[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11243-11245]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-4505]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-RCRA-2011-0185; FRL-9273-7]
Solicitation of Input From Stakeholders To Inform the National
Framework for Electronics Stewardship
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), General Services
Administration (GSA), and Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) are
requesting written stakeholder input to inform the national framework
for electronics stewardship that is being developed by the Interagency
Task Force on Electronics Stewardship. On November 15, 2010, President
Obama signed a presidential proclamation celebrating the strides the
country has made in recycling, while also highlighting the need for
greater attention on used electronics management throughout the product
lifecycle. CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley established an interagency task force
on November 8, 2010 to provide a national strategy and recommendations
for areas of Federal agency operational and managerial improvement
associated with electronics stewardship. The Task Force is scheduled to
deliver to CEQ a national framework for electronics stewardship by May
6, 2011. By this notice, the Environmental Protection Agency, on behalf
of the Task Force, is soliciting public comment from interested parties
regarding the national framework.
DATES: All comments must be received on or before March 11, 2011.
ADDRESSES: You may submit your comments, identified by EPA-HQ-RCRA-
2011-0185, using one of the following methods:
http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for
submitting comments. Note, while this request is not a federal
regulation, input on the plan can be submitted through this federal Web
site.
E-mail: Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to
[email protected], Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-RCRA-2011-
0185.
Mail: Comments may be submitted by mail to: OSWER Docket, Office of
Resource Conservation and Recovery, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Mailcode: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC
20460, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-RCRA-2011-0185. Please include a
total of two copies of your comments.
Hand Delivery: Deliver two copies of your comments to: EPA Docket
Center, Public Reading Room, Room 3334, EPA West Building, 1301
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID No.
EPA-HQ-RCRA-2011-0185. Such deliveries are only accepted during the
Docket's normal hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday
through Friday, excluding legal holidays and special arrangements
should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-RCRA-
2011-0185. All comments must be in English or be accompanied by an
English translation. 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. 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
[[Page 11244]]
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 docket index
available at http://www.regulations.gov. Although listed in the index,
some information is not publicly available, e.g., confidential business
information (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
electronically in http://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the
OSWER Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334,
1301 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460. The Public Meeting
Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the OSWER Docket and
the Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744. 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: Shayla Powell, Resource Conservation
and Sustainability Division (5306P), Office of Resource Conservation
and Recovery, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave.,
NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 308-0319; e-
mail address: [email protected] or visit http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/ecycling/taskforce/.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this action apply to me?
You may be interested in providing input if you manufacture,
distribute, sell, label, certify, verify, refurbish, recycle, purchase
or use consumer, commercial, or industrial electronics, or conduct
research in any of these areas. Potentially interested entities may
include, but are not limited to:
Manufacturing (NAICS code 33).
Wholesale trade (NAICS code 42).
Electronics and Appliance Stores (NAICS code 443).
Consumer Goods Rental (NAICS code 5322).
Computer System Design and Related Services (NAICS code
5415)
Waste Management and Remediation Services (NAICS code 562)
Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance
(NAICS code 8112).
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 interested in 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 applies 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. 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. Submit all comments in English or have them be accompanied by
an English translation.
iii. 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.
iv. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and
substitute language for your requested changes.
v. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information
and/or data that you used.
vi. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you
arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be
reproduced.
vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible.
viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period
deadline identified.
II. Background
The increased use of electronics and technology in society brings
the challenge of protecting human health and the environment from
potentially harmful effects of the improper handling and disposal of
these products. Discarded electronics comprise a small, but rapidly
growing part of our municipal waste.
Currently, there are no federal mandates that require electronics
recycling or restrict unwanted electronics equipment from solid waste
landfills in the United States. EPA does, however, control how cathode
ray tube (CRT) monitors (e.g., from TV and computers) that are subject
to hazardous waste regulation are managed domestically and requires
notifications if CRT monitors are exported for recycling. A growing
number of states are mandating collection and recycling of used
electronics. In addition, there are now two electronics recycling
standards and accredited certification programs that address the
handling of used electronics throughout the recycling chain. (Basel
Action Network; e-Stewards Certification; http://e-stewards.org/. R2
Solutions; R2 certification; http://www.r2solutions.org/.)
Unwanted or discarded electronics not reused or recycled represents
a lost opportunity to reuse functioning electronic equipment and
components, such as cell phone and computers/laptops or recover
valuable resources, such as precious metals, plastics or minerals that
are found in scarce or critical supply. Additionally, used electronics
may be exported to developing countries that lack capacity to manage
them appropriately and result in negative impacts to human health and
the environment. The majority of electronics recyclers in the United
States refurbish, repair, or pre-process (demanufacture, shred, sort)
used electronics to prepare them for the final recovery step.
Facilities that further recover raw materials, through smelting and
refining (end-processing), are mostly located outside the United
States. These facilities convert electronics scrap into: (1) High grade
copper and precious metals (e.g., gold, silver, and palladium); (2) new
CRTs; or (3) new plastics, all materials that can be reused in the
marketplace.
To address the problems related to used electronics both here and
abroad, American businesses, government, and citizens must work
together to manage these electronics throughout the product lifecycle--
from design and manufacturing through their use and eventual recycling,
recovery, and disposal. On November 8, 2010, CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley
established an interagency working group that is co-chaired by EPA, GSA
and CEQ to develop a national strategy and recommendations for
improving Federal
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stewardship of used electronics. By May 6, 2011, the Task Force will
deliver to CEQ a national framework for:
1. Directing Federal agencies to exercise all appropriate
authorities to achieve the electronic stewardship goals, consistent
with domestic and international law;
2. Developing a system-based approach to the long-term design,
management and disposal of Federal used electronics;
3. Information gathering and tracking, regulatory options, and best
management practices for used electronics that can be used by the
Federal agencies and leveraged to the private sector;
4. Building partnerships in the public and private sector for
sustainable electronics management nationwide;
5. Reducing exports of used electronics to developing countries
that lack the capacity to properly manage them, and assess how federal
agencies can improve their ability to deter these exports; and,
6. Building capacity within and share best practices with
developing countries, so they can improve their ability to safely
handle used electronics, while promoting economic development.
A. What action is the Agency taking?
EPA and the Interagency Task Force are soliciting input from
individuals and organizations to inform the electronics stewardship
national framework. More specifically, EPA and the Interagency Task
Force would appreciate your individual views regarding the following
questions:
1. What actions should the federal government take to further
encourage the design, manufacture, procurement, and use of greener
electronics?
2. What are the challenges to designing and manufacturing products
in which rare and valuable materials are 100% recyclable, and are
recycled at end of product life? What can the federal government do to
help address those challenges?
3. What are best practices for used electronics management that the
federal government should adopt? What examples of best management
practices of used electronics have been implemented in your community,
organization or institution?
4. How can the amount of electronics that are recycled in the
United States be increased, while ensuring that they are managed safely
and properly?
5. What additional infrastructure is needed, and what can be done
to encourage its development, in the United States to responsibly reuse
and recycle used electronics from governments, businesses and private
consumers?
6. What innovations in electronic design exist that would enable
electronics to be tracked until disposal?
7. What information would be most helpful to you when deciding how
to dispose of used electronics?
8. What projects, practices or efforts, are you aware of that
addresses the problem of used electronics from the United States being
exported and being handled in a way that causes harm to health and the
environment?
9. How could public-private partnerships help resolve any or all
the questions above?
The framework that is released on May 6, 2011 will include
additional follow on steps to engage all stakeholders.
For your convenience the questions above are also available for
viewing at http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/ecycling/taskforce/.
B. What is the Agency's authority for taking this action?
Executive Order (E.O.) 13514 specifies Federal Leadership in
Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance. An overall goal of EO
13514 is ``to establish an integrated strategy towards sustainability
in the Federal Government.'' Section 2(i) of E.O. 13514 establishes
electronics stewardship goals. In the spirit of E.O. 13514, the
government will lead by example in this effort by ensuring that the
departments and agencies of the federal government, some of the largest
consumers of electronics in the country, are also the most responsible
consumers.
Comments Consideration
The EPA and the Interagency Task Force on Electronics Stewardship
will consider stakeholder input received from written comments in
developing the Framework. There will be another opportunity to comment
on the Framework developed by the Task Force after it is delivered to
the Council on Environmental Quality.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Electronics stewardship, Sustainability,
E-waste.
Dated: February 23, 2011.
Lisa Feldt,
Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency
Response.
[FR Doc. 2011-4505 Filed 2-28-11; 8:45 am]
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