### 11243 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 40 / Tuesday, March 1, 2011 / Notices

least ten days prior to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process your request.

Dated: February 16, 2011. Anthony F. Maciorowski, Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.

[FR Doc. 2011–4502 Filed 2–28–11; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 6560–50–P**

**ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION**
**AGENCY**

**[FRL–9272–4]**

**Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities**
**Committee**

**AGENCY :**  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

**ACTION :**  Notice of Meeting.

**SUMMARY :**  Under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92–463, EPA gives notice of a meeting of the Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Committee (FRRCC). The FRRCC is a policy-oriented committee that provides policy advice, information, and
recommendations to the EPA Administrator on a range of environmental issues and policies that are of importance to agriculture and
rural communities.

The purpose of this meeting is to advance discussion of specific topics of unique relevance to agriculture such as effective approaches to addressing water quality issues associated with agricultural production, in such a way as to provide thoughtful advice and useful insights to the Agency as it crafts environmental policies and programs that affect and engage agriculture and rural communities. A copy of the meeting agenda will be posted at http://epa.gov/ofacmo/frrcc/ meetings.htm.

**DATES :**  The Farm, Ranch, and Rural
Communities Committee will hold an open meeting on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. (registration at 8 a.m.) until 8 p.m. and on Wednesday, March 30, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

**ADDRESSES :**  The meeting will be held at the Sheraton National Hotel, 900 South Orme Street, Arlington, VA 22204, Telephone: (703) 521–1900. The meeting is open to the public, withlimited seating on a first-come, firstserved basis.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Alicia Kaiser, Designated Federal Officer, kaiser.alicia@epa.gov, 202–564– 7273, US EPA, Office of the Administrator (1101A), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  Requests to make brief oral comments or provide
written statements to the FRRCC should be sent to Alicia Kaiser, Designated Federal Officer, at the contact information above. All requests must be submitted no later than March 18, 2011.

Meeting Access: For information on
access or services for individuals with disabilities, please contact Alicia Kaiser

at 202–564–7273 or kaiser.alicia@epa.gov. To request accommodation of a disability, please contact Alicia Kaiser, preferably at least 10 days prior to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process your request.

Dated: February 10, 2011.
Alicia Kaiser, Designated Federal Officer.

[FR Doc. 2011–4501 Filed 2–28–11; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 6560–50–P**

**ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION**
**AGENCY**

**[EPA–HQ–RCRA–2011–0185; FRL–9273–7]**

**Solicitation of Input From Stakeholders**
**To Inform the National Framework for Electronics Stewardship** 

**AGENCY :**  Environmental Protection Agency.

**ACTION :**  Notice.

**SUMMARY :**  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), General Services Administration (GSA), and Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) are requesting written stakeholder input to
inform the national framework for electronics stewardship that is being developed by the Interagency Task Force on Electronics Stewardship. On November 15, 2010, President Obama signed a presidential proclamation celebrating the strides the country has made in recycling, while also highlighting the need for greater
attention on used electronics management throughout the product lifecycle. CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley established an interagency task force on November 8, 2010 to provide a national strategy and recommendations for areas of Federal agency operational and managerial improvement associated with electronics stewardship. The Task Force is scheduled to deliver to CEQ a
national framework for electronics stewardship by May 6, 2011. By this notice, the Environmental Protection Agency, on behalf of the Task Force, is soliciting public comment from interested parties regarding the national
framework.

**DATES :**  All comments must be received on or before March 11, 2011.

**ADDRESSES :**  You may submit your comments, identified by EPA–HQ– RCRA–2011–0185, using one of the following methods:

http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments. Note, while this request is not a federal regulation, input on the plan can be submitted through this
federal Web site.

E-mail: Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to rcra.docket@epamail.epa.gov, Attention Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–RCRA–2011–

0185.

Mail: Comments may be submitted by mail to: OSWER Docket, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–
RCRA–2011–0185. Please include a total of two copies of your comments.

Hand Delivery: Deliver two copies of your comments to: EPA Docket Center, Public Reading Room, Room 3334, EPA West Building, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–
RCRA–2011–0185. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket’s normal hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays and special arrangements should be made for
deliveries of boxed information.

Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–RCRA–2011– 0185. All comments must be in English or be accompanied by an English translation. EPA’s policy is that all
comments received will be included in the docket without change and may be
made available on-line at http:// www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. The regulations.gov Web site is an

‘‘anonymous access’’ system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without going through regulations.gov, your e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the docket and made available on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD–ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your


### 11244 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 40 / Tuesday, March 1, 2011 / Notices

comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your
comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects
or viruses. For additional information about EPA’s public docket, visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at http:// www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.

Docket: All documents in the docket
are listed in the docket index available

at http://www.regulations.gov. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., confidential business information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket
materials are available either electronically in http:// www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at
the OSWER Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460. The Public Meeting Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone
number for the OSWER Docket and the Public Reading Room is (202) 566–1744. Docket visitors are required to show photographic identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and subject to search. Visitors will be provided an EPA/DC badge that must be visible at all times in the building and returned upon departure.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Shayla Powell, Resource Conservation and Sustainability Division (5306P),
Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460–0001; telephone
number: (703) 308–0319; e -mail address: powell.shayla@epa.gov or visit http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/ materials/ecycling/taskforce/.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :** 

I. General Information

A. Does this action apply to me?

You may be interested in providing input if you manufacture, distribute, sell, label, certify, verify, refurbish, recycle, purchase or use consumer, commercial, or industrial electronics, or conduct research in any of these areas. Potentially interested entities may include, but are not limited to:

• Manufacturing (NAICS code 33).

• Wholesale trade (NAICS code 42). • Electronics and Appliance Stores (NAICS code 443).

• Consumer Goods Rental (NAICS code 5322).

• Computer System Design and Related Services (NAICS code 5415)

• Waste Management and Remediation Services (NAICS code 562)

• Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance (NAICS code 8112).

• Public Administration (NAICS code 92).

This listing is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a guide for readers regarding entities likely to be interested in this action. Other types of
entities not listed in this unit could also
be affected. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) codes have been provided to assist you and others in determining whether this applies to certain entities. If you have any questions regarding the applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the technical person listed under **FOR FURTHER**

**INFORMATION CONTACT**

. B. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?

1. Tips for preparing your comments. When submitting comments, remember

to:

i. Identify the document by docket ID number and other identifying information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).

ii. Submit all comments in English or have them be accompanied by an English translation.

iii. Follow directions. The Agency may ask you to respond to specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section
number.

iv. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and substitute language for your requested changes.

v. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information and/ or data that you used.

vi. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be reproduced.

vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible.

viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period
deadline identified.

II. Background

The increased use of electronics and technology in society brings the challenge of protecting human health and the environment from potentially harmful effects of the improper handling and disposal of these products. Discarded electronics comprise a small, but rapidly growing part of our municipal waste.

Currently, there are no federal mandates that require electronics recycling or restrict unwanted electronics equipment from solid waste landfills in the United States. EPA does, however, control how cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors ( e.g., from TV and computers) that are subject to hazardous waste regulation are managed domestically and requires notifications if CRT monitors are exported for recycling. A growing number of states are mandating collection and recycling of used electronics. In addition, there are now two electronics recycling
standards and accredited certification programs that address the handling of used electronics throughout the recycling chain. (Basel Action Network; e-Stewards Certification; http://estewards.org/. R2 Solutions; R2 certification; http:// www.r2solutions.org/.)

Unwanted or discarded electronics not reused or recycled represents a lost opportunity to reuse functioning electronic equipment and components, such as cell phone and computers/ laptops or recover valuable resources, such as precious metals, plastics or
minerals that are found in scarce or critical supply. Additionally, used electronics may be exported to developing countries that lack capacity to manage them appropriately and result in negative impacts to human health and the environment. The majority of electronics recyclers in the United States refurbish, repair, or pre-process (demanufacture, shred, sort) used electronics to prepare them for the final recovery step. Facilities that further recover raw materials, through smelting and refining (end-processing), are mostly located outside the United
States. These facilities convert electronics scrap into: (1) High grade copper and precious metals ( e.g., gold, silver, and palladium); (2) new CRTs; or (3) new plastics, all materials that can be reused in the marketplace.

To address the problems related to used electronics both here and abroad, American businesses, government, and citizens must work together to manage these electronics throughout the product lifecycle—from design and manufacturing through their use and eventual recycling, recovery, and disposal. On November 8, 2010, CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley established aninteragency working group that is cochaired by EPA, GSA and CEQ to develop a national strategy and recommendations for improving Federal


### 11245 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 40 / Tuesday, March 1, 2011 / Notices

stewardship of used electronics. By May 6, 2011, the Task Force will deliver to CEQ a national framework for:

1. Directing Federal agencies to exercise all appropriate authorities to achieve the electronic stewardship goals, consistent with domestic and international law;

2. Developing a system-based approach to the long-term design, management and disposal of Federal used electronics;

3. Information gathering and tracking, regulatory options, and best management practices for used electronics that can be used by the Federal agencies and leveraged to the private sector;

4. Building partnerships in the public and private sector for sustainable electronics management nationwide;

5. Reducing exports of used electronics to developing countries that lack the capacity to properly manage them, and assess how federal agencies can improve their ability to deter these exports; and,

6. Building capacity within and share best practices with developing countries, so they can improve their ability to safely handle used electronics, while promoting economic development.

A. What action is the Agency taking?

EPA and the Interagency Task Force are soliciting input from individuals and organizations to inform the electronics stewardship national framework. More specifically, EPA and the Interagency Task Force would appreciate your individual views regarding the following questions:

1. What actions should the federal government take to further encourage the design, manufacture, procurement, and use of greener electronics?

2. What are the challenges to designing and manufacturing products
in which rare and valuable materials are 100% recyclable, and are recycled at end of product life? What can the federal government do to help address those challenges?

3. What are best practices for used electronics management that the federal government should adopt? What examples of best management practices
of used electronics have been implemented in your community, organization or institution?

4. How can the amount of electronics that are recycled in the United States be increased, while ensuring that they are managed safely and properly?

5. What additional infrastructure is needed, and what can be done to encourage its development, in the United States to responsibly reuse and recycle used electronics from governments, businesses and private

consumers?

6. What innovations in electronic design exist that would enable electronics to be tracked until disposal?

7. What information would be most helpful to you when deciding how to dispose of used electronics?

8. What projects, practices or efforts, are you aware of that addresses the problem of used electronics from the United States being exported and being handled in a way that causes harm to
health and the environment?

9. How could public-private partnerships help resolve any or all the questions above?

The framework that is released on May 6, 2011 will include additional follow on steps to engage all
stakeholders.

For your convenience the questions above are also available for viewing at http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/ materials/ecycling/taskforce/.

B. What is the Agency’s authority for taking this action?

Executive Order (E.O.) 13514 specifies Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance. An overall goal of EO 13514 is ‘‘to establish an integrated strategy towards sustainability in the Federal

Government. ’’ Section 2(i) of E.O. 13514 establishes electronics stewardship goals. In the spirit of E.O. 13514, the government will lead by example in this effort by ensuring that the departments and agencies of the federal government, some of the largest consumers of electronics in the country, are also the most responsible consumers.

Comments Consideration

The EPA and the Interagency Task Force on Electronics Stewardship will consider stakeholder input received from written comments in developing
the Framework. There will be another opportunity to comment on the Framework developed by the Task Force
after it is delivered to the Council on Environmental Quality.

List of Subjects

Environmental protection, Electronics stewardship, Sustainability, E-waste.

Dated: February 23, 2011.
Lisa Feldt, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.

[FR Doc. 2011–4505 Filed 2–28–11; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 6560–50–P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION** 
**AGENCY**

**[FRL–9273–3]**

**Science Advisory Board Staff Office;**
**Notification of Two Public**
**Teleconferences of the Science Advisory Board Ecological Processes**  **and Effects Committee Augmented for**
**Ballast Water**

**AGENCY :**  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

**ACTION :**  Notice.

**SUMMARY :**  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces two public teleconferences of the SAB Ecological Processes and Effects Committee (EPEC). The SAB EPEC, augmented with other experts, will discuss their draft advisory report about the effectiveness of shipboard ballast water treatment processes and ways to improve future assessments of ballast water treatment systems to minimize the impacts of invasive species in vessel ballast water discharge.

**DATES :**  The teleconference dates are Tuesday, March 15, 2011 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Wednesday, March 16, 2011 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. (Eastern Time).

**ADDRESSES :**  The public teleconferences will be conducted by telephone only.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Members of the public who wish to
obtain further information about this meeting may contact Ms. Iris Goodman, Designated Federal Officer (DFO). Ms. Goodman may be contacted at the EPA Science Advisory Board (1400F), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; or via telephone/voice mail; (202) 564–2164 fax, (202) 265–2098; or e-mail at goodman.iris@epa.gov. General information concerning the EPA Science Advisory Board can be found on the
EPA Web site at http://www.epa.gov/
sab

.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  The SAB was established by 42 U.S.C. 4365 to provide independent scientific and
technical advice to the Administrator on the technical basis for Agency positions and regulations. The SAB is a Federal Advisory Committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C., App. 2. Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92–463, notice is hereby given that the SAB EPEC augmented with other experts will hold a public meeting to discuss their