[Federal Register: March 14, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 50)]
[Notices]
[Page 12349-12351]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14mr03-36]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OPPT 2003-0009; FRL-7298--3]
Forum on State and Tribal Toxics Action; Notice of Public
Meetings
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing the spring meeting of the Forum on State and
[[Page 12350]]
Tribal Toxics Action (FOSTTA) to collaborate on environmental
protection and chemical and prevention issues. The Chemical Information
and Management, Pollution Prevention, and Tribal Affairs Projects,
components of FOSTTA, will hold meetings March 25-26, 2003. The
meetings are being held in conjunction with the Office of Prevention,
Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) Regional Division Directors
meeting. 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 three projects will meet concurrently March 25, 2003, from
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and March 26, 2003, from 8 a.m. to noon. A plenary
session is being planned for the participants on Tuesday, March 26,
2003, from 1 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Joint sessions will be held for the
projects and the respective Regional Division Directors. Requests to
participate in the spring FOSTTA meeting, identified by docket ID
number OPPT-2003-0009, must be received by EPA on or before March 21,
2003.
ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Western Tabor Center, 1672
Lawrence Street, Denver, Colorado.
Requests to participate in the meeting may be submitted to
Christine Eppstein, listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Follow the detailed instructions as provided in Unit III. of the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
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-Hotline@epa.gov.
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: harrod.darlene@epa.gov.
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:
ceppstein@sso.org.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. 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.
B. 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-2003-0009. 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
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 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 I.B.1. Once in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the
appropriate docket ID number.
II. 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-2003-0009, must be received on or before March
21, 2003.
III. Background
The Toxic Substances Control Act, 15 U.S.C. 2609, 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. The Tribal Affairs Project TAP
concentrates on chemical and prevention issues that are most relevant
to the Tribes, including lead control and abatement, Tribal
traditional/subsistence lifeways, 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
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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.
IV. 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. High production volume data (CIMP).
2. Environmental indicators (CIMP).
3. Impact of State budget cuts on pollution prevention programs
(P2).
4. EPA's resource conservation challenge (P2).
5. OPPTS Tribal strategy (TAP).
6. Lead issues (TAP).
Stephen L. Johnson, Assistant Administrator, for the Office of
Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, will be a speaker at the
plenary session.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Chemicals, Pollution prevention.
Dated: March 7, 2003.
Clarence O. Lewis, III
Acting Director, Environmental Assistance Division, Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics.
[FR Doc. 03-6300 Filed 3-12-03; 1:03 pm]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S