[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 143 (Tuesday, July 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48789-48791]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17706]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-0399 and EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-0400; FRL-9949-52]
Processes for Risk Evaluation and Chemical Prioritization for
Risk Evaluation Under the Amended Toxic Substances Control Act; Notice
of Public Meetings and Opportunities for Public Comment
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: EPA is holding two public meetings to obtain input into the
Agency's development of processes for risk evaluation and chemical
prioritization for risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control
Act as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st
Century Act (TSCA). Information obtained during these meetings will be
considered in the Agency's development of the proposed procedural
regulations required under TSCA.
DATES: Meetings. For the chemical evaluation process, the meeting will
be held on August 9, 2016 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.. For the process
of prioritizing chemicals for risk evaluation, the meeting will be held
on August 10, 2016 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Meeting Registration. Advance registration for each meeting must be
completed no later than August 4, 2016. On-site registration will be
permitted, but seating and speaking priority will be given to those who
pre-register by the deadline.
Reasonable Accommodations. To request accommodation of a
disability, please contact the technical person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATON CONTACT, preferably by August 1, 2016, to give EPA
as much time as possible to process your request.
Comments. EPA will hear oral comments at each meeting, and will
accept written comments and materials
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submitted to the applicable docket on or before August 17, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Meetings. The meetings will be held in the Horizon Ballroom
at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20004. The meetings will also
be available by remote access for registered participants. For further
information, see Unit III.A. under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Meeting registration. You may register online (preferred) or in
person at the meeting. To register online, go to http://opptstakeholder.eventbrite.com.
Comments. Submit written comments and materials, identified by the
relevant docket ID number, i.e., for the meeting on the process for
risk evaluation, use docket ID EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-0400; and for the
meeting on the process of chemical prioritization for risk evaluation,
use docket ID EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-0399, by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Do not submit
electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted
by statute.
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: To make special arrangements for hand
delivery or delivery of boxed information, please follow the
instructions at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/contacts.html. Additional
instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along with more
information about dockets in general is available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For technical information contact: Chris Blunck, Office of
Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number:
(202) 564-8078; email address: [email protected].
For meeting logistics or registration contact: Klara Zimmerman, Abt
Associates; telephone number: (301) 634-1722; 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 chemical
manufacturers, processors and users, consumer product companies, non-
profit organizations in the environmental and public health sectors,
state and local government agencies, and members of the public
interested in the environmental and human health assessment and
regulation of chemical substances. 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. How can I get copies of documents related to this meeting?
EPA has established two dockets for the meetings: For the meeting
on the process for risk evaluation, use docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-
0400; and for the meeting on the process of chemical prioritization for
risk evaluation, use docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-0399. Both dockets
are available either online at http://www.regulations.gov or in person
at the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics Docket (OPPT Docket),
Environmental Protection Agency Docket Center (EPA/DC), West William
Jefferson Clinton Bldg., Rm. 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW.,
Washington, DC. The 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, and the telephone
number for the OPPT Docket is (202) 566-0280. Please review the visitor
instructions and additional information about the docket available at
http://www.epa.gov/dockets. Documents and meeting information will also
be available at the registration Web site.
II. Background
On June 22, 2016, President Obama signed into law the Frank R.
Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which amended the
Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976. The revised TSCA includes
provisions that require EPA to develop by rule processes for risk
evaluation and chemical prioritization for risk evaluation. Additional
information on the revisions to TSCA can be found at https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/frank-r-lautenberg-chemical-safety-21st-century-act.
Risk evaluation. The meeting on August 9, 2016 will be for the
purpose of gathering information for EPA consideration in developing
the rule required under TSCA section 6(b)(4). Under TSCA section
6(b)(4), not later than 1 year after the date of enactment (i.e., by
June 21, 2017), EPA is required to establish by rule a process to
conduct risk evaluations to determine whether a chemical substance
presents an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment.
Prioritization for risk evaluations. The meeting on August 10, 2016
will be for the purpose of gathering information for EPA consideration
in developing the rule required under TSCA section 6(b)(1). Under TSCA
section 6(b)(1), EPA must within 1 year of enactment (i.e., by June 21,
2017) establish by rule a risk-based screening process, including
criteria for designating chemical substances as high-priority for risk
evaluations or low-priority for which risk evaluations are not
warranted at the time.
III. Meeting
A. Remote Access
The meetings will be accessible remotely for registered
participants. Registered participants will receive information on how
to connect to the meetings prior to their start.
B. Public Participation at the Meeting
Members of the public may register to attend the meetings as
observers and may also register to provide oral comments on the days of
the meetings. A registered speaker is encouraged to focus on issues
directly relevant to the particular meeting's subject matter. Each
speaker is allowed no more than 5 minutes in each meeting. To
accommodate as many registered speakers as possible, speakers may
present oral comments only, without visual aids or written material.
Persons registered to speak (as well as others) may submit written
materials to the dockets as described under ADDRESSES.
IV. How can I request to participate in this meeting?
A. Registration
To attend a meeting in person or to receive remote access, please
register no later than August 4, 2016, using one of the methods
described under ADDRESSES. While on-site registration will be
available, seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis, with
priority given to early registrants, until room capacity is reached.
The Agency
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anticipates that approximately 150 people will be able to attend each
of the meetings in person. For registrants not able to attend in
person, the meetings will also provide remote access capabilities;
registered participants will be provided information on how to connect
to the meetings prior to their start.
B. Required Registration Information
Members of the public may register to attend as observers or speak
if planning to offer oral comments during the scheduled public comment
periods. To register for the meetings online, you must provide your
full name, organization or affiliation, and contact information.
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 2605.
Dated: July 20, 2016.
Jeffery T. Morris,
Acting Director, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.
[FR Doc. 2016-17706 Filed 7-25-16; 8:45 am]
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