[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 14, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11273-11275]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-02974]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OLEM-2023-0451; 11466-02-OLEM]


Waste Reduction Model (WARM) Version 16: Request for Public 
Comment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the 
comment period for the Waste Reduction Model (WARM) version 16 and its 
supporting documentation, along with the WARM v16 methodology external 
peer review report and the WARM v16 data quality assessment report. 
WARM is a tool that estimates the potential greenhouse gas emissions, 
energy savings and economic impacts of baseline and alternative waste 
management practices of materials. This Notice is inviting public 
comment on WARM v16 and its supporting documentation from a broad range 
of individuals and organizations. The EPA will consider the public 
comments received to inform future improvements to WARM.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 15, 2024.

ADDRESSES: 
    Written Comments: Submit your written comments, identified by 
Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2023-0451, through the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at https://www.regulations.gov/. Follow the online instructions 
for submitting comments. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or 
removed from Regulations.gov. 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. Additional instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, 
along with more information about dockets generally, is available at: 
https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2023-0451 for this notice. Comments received may be 
posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov/, including any 
personal information provided. For detailed instructions on sending 
comments, see the ``Public Participation'' heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this document.

[[Page 11274]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Boone O'Neil, Resource Conservation 
and Sustainability Division, Office of Resource Conservation and 
Recovery, Office of Land and Emergency Management, Mail Code 5306T, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-1094, or Kimberly 
Cochran (same address); telephone number: 202-566-0308; email address: 
[email protected]. For more information on WARM, please visit 
https://epa.gov/warm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Participation

    Response to this request for public comment is voluntary. Submit 
your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2023-0451, 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 Environmental 
Protection Agency may publish any comment received to its public 
docket. Responses to this request for public comment may be submitted 
by a single party or a team. Responses will only be accepted using 
Microsoft Word (.docx) or Adobe PDF (.pdf) file formats. The response 
document should contain the following:
    [ssquf] Two clearly delineated sections: (1) Cover page with 
company name and contact information; and (2) responses by topic and/or 
that address specific EPA questions.
    [ssquf] 1-inch margins (top, bottom, and sides).
    [ssquf] Times New Roman and 12-point font.
    Comments containing references, studies, research, and other 
empirical data that are not widely published should include copies or 
electronic links to the referenced materials. Do not submit to EPA's 
docket at https://www.regulations.gov any information you consider to 
be Confidential Business Information (CBI), 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. 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). Please visit: https://www.epa.gov/dockets 
for additional submission methods; the full EPA public comment policy; 
information about CBI, PBI, or multimedia submissions; and general 
guidance on making effective comments. No confidential and/or business 
proprietary information, copyrighted information, or personally 
identifiable information should be submitted in response to this 
notice.
    Privacy Note: All comments received from members of the public will 
be available for public viewing on Regulations.gov. In accordance with 
FAR 15.202(3), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be 
accepted by the Federal Government to form a binding contract. 
Additionally, those submitting responses are solely responsible for all 
expenses associated with response preparation.

II. General Information

A. What is the purpose of this request for public comment?

    The EPA will use the feedback and information received through this 
public comment process, along with findings of the external peer review 
and data quality assessment, to inform future improvements to WARM.
    The Environmental Protection Agency launched the Waste Reduction 
Model (WARM) in 1998. WARM has been updated and expanded fifteen times 
since its launch in 1998. In 2022 and 2023, WARM underwent an external 
peer review and a data quality assessment as part of the EPA's on-going 
efforts to ensure WARM's scientific integrity. (Reports are available 
in the docket EPA-HQ-OLEM-2023-0451 and on the web at https://epa.gov/warm.)
    The EPA created WARM to provide high-level comparisons of potential 
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions, energy savings, and economic 
impacts (labor hours, wages and taxes when considering different 
materials management practices. Materials management practices 
include--source reduction, recycling, anaerobic digestion, combustion, 
composting and landfilling.
    WARM models 61 materials commonly found in municipal solid waste 
(MSW) and construction and demolition debris (C&D), including aluminum 
cans, glass, paper, plastics, organics (including food waste) and 
building materials.
    WARM is a comparative tool rather than a comprehensive measurement 
tool. WARM was not developed for and, as such, should not be used for 
final site-specific materials management decisions, when other human 
health and environmental impacts of the different management methods 
may need to be considered (such as air pollution, water pollution, 
noise, etc.). It also should not be used for developing GhG 
inventories, which need to establish a baseline and measure reductions 
over time on an annual basis for an entity.

III. Request for Information

    The Environmental Protection Agency requests public comment on WARM 
v16 and its supporting documentation from a broad range of individuals 
and organizations with an understanding of and interest in tools and 
models related to life cycle materials management, such as: federal, 
state, tribal, territorial, and local governments; industry; 
researchers; academia; non-profit organizations; community groups; 
individuals and international organizations. EPA is interested in 
receiving input on the following:
     How can the scientific rigor and adherence to modeling 
best practices and assumptions in WARM regarding biogenic carbon 
emissions, carbon storage in forests, soils, and landfills, and utility 
offsets from combustion be improved?
     How can WARM better align with best practices in climate 
change modeling and assumptions?
     How can the alignment of data, assumptions, and model 
components in WARM with real market practices be improved?
     In assessing WARM, how well do the modeled management 
practices represent the diversity of practices typically used in the 
United States?
     When evaluating WARM, how accurately does it depict the 
common secondary use of recycled materials in the United States?
     What recommendations can be made for enhancing the 
clarity, transparency, relevance, and usability of WARM and its 
accompanying documentation?
     Are there any studies or data sources that are relevant to 
WARM but are currently not integrated, and how could their inclusion be 
beneficial for future development?
     What are the potential advantages and disadvantages of 
conducting future WARM model development in a more publicly accessible 
development environment, such as GitHub, to encourage increased 
transparency and public involvement?
     What are the potential advantages and disadvantages of the 
EPA considering the use of readily available data from public sources 
(such as the Federal LCA Commons) in WARM, especially the use of non-
waste management data, to enhance data

[[Page 11275]]

consistency, accessibility and reliability across federal government 
life cycle work?
    The Environmental Protection Agency will use feedback and 
information received through this public comment, the external peer 
review and the data quality assessment to inform future improvements to 
WARM. Please identify the question(s) you are responding to when 
submitting your comments.

IV. Disclaimer and Important Note

    This request for public comment is issued solely for information, 
research and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for 
Proposals (RFP) or a Request for Applications (RFA). Responding to this 
notice will not give any advantage to or preclude any organization or 
individual in any subsequently issued solicitation, RFP, or RFA. Any 
future development activities related to this activity will be 
announced separately. This notice does not represent any award 
commitment on the part of the U.S. Government, nor does it obligate the 
Government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission 
of any responses.

    Dated: February 8, 2024.
Carolyn Hoskinson,
Director, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery.
[FR Doc. 2024-02974 Filed 2-13-24; 8:45 am]
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