95-18119. Clean Water Act; Contractor Access to Confidential Business Information  

  • [Federal Register Volume 60, Number 141 (Monday, July 24, 1995)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 37890-37892]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 95-18119]
    
    
    
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    ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
    
    [FRL-5261-9]
    
    
    Clean Water Act; Contractor Access to Confidential Business 
    Information
    
    AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
    
    ACTION: Notice of intended transfer of confidential business 
    information to contractors.
    
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    SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intends to transfer 
    to EPA contractors and subcontractors, technical and financial 
    confidential business information (CBI) collected under EPA's contract 
    for the commodities industries including the pulp and paper industry, 
    pharmaceutical industry, industrial laundries industry and 
    transportation equipment cleaning industry. EPA also intends to 
    transfer to EPA contractors and subcontractors, technical and financial 
    CBI collected under EPA contracts for the pesticide industry and the 
    oil and gas industry. Transfer of the information will allow the 
    contractors and subcontractors to assist EPA in developing effluent 
    limitations guidelines and standards under the Clean Water Act (CWA) 
    for the industries mentioned. The information being transferred was 
    collected under the authority of section 308 of the Clean Water Act. 
    Interested persons may submit comments on this intended transfer of 
    information to the address noted below.
    
    DATES: Comments on the transfer of data are due August 3, 1995.
    
    
    [[Page 37891]]
    
    ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to Janet Goodwin, Engineering and 
    Analysis Division (4303), Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, 
    DC 20460.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Goodwin at the above address or 
    at (202) 260-7152.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA is today noticing the transfer of 
    confidential business information (CBI) under six new contracts to 
    support the Agency in the collection and evaluation of technical data 
    to support effluent guidelines regulations. These six contracts replace 
    three contracts which were supporting the 1. Commodities Industries 
    (including the pulp and paper, pharmaceutical, industrial laundries, 
    and transportation equipment cleaning industries), 2. Pesticides 
    Industry, and 3. Oil and Gas Industry. The commodities industries 
    contract has been broken into four industry specific contracts. The 
    following discussion describes the information currently held by 
    contractors under the three existing contracts and to whom this 
    information will be transferred for the six new contracts.
        1. Commodities Industries. EPA has previously transferred to its 
    contractor Radian Corporation of Herndon, Virginia (and subcontractors) 
    information, including confidential business information (CBI), 
    concerning the pulp and paper, pharmaceutical, industrial laundries, 
    transportation equipment cleaning, and pesticides industries collected 
    under the authority of the Clean Water Act section 308.
        The information transferred includes the following:
        Pulp and Paper. Data collected through questionnaires mailed to 
    almost 600 pulp and paper facilities in 1990 which requested data on 
    production, production processes water usage and wastewater treatment, 
    were transferred to EPA's engineering contractor. Also transferred were 
    the results obtained from sampling and site visits conducted at pulp 
    and paper facilities and treatability studies conducted on pulp and 
    paper wastewaters from 1988 to the summer of 1994, including data 
    provided to EPA through a trade association. EPA also transferred all 
    public comments submitted in response to the proposed rule for pulp and 
    paper published in the Federal Register on December 17, 1993 as well as 
    any data that was submitted with or subsequent to the comments.
        Pharmaceutical. Data collected through screener questionnaires 
    mailed to 1,163 pharmaceutical facilities in 1989, and 280 detailed 
    questionnaires mailed in 1991, requesting data on production, 
    production processes, water usage and wastewater treatment were 
    transferred to the contractor. Also transferred were data and 
    information collected by the financial and economic portion of this 
    questionnaire. EPA also transferred the results obtained from sampling 
    and site visits conducted at pharmaceutical facilities and treatability 
    studies conducted on pharmaceutical wastewaters from 1991 through 1994 
    to Radian Corp.
        Industrial Laundries. EPA has transferred data collected through 
    detailed questionnaires were mailed to 254 industrial laundry 
    facilities and 100 screener questionnaires mailed to hotels, hospitals 
    and prisons in 1993 and 1994 and requested information on laundry 
    practices, water usage and wastewater treatment. Also transferred were 
    the responses to the economic and financial portion of the 
    questionnaire. Data collected through site and sampling visits to 
    industrial laundry facilities collected from 1992 through 1995 has also 
    been transferred. This included information collected on the 
    characteristics of wastewaters generated by industrial laundries and 
    the technologies used to treat industrial laundries wastewater.
        Transportation Equipment Cleaning. Data collected through a 
    screener questionnaire sent to 4,000 transportation equipment cleaning 
    facilities in 1994 has been transferred to Radian Corp. This data 
    includes limited information about the water use and subsequent 
    wastewater treatment, commodities cleaned from transportation 
    equipment, the organizational structure and financial data of 
    transportation equipment cleaning facilities. Also transferred were 
    data collected through site visits and sampling visits to 
    transportation equipment facilities conducted from 1994 through 1995. 
    Data collected through the current data collection with a detailed 
    questionnaire that has been mailed to about 300 facilities and will be 
    transferred to Radian under their new contract with EPA to support the 
    Transportation Equipment Cleaning Industry rulemaking development as 
    the responses are received.
        EPA determined that this transfer was necessary to enable the 
    contractor and subcontractors to perform their work under EPA Contract 
    No. 68-C0-0032 and related subcontracts by assisting EPA in developing 
    effluent limitations guidelines and standards for these four 
    industries. Notice to this effect was provided to the affected 
    companies at the time the data was collected or through Federal 
    Register notice.
        Today, EPA is giving notice that it has entered into four new 
    contracts, as follows:
        The following contracts replace the Commodities Industries 
    Contract, contract number 68-C0-0032:
        Pulp and Paper: New Contract No. 68-C5-0013, with Radian 
    Corporation of Herndon, Virginia. Subcontractors are DynCorp--EENSP; 
    Eastern Research Group, Inc.; Amendola Engineering, Inc.; and N. 
    McCubbin Consultants, Inc. The effective date for this contract is June 
    13, 1995.
        Pharmaceutical: New Contract No. 68-C5-0025, with Radian 
    Corporation of Herndon, Virginia. Subcontractors are DynCorp--EENSP; 
    Westat, Inc.; ECG, Inc.; and Neal A. Jannelle. The effective date for 
    this contract is May 24, 1995.
        Industrial Laundries: New Contract No. 68-C5-0032, with Radian 
    Corporation of Herndon, Virginia. Subcontractors are DynCorp--EENSP; 
    Cambodie, Limited; Eastern Research Group, Inc.; GeoLogics Corporation; 
    SJV Consultants; and TN and Associates, Inc. The effective date for 
    this contract is June 22, 1995.
        Transportation Equipment Cleaning: New Contract 68-C5-0033, with 
    Radian Corporation of Herndon, Virginia. Subcontractors are DynCorp--
    EENSP; Eastern Research Group, Inc.; TN and Associates, Inc.; and 
    GeoLogics Corporation. The effective date for this contract is June 19, 
    1995.
        In each of these contracts, Radian Corp. will provide technical and 
    engineering support such as completion of the technical portions of the 
    public docket for the proposed rulemaking and completion of the work on 
    the draft proposed technical development document. The contractor shall 
    also provide support on post proposal efforts, including assisting with 
    public meetings, assisting EPA in responding to comments on technical 
    issues, such as estimates of costs or loadings, filling data gaps that 
    arise through comments on the proposed rule, and assisting with the 
    assembly of the rulemaking record for the final rule.
        In accordance with 40 CFR part 2, subpart B, the previously 
    collected information described above (including confidential business 
    information) will be transferred to Radian Corp. under each of these 
    new contracts. EPA has determined that this transfer is necessary to 
    enable the contractors to perform their work under the EPA Contracts 
    listed above.
        2. Pesticides Industry. EPA has transferred data collected to 
    support two rulemaking efforts, the pesticide manufacturing industry 
    which was promulgated on September 28, 1993, 
    
    [[Page 37892]]
    and the pesticide formulating, packaging and repackaging industry which 
    was proposed on April 14, 1994, to Radian Corp. under Contract No. 68-
    C0-0081. The data transferred include the questionnaires sent to 90 
    pesticide active ingredient manufacturing facilities in 1988 to collect 
    information about the production, production processes, water usage and 
    wastewater treatment and discharge practices. Another questionnaire 
    sent to about 700 pesticide formulating, packaging and repackaging 
    facilities in 1990 and requested information on production processes, 
    water usage and wastewater discharge and treatment practices has also 
    been transferred to Radian. Also included in this transfer are 
    financial and economic data collected in the same pesticide 
    formulating, packaging and repackaging questionnaire. EPA has also 
    transferred data collected through site visits and sampling visits 
    conducted at pesticide manufacturing and pesticide formulating, 
    packaging and repackaging facilities during 1988 through 1995. These 
    visits collected information on production processes, water usage and 
    wastewater generation, pollution prevention practices in use and 
    wastewater characteristics and wastewater treatment performance. Also 
    transferred are data and information collected through treatability 
    studies, data submitted in support of comments on proposed rules and 
    data submitted post-promulgation in support of litigation.
        EPA has entered into a new contract to support the continuation of 
    the pesticide industry rulemaking development. The new contract is 
    Contract No. 68-C5-0023 with Radian Corp. of Herndon, Virginia. Radian 
    Corp. will continue to support EPA on the pesticides rulemaking 
    development along with their subcontractors including: DynCorp--EENSP; 
    Westat, Inc.; GeoLogics Corporation; and Chemical Consultants 
    International, Inc. The effective date of this contract is June 2, 
    1995.
        3. Oil and Gas Industry. Data collected through questionnaires 
    mailed to 361 Coastal Oil and Gas facilities in 1992 and collected 
    information on production, drilling, wastewater generation, and 
    wastewater treatment and disposal practices were transferred to EPA's 
    engineering contractor SAIC under Contract No. 68-C0-0044. Also 
    transferred were data collected through sampling and site visits at 
    coastal oil and gas facilities and treatability studies conducted on 
    coastal oil and gas wastewaters. In addition all data included as part 
    of the rulemaking record for the Offshore Oil and Gas industry was 
    transferred to EPA's engineering contractor.
        EPA has entered into a new contract to support the continuation of 
    the oil and gas rulemaking development and litigation support. The new 
    contract is Contract No. 68-C5-0035 with Avanti Corporation of Vienna, 
    Virginia. Avanti will support EPA on the oil and gas rulemaking efforts 
    along with their subcontractors: Radian Corp.; DynCorp--EENSP; 
    Louisiana State University and as a consultant Dr. Michael Kavanaugh. 
    The effective date of this contract is June 2, 1995.
        Anyone wishing to comment on the above matters must submit comments 
    to the address given above by August 3, 1995.
    
        Dated: July 13, 1995.
    Robert Perciasepe,
    Assistant Administrator for Water.
    [FR Doc. 95-18119 Filed 7-21-95; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
    
    

Document Information

Published:
07/24/1995
Department:
Environmental Protection Agency
Entry Type:
Notice
Action:
Notice of intended transfer of confidential business information to contractors.
Document Number:
95-18119
Dates:
Comments on the transfer of data are due August 3, 1995.
Pages:
37890-37892 (3 pages)
Docket Numbers:
FRL-5261-9
PDF File:
95-18119.pdf