[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 205 (Monday, October 25, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 57430-57431]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-27545]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Parts 144 and 146
[FRL-6462-4]
Notice of Availability of Class V Injection Well Study
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: EPA and the Sierra Club entered into a modified consent decree
on January 28, 1997. In accordance with the second action required by
this decree, EPA has completed a study of all Class V wells not
included in the July 29, 1998 proposed rulemaking (63 FR 40586).
ADDRESSES: The study is available on the EPA, Office of Ground Water
and Drinking Water, Underground Injection Control web site: http://
www.epa.gov/OGWDW/uic/cl5study.html or in the Water Docket, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency; 401 M Street, SW, East Tower Basement,
Washington, D.C. 20460.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, contact the
Safe Drinking Water Hotline, toll-free 800-426-4791. The Safe Drinking
Water Hotline is open Monday through Friday, excluding federal
holidays, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. For
technical inquiries, contact Amber Moreen, Underground Injection
Control Program, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (mail code
4606), EPA, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, D.C., 20460. Phone: 202-260-
4891. E-mail: moreen.amber@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The study of Class V underground injection
wells required by a 1997 consent decree with the Sierra Club (Sierra
Club v. Browner, D.D.C. No. 93-2644 NHJ) has been completed. The
consent decree required EPA to complete a study of all Class V wells
not included in an initial rulemaking (63 FR 40586). This initial
rulemaking, also required by the consent decree, was proposed on July
29, 1998 and covers Class V wells determined by EPA to be the highest
risk and for which additional study was not necessary. The Class V
study provides background information for EPA to use in evaluating the
risk that approximately 20 types of Class V wells pose to underground
sources of drinking water. Information collected for each well type
includes: inventory, injectate constituents, contamination incidents,
and current State regulations.
EPA coordinated extensive peer and EPA workgroup reviews of each
well-specific draft report to ensure technical accuracy and
completeness of the documents. Technical experts were located through
the Ground Water Protection Council, three Federal Register notices
seeking peer reviewers (64 FR 1007-1008), the UIC technical workgroup,
the Internet, and EPA. More detailed explanations of the well-types and
the components of the study can be found in 64 FR 37803.
The information in the Study will be used to aid EPA in determining
if additional federal regulations for these well types are warranted.
According to the modified consent decree, no later than April 30, 2001,
EPA must propose a decision regarding whether further rulemaking for
each Class V well not included in the initial rulemaking is necessary
and, if so, how each well should be regulated. A final rule or rules
must be signed by the Administrator by May 31, 2002. Before these
decisions are made, EPA plans to seek comment from the public. EPA
plans to consider comments received at that time in deciding the most
appropriate manner of ensuring that the remaining Class V wells are not
endangering underground sources of drinking water.
[[Page 57431]]
Dated: October 12, 1999.
Cynthia C. Dougherty,
Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 99-27545 Filed 10-22-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-U
