[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 165 (Thursday, August 25, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53125-53127]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21722]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9456-8; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2011-0425]


Draft Toxicological Review of Libby Amphibole Asbestos: In 
Support of the Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information 
System (IRIS)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public comment period and listening session.

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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing a 60-day public comment period and a public 
listening session for the external review draft human health assessment 
titled ``Toxicological Review of Libby Amphibole Asbestos: In Support 
of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System 
(IRIS)'' (EPA/635/R-11/002A). The draft assessment was prepared by 
staff in both EPA's Region 8 Office (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, 
South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, and 27 tribal nations), and the National 
Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within the EPA Office of 
Research and Development (ORD). EPA is releasing the draft assessment 
for the purposes of public comment and peer review. This draft 
assessment is not final as described in EPA's Information Quality 
Guidelines, and it does not represent and should not be construed to 
represent Agency policy or views. When finalizing the draft document, 
EPA intends to consider any public comments that EPA receives in 
accordance with this notice. The public comments submitted in 
accordance with this notice will be made available to the peer review 
panel.
    The draft document is also being provided to EPA's Science Advisory 
Board (SAB), a body established under the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act, for independent external peer review. The public comment period 
and the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) peer-review, which will be 
scheduled at a later date and announced in the Federal Register, are 
separate processes that provide opportunities for all interested 
parties to comment on the document.
    EPA is also announcing a listening session to be held on October 6, 
2011 during the public comment period for this draft assessment. The 
purpose of the listening session is to allow all interested parties to 
present scientific and technical comments on draft IRIS health 
assessments to EPA and other interested parties attending the listening 
session. EPA welcomes the scientific and technical comments that will 
be provided to the Agency by the listening session participants. The 
comments will be considered by the Agency as it revises the draft 
assessment after the independent external peer review. If listening 
session participants would like EPA to share their comments with the 
external peer reviewers, they should also submit written comments 
during the public comment period using the detailed and established 
procedures described in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this 
notice.

DATES: The public comment period begins August 25, 2011, and ends 
October 24, 2011. Technical comments should be in writing and must be 
received by EPA by October 24, 2011.
    The listening session on the draft IRIS health assessment for Libby 
Amphibole Asbestos will be held in Arlington, VA, on October 6, 2011, 
beginning at 1 p.m. and ending at 5 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time, or 
when the last presentation has been completed. If you would like to 
make a presentation at the listening session, you should register by 
September 29, 2011. To attend the listening session, register by 
September 29, 2011, by sending an e-mail to 
[email protected] (subject line: Libby Amphibole Asbestos 
Listening Session); by calling Christine Ross at 703-347-8592; or by 
faxing a registration request to 703-347-8689. Please reference the 
``Libby Amphibole Asbestos Listening Session'' and include your name, 
title, affiliation, full address, and contact information. To present 
at the listening session, indicate in your registration that you would 
like to make oral comments at the session and provide the length of 
your

[[Page 53126]]

presentation. When you register, please indicate if you will need 
audio-visual aid (e.g., laptop and slide projector). In general, each 
presentation should be no more than 30 minutes. If, however, there are 
more requests for presentations than the allotted time allows, then the 
time limit for each presentation will be adjusted. A copy of the agenda 
for the listening session will be available at the meeting. If no 
speakers have registered by September 29, 2011, the listening session 
will be cancelled and EPA will notify those registered of the 
cancellation.
    Listening session participants who would like EPA to share their 
comments with the external peer reviewers should also submit written 
comments to the docket during the public comment period using the 
detailed and established procedures described in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this notice. Comments submitted to the docket 
prior to the end of the public comment period will be considered by EPA 
in the disposition of public comments. Additionally, these comments 
will be made available to the SAB external peer reviewers. All comments 
must be submitted to the docket. Comments received after the public 
comment period closes will not be submitted to the external peer 
reviewers.

ADDRESSES: The draft ``Toxicological Review of Libby Amphibole 
Asbestos: In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk 
Information System (IRIS)'' is available primarily via the Internet on 
the NCEA home page under the Recent Additions and Publications menus at 
http://www.epa.gov/ncea. A limited number of paper copies are available 
from the Information Management Team, NCEA; telephone: 703-347-8561; 
facsimile: 703-347-8691. If you are requesting a paper copy, please 
provide your name, mailing address, and the document title.
    Comments may be submitted electronically via http://www.regulations.gov, by mail, by facsimile, or by hand delivery/
courier. Please follow the detailed instructions as provided in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.
    The listening session on the draft Libby Amphibole Asbestos 
assessment will be held at the EPA offices at Two Potomac Yard (North 
Building), 7th Floor, Room 7100, 2733 South Crystal Drive, Arlington, 
Virginia 22202. Please note that to gain entrance to this EPA building 
to attend the meeting, attendees must have photo identification with 
them and must register at the guard's desk in the lobby. The guard will 
retain your photo identification and will provide you with a visitor's 
badge. At the guard's desk, attendees should give the name Christine 
Ross and the telephone number, 703-347-8592, to the guard on duty. The 
guard will contact Ms. Ross who will meet you in the reception area to 
escort you to the meeting room. When you leave the building, please 
return your visitor's badge to the guard and you will receive your 
photo identification.
    A teleconference line will also be available for registered 
attendees/speakers. The teleconference number is 866-299-3188 and the 
access code is 926-378-7897, followed by the pound sign (). 
The teleconference line will be activated at 12:45 p.m, and you will be 
asked to identify yourself and your affiliation at the beginning of the 
call.
    Information on Services for Individuals with Disabilities: EPA 
welcomes public attendance at the Libby Amphibole Asbestos Listening 
Session and will make every effort to accommodate persons with 
disabilities. For information on access or services for individuals 
with disabilities, please contact Christine Ross at 703-347-8592 or 
[email protected]. To request accommodation of a disability, 
please contact Ms. Ross, preferably at least 10 days prior to the 
meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process your request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the federal docket, 
contact the Office of Environmental Information Docket; telephone: 202-
566-1752; facsimile: 202-566-1753; or e-mail: [email protected].
    For information on the public listening session, please contact 
Christine Ross, IRIS Staff, National Center for Environmental 
Assessment, (Mail Code: 8601P), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 703-
347-8592; facsimile: 703-347-8689; or e-mail: 
[email protected].
    If you have questions about the document, contact Danielle DeVoney, 
National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA, Mail Code: 8623P), 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 
(703) 347-8558; facsimile: 703-347-8693; or e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Information About IRIS

    EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) provides 
information about over 540 chemicals to which the public may be exposed 
from releases to air, water, and land and through the use and disposal 
of chemicals. IRIS assessments provide a scientific foundation for 
decisions to protect public health across EPA's programs and regions 
under an array of environmental laws. The IRIS database is publicly 
available online at http://www.epa.gov/iris and is used by state and 
local governments, environmental specialists, healthcare professionals, 
and international institutions to characterize the potential health 
effects of contaminant exposure. Over the past 2 years, EPA has 
strengthened and streamlined the IRIS program, improving transparency 
and increasing the number of final assessments added to the database. 
Continually improving the IRIS program is an ongoing priority for the 
Agency.

II. How To Submit Technical Comments to the Docket at http://www.regulations.gov

    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2011-
0425 by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments;
     E-mail: [email protected];
     Fax: 202-566-1753;
     Mail: Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket 
(Mail Code: 2822T), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460. The telephone number is 
202-566-1752; and
     Hand Delivery: The OEI Docket is located in the EPA 
Headquarters Docket Center, EPA West Building, Room 3334, 1301 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center's 
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. Such deliveries are only accepted during 
the docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should 
be made for deliveries of boxed information.
    If you provide comments by mail or hand delivery, please submit one 
unbound original with pages numbered consecutively, and three copies of 
the comments. For attachments, provide an index, number pages 
consecutively with the comments, and submit an unbound original and 
three copies.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-
2011-0425. Please ensure that your comments are submitted within the 
specified comment period. Comments received after the closing date will 
be marked ``late,'' and may only be considered if

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time permits. It is EPA's policy to include all comments it receives in 
the public docket without change and to make the comments available 
online at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided, unless a 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 http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The http://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 http://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.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some 
information is not publicly available, e.g., 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 either electronically 
in http://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the OEI Docket in the 
EPA Headquarters Docket Center.

    Dated: August 3, 2011.
Darrell A. Winner,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2011-21722 Filed 8-24-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P