[Federal Register: November 23, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 225)]
[Notices]
[Page 65733-65734]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23no07-70]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OW-2007-1126; FRL-8498-8]
Notice of Availability and Request for Comment on Draft Plan of
Action for Reducing, Mitigating, and Controlling Hypoxia in the
Northern Gulf of Mexico and Improving Water Quality in the Mississippi
River Basin
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of Availability and Request for Public Comment.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on behalf of the
Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force (Task
Force), invites public comments on the draft Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan
2008 for Reducing, Mitigating, and Controlling Hypoxia in the Northern
Gulf of Mexico and Improving Water Quality in the Mississippi River
Basin (2008 Action Plan). The Task Force is comprised of senior
policymakers from eight Federal agencies, nine States, and two Tribal
governments. The Action Plan is the result of several years of study
and discussion by the members of the Task Force and many interested
officials and
[[Page 65734]]
citizens who participated in their deliberations.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 4, 2008. All
comments received during the formal comment period will be reviewed and
delivered to the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient
Task Force for their consideration prior to the development of the
final Action Plan. Late comments will be considered as time allows.
Submission of comments prior to the end of the comment period is highly
encouraged.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2007-1126, by one of the following methods:
Web: Visit www.regulations.gov or http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Docket ID No.
EPA-HQ-OW-2007-1126, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Water Docket, MC
2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460.
FedEx, UPS, or Hand Delivery: U.S. EPA Docket Center,
Attention Docket EPA-HQ-OW-2007-1126, 1301 Constitution Ave., Room
3334, Washington, DC 20460. Such deliveries are only accepted during
the Docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should
be made for deliveries of boxed information.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2007-
1126. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in
the public docket without change and may be made available online at
http://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 http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail.
The http://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 http://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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Colianni, U.S. EPA, Office of
Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Mail
Code 4504T, Washington, DC 20460 (202) 566-1249; Internet:
OW-Hypoxia@epa.gov. The draft Action Plan below, as well as related
information, may be reached via the EPA Web site: at http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/
.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
Additional Comment Information: Comments may also be submitted
electronically. Comments should be sent to the following Internet
address: OW-Hypoxia@epa.gov.
II. Background
In January 2001, pursuant to section 604(b) of Public Law 105-383,
the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998,
Title VI, enacted on November 13, 1998, the Task Force published its
first Action Plan, 2001 Plan of Action for Reducing, Mitigating, and
Controlling Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. The Task Force has
updated this initial plan through a multiple-step reassessment which is
reflected in the current draft 2008 Action Plan and will culminate in
the 2008 Action Plan. The draft 2008 Action Plan reflects the Task
Force's efforts over the past six years to track progress, update the
science, and adapt the actions to improve the effectiveness of the
efforts throughout the Mississippi River Basin. Building on the 2001
Action Plan, the plan lays out specific steps that need to be
accomplished to reach the goals. It also reiterates the long-term goals
and continues the Task Force's commitment to a voluntary and adaptive
management approach to improve water quality in the Mississippi River
Basin and reduce the size of the hypoxic zone in the northern Gulf of
Mexico. This adaptive management approach involves continual feedback
between the interpretation of new information and improved management
actions and is the key to targeting actions within watersheds where
they will be most effective.
Information about the Task Force and its reassessment can be found
at the following Web site: http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/.
The draft 2008 Action Plan can be viewed and downloaded by
navigating to the following Web site: http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/.
Dated: November 19, 2007.
Benjamin Grumbles,
Assistant Administrator for Water.
[FR Doc. E7-22899 Filed 11-21-07; 8:45 am]
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