[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 83 (Tuesday, April 30, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25267-25268]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-10154]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-ORD-2010-0674; FRL-9807-7]


Request for Information To Inform Hydraulic Fracturing Research 
Related to Drinking Water Resources

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: The EPA is extending its deadline for the public to submit 
data and scientific literature to inform EPA's research on the 
potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources 
from April 30, 2013 until November 15, 2013. EPA is extending the 
deadline in order to provide the public with more of an opportunity to 
provide feedback to the Agency.

DATES: The EPA will accept data and literature in response to this 
request until November 15, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Using the online method is preferred for submitting 
information. Follow the online instructions at http://www.regulations.gov, and identify your submission with Docket ID No. 
EPA-HQ-ORD-2010-0674.
    Additional methods for submission are:
     Email: Send information by electronic mail (email) to: 
[email protected], Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2010-0674.
     Fax: Fax information to: (202) 566-9744, Attention Docket 
ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2010-0674.
     Mail: Send information by mail to: U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center, Mail code: 28221T, 1200 
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC, 20460, Attention Docket ID No. 
EPA-HQ-ORD-2010-0674.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver information to: EPA 
Docket Center, EPA West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue 
NW., Washington, DC, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2010-0674. 
Deliveries are only accepted during the docket's normal hours of 
operation, between the 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. Special arrangements should be made for 
deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your information to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-
2010-0674. The EPA's policy is that all information 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 email. The www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' 
system, which means the EPA will not know your identity or contact 
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you 
send an email comment directly to the EPA without going through 
www.regulations.gov, your email 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 information 
electronically, the 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 the EPA cannot read your comment due to technical 
difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, the 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. Information on a CD ROM should be formatted as a MS 
Word, Rich Text, or Adobe Acrobat PDF file. For additional information 
about the EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at 
http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the 
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 www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the EPA Docket Center, EPA 
West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. 
The Public

[[Page 25268]]

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 ORD 
Docket is (202) 566-1752.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information contact Lisa 
Matthews, Mail Code 8101R, Office of Research and Development, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; via phone/voice mail at: (202) 564-6669; via fax 
at: (202) 565-2430; or via email at: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    In response to public concern, the U.S. Congress urged the EPA to 
conduct scientific research to examine the relationship between 
hydraulic fracturing and drinking water resources. The EPA currently 
has underway a study to understand the potential impacts, if any, of 
hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources and to identify the 
driving factors that may affect the severity and frequency of any such 
impacts.
    The scope of the study includes the full hydraulic fracturing water 
lifecycle--from water acquisition, through the mixing of chemicals and 
injection of fracturing fluids, to the post fracturing stage, including 
the management of flowback and produced water and its ultimate 
treatment and disposal. The study includes a review of the published 
literature, analysis of existing data, scenario evaluation and 
modeling, laboratory studies and case studies. A copy of the EPA 
document entitled, Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic 
Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources: PROGRESS REPORT can be found on 
the Internet at: http://epa.gov/hfstudy/pdfs/hf-report20121214.pdf.
    To ensure that the EPA is up-to-date on evolving hydraulic 
fracturing practices and technologies, the EPA is soliciting relevant 
data and scientific literature specific to potential impacts of 
hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. While the EPA 
conducts a thorough literature search, there may be studies or other 
primary technical sources that are not available through the open 
literature. The EPA would appreciate receiving information from the 
public to help inform current and future research. Consistent with our 
commitment to using the highest quality information, The EPA prefers 
information which has been peer reviewed. Interested persons may 
provide scientific analyses, studies, and other pertinent scientific 
information, preferably information which has undergone scientific peer 
review. The EPA will consider all submissions but will give preference 
to all peer reviewed data and literature sources.

    Dated: April 22, 2013.
Mary Ellen Radzikowski,
Acting Associate Assistant Administrator, Office of Research and 
Development.
[FR Doc. 2013-10154 Filed 4-29-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P