internet 
address: [email protected].

II. Background

    In January 2001, pursuant to section 604(b) of Public Law 105-383, 
the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998, 
Title VI, enacted on November 13, 1998, the Task Force published its 
first Action Plan, 2001 Plan of Action for Reducing, Mitigating, and 
Controlling Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. The Task Force has 
updated this initial plan through a multiple-step reassessment which is 
reflected in the current draft 2008 Action Plan and will culminate in 
the 2008 Action Plan. The draft 2008 Action Plan reflects the Task 
Force's efforts over the past six years to track progress, update the 
science, and adapt the actions to improve the effectiveness of the 
efforts throughout the Mississippi River Basin. Building on the 2001 
Action Plan, the plan lays out specific steps that need to be 
accomplished to reach the goals. It also reiterates the long-term goals 
and continues the Task Force's commitment to a voluntary and adaptive 
management approach to improve water quality in the Mississippi River 
Basin and reduce the size of the hypoxic zone in the northern Gulf of 
Mexico. This adaptive management approach involves continual feedback 
between the interpretation of new information and improved management 
actions and is the key to targeting actions within watersheds where 
they will be most effective.
    Information about the Task Force and its reassessment can be found 
at the following Web site: http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/.
    The draft 2008 Action Plan can be viewed and downloaded by 
navigating to the following Web site: http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/.

    Dated: November 19, 2007.
Benjamin Grumbles,
Assistant Administrator for Water.
[FR Doc. E7-22899 Filed 11-21-07; 8:45 am]
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