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### SÏATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460



### JUL 

## I0 2012



### Jim Puckett 

### Executive Director Basel 

### Action Network 206 

### First Avenue S., Suite 410 Seattle, Washington 98 140



### David

### A. Scott 

### Vice President Sierra 

### Club 85 Second Street, Second 

### Floor San Francisco, 

### CA 94105 

### Emily Jeffers 

### Staff Attorney, Oceans Program Center 

### for Biological Diversity 351 

### California St., Suite 600 San Francisco, 

### CA 94104



### Dear Sirs and Madame: OFFICE OF CHEMICAL SAFETY AND POLLUTION PREVENTION

The U.S. 

### Environmental Protection 

### Agency (EPA) has completed 

### its 

### review of the request

### for action underthe

### Toxic Substances 

### Control 

### Act (TSCA) filed by the Basel 

### Action Network, Sierra Club, and 

### the Center

### for Biological 

### Diversity, dated

### April 1I,2012, and referenced as 

### "Petition to Protect 

### Human Health andthe 

### Environment from Risks Associated 

### with the 

### Navy's Sinking Exercise Program 

### (SINKEX)." You request that the 

### EPA amend the existing 

### Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries 

### Act (MPRSA) general 

### permitfor SINKEX or, in the 

### alternative, enact rules 

### under TSCA: 

# L Effective immediately, requiring all PCB-contaminated materials 

### in concentrations 

### of 50 parts per

### million or greater 

### to be removed 

### from 

### SINKEX vessels 

### priorto sinking; 

# 2. Requiring all PCB-contaminated materials 

### in concentrations 

### of less

### than 50 parts per 

### million to be removed 

### from SINKEX vessels 

### prior to sinking to the 

### maximum extent practicable; and 

## 3. Requiring additional studies 

### to determine whether PCB contaminated materials 

### in concentrations 

### of less than 50 parts per

### million constitute ootrace" contaminants, such that 

### their dumping 

### will not cause undesirable effects 

### including the

### possibility of bioaccumulation. Such 

### additional studiesshould 

### include the most recent data onthe

### toxicity, persistence, and 

### bioaccumulation of PCBs and should 

### include monitoring at

### multiple recent 

### sink sites. Studies should also assess the releases

### of other 

### potentially hazardous 

### pollutants into the marine environment 

### from the 

### SINKEX program including heavy metals, asbestos and radioactive substances.



### After careful 

### review, the 

### EPA hasdetermined that the requested 

### TSCA regulations are not 

### warranted atthis 

### time, andthatthe 

### MPRSA provides 

### sufficient authorityto address the risks to human

Recycred/Recycrabre .prinred

## ** u"nj?jülI,i8:::i ä::i'.riTi"'Ëä"""i:,iå,., p,o""." chro,ne Free Recycred paperhealth and the environment 

### from PCBs aspart

### ofthe

### Navy's SINKEX program. 

### Accordingly, the 

### EPA

is denying yôur request

### to 

### initiate a proceeding 

### for the 

### initiation of rulemaking under 

### TSCA. The 

### Agency

### will publish its reasons 

### for this denial inthe Federal Register. TheAgency 

### will address the 

### MPRSA components 

### ofthis submission 

### in a separate action.



### If you

### would like to discuss 

### this matter further, please contact 

### V/endy Cleland-Hamnett, 

### Director of the

### Office of 

### Pollution Prevention and 

### Toxics.Wendy can be reached at 

### 202-s64-38r0.

Enclosure