[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 63 (Monday, April 5, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 17571-17572]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-06926]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 141

[EPA-HQ-OW-2021-0255; FRL 10022-33-OW]
RIN 2040-AF15


Lead and Copper Rule (LCRR) Virtual Engagements

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Announcement of events; request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will host virtual 
engagements beginning in April 2021. The goal of the events is to 
obtain further public input on EPA's revision to the Lead and Copper 
rule (LCRR), particularly from individuals and communities that are 
most at-risk of exposure to lead in drinking water. For more 
information on each event, visit EPA's drinking water website: 
www.epa.gov/safewater. For more information, go to the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this document.

DATES: Public listening sessions will be held on April 28, 2021 and May 
5, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., eastern daylight time. Should 
additional dates and times be required, EPA will provide updates on our 
website: www.epa.gov/safewater. If you are unable to attend any of the 
events, you will be able to submit comments at http://www.regulations.gov: enter Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2021-0255 until June 
30, 2021.
    EPA will host virtual community-focused roundtables starting in May 
2021. Virtual roundtables with stakeholder groups including drinking 
water utilities, environmental organizations, environmental justice 
organizations, public health organizations, and consumer associations 
will be held starting in June 2021. EPA also intends to host a national 
co-regulator meeting in July 2021 to discuss the feedback received from 
communities. Details and times for these engagements will be posted on 
EPA's drinking water website at: www.epa.gov/safewater.

ADDRESSES: Individuals, including those that attend and provide oral 
statements, are encouraged to send written statements, identified by 
Docket ID EPA-HQ-OW-2021-0255, by the following method:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov/ 
(our preferred method). Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OW-2021-0255 for this EPA engagements. Comments received may 
be posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov/, including any 
personal information provided. For detailed instructions on sending 
comments and additional information on the rulemaking process, see the 
``Public Participation'' heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christina Wadlington, USEPA, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-
566-1859; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Participation

    A. Written Comments--No.
    B. Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID EPA-HQ-OW-2021-
0255, at https://www.regulations.gov. Once submitted, comments cannot 
be edited or removed from the docket. The EPA may publish any comment 
received to its public docket. Do not submit electronically any 
information you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) 
or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. 
Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a 
written comment. The written comment is considered the official comment 
and should include discussion of all points you wish to make. EPA will 
generally not consider comments or comment contents located outside of 
the primary submission (i.e., on the web, cloud, or other file sharing 
system). For the full EPA public comment policy, information about CBI 
or multimedia submissions, and general guidance on making effective 
comments, please visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.
    C. Details about Participating in the Listening Session:
    The public is invited to speak during the April 28, 2021 or May 5, 
2021 listening sessions. Those interested in speaking can sign up for a 
3-minute time slot on EPA's website at https://www.epa.gov/safewater. 
EPA will send an email to each speaker to confirm their speaking time 
and date. EPA intends to make each session available for viewing to 
those who are not participating but are interested in listening. EPA 
will be posting additional event details on www.epa.gov/safewater, as 
they become available.
    D. Details about Participating in the Community Roundtable:
    EPA intends to host community virtual roundtables during which 
local organizations can participate in a discussion of LCRR related 
topics and provide their unique perspective to EPA. These roundtables 
will focus on communities that are disproportionately impacted by the 
challenges of lead in drinking water. EPA requests that communities 
that would like to be considered for a roundtable submit their 
nomination letter to EPA via email to [email protected] not later than April 
23, 2021. Nomination letters should include the following information:
     Name of location,
     Primary point of contact and contact information,
     A description of how your community has been underserved 
or experienced disproportionate impacts from drinking water lead 
exposure, and
     A list of no more than 25 recommended community 
participants and/or local organizations.
    EPA recommends that the list of participants/organizations that are 
submitted be representative of all interests in their community 
including, but not limited to, local government entities, public water 
utilities, community-organized groups, environmental groups and elected 
officials. EPA intends to make each roundtable available for viewing to 
those who are not participating but are interested in listening. EPA 
will be posting meeting materials and additional event details on 
www.epa.gov/safewater, as they become available.
    E. Details about Participating in Stakeholder Roundtables:
    EPA intends to host stakeholder roundtables where representatives 
of national organizations (e.g., environmental, industry, consumer, 
intergovernmental) can participate in a discussion of LCRR related 
topics and provide their perspective to the Agency. EPA requests that 
organizations that would like to participate in a roundtable submit 
their nomination letter to EPA via email to [email protected] not later than 
April 23, 2021. Nomination letters should include the following 
information:
     Name of organization,
     Primary point of contact and contact information, and
     Why your organization should be considered as a 
participant.

[[Page 17572]]

    EPA intends to make each roundtable available for viewing to those 
who are not participating but are interested in listening. EPA will be 
posting meeting materials and additional event details on www.epa.gov/safewater, as they become available.
    F. Details of National Co-Regulator Meeting:
    EPA will be reaching out directly to primacy agencies (e.g., 
states, tribes, territories) with a specific date, time, and details of 
this meeting in the coming months. EPA will be posting meeting 
materials and additional event details on www.epa.gov/safewater, as 
they become available.

II. Revised LCR Extension

    On March 12, 2021, EPA announced that it is extending the effective 
date of the Revised Lead and Copper Rule (LCRR) so that the agency can 
seek further public input, particularly from communities that are most 
at-risk of exposure to lead in drinking water. To accomplish this goal, 
EPA published in the Federal Register two rules regarding the revised 
LCR as follows: Final Rule delay of effective date (86 FR 14003, March 
12, 2021); and Proposed Rule delay of effective and compliance dates 
(86 FR 14063, March 12, 2021).
    The first is a final rule that announced an extension of the 
effective date for the revised LCR from March 16, 2021 until June 17, 
2021. The purpose of this initial extension of the effective date is to 
enable EPA to take public comment on a second action that would provide 
a longer extension of the effective date to allow EPA to undertake its 
review of the rule in a deliberate and thorough manner, consistent with 
the public health purposes of the Safe Drinking Water Act, President 
Biden's Executive Order on Protecting Public Health and the Environment 
and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis, the President's 
Chief of Staff's Regulatory Freeze Pending Review Memorandum, and in 
consultation with affected stakeholders. The second action is a 
proposed rulemaking to extend the effective date until December 16, 
2021, and also proposes a corresponding extension of the revised LCR's 
compliance deadline to September 16, 2024. This action would provide 
time for EPA to complete its review and obtain additional stakeholder 
input but would also ensure that drinking water systems and primacy 
states continue to have adequate time as provided by the Safe Drinking 
Water Act to take actions needed to assure regulatory compliance. The 
request for public comment on these extensions, which closes on April 
12, is separate from the stakeholder meetings EPA is announcing in this 
action.

Yu-Ting Guilaran,
Acting Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 2021-06926 Filed 4-2-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P