[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 224 (Wednesday, November 20, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64063-64064]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-25171]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2019-0637; FRL-10002-09]
New Chemicals Program Implementation Under the Amended Toxic
Substances Control Act (TSCA); Notice of Public Meeting
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: On December 10, 2019, EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and
Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) will hold a public meeting to engage with
interested stakeholders on the implementation of EPA's TSCA New
Chemicals program, including: (1) An overview of EPA's updated
``Working Approach'' document that builds upon EPA's November 2017
``New Chemicals Decision-Making Framework: Working Approach to Making
Determinations under section 5 of TSCA''; (2) a demonstration of how
EPA uses key concepts in the Working Approach to reach certain
conclusions and/or make determinations under TSCA section 5(a)(3) using
specific case examples; (3) an update on confidential business
information (CBI) process improvements and clarifications; and (4) a
discussion of EPA's ongoing efforts and progress to increase
transparency. Interested stakeholders will have the opportunity at the
meeting to provide their views on these topics, in addition to
providing written feedback in the docket. Later in December 2019, EPA
expects to announce the availability of the updated ``Working
Approach'' document and provide opportunity for written public comment
on the document. Feedback from the public meeting and comments received
will help inform the Agency's ongoing efforts to improve policy and
processes relating to the review of new chemicals under TSCA.
DATES: Meeting: The New Chemicals Program meeting will be held on
December 10, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. In addition to EPA
presentations on the topics described above, EPA is setting aside one
hour (from 1:40 p.m. to 2:40 p.m.) for members of the public to share
their views. See registration instructions below. Online requests to
speak at the meeting must be received on or before December 6, 2019.
On-site registration for both attendance and speaking will be
permitted, but seating and speaking priority will be given to those who
pre-register by the deadline.
Requests for Accommodation: To request accommodation of a
disability, please contact the meeting logistics person listed under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, preferably at least 10 days prior to
the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process your
request.
Comments: EPA will accept written feedback on these topics in the
docket until January 24, 2020. When submitting comments to the docket,
please be as specific as possible, and please include any supporting
data or other information.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at EPA's William Jefferson Clinton
East Building, room 1153 (``the Map Room''), 1201 Constitution Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20460. The meeting will also be available by remote
access for registered participants. For further information, see Unit
III. under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Registration: To participate in the New Chemicals Program
Implementation meeting on December 10, 2019 (identified by docket
identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2019-0637), you may register
online (preferred) or in person at the meeting. To register online, go
to https://epa-ncrp.eventbrite.com.
Comments: Written feedback, identified by the docket ID number EPA-
HQ-OPPT-2019-0637, can be submitted by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting written feedback. 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 about the
New Chemicals Program Implementation meeting contact: Ryan Schmit,
Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (7101M), Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: (202) 564-0610; email address:
[email protected].
For meeting logistics or registration contact: Emily Connor, Abt
Associates; telephone number: (301) 347-5197; 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, public health and animal
welfare sectors, state and local government agencies, and members of
the public interested in the environmental and human health assessment
and regulation of new 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 this document and other related information?
The docket for the New Chemicals Program Implementation meeting
(EPA-HQ-OPPT-2019-0637) is available at http://www.regulations.gov or
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
[[Page 64064]]
information about the docket available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
II. Background
The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act,
amending the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, was signed into law
on June 22, 2016. The amendments have enhanced EPA's authority to
evaluate chemical substances.
Since the 2016 amendments to TSCA, EPA has been working to make the
policy and process changes necessary to align the New Chemicals program
with the requirements of the new law, as well as to streamline and
improve the review process. In November 2017, EPA released the ``New
Chemicals Decision-Making Framework: Working Approach to Making
Determinations under section 5 of TSCA'' (the ``Working Approach'') for
public comment, and subsequently held a public meeting on implementing
the New Chemicals program under amended TSCA on December 14, 2017.
After consideration of comments received on the 2017 version and
based on additional implementation experience, EPA is updating the
Working Approach. Later in December 2019, EPA will announce the
availability of the updated document after the public meeting and will
accept comments on the updated document. EPA expects the updated
document will provide further clarity and detail on EPA's approach and
practices, including: (1) EPA's general guiding principles and concepts
for making determinations on new chemical notices submitted to EPA
under section 5 of TSCA; (2) the decision-making logic and the key
questions that EPA must address; and (3) a discussion of how EPA might
apply the working approach to reach one of the five new chemical
determinations allowable under the statute.
Additional information on the TSCA amendments can be found at
https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/frank-r-lautenberg-chemical-safety-21st-century-act.
III. Meeting
A. Remote Access
The meeting will be accessible remotely for registered
participants. Registered participants will receive information on how
to connect to the meeting prior to its start.
B. Public Participation at the Meeting
Members of the public may register to attend the meeting as
observers and may also register to speak at the meeting, using one of
the registration methods described under ADDRESSES. A registered
speaker is encouraged to focus on issues directly relevant to the
meeting's subject matter. Each speaker will be allowed approximately
three minutes to provide oral feedback, subject to the number of
confirmed registered speakers. A speaker must be registered in order to
speak during the meeting. To accommodate as many registered speakers as
possible, speakers may not use visual aids or written material. Persons
registered to speak (as well as others) may submit written materials to
the dockets as described under ADDRESSES. The meeting agenda and
supporting materials will be made available in the docket and on EPA's
website in advance of the meeting.
IV. How can I request to participate in these meeting?
A. Registration
To attend the meeting in person or to receive remote access, you
must register online no later than December 6, 2019, 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.
For registrants not able to attend in person, the meeting will also
provide remote access capabilities; registered participants will be
provided information on how to connect to the meeting prior to its
start.
B. Required Registration Information
Members of the public may register to attend as observers or to
speak during the scheduled public speaking period at the meeting. To
register for the meeting online, you must provide your full name,
organization or affiliation, and contact information.
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.
Dated: November 15, 2019.
Tala Henry,
Deputy Director, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.
[FR Doc. 2019-25171 Filed 11-19-19; 8:45 am]
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