[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11243-11245]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-4505]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-RCRA-2011-0185; FRL-9273-7]


Solicitation of Input From Stakeholders To Inform the National 
Framework for Electronics Stewardship

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), General Services 
Administration (GSA), and Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) are 
requesting written stakeholder input to inform the national framework 
for electronics stewardship that is being developed by the Interagency 
Task Force on Electronics Stewardship. On November 15, 2010, President 
Obama signed a presidential proclamation celebrating the strides the 
country has made in recycling, while also highlighting the need for 
greater attention on used electronics management throughout the product 
lifecycle. CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley established an interagency task force 
on November 8, 2010 to provide a national strategy and recommendations 
for areas of Federal agency operational and managerial improvement 
associated with electronics stewardship. The Task Force is scheduled to 
deliver to CEQ a national framework for electronics stewardship by May 
6, 2011. By this notice, the Environmental Protection Agency, on behalf 
of the Task Force, is soliciting public comment from interested parties 
regarding the national framework.

DATES: All comments must be received on or before March 11, 2011.

ADDRESSES: You may submit your comments, identified by EPA-HQ-RCRA-
2011-0185, using one of the following methods:
    http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for 
submitting comments. Note, while this request is not a federal 
regulation, input on the plan can be submitted through this federal Web 
site.
    E-mail: Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to 
[email protected], Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-RCRA-2011-
0185.
    Mail: Comments may be submitted by mail to: OSWER Docket, Office of 
Resource Conservation and Recovery, U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, Mailcode: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 
20460, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-RCRA-2011-0185. Please include a 
total of two copies of your comments.
    Hand Delivery: Deliver two copies of your comments to: EPA Docket 
Center, Public Reading Room, Room 3334, EPA West Building, 1301 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID No. 
EPA-HQ-RCRA-2011-0185. Such deliveries are only accepted during the 
Docket's normal hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday 
through Friday, excluding legal holidays and special arrangements 
should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-RCRA-
2011-0185. All comments must be in English or be accompanied by an 
English translation. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be 
included in the docket without change and may be made available on-line 
at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided. The 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 
regulations.gov, your e-mail address will be automatically captured and 
included as part of the comment that is placed in the 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

[[Page 11244]]

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.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the docket 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, is 
not placed on the Internet and will be publicly available only in hard 
copy form. Publicly available docket materials are available either 
electronically in http://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the 
OSWER Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 
1301 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460. The Public Meeting 
Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the OSWER Docket and 
the Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744. 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shayla Powell, Resource Conservation 
and Sustainability Division (5306P), Office of Resource Conservation 
and Recovery, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 
NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 308-0319; e-
mail address: [email protected] or visit http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/ecycling/taskforce/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this action apply to me?

    You may be interested in providing input if you manufacture, 
distribute, sell, label, certify, verify, refurbish, recycle, purchase 
or use consumer, commercial, or industrial electronics, or conduct 
research in any of these areas. Potentially interested entities may 
include, but are not limited to:
     Manufacturing (NAICS code 33).
     Wholesale trade (NAICS code 42).
     Electronics and Appliance Stores (NAICS code 443).
     Consumer Goods Rental (NAICS code 5322).
     Computer System Design and Related Services (NAICS code 
5415)
     Waste Management and Remediation Services (NAICS code 562)
     Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance 
(NAICS code 8112).
     Public Administration (NAICS code 92).
    This listing is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides 
a guide for readers regarding entities likely to be interested in this 
action. Other types of entities not listed in this unit could also be 
affected. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) 
codes have been provided to assist you and others in determining 
whether this applies to certain entities. 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. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?

    1. Tips for preparing your comments. When submitting comments, 
remember to:
    i. Identify the document by docket ID number and other identifying 
information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).
    ii. Submit all comments in English or have them be accompanied by 
an English translation.
    iii. Follow directions. The Agency may ask you to respond to 
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
    iv. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and 
substitute language for your requested changes.
    v. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information 
and/or data that you used.
    vi. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you 
arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be 
reproduced.
    vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible.
    viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period 
deadline identified.

II. Background

    The increased use of electronics and technology in society brings 
the challenge of protecting human health and the environment from 
potentially harmful effects of the improper handling and disposal of 
these products. Discarded electronics comprise a small, but rapidly 
growing part of our municipal waste.
    Currently, there are no federal mandates that require electronics 
recycling or restrict unwanted electronics equipment from solid waste 
landfills in the United States. EPA does, however, control how cathode 
ray tube (CRT) monitors (e.g., from TV and computers) that are subject 
to hazardous waste regulation are managed domestically and requires 
notifications if CRT monitors are exported for recycling. A growing 
number of states are mandating collection and recycling of used 
electronics. In addition, there are now two electronics recycling 
standards and accredited certification programs that address the 
handling of used electronics throughout the recycling chain. (Basel 
Action Network; e-Stewards Certification; http://e-stewards.org/. R2 
Solutions; R2 certification; http://www.r2solutions.org/.)
    Unwanted or discarded electronics not reused or recycled represents 
a lost opportunity to reuse functioning electronic equipment and 
components, such as cell phone and computers/laptops or recover 
valuable resources, such as precious metals, plastics or minerals that 
are found in scarce or critical supply. Additionally, used electronics 
may be exported to developing countries that lack capacity to manage 
them appropriately and result in negative impacts to human health and 
the environment. The majority of electronics recyclers in the United 
States refurbish, repair, or pre-process (demanufacture, shred, sort) 
used electronics to prepare them for the final recovery step. 
Facilities that further recover raw materials, through smelting and 
refining (end-processing), are mostly located outside the United 
States. These facilities convert electronics scrap into: (1) High grade 
copper and precious metals (e.g., gold, silver, and palladium); (2) new 
CRTs; or (3) new plastics, all materials that can be reused in the 
marketplace.
    To address the problems related to used electronics both here and 
abroad, American businesses, government, and citizens must work 
together to manage these electronics throughout the product lifecycle--
from design and manufacturing through their use and eventual recycling, 
recovery, and disposal. On November 8, 2010, CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley 
established an interagency working group that is co-chaired by EPA, GSA 
and CEQ to develop a national strategy and recommendations for 
improving Federal

[[Page 11245]]

stewardship of used electronics. By May 6, 2011, the Task Force will 
deliver to CEQ a national framework for:
    1. Directing Federal agencies to exercise all appropriate 
authorities to achieve the electronic stewardship goals, consistent 
with domestic and international law;
    2. Developing a system-based approach to the long-term design, 
management and disposal of Federal used electronics;
    3. Information gathering and tracking, regulatory options, and best 
management practices for used electronics that can be used by the 
Federal agencies and leveraged to the private sector;
    4. Building partnerships in the public and private sector for 
sustainable electronics management nationwide;
    5. Reducing exports of used electronics to developing countries 
that lack the capacity to properly manage them, and assess how federal 
agencies can improve their ability to deter these exports; and,
    6. Building capacity within and share best practices with 
developing countries, so they can improve their ability to safely 
handle used electronics, while promoting economic development.

A. What action is the Agency taking?

    EPA and the Interagency Task Force are soliciting input from 
individuals and organizations to inform the electronics stewardship 
national framework. More specifically, EPA and the Interagency Task 
Force would appreciate your individual views regarding the following 
questions:
    1. What actions should the federal government take to further 
encourage the design, manufacture, procurement, and use of greener 
electronics?
    2. What are the challenges to designing and manufacturing products 
in which rare and valuable materials are 100% recyclable, and are 
recycled at end of product life? What can the federal government do to 
help address those challenges?
    3. What are best practices for used electronics management that the 
federal government should adopt? What examples of best management 
practices of used electronics have been implemented in your community, 
organization or institution?
    4. How can the amount of electronics that are recycled in the 
United States be increased, while ensuring that they are managed safely 
and properly?
    5. What additional infrastructure is needed, and what can be done 
to encourage its development, in the United States to responsibly reuse 
and recycle used electronics from governments, businesses and private 
consumers?
    6. What innovations in electronic design exist that would enable 
electronics to be tracked until disposal?
    7. What information would be most helpful to you when deciding how 
to dispose of used electronics?
    8. What projects, practices or efforts, are you aware of that 
addresses the problem of used electronics from the United States being 
exported and being handled in a way that causes harm to health and the 
environment?
    9. How could public-private partnerships help resolve any or all 
the questions above?
    The framework that is released on May 6, 2011 will include 
additional follow on steps to engage all stakeholders.
    For your convenience the questions above are also available for 
viewing at http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/ecycling/taskforce/.

B. What is the Agency's authority for taking this action?

    Executive Order (E.O.) 13514 specifies Federal Leadership in 
Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance. An overall goal of EO 
13514 is ``to establish an integrated strategy towards sustainability 
in the Federal Government.'' Section 2(i) of E.O. 13514 establishes 
electronics stewardship goals. In the spirit of E.O. 13514, the 
government will lead by example in this effort by ensuring that the 
departments and agencies of the federal government, some of the largest 
consumers of electronics in the country, are also the most responsible 
consumers.
Comments Consideration
    The EPA and the Interagency Task Force on Electronics Stewardship 
will consider stakeholder input received from written comments in 
developing the Framework. There will be another opportunity to comment 
on the Framework developed by the Task Force after it is delivered to 
the Council on Environmental Quality.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Electronics stewardship, Sustainability, 
E-waste.

    Dated: February 23, 2011.
Lisa Feldt,
Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency 
Response.
[FR Doc. 2011-4505 Filed 2-28-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P