[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 59 (Thursday, March 27, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17145-17146]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-06824]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2014-0231; FR:-9908-78-ORD]
Draft Revised EPA's Report on the Environment 2014
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of public comment period.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a 30-
day public comment period for the draft revised web-based, ``EPA's
Report on the Environment 2014'' (ROE 2014). The ROE is a comprehensive
source of scientific indicators that describe the trends in the
nation's environmental and human health condition. ROE 2014 was
prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment within
EPA's Office of Research and Development, working in collaboration with
EPA Program and Regional offices.
The public comment period provides opportunities for all interested
parties to comment on the draft ROE 2014. The draft ROE will also be
reviewed by the agency's independent Science Advisory Board (SAB) at a
later date which will be announced in the Federal Register. When
finalizing the draft ROE 2014, EPA intends to consider any public
comments that EPA receives in accordance with this notice and intends
to forward these comments to the SAB panel prior to their review.
EPA is releasing the draft ROE 2014 for the purposes of public
comment and peer review. This draft 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.
The draft ROE 2014 Web site can be accessed at the following url:
www.epa.gov/draftroe.
DATES: The 30 day public comment period begins March 27, 2014, and ends
April 28, 2014. Technical comments should be in writing and must be
received by EPA by April 28, 2014.
ADDRESSES: The draft ``EPA's Report on the Environment 2014'' is web-
based and is available solely via the Internet using this URL:
www.epa.gov/draftroe.
Comments may be submitted electronically via www.regulations.gov,
by mail, by facsimile, or by hand delivery/courier. Please follow the
detailed instructions provided in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
of this notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the public comment
period, contact the Office of Environmental Information Docket;
telephone: 202-566-1752; facsimile: 202-566-9744; or email: [email protected].
For technical information, contact Dr. Patricia Murphy, NCEA;
telephone: 732-906-6830, facsimile: 732-906-6896 or email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Information About the Project/Document
EPA's draft ROE 2014 is a comprehensive source of scientific
indicators that describe the trends in the nation's environmental and
human health condition. The indicators help to answer important
questions for EPA about the current status and historical trends in
U.S. air, water, land, human health, ecological systems, and aspects of
sustainability at the national and regional levels. These indicators
are based on data collected by the EPA, other federal and state
agencies, and non-governmental organizations and meet high standards
for data quality, objectivity, and utility. The ROE reports status and
trends; it does not analyze or diagnose the reasons for, and
relationships between, trends in stressors and environmental and health
outcomes.
Since its earliest release in 2003, the ROE has undergone periodic
updates and restructurings. The latest version features several
significant changes, the most notable being that the draft ROE 2014 is
fully online, allowing it to be more interactive and accessible than
ever. Users can customize graphics and pan and zoom on maps. For
certain
[[Page 17146]]
indicators, users can now choose to view statistical information about
the data by simply clicking display options. Additionally, new
indicators fill information gaps which previously lacked reliable,
long-term data. A new conceptual framework and sustainability theme
have also been added.
II. How To Submit Technical Comments to the Docket at
www.regulations.gov
Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2014-
0231, by one of the following methods:
www.regulations.gov: Follow the online instructions for
submitting comments.
Email: [email protected].
Fax: 202-566-9744.
Mail: Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket
(Mail Code: 28221T), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460. The phone number is 202-
566-1752. If you provide comments by mail, 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.
Hand Delivery: The OEI Docket is located in the EPA
Headquarters Docket Center, Room 3334 EPA West Building, 1301
Constitution Ave. 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. 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
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-
2014-0231. 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 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
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 www.regulations.gov or email. The
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 email comment
directly to 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 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 home
page at www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: 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 materials,
such as copyrighted material, are publicly available only in hard copy.
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically
in www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the OEI Docket in the EPA
Headquarters Docket Center.
Dated: March 19, 2014.
John Vandenberg,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2014-06824 Filed 3-26-14; 8:45 am]
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