ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
                40 CFR Part 300
                [EPAHQSFUND20000007, EPAHQOLEM20200394, 0395, 0396 and 0397; FRL1001270OLEM]
                National Priorities List
                
                    AGENCY:
                    Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
                
                
                    ACTION:
                    Proposed rule.
                
                
                    SUMMARY:
                    The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or the Act), as amended, requires that the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) include a list of national priorities among the known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants throughout the United States. The National Priorities List (NPL) constitutes this list. The NPL is intended primarily to guide the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the agency) in determining which sites warrant further investigation. These further investigations will allow the EPA to assess the nature and extent of public health and environmental risks associated with the site and to determine what CERCLA-financed remedial action(s), if any, may be appropriate. This rule proposes to add four sites to the General Superfund section of the NPL and withdraws a previous proposal for NPL addition.
                
                
                    DATES:
                    Comments regarding any of these proposed listings must be submitted (postmarked) on or before November 2, 2020.
                
                
                    ADDRESSES:
                    Identify the appropriate docket number from the table below.
                
                
                    Docket Identification Numbers by Site
                    
                        Site name
                        City/county, state
                        Docket ID No.
                    
                    
                        Cherokee ZincWeir Smelter
                        Weir, KS
                        EPAHQOLEM20200394
                    
                    
                        Billings PCE
                        Billings, MT
                        EPAHQOLEM20200395
                    
                    
                        Pioneer Metal Finishing Inc
                        Franklinville, NJ
                        EPAHQOLEM20200396
                    
                    
                        Northwest Odessa Groundwater
                        Odessa, TX
                        EPAHQOLEM20200397
                    
                
                
                You may send comments, identified by the appropriate docket number, by any of the following methods:
                
                     
                    Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov/
                     (our preferred method). Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
                
                
                     
                    Agency Website: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/current-npl-updates-new-proposed-npl-sites-and-new-npl-sites
                    .
                
                Scroll down to the site for which you would like to submit comments and click the Comment Now link.
                
                     
                    Mail:
                     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center, Superfund Docket, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460.
                
                
                     
                    Hand Delivery or Courier (by scheduled appointment only):
                     EPA Docket Center, WJC West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004. The Docket Center's hours of operations are 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m., MondayFriday (except Federal Holidays).
                
                
                    Instructions:
                     All submissions received must include the appropriate Docket ID No. for site(s) for which you are submitting comments. Comments received may be posted without change to 
                    https://www.regulations.gov/,
                     including any personal information provided. For detailed instructions on sending comments and additional information on the rulemaking process, see the Public Review/Public Comment heading of the 
                    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
                     section of this document. Out of an abundance of caution for members of the public and our staff, the EPA Docket Center and Reading Room are closed to the public, with limited exceptions, to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID19. Our Docket Center staff will continue to provide remote customer service via email, phone, and webform. We encourage the public to submit comments via 
                    https://www.regulations.gov/
                     or email, as there may be a delay in processing mail and faxes. Hand deliveries and couriers may be received by scheduled appointment only. For further information on EPA Docket Center services and the current status, please visit us online at 
                    https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
                
                
                    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
                    
                        Terry Jeng, phone: (703) 6038852, email: 
                        jeng.terry@epa.gov,
                         Assessment and Remediation Division, Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation, Mail Code 5204P, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460; or the Superfund Hotline, phone (800) 4249346 or (703) 4129810 in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.
                    
                
            
            
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
                Table of Contents
                
                    I. Public Review/Public Comment
                    A. May I review the documents relevant to this proposed rule?
                    B. How do I access the documents?
                    C. What documents are available for public review at the EPA Headquarters docket?
                    D. What documents are available for public review at the EPA regional dockets?
                    E. How do I submit my comments?
                    F. What happens to my comments?
                    G. What should I consider when preparing my comments?
                    H. May I submit comments after the public comment period is over?
                    I. May I view public comments submitted by others?
                    J. May I submit comments regarding sites not currently proposed to the NPL?
                    II. Background
                    A. What are CERCLA and SARA?
                    B. What is the NCP?
                    C. What is the National Priorities List (NPL)?
                    D. How are sites listed on the NPL?
                    E. What happens to sites on the NPL?
                    F. Does the NPL define the boundaries of sites?
                    G. How are sites removed from the NPL?
                    H. May the EPA delete portions of sites from the NPL as they are cleaned up?
                    I. What is the Construction Completion List (CCL)?
                    J. What is the Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use measure?
                    K. What is state/tribal correspondence concerning NPL listing?
                    III. Contents of This Proposed Rule
                    A. Proposed Additions to the NPL
                    B. Withdrawal of Previous Proposal for NPL Addition
                    IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
                    A. Executive Order 12866: Regulatory Planning and Review and Executive Order 13563: Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review
                    B. Executive Order 13771: Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs
                    C. Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)
                    D. Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA)
                    E. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)
                    F. Executive Order 13132: Federalism
                    G. Executive Order 13175: Consultation and Coordination With Indian Tribal Governments
                    H. Executive Order 13045: Protection of Children From Environmental Health and Safety Risks
                    I. Executive Order 13211: Actions That Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use
                    J. National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA)
                    K. Executive Order 12898: Federal Actions To Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations
                
                I. Public Review/Public Comment
                A. May I review the documents relevant to this proposed rule?
                
                    Yes, documents that form the basis for the EPA's evaluation and scoring of the sites in this proposed rule are contained in public dockets located both at the EPA Headquarters in Washington, DC, and in the regional offices. These documents are also available by electronic access at 
                    https://www.regulations.gov
                     (see instructions in the 
                    Addresses
                     section above).
                
                B. How do I access the documents?
                
                    The EPA is temporarily suspending its Docket Center and Reading Room for public visitors, with limited exceptions, to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID19. Our Docket Center staff will continue to provide remote customer service via email, phone, and webform. We encourage the public to submit comments via 
                    https://www.regulations.gov/
                     as there may be a delay in processing mail and faxes. Hand deliveries or couriers will be received by scheduled appointment only. For further information and updates on EPA Docket Center services, please visit us online at 
                    https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
                
                The EPA continues to carefully and continuously monitor information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local area health departments, and our Federal partners so that we can respond rapidly as conditions change regarding COVID19.
                The following is the contact information for the EPA Dockets: Mail comments to the EPA Headquarters as detailed at the beginning of this preamble.)
                The contact information for the regional dockets is as follows:
                 Holly Inglis, Region 1 (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT), U.S. EPA, Superfund Records and Information Center, 5 Post Office Square, Suite 100, Boston, MA 021093912; 617/9181413.
                 James Desir, Region 2 (NJ, NY, PR, VI), U.S. EPA, 290 Broadway, New York, NY 100071866; 212/6374342.
                 Lorie Baker (ASRC), Region 3 (DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV), U.S. EPA, Library, 1650 Arch Street, Mailcode 3HS12, Philadelphia, PA 19103; 215/8143355.
                 Sandra Harrigan, Region 4 (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN), U.S. EPA, 61 Forsyth Street SW, Mailcode 9T25, Atlanta, GA 30303; 404/5628926.
                
                     Todd Quesada, Region 5 (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI), U.S. EPA Superfund Division Librarian/SFD Records Manager SRC7J, Metcalfe Federal 
                    
                    Building, 77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60604; 312/8864465.
                
                 Michelle Delgado-Brown, Region 6 (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX), U.S. EPA, 1201 Elm Street, Suite 500, Mailcode SED, Dallas, TX 75270; 214/6653154.
                 Kumud Pyakuryal, Region 7 (IA, KS, MO, NE), U.S. EPA, 11201 Renner Blvd., Mailcode SUPRSTAR, Lenexa, KS 66219; 913/5517956.
                 Victor Ketellapper, Region 8 (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY), U.S. EPA, 1595 Wynkoop Street, Mailcode 8EPRB, Denver, CO 802021129; 303/3126578.
                 Eugenia Chow, Region 9 (AZ, CA, HI, NV, AS, GU, MP), U.S. EPA, 75 Hawthorne Street, Mailcode SFD 61, San Francisco, CA 94105; 415/9723160.
                 Ken Marcy, Region 10 (AK, ID, OR, WA), U.S. EPA, 1200 6th Avenue, Suite 155, Mailcode 12D121, Seattle, WA 98101; 206/8900591.
                You may also request copies from the EPA Headquarters or the regional dockets. An informal request, rather than a formal written request under the Freedom of Information Act, should be the ordinary procedure for obtaining copies of any of these documents. Please note that due to the difficulty of reproducing oversized maps, oversized maps may be viewed only in-person; since the EPA dockets are not equipped to both copy and mail out such maps or scan them and send them out electronically.
                
                    You may use the docket at 
                    https://www.regulations.gov
                     to access documents in the Headquarters docket. Please note that there are differences between the Headquarters docket and the regional dockets and those differences are outlined in this preamble below.
                
                C. What documents are available for public review at the EPA Headquarters docket?
                The Headquarters docket for this proposed rule contains the following for the sites proposed in this rule: HRS score sheets; documentation records describing the information used to compute the score; information for any sites affected by particular statutory requirements or the EPA listing policies; and a list of documents referenced in the documentation record.
                D. What documents are available for public review at the EPA regional dockets?
                The regional dockets for this proposed rule contain all of the information in the Headquarters docket plus the actual reference documents containing the data principally relied upon and cited by the EPA in calculating or evaluating the HRS score for the sites. These reference documents are available only in the regional dockets.
                E. How do I submit my comments?
                
                    Follow the online instructions detailed above in the 
                    ADDRESSES
                     section for submitting comments. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from the docket. The EPA may publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered the official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish to make. The EPA will generally not consider comments or comment contents located outside of the primary submission (
                    i.e.
                     on the web, cloud, or other file sharing system). For additional submission methods, the full EPA public comment policy, information about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general guidance on making effective comments, please visit 
                    https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.
                
                F. What happens to my comments?
                
                    The EPA considers all comments received during the comment period. Significant comments are typically addressed in a support document that the EPA will publish concurrently with the 
                    Federal Register
                     document if, and when, the site is listed on the NPL.
                
                G. What should I consider when preparing my comments?
                
                    Comments that include complex or voluminous reports, or materials prepared for purposes other than HRS scoring, should point out the specific information that the EPA should consider and how it affects individual HRS factor values or other listing criteria (
                    Northside Sanitary Landfill
                     v. 
                    Thomas,
                     849 F.2d 1516 (D.C. Cir. 1988)). The EPA will not address voluminous comments that are not referenced to the HRS or other listing criteria. The EPA will not address comments unless they indicate which component of the HRS documentation record or what particular point in the EPA's stated eligibility criteria is at issue.
                
                H. May I submit comments after the public comment period is over?
                Generally, the EPA will not respond to late comments. The EPA can guarantee only that it will consider those comments postmarked by the close of the formal comment period. The EPA has a policy of generally not delaying a final listing decision solely to accommodate consideration of late comments.
                I. May I view public comments submitted by others?
                During the comment period, comments are placed in the Headquarters docket and are available to the public on an as received basis. A complete set of comments will be available for viewing in the regional dockets approximately one week after the formal comment period closes.
                
                    All public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper form, will be made available for public viewing in the electronic public docket at 
                    https://www.regulations.gov
                     as the EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, confidential business information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Once in the public dockets system, select search, then key in the appropriate docket ID number.
                
                J. May I submit comments regarding sites not currently proposed to the NPL?
                In certain instances, interested parties have written to the EPA concerning sites that were not at that time proposed to the NPL. If those sites are later proposed to the NPL, parties should review their earlier concerns and, if still appropriate, resubmit those concerns for consideration during the formal comment period. Site-specific correspondence received prior to the period of formal proposal and comment will not generally be included in the docket.
                II. Background
                A. What are CERCLA and SARA?
                
                    In 1980, Congress enacted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, 42 U.S.C. 96019675 (CERCLA or the Act), in response to the dangers of uncontrolled releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, and releases or substantial threats of releases into the environment of any pollutant or contaminant that may present an imminent or substantial danger to the public health or welfare. CERCLA was amended on October 17, 1986, by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA), Public Law 99499, 100 Stat. 1613 
                    et seq.
                    
                
                B. What is the NCP?
                To implement CERCLA, the EPA promulgated the revised National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), 40 CFR part 300, on July 16, 1982 (47 FR 31180), pursuant to CERCLA section 105 and Executive Order 12316 (46 FR 42237, August 20, 1981). The NCP sets guidelines and procedures for responding to releases and threatened releases of hazardous substances or releases or substantial threats of releases into the environment of any pollutant or contaminant that may present an imminent or substantial danger to the public health or welfare. The EPA has revised the NCP on several occasions. The most recent comprehensive revision was on March 8, 1990 (55 FR 8666).
                As required under section 105(a)(8)(A) of CERCLA, the NCP also includes criteria for determining priorities among releases or threatened releases throughout the United States for the purpose of taking remedial action and, to the extent practicable taking into account the potential urgency of such action, for the purpose of taking removal action. Removal actions are defined broadly and include a wide range of actions taken to study, clean up, prevent or otherwise address releases and threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants (42 U.S.C. 9601(23)).
                C. What is the National Priorities List (NPL)?
                The NPL is a list of national priorities among the known or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants throughout the United States. The list, which is appendix B of the NCP (40 CFR part 300), was required under section 105(a)(8)(B) of CERCLA, as amended. Section 105(a)(8)(B) defines the NPL as a list of releases and the highest priority facilities and requires that the NPL be revised at least annually. The NPL is intended primarily to guide the EPA in determining which sites warrant further investigation to assess the nature and extent of public health and environmental risks associated with a release of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants. The NPL is only of limited significance, however, as it does not assign liability to any party or to the owner of any specific property. Also, placing a site on the NPL does not mean that any remedial or removal action necessarily need be taken.
                For purposes of listing, the NPL includes two sections, one of sites that are generally evaluated and cleaned up by the EPA (the General Superfund section), and one of sites that are owned or operated by other Federal agencies (the Federal Facilities section). With respect to sites in the Federal Facilities section, these sites are generally being addressed by other Federal agencies. Under Executive Order 12580 (52 FR 2923, January 29, 1987) and CERCLA section 120, each Federal agency is responsible for carrying out most response actions at facilities under its own jurisdiction, custody or control, although the EPA is responsible for preparing a Hazard Ranking System (HRS) score and determining whether the facility is placed on the NPL.
                D. How are sites listed on the NPL?
                There are three mechanisms for placing sites on the NPL for possible remedial action (see 40 CFR 300.425(c) of the NCP): (1) A site may be included on the NPL if it scores sufficiently high on the HRS, which the EPA promulgated as appendix A of the NCP (40 CFR part 300). The HRS serves as a screening tool to evaluate the relative potential of uncontrolled hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants to pose a threat to human health or the environment. On December 14, 1990 (55 FR 51532), the EPA promulgated revisions to the HRS partly in response to CERCLA section 105(c), added by SARA. On January 9, 2017 (82 FR 2760), a subsurface intrusion component was added to the HRS to enable the EPA to consider human exposure to hazardous substances or pollutants and contaminants that enter regularly occupied structures through subsurface intrusion when evaluating sites for the NPL. The current HRS evaluates four pathways: Ground water, surface water, soil exposure and subsurface intrusion, and air. As a matter of agency policy, those sites that score 28.50 or greater on the HRS are eligible for the NPL. (2) Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 9605(a)(8)(B), each state may designate a single site as its top priority to be listed on the NPL, without any HRS score. This provision of CERCLA requires that, to the extent practicable, the NPL include one facility designated by each state as the greatest danger to public health, welfare or the environment among known facilities in the state. This mechanism for listing is set out in the NCP at 40 CFR 300.425(c)(2). (3) The third mechanism for listing, included in the NCP at 40 CFR 300.425(c)(3), allows certain sites to be listed without any HRS score, if all of the following conditions are met:
                 The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) of the U.S. Public Health Service has issued a health advisory that recommends dissociation of individuals from the release.
                 The EPA determines that the release poses a significant threat to public health.
                 The EPA anticipates that it will be more cost-effective to use its remedial authority than to use its removal authority to respond to the release.
                The EPA promulgated an original NPL of 406 sites on September 8, 1983 (48 FR 40658) and generally has updated it at least annually.
                E. What happens to sites on the NPL?
                A site may undergo remedial action financed by the Trust Fund established under CERCLA (commonly referred to as the Superfund) only after it is placed on the NPL, as provided in the NCP at 40 CFR 300.425(b)(1). (Remedial actions are those consistent with permanent remedy, taken instead of or in addition to removal actions. * * * 42 U.S.C. 9601(24).) However, under 40 CFR 300.425(b)(2) placing a site on the NPL does not imply that monies will be expended. The EPA may pursue other appropriate authorities to respond to the releases, including enforcement action under CERCLA and other laws.
                F. Does the NPL define the boundaries of sites?
                The NPL does not describe releases in precise geographical terms; it would be neither feasible nor consistent with the limited purpose of the NPL (to identify releases that are priorities for further evaluation), for it to do so. Indeed, the precise nature and extent of the site are typically not known at the time of listing.
                Although a CERCLA facility is broadly defined to include any area where a hazardous substance has come to be located (CERCLA section 101(9)), the listing process itself is not intended to define or reflect the boundaries of such facilities or releases. Of course, HRS data (if the HRS is used to list a site) upon which the NPL placement was based will, to some extent, describe the release(s) at issue. That is, the NPL site would include all releases evaluated as part of that HRS analysis.
                
                    When a site is listed, the approach generally used to describe the relevant release(s) is to delineate a geographical area (usually the area within an installation or plant boundaries) and identify the site by reference to that area. However, the NPL site is not necessarily coextensive with the boundaries of the installation or plant, and the boundaries of the installation or plant are not necessarily the boundaries of the site. Rather, the site 
                    
                    consists of all contaminated areas within the area used to identify the site, as well as any other location where that contamination has come to be located, or from where that contamination came.
                
                
                    In other words, while geographic terms are often used to designate the site (
                    e.g.,
                     the Jones Co. Plant site) in terms of the property owned by a particular party, the site, properly understood, is not limited to that property (
                    e.g.,
                     it may extend beyond the property due to contaminant migration), and conversely may not occupy the full extent of the property (
                    e.g.,
                     where there are uncontaminated parts of the identified property, they may not be, strictly speaking, part of the site). The site is thus neither equal to, nor confined by, the boundaries of any specific property that may give the site its name, and the name itself should not be read to imply that this site is coextensive with the entire area within the property boundary of the installation or plant. In addition, the site name is merely used to help identify the geographic location of the contamination; and is not meant to constitute any determination of liability at a site. For example, the name Jones Co. Plant site, does not imply that the Jones Company is responsible for the contamination located on the plant site.
                
                The EPA regulations provide that the remedial investigation (RI) is a process undertaken . . . to determine the nature and extent of the problem presented by the release as more information is developed on site contamination, and which is generally performed in an interactive fashion with the feasibility Study (FS) (40 CFR 300.5). During the RI/FS process, the release may be found to be larger or smaller than was originally thought, as more is learned about the source(s) and the migration of the contamination. However, the HRS inquiry focuses on an evaluation of the threat posed and therefore the boundaries of the release need not be exactly defined. Moreover, it generally is impossible to discover the full extent of where the contamination has come to be located before all necessary studies and remedial work are completed at a site. Indeed, the known boundaries of the contamination can be expected to change over time. Thus, in most cases, it may be impossible to describe the boundaries of a release with absolute certainty.
                Further, as noted previously, NPL listing does not assign liability to any party or to the owner of any specific property. Thus, if a party does not believe it is liable for releases on discrete parcels of property, it can submit supporting information to the agency at any time after it receives notice it is a potentially responsible party.
                For these reasons, the NPL need not be amended as further research reveals more information about the location of the contamination or release.
                G. How are sites removed from the NPL?
                The EPA may delete sites from the NPL where no further response is appropriate under Superfund, as explained in the NCP at 40 CFR 300.425(e). This section also provides that the EPA shall consult with states on proposed deletions and shall consider whether any of the following criteria have been met:
                (i) Responsible parties or other persons have implemented all appropriate response actions required;
                (ii) All appropriate Superfund-financed response has been implemented and no further response action is required; or
                (iii) The remedial investigation has shown the release poses no significant threat to public health or the environment and taking of remedial measures is not appropriate.
                H. May the EPA delete portions of sites from the NPL as they are cleaned up?
                In November 1995, the EPA initiated a policy to delete portions of NPL sites where cleanup is complete (60 FR 55465, November 1, 1995). Total site cleanup may take many years, while portions of the site may have been cleaned up and made available for productive use.
                I. What is the Construction Completion List (CCL)?
                The EPA also has developed an NPL construction completion list (CCL) to simplify its system of categorizing sites and to better communicate the successful completion of cleanup activities (58 FR 12142, March 2, 1993). Inclusion of a site on the CCL has no legal significance.
                
                    Sites qualify for the CCL when: (1) Any necessary physical construction is complete, whether or not final cleanup levels or other requirements have been achieved; (2) the EPA has determined that the response action should be limited to measures that do not involve construction (
                    e.g.,
                     institutional controls); or (3) the site qualifies for deletion from the NPL. For more information on the CCL, see the EPA's internet site at 
                    https://www.epa.gov/superfund/construction-completions-national-priorities-list-npl-sites-number
                    .
                
                J. What is the Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use measure?
                
                    The Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use measure (formerly called Sitewide Ready-for-Reuse) represents important Superfund accomplishments and the measure reflects the high priority the EPA places on considering anticipated future land use as part of the remedy selection process. See Guidance for Implementing the Sitewide Ready-for-Reuse Measure, May 24, 2006, OSWER 9365.036. This measure applies to final and deleted sites where construction is complete, all cleanup goals have been achieved, and all institutional or other controls are in place. The EPA has been successful on many occasions in carrying out remedial actions that ensure protectiveness of human health and the environment for current and future land uses, in a manner that allows contaminated properties to be restored to environmental and economic vitality. For further information, please go to 
                    https://www.epa.gov/superfund/about-superfund-cleanup-process#tab-9
                    .
                
                K. What is state/tribal correspondence concerning NPL listing?
                
                    In order to maintain close coordination with states and tribes in the NPL listing decision process, the EPA's policy is to determine the position of the states and tribes regarding sites that the EPA is considering for listing. This consultation process is outlined in two memoranda that can be found at the following website: 
                    https://www.epa.gov/superfund/statetribal-correspondence-concerning-npl-site-listing.
                
                The EPA has improved the transparency of the process by which state and tribal input is solicited. The EPA is using the Web and where appropriate more structured state and tribal correspondence that (1) explains the concerns at the site and the EPA's rationale for proceeding; (2) requests an explanation of how the state intends to address the site if placement on the NPL is not favored; and (3) emphasizes the transparent nature of the process by informing states that information on their responses will be publicly available.
                
                    A model letter and correspondence between the EPA and states and tribes where applicable, is available on the EPA's website at 
                    https://www.epa.gov/superfund/statetribal-correspondence-concerning-npl-site-listing.
                
                III. Contents of This Proposed Rule
                A. Proposed Additions to the NPL
                
                    In this proposed rule, the EPA is proposing to add four sites to the NPL, 
                    
                    all to the General Superfund section. All of the sites in this rule are being proposed for NPL addition based on an HRS score of 28.50 or above.
                
                The sites are presented in the table below.
                
                    General Superfund Section
                    
                        State
                        Site name
                        City/county
                    
                    
                        KS
                        Cherokee ZincWeir Smelter
                        Weir.
                    
                    
                        MT
                        Billings PCE
                        Billings.
                    
                    
                        NJ
                        Pioneer Metal Finishing Inc
                        Franklinville.
                    
                    
                        TX
                        Northwest Odessa Groundwater
                        Odessa.
                    
                
                B. Withdrawal of Previous Proposal for NPL Addition
                The EPA is withdrawing its previous proposal to add the Capitol City Plume (also sometimes spelled Capital City Plume) site in Montgomery, Alabama to the NPL because the cleanup is proceeding under an agreement with the State. The City of Montgomery, Montgomery County, Montgomery Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board, the State of Alabama and the Montgomery Advertiser formed the Downtown Environmental Alliance to complete the investigation, risk assessment and develop a remedial action plan (Institutional Controls Plan) to address the Capitol City Plume under an agreement with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM). The EPA has also entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the ADEM formally deferring the oversight lead to the State. The selected remedy at the site includes groundwater monitoring and land use controls that restrict the use of groundwater in the downtown area under a city ordinance, and land use for certain specific areas in the downtown area by environmental covenants and city ordinance.
                
                    The rule proposing to add this site to the NPL can be found at 65 FR 30489 (May 11, 2000). Refer to the Docket ID number EPAHQSFUND20000007 for supporting documentation regarding this action. Additional information regarding this site can be found on the Montgomery, Alabama website at 
                    https://www.montgomeryal.gov/live/capital-city-plume-information.
                
                IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews
                
                    Additional information about these statutes and Executive orders can be found at 
                    https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/laws-and-executive-orders.
                
                A. Executive Order 12866: Regulatory Planning and Review and Executive Order 13563: Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review
                This action is not a significant regulatory action and was therefore not submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review.
                B. Executive Order 13771: Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs
                This action is not expected to be an Executive Order 13771 regulatory action because this action is not significant under Executive Order 12866.
                C. Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)
                This action does not impose an information collection burden under the PRA. This rule does not contain any information collection requirements that require approval of the OMB.
                D. Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA)
                I certify that this action will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities under the RFA. This action will not impose any requirements on small entities. This rule listing sites on the NPL does not impose any obligations on any group, including small entities. This rule also does not establish standards or requirements that any small entity must meet and imposes no direct costs on any small entity. Whether an entity, small or otherwise, is liable for response costs for a release of hazardous substances depends on whether that entity is liable under CERCLA 107(a). Any such liability exists regardless of whether the site is listed on the NPL through this rulemaking.
                E. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)
                This action does not contain any unfunded mandate as described in UMRA, 2 U.S.C. 15311538, and does not significantly or uniquely affect small governments. This action imposes no enforceable duty on any state, local or tribal governments or the private sector. Listing a site on the NPL does not itself impose any costs. Listing does not mean that the EPA necessarily will undertake remedial action. Nor does listing require any action by a private party, state, local or tribal governments or determine liability for response costs. Costs that arise out of site responses result from future site-specific decisions regarding what actions to take, not directly from the act of placing a site on the NPL
                F. Executive Order 13132: Federalism
                This rule does not have federalism implications. It will not have substantial direct effects on the states, on the relationship between the National Government and the states, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government.
                G. Executive Order 13175: Consultation and Coordination With Indian Tribal Governments
                This action does not have tribal implications as specified in Executive Order 13175. Listing a site on the NPL does not impose any costs on a tribe or require a tribe to take remedial action. Thus, Executive Order 13175 does not apply to this action.
                H. Executive Order 13045: Protection of Children From Environmental Health and Safety Risks
                The EPA interprets Executive Order 13045 as applying only to those regulatory actions that concern environmental health or safety risks that the EPA has reason to believe may disproportionately affect children, per the definition of covered regulatory action in section 2202 of the Executive order. This action is not subject to Executive Order 13045 because this action itself is procedural in nature (adds sites to a list) and does not, in and of itself, provide protection from environmental health and safety risks. Separate future regulatory actions are required for mitigation of environmental health and safety risks.
                I. Executive Order 13211: Actions That Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use
                This action is not subject to Executive Order 13211, because it is not a significant regulatory action under Executive Order 12866.
                J. National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA)
                This rulemaking does not involve technical standards.
                K. Executive Order 12898: Federal Actions To Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations
                
                    The EPA believes the human health or environmental risk addressed by this action will not have potential disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects on minority, low-income or indigenous populations because it does not affect the level of protection provided to human health or the environment. As discussed in Section I.C. of the preamble to this action, the NPL is a list of national priorities. The NPL is intended primarily to guide the EPA in 
                    
                    determining which sites warrant further investigation to assess the nature and extent of public health and environmental risks associated with a release of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants. The NPL is of only limited significance as it does not assign liability to any party. Also, placing a site on the NPL does not mean that any remedial or removal action necessarily need be taken.
                
                
                    List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 300
                    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Chemicals, Hazardous substances, Hazardous waste, Intergovernmental relations, Natural resources, Oil pollution, Penalties, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Superfund, Water pollution control, Water supply.
                
                
                    Dated: August 24, 2020.
                    Peter Wright,
                    Assistant Administrator, Office of Land and Emergency Management.
                
                For the reasons set forth in the preamble, EPA proposes to amend 40 CFR part 300 as follows:
                
                    PART 300NATIONAL OIL AND HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES POLLUTION CONTINGENCY PLAN
                
                1. The authority citation for part 300 is revised to read as follows:
                
                    Authority: 
                    
                        33 U.S.C. 1251 
                        et seq.;
                         42 U.S.C. 96019657; E.O. 13626, 77 FR 56749, 3 CFR, 2013 Comp., p. 306; E.O. 12777, 56 FR 54757, 3 CFR, 1991 Comp., p. 351; E.O. 12580, 52 FR 2923, 3 CFR, 1987 Comp., p. 193.
                    
                
                2. Table 1 of appendix B to part 300 is amended by adding the entries for KS, Cherokee ZincWeir Smelter, MT, Billings PCE, NJ, Pioneer Metal Finishing Inc and TX, Northwest Odessa Groundwater in alphabetical order by state to read as follows:
                Appendix B to Part 300National Priorities List
                
                    Table 1General Superfund Section
                    
                        State
                        Site name
                        City/county
                        
                            Notes 
                            a
                        
                    
                    
                         
                    
                    
                        *         *         *         *         *         *         *
                    
                    
                        KS
                        Cherokee ZincWeir Smelter
                        Weir
                    
                    
                         
                    
                    
                        *         *         *         *         *         *         *
                    
                    
                        MT
                        Billings PCE
                        Billings
                    
                    
                         
                    
                    
                        *         *         *         *         *         *         *
                    
                    
                        NJ
                        Pioneer Metal Finishing Inc
                        Franklinville
                    
                    
                         
                    
                    
                        *         *         *         *         *         *         *
                    
                    
                        TX
                        Northwest Odessa Groundwater
                        Odessa
                    
                    
                         
                    
                    
                        *         *         *         *         *         *         *
                    
                    
                        a
                         A = Based on issuance of health advisory by Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (if scored, HRS score need not be greater than or equal to 28.50).
                    
                
                
            
            [FR Doc. 202019171 Filed 9220; 8:45 am]
            BILLING CODE 656050P