[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 41 (Friday, February 29, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11112-11113]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-3936]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0142; FRL-8535-5]


Consumer Products Environmental Partnerships Program--Public 
Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting.

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SUMMARY: EPA will convene a public meeting to discuss opportunities for 
industry-government partnerships to foster greater public awareness of 
the environmental attributes of household and institutional consumer 
products and help make consumers aware of efforts on the part of 
consumer product manufacturers to improve the environmental performance 
of their products and production facilities. The primary purpose of 
this initial meeting is to establish a dialog among government, 
industry, and public stakeholders leading to formation of a Consumer 
Products Environmental Partnerships Working Group. Once formed, the 
working group will identify and develop possible partnership approaches 
such as product labeling, consumer education programs, environmental 
information Web sites, product stewardship programs, and manufacturer 
recognition programs.

DATES: The meeting will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, March 
17 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, 2008.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in Building C of the EPA campus at 
109

[[Page 11113]]

Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information concerning the 
Consumer Products Environmental Partnerships Program, contact Mr. Bruce 
Moore, U.S. EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Sector 
Policies and Programs Division, Natural Resources and Commerce Group 
(E143-03), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, telephone 
number: (919) 541-5460, fax number (919) 541-3470, e-mail address: 
[email protected]. If you plan to attend the meeting, please submit 
your name and affiliation by e-mail or by telephone to Mr. Moore no 
later than Thursday, March 13, 2008.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. General Information

    Docket. EPA has established a docket for this program under Docket 
ID Number EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0142. Publicly available docket materials are 
available either electronically through www.regulations.gov or in hard 
copy at the EPA Docket Center, Public Reading Room, EPA West, Room 
3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The Public Reading 
Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading 
Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Air Docket is 
(202) 566-1742.

II. Background

    EPA envisions that the consumer products of interest to the working 
group will encompass a wide array of personal care products, household 
cleaners, automotive aftermarket chemicals, non-agricultural 
pesticides, non-industrial adhesives and sealants, aerosol spray 
paints, architectural coatings, and other formulated products. These 
products are used by consumers in and around homes, offices, schools, 
and in a variety of other settings. These important products can 
enhance the quality of life of consumers, make household chores easier, 
and have beneficial health functions through control of household pests 
and pathogens in and around living spaces.
    However, as these products are used, stored, and are disposed of, 
some or all of their ingredients evaporate and enter the air. One 
concern that has been raised is the effect of household and 
institutional consumer product use on indoor air quality. In addition 
to personal exposure during use, consumer products also contribute to 
ground-level ozone formation, have solid waste and groundwater impacts 
due to disposal of spent packaging, are sources of fine particulate 
matter through secondary aerosol formation, and in some cases can 
contribute to stratospheric ozone depletion and global warming. 
Furthermore, increased use of nanomaterials in consumer products is an 
emerging issue. With such potential multimedia and multipollutant 
impacts, consumer products are ripe for additional environmental 
attention.
    Since the late 1980s, a substantial segment of these products 
(e.g., architectural coatings, aerosol coatings, and many categories of 
household and institutional consumer products) have been regulated 
intensely by EPA and several States for purposes of controlling ground-
level ozone formation through limits placed on the volatile organic 
compound content of the products. We commend the States and the 
consumer products and coatings industries for their cooperative efforts 
to reduce ozone formation resulting from use of these products. 
Furthermore, some manufacturers voluntarily have improved the 
environmental performance of their products over the years. However, 
other potential environmental effects generally have not been 
addressed.
    The EPA believes that consumer choice in the marketplace can be an 
effective means of bringing about change in the environmental 
performance of household and institutional products. Key elements of 
such a market-based approach include educating consumers and making 
information available concerning the environmental attributes of the 
products they use. We also believe that reliable information concerning 
the degree of environmental stewardship exhibited by consumer products 
and coatings manufacturers should play a role in consumers' purchasing 
decisions. For this information to be useful, manufacturers who are 
good environmental stewards should be recognized in a manner that is 
readily apparent to the consumer in the marketplace.

III. Structure of the Meeting

    The EPA envisions this meeting to consist of three major phases: 
(1) Presentation of background information on consumer products, 
existing stewardship programs, constraints on environmental marketing 
claims, and EPA's initial thoughts on a few possible partnership 
approaches; (2) several concurrent breakout sessions to explore these 
approaches; and (3) formation of the Consumer Products Partnerships 
Working Group, including subgroups for specific approaches.

    Dated: February 26, 2008.
Jennifer N. Edmonds,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. E8-3936 Filed 2-28-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P