[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 206 (Thursday, October 28, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59711-59712]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23421]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OLEM-2021-0762; FRL- 9153-01-OLEM]


Strategy To Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities in U.S. 
Communities

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public 
comment on its draft Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities 
in U.S. Communities. The EPA has developed

[[Page 59712]]

this lead strategy to further reduce lead exposures in communities, and 
particularly those with environmental justice concerns.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before January 26, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OLEM-2021-0762 to:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov/ 
(our preferred method). Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket 
Center, Office of Land and Emergency Management Docket, Mail Code 
28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460.
     Hand Delivery or Courier (by scheduled appointment only): 
EPA Docket Center, WJC West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution 
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004. The Docket Center's hours of 
operations are 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday (except Federal 
Holidays).
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket ID 
No. for this action. 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, see the ``Public Participation'' heading of the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document. Out of an abundance 
of caution for members of the public and our staff, the EPA Docket 
Center and Reading Room are open to the public by appointment only to 
reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19. Our Docket Center staff also 
continues to provide remote customer service via email, phone, and 
webform. Hand deliveries and couriers may be received by scheduled 
appointment only. For further information on EPA Docket Center services 
and the current status, please visit us online at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stiven Foster, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Mail Code: 5103T, 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 566-1911; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Participation

A. Written Comments

    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2021-
0762 at https://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or the 
other methods identified in the ADDRESSES section. 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 to 
EPA's docket at https://www.regulations.gov any information you 
consider to be Proprietary Business Information (PBI) 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. The 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 additional submission methods, the full EPA public comment 
policy, information about PBI or multimedia submissions, and general 
guidance on making effective comments, please visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.
    Due to public health concerns related to COVID-19, the EPA Docket 
Center and Reading Room are open to the public by appointment only. Our 
Docket Center staff also continues to provide remote customer service 
via email, phone, and webform. Hand deliveries or couriers will be 
received by scheduled appointment only. For further information and 
updates on EPA Docket Center services, please visit us online at 
https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    The EPA continues to carefully and continuously monitor information 
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local area 
health departments, and our Federal partners so that we can respond 
rapidly as conditions change regarding COVID-19.

II. Background

    The EPA has developed the Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and 
Disparities in U.S. Communities (Lead Strategy) to further reduce lead 
exposures in communities, and particularly those with environmental 
justice concerns. Adverse effects on intellect, ability to pay 
attention, and academic achievement have been linked to very low levels 
of lead in children's blood. The EPA will focus on eliminating the 
disparities in blood lead levels by taking targeted actions informed by 
scientific information to prevent exposures that could lead to lifelong 
impacts on social and economic achievement. The EPA is seeking public 
comment on this draft strategy. Following the public comment period, 
the EPA will revise and implement the Lead Strategy.
    The EPA will work with other federal agencies and engage states, 
tribes, territories, and local partners throughout Lead Strategy 
implementation to target technical and financial resources to address 
priorities. The EPA will prioritize implementation of actions in the 
Lead Strategy based on their effectiveness in eliminating exposures to 
vulnerable communities and available resources. To do this, the EPA 
will apply best practices, via program evaluation and other evidence-
building approaches to assess the impacts of key local-scale programs.

    Dated: October 21, 2021.
Barry Breen,
Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Land and Emergency 
Management.
[FR Doc. 2021-23421 Filed 10-27-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P