[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 221 (Tuesday, November 17, 1998)] [Notices] [Pages 63926-63928] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-30719] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [OPPTS-00255; FRL-6045-2] Multimedia Strategy for Priority Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic Pollutants; Notice of Availability and Solicitation of Public Comments
Agency
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Action
Notice of availability and solicitation of public comments.
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Summary
EPA is making available for public review and comment the draft Multimedia Strategy for Priority Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) Pollutants. This document outlines the Agency's comprehensive approach to identify and take action to reduce releases of and exposures to PBT pollutants. Also available for public review and comment in connection with this document is the draft EPA Action Plan for Mercury. Interested parties may request copies of these documents as set forth in the ``ADDRESSES'' unit of this notice.
Dates
Comments must be received by February 16, 1999.
Addresses
Each comment must bear the docket control number OPPTS- 00255. All comments should be sent in triplicate to: OPPT Document Control Officer (7407), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Rm. G-099, East Tower, Washington, DC 20460. Comments and data may also be submitted electronically to: oppt. ncic@epa.gov. Follow the instructions under Unit IV. of this document. No Confidential Business Information (CBI) should be submitted through e-mail. All comments which contain information claimed as CBI must be
clearly marked as such. Three sanitized copies of any comments containing information claimed as CBI must also be submitted and will be placed in the public record for this notice. Persons submitting information on any portion of which they believe is entitled to treatment as CBI by EPA must assert a business confidentiality claim in accordance with 40 CFR 2.203(b) for each such portion. This claim must be made at the time that the information is submitted to EPA. If a submitter does not assert a confidentiality claim at the time of submission, EPA will consider this as a waiver of any confidentiality claim and the information may be made available to the public by EPA without further notice to the submitter. To obtain copies of the draft Multimedia Strategy for Priority PBT Pollutants and the draft EPA Action Plan for Mercury contact: Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse (7409), Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460, telephone number: 202- 260-1023, facsimile number: 202-260-0178, e-mail: [email protected]
For Further Information Contact
Sam K. Sasnett, Pollution Prevention Division (7407), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460, telephone number: 202-260-8020, e-mail: sasnett.sam@epa.gov.
Supplementary Information
I. Electronic Availability
A. Internet
Electronic copies of the draft Multimedia Strategy for Priority PBT Pollutants and the draft EPA Action Plan for Mercury are available from the EPA Home Page at the Federal Register - Environmental Documents entry for these documents under ``Laws and Regulations'' (https:// www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/). Copies are also available electronically from the EPA Home Page (www.epa.gov/pbt/) under ``Strategy.''
www.epa.gov/pbt/B. Fax-on-Demand
For Fax-on-Demand, use a faxphone to call 202-401-0527 and select item 4045 for a copy of the draft Multimedia Strategy for Priority PBT Pollutants and item 4046 for the draft EPA Action Plan for Mercury.
II. Background
This Federal Register notice announces the availability of and requests comment on the draft Multimedia Strategy for Priority PBT Pollutants and the draft EPA Action Plan for Mercury. EPA has developed this draft national strategy to overcome the remaining challenges in addressing priority PBT pollutants. These pollutants pose risks because they are toxic, persist in ecosystems, and accumulate in fish and other animals further up the food chain. Consumption of fish is a significant exposure pathway for humans. These pollutants travel long distances, transfer rather easily among air, water, and land and linger for generations, making EPA's traditional single-statute approaches less than the full solution to reducing risks from PBTs. The fetus and young child may be at particular risk for developmental effects. This strategy fortifies and builds on existing EPA commitments related to priority PBTs, such as the 1997 Canada-U.S. Binational Toxics Strategy (BNS), the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, and the recently released Clean Water Action Plan. EPA is forging a new approach to reduce risks from and exposures to priority PBT pollutants through increased coordination among EPA national and regional programs. This approach also requires the significant involvement of stakeholders, including international, state, local, and tribal organizations, the regulated community, environmental groups, and private citizens. A primary function of the strategy is to establish and implement national action plans on priority PBT pollutants. The PBT strategy targets for immediate focus the 12 PBT substances included in the Canada-U.S. Binational Toxics Strategy Level 1 list. As they are developed, these national action plans will be appended to the strategy. In this manner the strategy will continue to be a living document. One such draft action on mercury is also being made available for review and public comment at this time. It illustrates an action plan that is national and even international in scope and describes the kinds of actions EPA may take to reduce risks posed by other priority PBT pollutants. Each substance or group of substances will present its own set of action opportunities. EPA's strategy realizes that the 12 Binational Toxics Strategy Level 1 substances are not the only PBTs we need to be concerned about. The strategy calls for developing a process to select additional pollutants of concern. Once these pollutants are selected, action plans will be developed to address environmental and human health problems associated with them. Other activities include preventing the introduction of new PBTs into commerce, identifying research needs for priority PBTs, and measuring the results of PBT reduction activities, preferably in terms of environmental and human health impacts.
III. Comments
EPA is requesting comment on the overall approach of the strategy and its proposed individual components, including the development and implementation of national action plans, the 12 initial pollutants for which EPA intends to develop such plans, the process for selection of additional PBT substances for national action plans, approaches for the prevention of the introduction (and reintroduction) of new PBT substances, and means of measuring progress in the reduction of PBTs in the environment. EPA is particularly interested in whether the strategy clearly articulates its goals and is comprehensive enough, whether there are major activities or approaches not articulated, and whether the directions outlined in the strategy are appropriate. EPA also is requesting comment on the Mercury Action Plan. EPA is interested in comments on its overall approach to reducing exposure to mercury. EPA also invites comments on the applicability of the approach outlined for mercury to other PBT pollutants and the usefulness of the Mercury Action Plan as a model for other action plans that may be developed under the PBT Initiative.
IV. Public Record and Electronic Submissions
The official record for this notice, as well as the public version, has been established for this notice under docket control number OPPTS- 00255 (including comments and data submitted electronically as described below). A public version of this record, including printed, paper versions of electronic comments, which does not include any information claimed as CBI, is available for inspection from 12 noon to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The official record is located in the TSCA Nonconfidential Information Center, Rm. NE-B607, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC. Electronic comments can be sent directly to EPA at:
Electronic comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. Comments and data will also be accepted on disks in WordPerfect 5.1/6.1 or ASCII file
format. All comments and data in electronic form must be identified by the docket control number OPPTS-00255. Electronic comments on this notice may be filed online at many Federal Depository Libraries.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection.
Dated: November 9, 1998.
Lynn R. Goldman,
Assistant Administrator for Prevention Pesticides and Toxic Substances.
[FR Doc. 98-30719 Filed 11-16-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560-50-F