[Federal Register: July 25, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 141)]
[Notices]
[Page 42545-42546]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25jy05-42]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OPPT-2005-0040; FRL-7727-3]
Response to Petition Regarding Animal Welfare; Notice of
Availability
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: EPA received a petition, dated April 5, 2005, from the People
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The petition requests EPA
initiate rulemaking to require that: All chemical testing conducted in
connection with test rules and voluntary consent orders under the Toxic
Substances Control Act (TSCA), as well as testing under the voluntary
High Production Volume (HPV) Challenge Program, adhere to certain
animal welfare principles contained in guidance provided to
participants in the voluntary HPV Challenge Program; and EPA enforce
those guidelines where they are not followed. The petition states that
it is filed under section 21 of TSCA and section 553(e) of the
Administrative Procedure Act (APA). Although EPA believes the
petitioner's request is outside the scope of TSCA section 21, EPA
responded to the petitioners within the 90-day timeframe established in
TSCA for section 21 petitions. EPA has responded to the petition by
denying the request and is announcing the public availability of this
response.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information contact: Colby
Lintner, Regulatory Coordinator, 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: Roy Seidenstein, Chemical
Control Division (7405M), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (202) 564-9274; e-mail
address: seidenstein.roy@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
This action is directed to the public in general, and may be of
particular interest to participants in the voluntary HPV Challenge
Program and persons who are or may be required to conduct testing of
chemical substances under TSCA. Since other entities may also be
interested, the Agency has not attempted to describe all the specific
entities that may be interested in this action. If you have any
questions regarding the applicability of this action to a particular
entity, consult the technical person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
B. How Can I Get Copies of this Document and Other Related Information?
1. Docket. EPA has established an official public docket for this
action under docket identification (ID) number OPPT-2005-0040. 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/ The documents referenced in Unit I.B.1 are also accessible through the EPA Internet at http://www.epa.gov/chemrtk/.
[[Page 42546]]
awpetition.htm/. In addition, 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 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.
Certain types of information will not be placed in the EPA Dockets.
Information claimed as CBI and other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute, which is not included in the official public
docket, will not be available for public viewing in EPA's electronic
public docket. EPA's policy is that copyrighted material will not be
placed in EPA's electronic public docket but will be available only in
printed, paper form in the official public docket. To the extent
feasible, publicly available docket materials will be made available in
EPA's electronic public docket. When a document is selected from the
index list in EPA Dockets, the system will identify whether the
document is available for viewing in EPA's electronic public docket.
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. EPA intends to work
towards providing electronic access to all of the publicly available
docket materials through EPA's electronic public docket.
II. What Action is the Agency Taking?
This action announces the availability of EPA's response to the
petition. The public may access both the petition and EPA's response as
described in Unit I.B.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Animal welfare, Toxic substances,
Voluntary High Production Volume Challenge Program.
Dated: July 15, 2005.
Susan B. Hazen,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and
Toxic Substances.
[FR Doc. 05-14605 Filed 7-22-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S