99-1478. RCRA Hazardous Waste Biennial Reporting: Notice of Intent to Privatize Development of Reporting Software

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 14 (Friday, January 22, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 3511]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-1478]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6223-3]


RCRA Hazardous Waste Biennial Reporting: Notice of Intent to 
Privatize Development of Reporting Software

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Office of Solid 
Waste will hold a public meeting on February 24, 1999, from 8:30 a.m. 
to 4:00 p.m., to make information available on the EPA's efforts to 
privatize the development of software required by State and Federal 
Agencies for biennial reporting to the EPA about the generation, 
management and final disposition of hazardous waste regulated by the 
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). This meeting will focus 
on providing information to potential software vendors to encourage 
them to provide the reporting software to the State and Federal 
Agencies for use in meeting their 1999 biennial reporting requirements.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on February 24, 1999 from 8:30 
a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in EPA's Crystal City office; 
Conference Room A, Second Floor, 2800 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 
22202.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical information and 
registration matters, contact Ms. Dina Villari of the EPA's Office of 
Solid Waste at [phone]; e-mail: [e-mail]. 
For general information regarding RCRA biennial reporting requirements, 
contact the RCRA Hotline at [phone] or TDD [phone] 
(hearing impaired). In the Washington, DC metropolitan area, call (703) 
412-9810 or TDD [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EPA, under the authority of the Resource 
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976, and its amendments of 
1980 and 1984 called the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA), 
is required to collect information on a biennial basis from generators 
of hazardous waste and treatment, storage and disposal facilities. As 
part of this effort, EPA and the States collect and maintain 
information about the generation, management and final disposition of 
the nation's hazardous waste regulated by RCRA. Analysis of this 
information serves as a means of: reporting to Congress and the public 
on the location, quantities, and disposition of hazardous wastes; 
assessing the effectiveness of existing Agency regulations; and 
assisting the Agency in measuring nationwide progress in its mission to 
protect human health and the environment.
    The EPA previously developed reporting software, the Biennial 
Reporting System (BRS), for use by State and Federal Agencies for the 
1989 through 1997 Biennial Reporting cycles. The EPA is now preparing 
for the 1999 biennial reporting cycle. Although the EPA does not 
require electronic submission of data from the regulated community, 
recent biennial reporting cycles have become more automated, with both 
the regulated community and the State/Federal implementers of the 
biennial reporting requirements using electronic data submissions to 
prepare the State data files that ultimately comprise the BRS National 
Oversight Database. Although the EPA has provided BRS implementer 
software to State/Federal Agencies, private software vendors have 
recently begun providing software which meets the needs of both the 
regulated community and State/Federal implementers of the RCRA program.
    A total of 35 State/Federal Agencies used either their own State-
developed software or one of the electronic software packages provided 
by private software vendors for the implementation of the 1997 biennial 
reporting requirements. Consistent with the intent of the Information 
Technology Management Reform Act (ITMRA) of 1995, also known as the 
Clinger-Cohen Act, the EPA is encouraging the privatization of the 
entire implementer component of the biennial reporting process. ITMRA 
requires that Federal Agencies make the maximum use of commercial, Off-
the-Shelf technology if the private sector can efficiently support the 
function. The EPA has made the determination that the software 
developed by private vendors, or State-developed software, is an 
efficient and cost-effective way of implementing the RCRA biennial 
reporting requirements and, therefore, the EPA will no longer develop 
and provide the BRS implementer software.
    The purpose of this public meeting is to explain to interested 
private software vendors the biennial reporting process and 
implementation schedule for the 1999 biennial reporting cycle, with 
particular emphasis on the output flat file specifications. This is 
necessary to ensure the data entry software and implementer database 
are in a standard format for proper data loading into EPA's National 
Database.
    Subsequent to the February 1999 meeting, the EPA intends to sponsor 
a June 1999 national conference with the State/Federal Agencies who 
implement the biennial reporting requirements. EPA will provide 
interested private software vendors with an opportunity for exhibition 
of their software products during this June 1999 national conference. 
Additional details will be provided at the February 1999 meeting.

    Dated: January 13, 1999.
Matthew Hale,
Acting Director, Office of Solid Waste.
[FR Doc. 99-1478 Filed 1-21-99; 8:45 am]
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