[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 241 (Monday, December 20, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 71862-71863]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-27407]



[[Page 71862]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 761

[EPA-HQ-OLEM-2021-0556; FRL-7122-04-OLEM]


Alternate PCB Extraction Methods and Amendments to PCB Cleanup 
and Disposal Regulations; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the 
comment period for the proposed rule entitled ``Alternate PCB 
Extraction Methods and Amendments to PCB Cleanup and Disposal 
Regulations.'' EPA published the proposed rule in the Federal Register 
on October 22, 2021, and the public comment period was scheduled to end 
on December 21, 2021. However, EPA has received at least one request 
for additional time to develop and submit comments on the proposal. In 
response to the request for additional time, EPA is extending the 
comment period for an additional 30 days, through January 20, 2022.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 20, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OLEM-2021-0556, by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov 
(our preferred method). Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to 
be Confidential Business Information or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute.
     Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket 
Center, OLEM 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 rulemaking. 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. 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: For further information on this 
document, contact Jennifer McLeod, Program Implementation and 
Information Division, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, 
(202) 566-0384; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Summary

    On October 22, 2021 (86 FR 58730), EPA published in the Federal 
Register a proposal to expand the available options for extraction and 
determinative methods used to characterize and verify the cleanup of 
polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) waste under the federal Toxic Substances 
Control Act (TSCA) regulations (also referred to as the PCB 
regulations). These proposed changes are expected to greatly reduce the 
amount of solvent used in PCB extraction processes, thereby conserving 
resources and reducing waste. In addition, the proposed changes are 
expected to result in quicker, more efficient, and less costly 
cleanups, due to greater flexibility in the cleanup and disposal of PCB 
waste, while still being equally protective of human health and the 
environment. The proposal also included several other amendments to the 
PCB regulations, such as: The amendment of performance-based disposal 
option for PCB remediation waste; the removal of the provision allowing 
PCB bulk product waste to be disposed as roadbed material; the addition 
of more flexible provisions for cleanup and disposal of waste generated 
by spills that occur during emergency situations (e.g., hurricanes or 
floods); the harmonization of the general disposal requirements for PCB 
remediation waste; and other amendments to improve the implementation 
of the regulations, clarify ambiguity and correct technical errors.
    The comment period for the proposed rule was scheduled to end on 
December 21, 2021. Since publication, EPA has received at least one 
request to extend that comment period to allow for additional time to 
develop comments on the proposed rule. After considering this request 
for additional time, EPA has decided to extend the comment period for 
an additional 30 days, through January 20, 2022.

II. Public Participation

    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2021-
0556, 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 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. 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 CBI 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.

[[Page 71863]]

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 761

    Environmental protection, Hazardous substances, Incorporation by 
reference, Labeling, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements.

    Dated: December 14, 2021.
Carolyn Hoskinson,
Director, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery.
[FR Doc. 2021-27407 Filed 12-17-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P