[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 179 (Thursday, September 16, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56528-56529]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-23123]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2010-0768; FRL-8847-1]
EPA's Role in Advancing Sustainable Products
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: EPA is interested in soliciting individual stakeholder input
regarding the Agency's role in the ``green'' or sustainable products
movement. The Agency will consider the information gathered from this
notice and other sources as it works to define its role and develop a
strategy that identifies how EPA can make a meaningful contribution to
the development, manufacture, designation, and use of sustainable
products.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 19, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2010-0768, by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Document Control Office (7407M), Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001.
Hand Delivery: OPPT Document Control Office (DCO), EPA
East Bldg., Rm. 6428, 1201 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC.
Attention: Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2010-0768. The DCO is open from
8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The
telephone number for the DCO is (202) 564-8930. Such deliveries are
only accepted during the DCO's normal hours of operation, and special
arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
Instructions: Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPPT-
2010-0768. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included
in the docket without change and may be made available on-line 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 regulations.gov or e-
mail. The 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 regulations.gov,
your e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part
of the comment that is placed in the 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.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the docket index
available at http://www.regulations.gov. 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, is not placed on the Internet
and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly
available docket materials are available either in the electronic
docket at http://www.regulations.gov, or, if only available in hard
copy, at the OPPT Docket. The OPPT Docket is located in the EPA Docket
Center (EPA/DC) at Rm. 3334, EPA West Bldg., 1301 Constitution Ave.,
NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public Reading Room hours of operation
are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding
[[Page 56529]]
legal holidays. The telephone number of the EPA/DC Public Reading Room
is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the OPPT Docket is
(202) 566-0280. Docket visitors are required to show photographic
identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor
log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and
subject to search. Visitors will be provided an EPA/DC badge that must
be visible at all times in the building and returned upon departure.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For technical information contact: Thomas Tillman, Pollution
Prevention Division Mail Code (7409M), Office Pollution Prevention and
Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (202) 564-8263; e-mail
address: [email protected].
For general information contact: The Pollution Prevention
Information Clearinghouse (7409M), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (202) 566-0799; e-mail
address: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this action apply to me?
You may be potentially affected by this action if you manufacture,
distribute, label, certify, verify, and purchase or use consumer,
commercial, or industrial products that may be considered as ``green,''
``sustainable,'' or ``environmentally preferable.'' Potentially
affected entities may include, but are not limited to:
Manufacturing (NAICS codes 31-33).
Construction (NAICS code 23).
Wholesale trade (NAICS code 42).
Retail trade (NAICS codes 44-45).
Professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS
code 54).
Accommodations and food services (NAICS code 72).
Other services, except public administration (NAICS code
81).
Public administration (NAICS code 92).
This listing is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides
a guide for readers regarding entities likely to be affected by this
action. Other types of entities not listed in this unit could also be
affected. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS)
codes have been provided to assist you and others in determining
whether this action might apply to certain entities. 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. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?
1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through
regulations.gov or e-mail. Clearly mark the part or all of the
information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk or
CD-ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD-ROM as
CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD-ROM the
specific information that is claimed as CBI. In addition to one
complete version of the comment that includes information claimed as
CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain the information
claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket.
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
2. Tips for preparing your comments. When submitting comments,
remember to:
i. Identify the document by docket ID number and other identifying
information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).
ii. Follow directions. The Agency may ask you to respond to
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
iii. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and
substitute language for your requested changes.
iv. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information
and/or data that you used.
v. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you
arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be
reproduced.
vi. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns and
suggest alternatives.
vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of
profanity or personal threats.
viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period
deadline identified.
II. Background
A. What action is the Agency taking?
EPA is interested in soliciting individual stakeholder input
regarding the Agency's role in the ``green'' or sustainable products
movement. The Agency will consider the information gathered from this
notice and other sources as it works to define its role and develop a
strategy that identifies how EPA can make a meaningful contribution to
the development, manufacture, designation, and use of sustainable
products.
More specifically, EPA would appreciate your individual views
regarding the following types of questions:
1. What do you see as the major policy and research challenges,
opportunities, and trends impacting the development, manufacture,
designation, and use of sustainable products?
2. What do you see as EPA's overall role in addressing these
challenges and opportunities?
3. In particular, how do you see EPA's role in:
Assembling information and databases.
Identifying sustainability ``hotspots'' and setting
product sustainability priorities.
Evaluating the multiple impacts of products across their
entire life cycle.
Defining criteria for more sustainable products.
Generating eco-labels and/or standards.
Establishing the scientific foundation for these eco-
labels and/or standards.
Verifying that products meet standards.
Stimulating the market.
Developing end-of-life management systems (reuse,
recycling, etc.).
Measuring results, evaluating programs.
B. What is the Agency's authority for taking this action?
Section 13103(b) of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 requires
the Administrator of EPA to facilitate the adoption of source reduction
techniques by businesses and to identify opportunities to use Federal
procurement to encourage source reduction.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, environmentally preferable products,
green products, procurement, sustainable products.
Dated: September 10, 2010.
Wendy Cleland-Hamnett,
Director, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.
[FR Doc. 2010-23123 Filed 9-15-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P