[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 26, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44783-44784]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-20594]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9968-08-OLEM]


Access to Confidential Business Information by Eastern Research 
Group (ERG)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of access to data and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: EPA will authorize its contractor, Eastern Research Group 
(ERG) to access Confidential Business Information (CBI) which has been 
submitted to EPA under the authority of all sections of the Resource 
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976, as amended. EPA has 
issued regulations that outline business confidentiality provisions for 
the Agency and require all EPA Offices that receive information 
designated by the submitter as CBI to abide by these provisions.

DATES: Access to confidential data submitted to EPA will occur no 
sooner than October 6, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LaShan Haynes, Document Control 
Officer, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, (5305P), U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20460, 703-605-0516.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Access to Confidential Business Information

    Under EPA Contract EP-W-10-055, entitled ``Advancing SMM: Waste 
Facts and Figures and Related Tasks,'' the Eastern Research Group (ERG) 
will assist the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, Resource 
Conservation and Sustainability Division in collecting and analyzing 
municipal solid waste (MSW) information. The contract addresses MSW and 
other waste such as construction and demolition debris, however, the 
confidential business information (CBI) only relates to the MSW 
information collected and analyzed in the contract. The contract period 
is from August 2017-February 28, 2018. Some of the data collected from 
industry are claimed by industry to contain trade secrets or CBI. In

[[Page 44784]]

accordance with the provisions of 40 CFR part 2, subpart B, ORCR has 
established policies and procedures for handling information collected 
from industry, under the authority of RCRA, including RCRA Confidential 
Business Information Security Manuals.
    Eastern Research Group (ERG), shall protect from unauthorized 
disclosure all information designated as confidential and shall abide 
by all RCRA CBI requirements, including procedures outlined in the RCRA 
CBI Security Manual.
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued regulations (40 
CFR part 2, subpart B) that outline business confidentiality provisions 
for the Agency and require all EPA Offices that receive information 
designated by the submitter as CBI to abide by these provisions. 
Eastern Research Group (ERG) will be authorized to have access to RCRA 
CBI under the EPA ``Contractor Requirements for the Control and 
Security of RCRA Confidential Business Information Security Manual.''
    EPA is issuing this notice to inform all submitters of information 
under all sections of RCRA that EPA will provide Eastern Research Group 
access to the CBI records located in the RCRA Confidential Business 
Information Center. Access to RCRA CBI under this contract will take 
place at Eastern Research Group and EPA Headquarters only. Contractor 
personnel will be required to sign non-disclosure agreements and will 
be briefed on appropriate security procedures before they are permitted 
access to confidential information.

    Dated: September 8, 2017.
Barnes Johnson,
Director, Office of Resource Conservation & Recovery.
[FR Doc. 2017-20594 Filed 9-25-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P