96-31711. 1996 Master Testing List; Notice of Availability

[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 241 (Friday, December 13, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65936-65937]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-31711]



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Part XII





Environmental Protection Agency





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1996 Master Testing List; Notice of Availability; Notice

Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 241 / Friday, December 13, 1996 / 
Notices

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPPTS-00200; FRL-5570-3]


1996 Master Testing List; Notice of Availability

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This Notice announces the availability of and solicits 
comments on EPA's 1996 Master Testing List (MTL). The MTL is an 
important component of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) 
Chemicals Program in the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics in 
EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. EPA's TSCA 
Chemicals Program is responsible for assessing and managing human 
health and environmental risks that may be posed by exposure to new and 
existing chemicals. EPA has been using the MTL since 1990 to establish 
the Agency's Chemical Testing Program agenda under TSCA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for paper copies of the 1996 
Master Testing List (MTL) should be addressed to: Susan B. Hazen, 
Director, Environmental Assistance Division (7408), Office of Pollution 
Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., 
Washington, DC 20460, Telephone: [phone], TDD: [phone], 
e-mail: [e-mail].

ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding the 1996 Master Testing List 
should be sent in triplicate and identified by the docket number OPPTS-
00200 to: TSCA Public Docket (7407), Office of Pollution Prevention and 
Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 
20460.
    Comments may also be submitted electronically by sending electronic 
mail (e-mail) to: [e-mail]. Electronic comments must 
be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special characters 
and any form of encryption. Comments will also be accepted on disks in 
WordPerfect 5.1 file format or ASCII file format. All comments in 
electronic form must be identified by the docket number OPPTS-00200. No 
TSCA Confidential Business Information (CBI) should be submitted 
through e-mail. Electronic comments on this document may be filed 
online at many Federal Depository Libraries. Additional information on 
electronic submissions can be found in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
unit of this document.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Electronic Availability: EPA is also in the process of placing the 
1996 MTL on the Chemical Testing and Information Branch/OPPT ``Home 
Page'' on the Agency's World Wide Web/Internet site. Persons wishing to 
access the 1996 MTL as well as other information related to EPA's 
Chemical Testing Program via EPA's World Wide Web/Internet site should 
use the following Uniform Resource Locator (URL): http://www.epa.gov/
opptintr/main/ctibhome.htm. The 1996 MTL is also being made available 
to the public via EPA's gopher server (gopher://gopher.epa.gov).
    Under section 4 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), EPA has 
the authority to require chemical manufacturers (including importers) 
and processors to test chemicals. Specifically, EPA has the authority 
to promulgate TSCA section 4 Test Rules after finding that: (1) A 
chemical substance may present an unreasonable risk of injury to human 
health or the environment, or the chemical is produced in substantial 
quantities which could result in significant or substantial human or 
environmental exposure, and (2) available data to evaluate the chemical 
substance are inadequate, and (3) testing is needed to develop the 
necessary data. EPA's TSCA Chemical Testing Program also works closely 
with members of the chemical industry to develop needed test data by 
way of TSCA section 4 Enforceable Consent Agreements (ECAs) and 
Voluntary Testing Agreements (VTAs). A number of these ECAs and VTAs 
have been accompanied by voluntary product stewardship program 
agreements between EPA and the producer(s)/importer(s) of a given 
chemical or group of chemicals. In these voluntary agreements, which 
can be captured in some cases via a formal ``Memorandum of 
Understanding'' (MOU), companies commit to undertake a variety of 
product stewardship activities and agree to provide to EPA periodic 
progress reports describing their ongoing efforts and improvements in 
handling the chemical(s) in question.
    This notice announces the availability of EPA's 1996 Master Testing 
List (MTL). The major purposes of the MTL are to:
    (1) Identify the chemical testing needs of the Federal Government 
(including EPA) and international programs of interest to the United 
States.
    (2) Focus limited EPA resources on the highest priority chemical 
testing needs.
    (3) Publicize EPA's testing priorities for industrial chemicals.
    (4) Obtain broad public comment on EPA's TSCA Chemical Testing 
Program and its priorities.
    (5) Encourage initiatives by industry to provide EPA with the 
priority data needs identified on the MTL.
    Since 1992, EPA has added more than 300 specific chemicals and 4 
new categories to the MTL and has removed over 100 chemicals from the 
MTL. It is important to note that most of the chemicals removed from 
the MTL were removed because testing was completed for those chemicals. 
The MTL now contains over 500 specific chemicals and 13 categories and 
presents EPA's Chemical Testing Program's priorities for 1996-1998.
    EPA believes that many chemical companies with product stewardship 
programs will recognize the importance of promptly filling the data 
needs cited on the MTL. The identification of the data needs on the MTL 
provides an opportunity for responsible companies to initiate voluntary 
activities to develop the needed data for their own MTL-listed 
chemicals. In those instances in which companies decline this 
opportunity, EPA is put in the position of having to initiate formal 
regulatory actions such as promulgating TSCA section 4 Test Rules.
    EPA invites written comments from any person interested in the 
development of the MTL. In particular, EPA is interested in comments on 
the approach the Agency takes to identify priority testing needs. EPA 
is also interested in comments on the categories of chemicals described 
in the MTL. Comments in this regard may affect how these categories are 
ultimately ranked and may influence how EPA proceeds in obtaining 
needed toxicity and/or exposure data on the chemicals within those 
categories. EPA is also interested in identifying other categories of 
chemicals that may deserve further evaluation.
    A record has been established for this notice under docket number 
``OPPTS-00200'' (including comments submitted electronically as 
described below). A public version of this record, including printed, 
paper versions of electronic comments, which does not include any 
information claimed as CBI, is available for inspection from noon to 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The public 
record is located in the TSCA Nonconfidential Information Center, Rm. 
NE-B607, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460.
    Electronic comments can be sent directly to EPA at:
    [e-mail]



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    Electronic comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the 
use of special characters and any form of encryption.
    The official record for this notice, as well as the public version, 
as described above will be kept in paper form. Accordingly, EPA will 
transfer all comments received electronically into printed, paper form 
as they are received and will place the paper copies in the official 
record which will also include all comments submitted directly in 
writing. The official record is the paper record maintained at the 
address in ``ADDRESSES'' at the beginning of this document.

    Dated: December 9, 1996.
Charles M. Auer,
Director, Chemical Control Division, Office of Pollution Prevention and 
Toxics.

[FR Doc. 96-31711 Filed 12-12-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F