[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 62 (Thursday, March 31, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18625-18626]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-07181]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2014-0211; FRL-9943-69-ORD]


Announcement on the Availability of the IRIS Program General 
Comments Docket; Announcement of the IRIS Program Public Science 
Meetings for Calendar Year 2016

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of the availability of the IRIS Program General Comments 
Docket and the IRIS Program public science meetings for calendar year 
2016.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the 
availability of an IRIS Program General Comments Docket (Docket ID 
#EPA-HQ-ORD-2014-0211) open for public comments that have broad 
applicability to the IRIS Program. This docket was opened in 2014 and 
will remain open continuously. Stakeholders interested in submitting 
general comments to the IRIS Program are encouraged to use this docket. 
EPA is also announcing the dates for the 2016 IRIS public science 
meetings. Meetings will be held on May 10, 2016; June 29-30, 2016; 
September 7-8, 2016; and October 26-27, 2016. All future notices about 
the availability of draft IRIS assessments for public comment (Step 4a) 
or IRIS public science meetings will be posted on the IRIS Web site at 
http://www.epa.gov/iris. Comments related to specific IRIS chemicals 
should continue to be directed to the appropriate chemical-specific 
docket (see the IRIS Web site at www.epa.gov/iris). To determine the 
status of specific IRIS assessments, visit the ``Assessments in 
Development'' page on the IRIS Web site. The IRIS Program is committed 
to open communication and maintains a public listserv to make program 
announcements. For information about how to register for the IRIS 
Bulletin listserv or for the latest information on the availability of 
materials for ongoing IRIS assessments, visit http://www.epa.gov/iris.

DATES: Meetings will be held on May 10, 2016; June 29-30, 2016; 
September 7-8, 2016; and October 26-27, 2016

ADDRESSES: IRIS' Web site at http://www.epa.gov/iris or the public 
docket at http://www.regulations.gov, Docket ID: EPA-HQ-ORD-2014-0211.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on submitting comments 
to this docket, contact the ORD Docket at the EPA Headquarters Docket 
Center; telephone: 202-566-1752; facsimile: 202-566-9744; or email: 
[email protected].
    For technical information on the IRIS Program, contact Vicki Soto, 
NCEA; telephone: 703-347-0290; facsimile: 703-347-8689; or email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Information About IRIS

    EPA's IRIS Program is a human health assessment program that 
evaluates quantitative and qualitative risk information on effects that 
may result from exposure to chemicals found in the environment. Through 
the IRIS Program, EPA provides the highest quality science-based human 
health assessments to support the Agency's regulatory activities and 
decisions to protect public health. The IRIS database contains 
information on chemicals that can be used to support the first two 
steps (hazard identification and dose-response evaluation) of the human 
health risk assessment process. When supported by available data, IRIS 
provides health effects information and toxicity values for health 
effects (including cancer and effects other than cancer). Government 
and others combine IRIS toxicity values with exposure information to 
characterize public health risks of chemicals; this information is then 
used to support risk management decisions designed to protect public 
health.

II. Information on the IRIS Program General Comments Docket

    EPA created the IRIS Program General Comments Docket in 2014, based 
in part on stakeholder's requests, to allow the public to submit 
comments that have broad applicability to the IRIS Program. Commenters 
are asked to identify themselves and provide contact information to 
promote an open dialogue on issues. Examples of the types of comments 
appropriate for this docket include comments on general scientific 
issues that apply to all assessments as well as other general comments 
(not chemical-specific) about the IRIS Program. By having a docket for 
general comments, stakeholders will no longer have to submit the same 
general comment to individual chemical dockets that are established for 
each IRIS assessment.

III. Future Notifications on the Availability of Draft IRIS Assessments 
for Public Comment

    In order to provide information to stakeholders in a timely and 
efficient manner, the IRIS Program has considered methods of more 
effectively communicating information to the public. As a result of 
these efforts, EPA will now announce public comment periods, docket 
numbers, and information on the availability of draft IRIS assessments, 
solely on the IRIS Web site (http://www.epa.gov/iris). EPA will no 
longer announce the availability of draft IRIS assessments for public 
comment in the Federal Register. This change only applies to 
assessments released by the IRIS Program for comment and discussion at 
future IRIS public science meetings and does not apply to external peer 
review draft IRIS assessments managed by EPA's Science Advisory Board 
(SAB) Staff Office. For more information on the IRIS Program, including 
registering for the Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) and IRIS 
Bulletin listservs, visit the IRIS Web site: http://www.epa.gov/iris.

IV. How To Submit Comments to the Docket at www.regulations.gov

    EPA invites the public to submit comments and other relevant 
information regarding the IRIS program and processes to the General 
Docket. Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-
2014-0211, by one of the following methods:
     www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for 
submitting comments.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 202-566-9744.
     Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket 
Center (ORD Docket), Mail Code: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20460. The phone number is 202-566-1752.
     Hand Delivery: The ORD Docket is located in the EPA 
Headquarters Docket Center, EPA West Building, Room 3334, 1301 
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC.

[[Page 18626]]

    The EPA Docket Center 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 mail or hand delivery, 
please submit 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-
2014-0211. 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 through 
www.regulations.gov or email information that you consider to be CBI or 
otherwise protected. 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 homepage 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 ORD Docket in the EPA 
Headquarters Docket Center.

    Dated: March 16, 2016.
Mary A. Ross,
Deputy Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2016-07181 Filed 3-30-16; 8:45 am]
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