[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 197 (Thursday, October 10, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63088-63089]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-25862]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OPPT-2002-0052; FRL-7276-3]
Forum on State and Tribal Toxics Action; Notice of Public Meeting
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing the fall meeting of the Forum on State and
Tribal Toxics Action (FOSTTA) to collaborate on environmental
protection and chemical and prevention issues. The Chemical Information
and Management, Pollution Prevention, Toxics Release Inventory, and
Tribal Affairs Projects, components of FOSTTA, will hold meetings
October 21-22, 2002. This notice announces the location and times for
the meetings and sets forth some tentative agenda topics. EPA invites
all interested parties to attend the public meetings.
DATES: The four projects will meet concurrently October 21, 2002, from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and October 22, 2002, from 8 a.m. to noon. A plenary
session is being planned for the participants on Monday, October 21,
2002, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Requests to participate in the fall FOSTTA meeting, identified by
docket ID number OPPT-2002-0052, must be received by EPA on or before
October 11, 2002.
ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Hall of States, 444 North
Capitol Street, NW., Washington, DC. The building is located across
from the Union Station metro stop on the red line.
Requests to participate in the meeting may be submitted to
Christine Eppstein, listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information contact:
Barbara Cunningham, Acting Director, Environmental Assistance Division
(7408M), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: (202) 554-1404; e-mail address: TSCA-
[email protected].
For technical information contact: Darlene Harrod, Environmental
Assistance Division (7408M), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (202) 564-8814; fax
number: (202) 564-8813; e-mail address: [email protected].
Christine Eppstein, Environmental Council of the States, 444 North
Capitol Street, NW., Suite 445, Washington, DC 20001; telephone number:
(202) 624-3661; fax number: (202) 624-3666; e-mail address:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Does this Action Apply to Me?
You may be potentially affected by this action if you are
interested in FOSTTA and hearing more about the perspectives of the
states and tribes on EPA programs and information exchange regarding
important issues related to human health and environmental exposure to
toxics. Potentially affected entities may include, but are not limited
to:
[sbull] States and federally recognized tribes.
[sbull] State, Federal, and local environmental and public health
organizations.
[sbull] Chemical trade associations.
The listing is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a
guide for readers regarding entities likely to be affected by this
action. If you have any questions regarding the applicability of this
action to a particular entity, consult the technical persons listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
II. How Can I Get Copies of this Document and Other Related Documents?
1. Docket. EPA has established an official public docket for this
action under docket ID number OPPT-2002-0052. The official public
docket consists of the documents specifically referenced in this
action, any public comments received, and other information related to
this action. Although a part of the official docket, the public docket
does not include Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. The official
public docket is the collection of materials that is available for
public viewing at the EPA Docket Center, Rm. B102-Reading Room, EPA
West, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket
Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays. The EPA Docket Center Reading Room telephone
number is (202) 566-1744 and the telephone number for the OPPT Docket,
which is located in EPA Docket Center, is (202) 566-0280.
2. Electronic access. You may access this Federal Register document
electronically through the EPA Internet under the ``Federal Register''
listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
An electronic version of the public docket is available through
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, EPA Dockets. You may
use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view public
comments, access the index listing of the contents of the official
public docket, and to
[[Page 63089]]
access those documents in the public docket that are available
electronically. Although not all docket materials may be available
electronically, you may still access any of the publicly available
docket materials through the docket facility identified in Unit II.1.
Once in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the appropriate
docket ID number.
III. How Can I Request to Participate in this Meeting?
You may submit a request to participate in this meeting to
Christine Eppstein, the technical person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT. Do not submit any information in your request that
is considered CBI. Requests to participate in the meeting, identified
by docket ID number OPPT-2002-0052, must be received on or before
October 11, 2002.
IV. Background
The Toxic Substances Control Act, 15 U.S.C. 2609 section 10(g),
authorizes EPA and other federal agencies to establish and coordinate a
system for exchange among federal, state, and local authorities of
research and development results respecting toxic chemical substances
and mixtures, including a system to facilitate and promote the
development of standard data format and analysis and consistent testing
procedures. Through FOSTTA, the Chemical Information and Management
Project (CIMP) focuses on EPA's chemical program and works to develop a
more coordinated effort involving federal, state, and tribal agencies.
The Pollution Prevention Project (P2) promotes the prevention ethic
across society, helping companies incorporate P2 approaches and
techniques and integrating P2 into mainstream environmental activities
at both the federal level and among the states. Under the Emergency
Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, EPA, the states, and the
tribes share responsibility for handling toxic chemical release
information and making it available to the public through the Toxics
Release Inventory (TRI). The Tribal Affairs Project (TAP) concentrates
on chemical and prevention issues that are most relevant to the tribes,
including lead control and abatement, subsistence lifestyles, and
hazard communications and outreach. FOSTTA's vision is to reinvigorate
the projects, focus on major policy-level issues, recruit more senior
state and tribal leaders, increase outreach to all 50 states and some
560 federally recognized tribes, and vigorously seek ways to engage the
states and tribes in ongoing substantive discussions on complex and
oftentimes controversial environmental issues that states and tribes
resolve at their respective levels of government.
In January 2002, the Environmental Council of the states (ECOS), in
cooperation with the National Tribal Environmental Council (NTEC), was
awarded the new FOSTTA cooperative agreement. ECOS, NTEC, and EPA's
Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) are co-sponsoring the
meetings. As part of a cooperative agreement, ECOS facilitates ongoing
efforts of the state and tribal leaders and OPPT to increase
understanding and improve collaboration on toxics and pollution
prevention issues and to continue a dialogue on how federal
environmental programs can best be implemented among the states,
tribes, and EPA.
V. The Meeting
In the interest of time and efficiency, the meetings are structured
to provide maximum opportunity for state, tribal, and EPA participants
to discuss items on the predetermined agenda. At the discretion of the
chair, an effort will be made to accommodate participation by observers
attending the proceedings. The FOSTTA representatives and EPA will
collaborate on environmental protection and chemical and prevention
issues. The tentative agenda items identified by the states and the
tribes follow:
1. Use of environmental indicators for integrating strategies among
state, federal, and international agencies (CIMP).
2. State laboratory capacity study (CIMP).
3. Challenges of promoting pollution prevention (P2).
4. Supplemental environmental projects and environmental management
systems (P2).
5. OPPTS Tribal strategy (TAP).
6. Tribal risk assessment (TAP).
7. Electronic facility data profile (TRI).
8. Demonstration of state bulletin board (TRI).
Stephen L. Johnson, Assistant Administrator, Prevention, Pesticides
and Toxic Substances, and Carol Jorgensen, Director, American Indian
Environmental Office, will be the speakers at the plenary session.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Chemicals, Pollution prevention.
Dated: October 1, 2002.
Barbara A. Cunningham,
Acting Director, Environmental Assistance Division, Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics.
[FR Doc. 02-25862 Filed 10-9-02; 8:45 a.m.]
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