[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 167 (Wednesday, August 28, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68894-68896]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19305]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2023-0606; FRL-11581-04-OCSPP]


Public Engagement Webinars; Pre-Prioritization and Consideration 
of Existing Chemical Substances for Future Prioritization Under the 
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) is 
announcing the scheduling of two virtual public meetings to provide 
information regarding existing chemical pre-prioritization and 
prioritization activities under the Toxic Substances Control Act 
(TSCA). Prioritization is the initial step in the process of evaluating 
existing chemicals under TSCA and implementing regulations. The purpose 
of prioritization is to designate a chemical substance as being either 
high priority for immediate further risk evaluation, or low priority, 
for which risk evaluation is not warranted at the time. The webinars 
will take place on two separate days, but the content presented at each 
meeting will be identical. EPA will explain the prioritization process 
and provide an overview of information that may be used to inform the 
considerations that ultimately support a High- or Low-Priority 
Substance designation, such as information on conditions of use and 
health effects resulting from exposure to the chemicals of interest. In 
addition, the list of candidate chemical substances currently being 
considered for future prioritization actions will be presented for 
stakeholders to comment on the data and scientific research available 
that may be used to help EPA determine which chemical substances may 
undergo prioritization in the near term. EPA is committed to engaging 
with the public to identify potentially relevant information on 
chemical substances being considered for future prioritization actions 
during pre-prioritization timeframes.

DATES: 
    Webinars: Monday, September 30, 2024, (2 p.m.-4 p.m. ET), and 
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 (10 a.m.-12 p.m. ET).
    Registration: You must register on or before September 25, 2024, to 
receive the webcast meeting link and audio teleconference information 
before the meeting, and to make oral comments during the meeting.
    Special accommodations: Submit requests for special accommodations 
on or before September 13, 2024, to allow EPA time to process the 
request before the meeting.
    Oral comments: To provide an oral comment during the webinar, 
register on or before September 25, 2024.
    Written comments: Following the public webinars, written comments 
may be submitted during a 30-day public comment period that will open 
following the second public webinar on October 1, 2024.

ADDRESSES: 
    Webinar: Register online for each webinar as follows:
     For the webinar on Monday, September 30, 2024, register 
at: https://usepa.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItduuoqzgvH1QTU561mR9PaHoG91WhfnA;
     For the webinar on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, register at: 
https://usepa.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsfCrrzMqHJshuXmH7qTusPv-lURNA4M.
    Special Accommodations: Please submit these requests to the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Oral comments: Register with the person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Written comments: Submit written comments, identified by docket 
identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2023-0606, online at https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to 
be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Additional instructions on 
commenting or visiting the docket, along with more information about 
dockets generally, is available at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Soliman, Office of Pollution 
Prevention and Toxics (7201M), Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution 
Prevention (OCSPP), Environmental

[[Page 68895]]

Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: (202) 748-0251 email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Executive Summary

A. Does this action apply to me?

    This action is directed to the public in general and may be of 
interest to entities that may manufacture (including import) a chemical 
substance regulated under TSCA (e.g., entities identified under North 
American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) codes 325 and 
324110). The action may also be of interest to chemical processors, 
distributors in commerce, users, non-profit organizations in the 
environmental and public health sectors, state and local government 
agencies, and members of the public. Since other entities may also be 
interested, the Agency has not attempted to describe all the specific 
entities and corresponding NAICS codes for entities that may be 
interested in or affected by this action.

B. What is the Agency's authority for taking this action?

    TSCA section 6, 15 U.S.C. 2605, requires EPA to evaluate existing 
chemicals via a three-stage process. The three stages of EPA's process 
for existing chemicals are prioritization, risk evaluation, and risk 
management. See also the implementing procedural regulations at 40 CFR 
part 702. For more information about the TSCA risk evaluation process 
for existing chemicals, go to https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca.

C. What action is the agency taking?

    EPA is announcing the scheduling of two virtual public meetings to 
provide information regarding existing chemical pre-prioritization and 
prioritization activities under TSCA. Prioritization is the initial 
step in the process of evaluating existing chemicals under TSCA and 
implementing regulations. The purpose of prioritization is to designate 
a chemical substance as being either high priority for immediate 
further risk evaluation, or low priority, for which risk evaluation is 
not warranted at the time. The webinars will take place on two separate 
days, but the content presented at each meeting will be identical. EPA 
will explain the prioritization process and provide an overview of 
information that may be used to inform the considerations that 
ultimately support a High- or Low-Priority Substance designation, such 
as information on conditions of use and health effects resulting from 
exposure to the chemicals of interest. In addition, the list of 
candidate chemical substances currently being considered for future 
prioritization actions will be presented for stakeholders to comment on 
the data and scientific research available that may be used to help EPA 
determine which chemical substances may undergo prioritization in the 
near term.

D. Why is the Agency taking this action?

    EPA is committed to engaging with the public to identify 
potentially relevant information on chemical substances being 
considered for future prioritization actions during pre-prioritization 
timeframes. This action is intended to increase transparency in the 
TSCA prioritization process by encouraging public engagement in earlier 
activities.
    EPA values broad external input, which is critical to the 
prioritization process. EPA is committed to developing a sustainable 
program where information is continually collected by the Agency on 
chemicals of interest so that prioritization occurs on an annual basis 
to replace High-Priority Substances for which EPA has completed risk 
evaluations. Information provided during and following these public 
meetings will inform EPA's determination regarding whether chemical 
substances have sufficient information to support either a High- or Low 
Priority Substance designation during prioritization or a risk 
evaluation, should a chemical substance be designated as a High-
Priority Substance during prioritization.

E. What is the purpose of the pre-prioritization and prioritization 
phases?

    Pre-prioritization represents the Agency's commitment to fostering 
a transparent collaborative effort with the public by allowing 
stakeholders to engage with EPA on its list of potential prioritization 
candidates; learn about the type of information EPA seeks to support 
the proposed and final designations as either High- or Low-Priority 
Substances; and how stakeholders can provide that information.
    Prioritization is the initial step in the process of evaluating 
existing chemicals under TSCA section 6(b) and implementing regulations 
at 40 CFR part 702. The purpose of prioritization is to designate a 
chemical substance as either high priority for immediate further risk 
evaluation, or low priority, for which risk evaluation is not warranted 
at the time.
    To identify candidates for the prioritization process, TSCA 
requires that at least 50 percent of all chemical substances on which 
risk evaluations are being conducted by the Administrator are drawn 
from the TSCA Work Plan for Chemical Assessments: 2014 Update available 
at: https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/tsca-work-plan-chemical-assessments-2014-update, until that list has 
been exhausted. EPA also gives preference to chemical substances from 
the TSCA Work Plan chemicals with the following characteristics:
     Persistence and bioaccumulation scores of three; and
     Known human carcinogens, and high acute or chronic 
toxicity.
    Aside from these statutory directions, EPA has discretion to 
determine which chemical substances will undergo prioritization.

II. Virtual Public Meetings

A. What is the planned agenda for the meetings?

    EPA is announcing its intention to hold virtual public meetings on 
September 30 and October 1, 2024, to seek individual input from the 
public on the proposed efforts regarding pre-prioritization and the 
consideration of existing chemical substances for future prioritization 
actions under the TSCA. The virtual public meetings will take place on 
two separate days, but the content presented at each meeting will be 
identical. EPA intends to explain the prioritization process and 
provide an overview of information that may be used to inform the 
considerations that ultimately support a High- or Low-Priority 
Substance designation, such as information on conditions of use and 
health effects resulting from exposure to the chemicals of interest. In 
addition, the Agency intends to share the list of candidate chemical 
substances currently being considered for future prioritization 
actions, along with relevant information available to EPA, and intends 
to open a comment period to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to 
comment on the data and scientific research available that may be used 
to help EPA determine which chemical substances may undergo 
prioritization in the near term.
    Following EPA's presentation during the public webinars, interested 
persons will have opportunities to provide feedback and/or potentially 
relevant information regarding the prioritization efforts, with 
priority given to those who registered for oral comments. Instructions 
on registering for the public

[[Page 68896]]

meetings and contacting EPA to communicate an interest in providing an 
oral comment are detailed in this document.

B. How can I participate the virtual public meetings?

    The public meetings are virtual and will be accessible via webcast. 
To receive a virtual meeting link via email, use the public virtual 
meeting respective registration links provided under ADDRESSES, and be 
sure to register by the deadline under DATES. A virtual meeting link 
will be sent via email to persons who register. EPA will make every 
effort to present the information and allow for as many entities as 
possible to provide a brief oral comment within the allotted time on 
the day of the webinar, but please plan for the webinars to run either 
ahead of or behind schedule.
    Following EPA's presentation during the public webinars, interested 
persons will have opportunities to provide comments and/or potentially 
relevant information regarding upcoming prioritization efforts. You 
will also have the opportunity to provide written comments to the 
docket after the public meetings. Instructions on registering to attend 
or present at the public meetings, and to submit written comments 
following the virtual public meetings are detailed under DATES and 
ADDRESSES.
    Each individual or group wishing to make brief oral comments during 
the virtual public meetings should first register for the public 
meetings, and then also email their request to make oral comments with 
their name, affiliation, and contact information, to the person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Interested persons who have 
registered to provide a comment during the public meeting will each 
have approximately three minutes to do so. EPA also encourages you to 
submit a written copy of their oral comments to the docket.
    Written statements and supporting information submitted to the 
docket during the comment period will be considered with the same 
weight as oral comments and supporting information presented at the 
public meeting.

C. How can I access the materials shared at the meeting?

    After the conclusion of the webinar on October 1, 2024, the 
material presented at the webinars, including the EPA presentation, the 
list of candidate chemical substances currently being considered for 
future prioritization actions, and related supporting information about 
those chemicals will be added to the docket, along with other materials 
provided by participants or that may become available. In addition, 
after the meetings, EPA intends to prepare meeting minutes summarizing 
the individual comments received at the meetings, which will be added 
to the docket as soon as they are available.

D. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?

    1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit CBI information to EPA through 
https://www.regulations.gov or email. If you wish to include CBI in 
your comment, please follow the applicable instructions at https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets#rules and clearly mark the 
part or all of the information that you claim to be CBI. In addition to 
one complete version of the comment that includes information claimed 
as CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain the information 
claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket. 
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with 
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2 and/or 40 CFR part 703, as 
applicable.
    2. Tips for preparing your comments. When preparing and submitting 
your comments, see Tips for Effective Comments at https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets#tips.
    3. Multimedia submissions. 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 systems).
    Please note that any updates made to any aspect of the webinar will 
be communicated with a document being added to the docket. While EPA 
expects the webinar to go forward as set forth above, please monitor 
our website, https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/us-epa-webinar-next-round-chemicals-substances-being, or see 
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT to determine if 
there are any updates. EPA does not intend to publish update 
announcements in this action.
    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.

    Dated: August 22, 2024.
Michal Freedhoff,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2024-19305 Filed 8-27-24; 8:45 am]
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