03-6300. Forum on State and Tribal Toxics Action; Notice of Public Meetings

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

EPA is announcing the spring meeting of the Forum on State and Tribal Toxics Action (FOSTTA) to collaborate on environmental protection and chemical and prevention issues. The Chemical Information and Management, Pollution Prevention, and Tribal Affairs Projects, components of FOSTTA, will hold meetings March 25-26, 2003. The meetings are being held in conjunction with the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) Regional Division Directors meeting. This notice announces the location and times for the meetings and sets forth some tentative agenda topics. EPA invites all interested parties to attend the public meetings.

DATES:

The three projects will meet concurrently March 25, 2003, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and March 26, 2003, from 8 a.m. to noon. A plenary session is being planned for the participants on Tuesday, March 26, 2003, from 1 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Joint sessions will be held for the projects and the respective Regional Division Directors. Requests to participate in the spring FOSTTA meeting, identified by docket ID number OPPT-2003-0009, must be received by EPA on or before March 21, 2003.

ADDRESSES:

The meetings will be held at the Western Tabor Center, 1672 Lawrence Street, Denver, Colorado.

Requests to participate in the meeting may be submitted to Christine Eppstein, listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Follow the detailed instructions as provided in Unit III. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For general information contact: Barbara Cunningham, Acting Director, Environmental Assistance Division (7408M), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: [phone]; e-mail address: [e-mail].

For technical information contact: Darlene Harrod, Environmental Assistance Division (7408M), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: [phone]; fax number: [phone]; e-mail address: [e-mail].

Christine Eppstein, Environmental Council of the States, 444 North Capitol Street, NW., Suite 445, Washington, DC 20001; telephone number: [phone]; fax number: [phone]; e-mail address: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

You may be potentially affected by this action if you are interested in FOSTTA and hearing more about the perspectives of the States and Tribes on EPA programs and information exchange regarding important issues related to human health and environmental exposure to toxics. Potentially affected entities may include, but are not limited to:

• States and federally recognized Tribes.
• State, Federal, and local environmental and public health organizations.
• Chemical trade associations.

The listing is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a guide for readers regarding entities likely to be affected by this action. If you have any questions regarding the applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the technical persons listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

B. How Can I Get Copies of this Document and Other Related Documents?

1. Docket. EPA has established an official public docket for this action under docket ID number OPPT-2003-0009. The official public docket consists of the documents specifically referenced in this action, any public comments received, and other information related to this action. Although a part of the official docket, the public docket does not include Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. The official public docket is the collection of materials that is available for public viewing at the EPA Docket Center, Rm. B102-Reading Room, EPA West, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The EPA Docket Center Reading Room telephone number is [phone] and the telephone number for the OPPT Docket, which is located in EPA Docket Center, is [phone].

2. Electronic access. You may access this Federal Register document electronically through the EPA Internet under the “Federal Register” listings at http://www.epa.gov/​fedrgstr/​.

An electronic version of the public docket is available through EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, EPA Dockets. You may use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/​edocket/​ to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the official public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Although not all docket materials may be available electronically, you may still access any of the publicly available docket materials through the docket facility identified in Unit I.B.1. Once in the system, select “search,” then key in the appropriate docket ID number.

II. How Can I Request to Participate in this Meeting?

You may submit a request to participate in this meeting to Christine Eppstein, the technical person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Do not submit any information in your request that is considered CBI. Requests to participate in the meeting, identified by docket ID number OPPT-2003-0009, must be received on or before March 21, 2003.

III. Background

The Toxic Substances Control Act, 15 U.S.C. 2609, authorizes EPA and other Federal agencies to establish and coordinate a system for exchange among Federal, State, and local authorities of research and development results respecting toxic chemical substances and mixtures, including a system to facilitate and promote the development of standard data format and analysis and consistent testing procedures. Through FOSTTA, the Chemical Information and Management Project (CIMP) focuses on EPA's chemical program and works to develop a more coordinated effort involving Federal, State, and Tribal agencies. The Pollution Prevention Project (P2) promotes the prevention ethic across society, helping companies incorporate P2 approaches and techniques and integrating P2 into mainstream environmental activities at both the Federal level and among the States. The Tribal Affairs Project TAP concentrates on chemical and prevention issues that are most relevant to the Tribes, including lead control and abatement, Tribal traditional/subsistence lifeways, and hazard communications and outreach. FOSTTA's vision is to reinvigorate the projects, focus on major policy-level issues, recruit more senior State and Tribal leaders, increase outreach to all 50 States and some 560 federally recognized Tribes, and vigorously seek ways to engage the States and Tribes in ongoing substantive discussions on complex and oftentimes controversial environmental issues that States and Tribes resolve at their respective levels of government. In January 2002, the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), in cooperation with the National Tribal Environmental Council (NTEC), was awarded the new FOSTTA cooperative agreement. ECOS, NTEC, and EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) are co-sponsoring the meetings. As part of a cooperative agreement, ECOS facilitates ongoing efforts of the State and Tribal leaders and OPPT to increase understanding and improve collaboration on toxics and pollution prevention issues and to continue a dialogue on how federal environmental programs can best be implemented among the States, Tribes, and EPA.

IV. The Meeting

In the interest of time and efficiency, the meetings are structured to provide maximum opportunity for State, Tribal, and EPA participants to discuss items on the predetermined agenda. At the discretion of the chair, an effort will be made to accommodate participation by observers attending the proceedings. The FOSTTA representatives and EPA will collaborate on environmental protection and chemical and prevention issues. The tentative agenda items identified by the States and the Tribes follow:

1. High production volume data (CIMP).

2. Environmental indicators (CIMP).

3. Impact of State budget cuts on pollution prevention programs (P2).

4. EPA's resource conservation challenge (P2).

5. OPPTS Tribal strategy (TAP).

6. Lead issues (TAP).

Stephen L. Johnson, Assistant Administrator, for the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, will be a speaker at the plenary session.

List of Subjects

• Environmental protection
• Chemicals
• Pollution prevention

Dated: March 7, 2003.

Clarence O. Lewis, III

Acting Director, Environmental Assistance Division, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.