[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 244 (Thursday, December 20, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72353-72355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-24737]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OW-2007-1156; FRL-8509-1]
Draft Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for public comments.
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SUMMARY: EPA announces the availability of the Draft Cruise Ship
Discharge Assessment Report (Draft Report), which assesses five cruise
ship waste streams, specifically, sewage, graywater, bilge water, solid
waste, and hazardous waste. EPA prepared the Draft Cruise Ship
Discharge Assessment Report as part of its response to a petition
submitted by the Bluewater Network on behalf of a number of
environmental advocacy organizations. EPA invites public comment on its
assessment, as well as input on options, alternatives, and
recommendations on whether and how to better control and regulate these
waste streams. EPA intends to use this public input to help identify a
range of alternatives for these waste streams when it completes the
Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 4, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2007-1156, by one of the following methods:
www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for
submitting comments.
E-mail: [email protected].
Mail: Water Docket, Environmental Protection Agency,
Mailcode: 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center, (EPA/DC) EPA West, Room
3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20004, Attention
Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2007-1156. Such deliveries are only accepted
during the Docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements
should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
[[Page 72354]]
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2007-
1156. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in
the public docket without change and may be made available online at
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided,
unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to
be CBI or otherwise protected through www.regulations.gov. The
www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system, which
means EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you
provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-mail comment
directly to EPA without going through www.regulations.gov your e-mail
address will be automatically captured and included as part of the
comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on the
Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you
include your name and other contact information in the body of your
comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your
comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional
information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center
homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the
www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some
information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such
as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy.
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically
in www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the Water Docket, EPA/DC, EPA
West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The
Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:40 p.m., Monday through
Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public
Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Water
Docket is (202) 566-2426.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Kim, Oceans and Coastal
Protection Division, Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds,
(4504T), U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460;
telephone number: (202) 566-1270; fax number: (202) 566-1546; e-mail
address: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Interested Entities
Entities potentially interested in today's notice are those who are
interested in or addressing cruise ship waste streams. Categories and
entities interested in today's notice include:
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Category Examples of interested entities
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Federal Government................ U.S. Coast Guard, National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration,
U.S. Department of Justice.
State/Local/Tribal Government..... Governments interested in or
addressing cruise ship waste
streams.
Industry and General Public....... Cruise industry, environmental
interest groups.
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This table is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a
guide for readers regarding entities likely to be interested in this
notice. This table lists the types of entities that EPA is now aware
could potentially be interested in this notice. Other types of entities
not listed in the table could also be interested.
B. How Can I Get Copies of This Document and Other Related Information?
1. Document Electronic Access. To obtain a copy of the Draft Report
entitled Draft Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report, please access
our Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/cruise_ships/disch_assess.html.
2. Federal Register Docket. EPA has established a public docket for
this notice under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2007-1156. The public docket
consists of the documents specifically referenced in this notice and
other information related to this notice. The public docket does not
include information claimed as Confidential Business Information (CBI)
or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically
through www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the Water Docket in the
EPA Docket Center.
3. Federal Register 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/.
C. How and to Whom Do I Submit My Comments?
Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2007-1156. EPA's
policy is that all comments received will be included in the public
docket without change and may be made available online at
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided,
unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to
be CBI or otherwise protected through www.regulations.gov. The
www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system, which
means EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you
provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-mail comment
directly to EPA without going through www.regulations.gov your e-mail
address will be automatically captured and included as part of the
comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on the
Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you
include your name and other contact information in the body of your
comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your
comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional
information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center
homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2007-
1156, by one of the following methods:
www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for
submitting comments.
E-mail: [email protected].
[[Page 72355]]
Mail: Water Docket, Environmental Protection Agency,
Mailcode: 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. Washington, DC 20460.
Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center, (EPA/DC) EPA West, Room
3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20004, Attention
Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2007-1156. Such deliveries are only accepted
during the Docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements
should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
D. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?
You may find these suggestions helpful for preparing your comments:
1. Explain your comments as clearly as possible.
2. Describe any assumptions that you used.
3. Provide any technical information and/or data you used that
support your comments.
4. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns.
5. Offer alternatives.
6. Make sure to submit your comments by the time period deadline
identified.
7. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, identify the appropriate docket
identification number in the subject line on the first page of your
response. It would also be helpful if you provided the name, date, and
Federal Register citation related to your comments.
EPA specifically requests comment and public input on the
following:
1. Sewage Discharges. Should sewage discharges from cruise ships be
better controlled and regulated? If so, why? If such discharges should
be better controlled and/or regulated, please recommend one or more
such options (and identify your preferred recommendation), as well as
any option or options relating to sampling, monitoring, and reporting
of sewage discharges.
2. Graywater Discharges. Should graywater discharges from cruise
ships be better controlled and regulated? If so, why? If such
discharges should be better controlled and/or regulated, please
recommend one or more such options and identify your preferred
recommendation. Should EPA more narrowly define graywater? If so, why?
If the term should be more narrowly defined, please recommend an option
or options, and identify your preferred recommendation.
3. Hazardous Wastes. Should hazardous wastes generated on cruise
ships be better managed and regulated? If so, why? If such discharges
should be better managed and/or regulated, please recommend one or more
such options, and identify your preferred recommendation.
4. Solid Wastes. Should solid wastes generated on cruise ships be
better managed and regulated? If so, why? If such discharges should be
better controlled and/or regulated, please recommend one or more such
options, and identify your preferred recommendation. With regard to the
incineration of some solid wastes generated on cruise ships, EPA
invites specific comment regarding the sampling and/or testing of
incinerator ash.
5. Oily Bilge Water. Should oily bilge water generated on and
discharged from cruise ships be better controlled and regulated? If so,
why? If such discharges should be better controlled and/or regulated,
please recommend one or more such options, and identify your preferred
recommendation.
II. Background
Cruise ships operate in every ocean worldwide, often in pristine
coastal waters and sensitive marine ecosystems. Cruise ship operators
provide amenities to their passengers that are similar to those of
luxury resort hotels, including pools, hair salons, restaurants, and
dry cleaners. As a result, cruise ships have the potential to generate
wastes similar in volume and character to those generated by hotels.
In March 2000, an environmental advocacy group called the Bluewater
Network, representing 53 environmental organizations, submitted a
petition to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requesting
that EPA identify and take regulatory action on measures to address
pollution by cruise ships. Specifically, the petition requested an in-
depth assessment of the volumes and characteristics of cruise ship
waste streams; analysis of their potential impact on water quality, the
marine environment, and human health; examination of existing federal
regulations governing cruise ship waste streams; and formulation of
recommendations on how to better control and regulate these waste
streams. The petition included specific requests related to sewage,
graywater, oily bilge water, solid wastes, and hazardous wastes, as
well as monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting. In addition, the
petition requested that EPA prepare a report of its investigations and
findings.
This Draft Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report responds in part
to the petition from Bluewater Network. The Draft Report assesses five
primary cruise ship waste streams, specifically, sewage, graywater,
bilge water, solid waste, and hazardous waste. For each waste stream,
the Draft Report discusses (1) the nature and volume of the waste
stream generated; (2) existing federal regulations applicable to the
waste stream; (3) environmental management, including treatment, of the
waste stream; (4) potential adverse environmental impacts of the waste
stream; and (5) actions by the federal government to address the waste
stream.
III. This Action
EPA invites and requests comments on all aspects of the Draft
Report. In addition, EPA invites and requests public input on options,
alternatives, and recommendations on whether and how to better control
and regulate these waste streams (see section I.C. for information
regarding how to submit comments). When EPA completes the Cruise Ship
Discharge Assessment Report after consideration of public comment, EPA
plans to identify a range of options and alternatives to address these
waste streams. EPA anticipates issuance of the completed Report by the
end of 2008 and would publish a notice of availability of the Report at
that time.
Dated: December 14, 2007.
Benjamin H. Grumbles,
Assistant Administrator for Water.
[FR Doc. E7-24737 Filed 12-19-07; 8:45 am]
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