[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 23, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 67035-67036]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-33325]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Parts 144 and 146
[FRL-5939-1]
Federal Register Notice of Stakeholders Meeting on Revisions to
the Underground Injection Control Regulations for Class V Injection
Wells
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Announcement of stakeholders meetings.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold
public meetings on January 20, 1998 in Washington, DC and January 27 in
Chicago, IL. The purpose of these meetings will be to gather
information and collect opinions from parties who will be affected by
or are otherwise interested in the Revisions to the Underground
Injection Control (UIC) Regulations for Class V Injection Wells.
Typically, Class V wells are shallow wells which inject a variety of
fluids directly below the land surface. The Class V wells under
consideration for new requirements include motor vehicle waste disposal
wells, cesspools, and industrial waste disposal wells in ground water-
based source water protection areas. EPA will consider the comments and
views expressed in these meetings in developing the proposed
regulation. EPA is especially interested in seeking input from small
entities and small entity representatives. EPA encourages the full
participation of all stakeholders throughout this process.
DATES: The stakeholder meetings regarding the Revisions to the
Underground Injection Control Regulations for Class V Injection Wells
will be held on:
1. January 20, 1998, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST in Washington, DC
2. January 27, 1998, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm EST in Chicago, IL
ADDRESSES: To register for the meeting, please contact the EPA Safe
Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791, or Jennifer Greenamoyer of
EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water at (202) 260-7829.
Participants registering in advance will be mailed a packet of
materials before the meeting. Interested parties who cannot attend the
meeting in person may participate via conference call and should
register with the Safe Drinking Water Hotline. Conference lines will be
allocated on the basis of first-reserved, first served. Members of the
public who cannot participate via conference call or in person may
submit comments in writing by January 30, 1998 to Jennifer Greenamoyer,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, S.W. (4606),
Washington, DC 20460 or E-mail to greenamoyer.jennifer@epamail.epa.gov.
The stakeholder meetings will be held in the following locations:
1. Washington Information Center, 401 M Street, S.W., Room 3,
Washington, DC 20460
2. EPA, Region V, Ralph Metcalfe Federal Building, Lake Michigan
Room (12th Floor), 77 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on meeting
logistics, please contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-
4791. For information on the activities related to this rulemaking,
contact: Jennifer Greenamoyer, U.S. EPA at (202) 260-7829.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Environmental Protection Agency is
developing revisions to the Underground Injection Control
[[Page 67036]]
Regulations for Class V Injection Wells (40 CFR parts 144 and 146) to
address the risk posed by Class V injection wells to drinking water
supplies. EPA is considering changes to the Class V Underground
Injection Control regulations that would add new requirements for
relatively high-risk Class V wells in areas near drinking water
supplies. Under consideration is a ban on Class V motor vehicle waste
disposal wells and large-capacity cesspools located in ground water-
based source water protection areas being delineated by States under
the 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act. In addition, fluids
released in Class V industrial waste disposal wells in ground water-
based source water protection areas could be required to meet certain
standards of quality.
EPA is considering proposing these new requirements because
available information shows that Class V motor vehicle waste disposal
wells, cesspools, and industrial waste disposal wells pose a high risk
of ground water contamination. Targeting the requirements to those
wells near ground water-based drinking water supplies would achieve
substantial protection of underground sources of drinking water. The
rule addressed in this notification is being developed in response to a
January 28, 1997 consent decree with the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund
and has a court deadline of June 18, 1997 for proposal and July 31,
1999 for final.
Elizabeth Fellows,
Acting Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 97-33325 Filed 12-22-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
