[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 110 (Friday, June 7, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34377-34379]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-13576]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0723; FRL-9389-1]


Trichloroethylene TSCA Chemical Risk Assessment; Notice of Public 
Meetings and Opportunity to Comment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: EPA's contractor, The Scientific Consulting Group (SCG), Inc., 
has identified a panel of scientific experts to conduct peer review of 
EPA's draft Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) chemical risk 
assessment, ``TSCA Workplan Chemical Risk Assessment for 
Trichloroethylene: Degreaser and Arts/Crafts Uses.'' EPA will hold 
three peer review meetings by web connect and teleconference. EPA 
invites the public to register to attend the meetings as observers and/
or speakers providing oral comments during any or all of the peer 
review meetings as discussed in this notice. The public may also 
provide comment on whether they believe the appearance of conflict of 
interest exists for any proposed peer review panel expert.

DATES: Meetings. The peer review meetings will be held on Tuesday, July 
9, 2013, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., E.D.T; Wednesday, July 17, 2013, from 
10 a.m. to 6 p.m., E.D.T; and Wednesday, August 7, 2013, from 1 to 4 
p.m., E.D.T.
    Comments. Written comments and materials and electronic materials 
must be submitted on or before July 23, 2013.
    Conflict of interest comments. Comments on the appearance of a 
conflict of interest for any proposed peer review panel expert must be 
submitted on or before June 28, 2013.
    Registration for meetings: To participate in any of the public peer 
review meetings, you must register no later than 11:59 p.m., EDT, on 
July 6, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Meetings. Meetings will be held via web connect and 
teleconferencing. See Unit III.C. in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
    Registration. See Unit III. in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
    Comments. Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0723, by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Document Control Office (7407M), Office of Pollution 
Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001.
     Hand Delivery: OPPT Document Control Office (DCO), EPA 
East Bldg., Rm. 6428, 1201 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. ATTN: 
Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0723. The DCO is open from 8 a.m. to 
4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone 
number for the DCO is (202) 564-8930. Such deliveries are only accepted 
during the DCO's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements 
should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPPT-
2012-0723. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included 
in the docket without change and may be made available online at http://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 regulations.gov or email. 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 email comment 
directly to EPA without going through regulations.gov, your email 
address will be automatically captured and included

[[Page 34378]]

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 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.
    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., 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 in the electronic 
docket at http://www.regulations.gov, or, if only available in hard 
copy, at the OPPT Docket. The OPPT Docket is located in the EPA Docket 
Center (EPA/DC) at Rm. 3334, EPA West Bldg., 1301 Constitution Ave. 
NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public Reading Room hours of operation 
are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal 
holidays. The telephone number of the EPA/DC Public Reading Room is 
(202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the OPPT Docket is (202) 
566-0280. 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:
    For technical information contact: Stan Barone, Jr., Risk 
Assessment Division (7403M), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number (202) 564-1169; email 
address: [email protected].
    For peer review meeting logistics or registration contact: Susie 
Warner, Scientific Consulting Group (SCG), Inc., 656 Quince Orchard 
Rd., Suite 210, Gaithersburg, MD 20878-1409; telephone number: (301) 
670-4990, ext. 227; fax number: (301) 670-3815; email address: 
[email protected].
    For general information contact: The TSCA-Hotline, ABVI-Goodwill, 
422 South Clinton Ave., Rochester, NY 14620; telephone number: (202) 
554-1404; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this action apply to me?

    This action is directed to the public in general, and may be of 
interest to a wide range of stakeholders including those interested in 
environmental and human health assessment, the chemical industry, 
chemical users, consumer product companies, and members of the public 
interested in the assessment of chemical risks. Since others also may 
be interested, the Agency has not attempted to describe all the 
specific entities that may be affected by this action.

B. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?

    1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through 
regulations.gov or email. Clearly mark the part or all of the 
information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk or 
CD-ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD-ROM as 
CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD-ROM the 
specific information that is claimed as CBI. In addition to one 
complete version of the comment that includes information claimed as 
CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain the information 
claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket. 
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with 
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
    2. 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. 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.
    iii. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and 
substitute language for your requested changes.
    iv. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information 
and/or data that you used.
    v. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you 
arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be 
reproduced.
    vi. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns and 
suggest alternatives.
    vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of 
profanity or personal threats.
    viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period 
deadline identified.

II. Background

    On January 9, 2013, EPA published a notice in the Federal Register 
(78 FR 1856) (FRL-9375-1) on the availability of five draft TSCA 
chemical risk assessments for public comment. The Agency also asked for 
nominations for external experts to conduct peer reviews of the draft 
TSCA risk assessments, including one entitled, ``TSCA Workplan Chemical 
Risk Assessment for Trichloroethylene: Degreaser and Arts/Crafts 
Uses.'' Trichloroethylene (TCE) (CASRN 79-01-6) is one of 83 chemicals 
identified for review and assessment in EPA's TSCA Work Plan, which was 
released on March 1, 2012, at http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/workplans.html.
    This information is distributed solely for the purpose of pre-
dissemination peer review under applicable information quality 
guidelines. It has not been formally disseminated by EPA. It does not 
represent and should not be construed to represent any Agency 
determination or policy.
    The draft TCE TSCA risk assessment is being peer reviewed 
consistent with guidelines for the peer review of influential 
scientific information and highly influential scientific assessments. 
EPA asked a contractor, SCG, to assemble a panel of experts to evaluate 
the draft TCE TSCA risk assessment report for specific uses of TCE. SCG 
evaluated 27 candidates that were nominated as peer reviewers by the 
February 8, 2013 deadline established in the January 9, 2013 Federal 
Register notice and evaluated over 100 additional experts before 
submitting the proposed peer review panel members. The proposed peer 
review panel was vetted by the contractor for conflict of interest and 
the appearance of bias according to Agency peer review guidance as 
detailed in the contract. This proposed peer review panel members 
include: Penny Fenner-Crisp, Chair; James Cerhan; Jeffrey H. Driver; 
Timur Durrani; Montserrat Fuentes; Kathleen Gilbert; Mike Jayjock; 
Deborah Keil; Ron Melnick; David Morgott; Kenneth Portier; Barry Ryan; 
Raymond Runyan; and Calvin Willhite. The biographies are available in 
the docket (docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPPT-

[[Page 34379]]

2012-0723). The public may provide comments to the same docket for the 
draft TCE TSCA risk assessment on the appearance of a conflict of 
interest for any proposed peer review panel member. This comment period 
on the peer review panel membership closes on June 28, 2013. The final 
list of peer review panel members will be available on the SCG's Web 
site at http://www.scgcorp.com.
    The peer review panel is responsible for the review of the 
scientific and technical merit of the draft TCE TSCA risk assessment, 
which is available through http://www.regulations.gov and at http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/workplans.html. The peer review 
panel will not address potential policy implications or risk management 
options that may result from the draft TCE TSCA risk assessment. 
Members of the public may register to attend any or all three meetings 
as observers and may also register to speak offering oral comments on 
each day of the meetings. A registered speaker is encouraged to focus 
on issues directly relevant to science-based aspects of the draft TCE 
TSCA risk assessment and to address specific scientific points in the 
speaker's oral comments.
    The first peer review meeting on July 9, 2013, will be dedicated to 
hearing registered speakers' oral comments on the draft TCE TSCA risk 
assessment and reviewing the charge to the peer reviewers. Each speaker 
is allowed between 3-5 minutes, depending on the number of registered 
speakers. Given time constraints, a maximum of 30 speakers will be 
allowed to offer comments. If more than 30 speakers register to provide 
oral comments, speakers will be selected by SCG in a manner designed to 
optimize representation from all organizations, affiliations, and 
present a balance of science issues relevant to the Agency's TSCA risk 
assessment. Peer review panel members will have access to written 
comments and materials and electronic materials submitted to the docket 
by July 23, 2013. Registered observers and speakers will not be allowed 
to distribute any written comments or materials or electronic materials 
directly to the peer review panel members. To submit written comments, 
please follow one of the methods outlined in ADDRESSES. The public 
comment period closes on July 23, 2013.
    The second peer review panel meeting on July 17, 2013, will be 
devoted to deliberations of the draft TCE TSCA risk assessment by the 
peer review panel, guided by the charge questions to the peer review 
panel.
    The third and final peer review panel meeting on August 7, 2013, 
will focus on the peer review panel's discussion of its draft TCE TSCA 
risk assessment recommendations to EPA. The final peer review panel 
report will be prepared by SCG and made available to the public 
according to the Agency peer review guidance at http://www.epa.gov/peerreview. EPA will consider SCG's peer review panel report of the 
comments and recommendations from the three peer review meetings, as 
well as written comments and materials and electronic materials in the 
docket at http://www.regulations.gov, as it proceeds to finalize the 
TCE TSCA risk assessment.

III. How can I request to participate in these meetings?

A. Registration

    To attend the peer review meetings, you must register for the 
meeting no later than 11:59 p.m., EDT, on July 6, 2013. To register for 
the meeting go to http://www.scgcorp.com/tcl2013, complete the online 
registration form, and submit the required information. You may also 
register through the U.S. Postal Service or by overnight/priority mail 
by sending the necessary registration information (see Unit III.B.) to 
the SCG Meeting Coordinator, Ms. Susie Warner. The U.S. Postal Service 
or overnight/priority mail address is: The Scientific Consulting Group, 
Inc., 656 Quince Orchard Rd., Suite 210, Gaithersburg, MD 20878-1409. 
For questions or additional information, contact Ms. Warner by: 
Telephone: (301) 670-4990, ext. 227; fax: (301) 670-3815; or email: 
[email protected]. Registrations sent via U.S. Postal Service or 
overnight/priority mail must be received no later than 11:59 p.m., EDT, 
on July 6, 2013. There will be no on-site registration, so members of 
the public who do not register by 11:59 p.m., EDT, on July 6, 2013, 
using one of the methods described in this unit may not receive web 
access information in time to attend the first peer review meetings.

B. Required Registration Information

    Members of the public may register to attend any or all three 
meetings as observers, or register to speak if planning to offer oral 
comments during the scheduled public comment session of a meeting. To 
register for the meetings online or by mail, you must provide your full 
name, organization or affiliation, and contact information. You must 
also indicate which meetings you plan to attend and if you would like 
to speak during the scheduled public comment session of a meeting. If 
you register to speak, you must also indicate if you have any special 
requirements related to your oral comments (e.g., translation).
    If you indicate that you wish to speak, you will be asked to select 
one category most closely reflecting the content of your oral comments. 
These comment categories related to the charge questions are:
    1. General comments on the risk assessment document;
    2. Comments on the exposure assessment;
    3. Comments on the hazard assessment;
    4. Comments on the risk characterization; or
    5. Other issues.
    Should more than 30 speakers register for a single meeting, these 
categories will be used to ensure that a balance of substantive science 
issues relevant to the assessment is heard. Additional information on 
the selection of speakers and speaking times will be sent out by SCG 3 
days prior to each peer review meeting to all individuals registered to 
speak.
    To accommodate as many registered speakers as possible, registered 
speakers may present oral comments only, without visual aids or written 
material. Peer review panel members will have access to any written 
comments and materials and electronic materials previously submitted to 
the docket. Registered observers and speakers will not be allowed to 
distribute any written comments and materials or electronic materials 
directly to the peer review panel members.

C. Web Meeting Access

    Each peer review meeting will be held via web connect and 
teleconferencing. SCG will provide all registered participants with 
information on how to participate in advance of the first peer review 
meeting.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Chemicals, Peer review, Risk assessments, 
Trichloroethylene.

    Dated: May 31, 2013.
Wendy C. Hamnett,
Director, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.
[FR Doc. 2013-13576 Filed 6-6-13; 8:45 am]
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