20848 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 80 / Thursday, April 26, 2007 / Notices 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the GP and the 

Response to Comments are available 

upon request. Written requests may be 

submitted to EPA Region 10, 1200 Sixth 

Avenue OWW–130, Seattle, WA 98101. 

Electronic requests may be mailed to: 

washington.audrey@epa.gov or 

godsey.cindi@epa.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The 

GP, Fact Sheet, and Response to 

Comments may be found on the Region 

10 Web site at http://www.epa.gov/ 

r10earth/waterpermits.htm (click on 

general permits then on placer mining). 

Telephone requests for copies may be 

made to Audrey Washington at (206) 

553–0523 or to Cindi Godsey at (907) 

271–6561. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Executive Order 12866: The Office of 

Management and Budget has exempted 

this action from the review 

requirements of Executive Order 12866 

pursuant to Section 6 of that order. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act: After 

review of the facts presented in the 

notice printed above, I hereby certify 

pursuant to the provision of 5 U.S.C. 

605(b) that the reissuance of this general 

permit will not have a significant 

impact on a substantial number of small 

entities. Moreover, the permit reduces a 

significant administrative burden on 

regulated sources. 

Dated: April 19, 2007. 

Michael F. Gearheard, 

Director, Office of Water & Watersheds, 

Region 10. 

[FR Doc. E7–7999 Filed 4–25–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL 

QUALITY 

The National Environmental Policy Act 

and Environmental Management 

Systems 

AGENCY: Council on Environmental 

Quality. 

ACTION: Notice of availability, Guide for 

Aligning National Environmental Policy 

Act processes with Environmental 

Management Systems. 

SUMMARY: The Council on 

Environmental Quality (CEQ) is 

publishing ‘‘Aligning National 

Environmental Policy Act Processes 

with Environmental Management 

Systems—A Guide for NEPA and EMS 

Practitioners’’ to assist Federal agencies 

in aligning their National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

processes with their Environmental 

Management Systems (EMSs). CEQ used 

an interagency work group to develop 

the guide and finalized it after 

considering public comments. The final 

guide is available from CEQ and at 

http://www.NEPA.gov. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the guide can be 

requested from CEQ. Electronic or 

facsimile requests for a copy of the 

guide are preferred because federal 

offices experience intermittent mail 

delays caused by security screening. 

Send electronic requests to NEPA 

Modernization (EMS-NEPA) at 

horst_greczmiel@ceq.eop.gov. Fax 

written requests to NEPA Modernization 

(EMS-NEPA) at (202) 456–0753. Written 

requests may also be submitted to NEPA 

Modernization (EMS-NEPA), Attn: 

Associate Director for NEPA Oversight, 

722 Jackson Place, NW., Washington, 

DC 20503. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Horst Greczmiel at (202) 395–5750. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Council on Environmental Quality 

(CEQ) established a National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Task 

Force and is implementing 

recommendations to modernize the 

implementation of NEPA and make the 

NEPA process more effective and 

efficient. Additional information is 

available on the task force Web site at 

http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/ntf. 

A proposed guide was developed to 

assist agencies with linking the NEPA 

process with Environmental 

Management Systems (EMS). CEQ 

requested public input and comments 

on the proposed guide, 71 FR 40520, Jul 

17, 2006. All comments received are 

available at http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/ntf/ 

implementation.html. 

The final guide is being provided to 

Federal agencies to help them recognize 

the complementary relationship of EMS 

and NEPA and assist in aligning EMS 

elements with NEPA when establishing, 

implementing, and maintaining their 

EMS. The guide encourages the 

integration of EMS and NEPA as a 

means to bring substantial benefits to an 

agency’s environmental performance 

and further our national environmental 

policy. For example: 

Commitments and mitigation measures 

established in NEPA decision documents 

(e.g., Findings of No Significant Impact and 

Records of Decision) can be tracked and 

monitored through the EMS. The EMS 

provides a framework to improve 

environmental performance in ongoing dayto-day operations through EMS ‘‘operational 

controls.’’ The tracking and monitoring of 

commitments and mitigation measures can 

contribute to training, internal auditing, and 

identification of appropriate corrective 

actions. 

A major component of the NEPA process 

is communicating and involving the 

interested public about a proposed action. An 

EMS can provide numerous opportunities for 

communicating with the public, and by 

providing information about the proposal 

under consideration, help focus public 

involvement. 

The guide assumes that the reader has 

a basic understanding of both the NEPA 

analysis and document preparation 

processes and the basic elements of an 

EMS. A reference list was added to 

provide readers the opportunity to 

increase their understanding of NEPA 

and EMS. In addition to editorial 

revisions, the guide was also revised 

substantively. 

CEQ specifically solicited public 

comment on the idea presented in the 

draft that a well constructed EMS can 

include the elements of the NEPA 

process and serve as the basis for 

complying with NEPA requirements. 

Numerous commenters interpreted this 

statement to mean that an EMS could 

replace the NEPA process, or took issue 

with such an approach. The final guide 

distinguishes between the typical NEPA 

process focus on proposed actions, and 

the typical EMS focus on ongoing 

activities and products and services. It 

states that NEPA and EMS are not 

functionally equivalent, but 

complementary. The guide highlights 

the complementary elements of NEPA 

and EMS and presents the conclusion 

that an EMS can provide a framework 

for an agency to better meet its NEPA 

responsibilities. 

Several commenters raised the 

concern that the requirements of NEPA 

are more extensive than those found in 

a typical EMS. The final guide uses 

public involvement as an example to 

emphasize that an EMS has to include 

the more rigorous NEPA requirements if 

the EMS will provide the mechanism to 

support and meet the NEPA process 

requirements. 

The guide describes specific ways 

EMS and NEPA processes can 

complement one another to improve 

how Federal agencies manage their 

impacts on the environment: 

• Identification of environmental 

aspects in the development of an EMS 

can build on the environmental aspects 

identified in a previous NEPA analysis 

of a facility, activity, program, or policy. 

Conversely, a new NEPA analysis can 

consider the identified environmental 

aspects in an EMS when assessing 

potential environmental impacts of a 

proposed action. The EMS can provide 

a platform to use the information 

collected and analyses performed in the 

NEPA process on a going forward basis 

during implementation of proposed 

actions. 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 80 / Thursday, April 26, 2007 / Notices 20849 

• Performance measurements and 

monitoring conducted as part of an EMS 

can provide comparable and verifiable 

data to improve environmental impact 

predictions in future NEPA analyses 

and documents. 

• An EMS provides a systematic 

framework for an agency to monitor and 

continually improve its environmental 

performance. Agencies with an EMS 

may be able to use the data it generates 

to establish a record of environmental 

performance to support, for example: (a) 

Identifying categories of actions that 

normally require an Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS); (b) finding no 

significant impact when performance 

practices are incorporated into a 

proposed action (which would conclude 

the Environmental Assessment (EA) 

process without the need to prepare an 

EIS); or (c) determining that a category 

of actions does not have individual or 

cumulative significant impacts and 

should properly be established as a 

categorical exclusion which would 

reduce the need to prepare either an EA 

or an EIS. Further, when a NEPA 

analysis is needed, the EMS approach of 

keeping environmental data up-to-date 

should facilitate the preparation of the 

NEPA documents. 

• When an EMS has established 

environmental objectives and targets 

relevant to resource areas subject to 

NEPA mitigation measures, the EMS can 

ensure implementation and 

performance of mitigation measures 

through applicable measurement and 

monitoring programs. 

CEQ recognizes the benefits of 

aligning these complementary processes 

and encourages Federal agencies to do 

so where appropriate. 

Dated: April 5, 2007. 

James L. Connaughton, 

Chairman, Council on Environmental 

Quality. 

[FR Doc. E7–7950 Filed 4–25–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3125–W7–P 

FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION 

Sunshine Act Notices 

DATE AND TIME: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at 

10 a.m. 

PLACE: 999 E Street, NW., Washington, 

DC. 

STATUS: This meeting will be closed to 

the public. 

ITEMS TO BE DISCUSSED: Compliance 

matters pursuant to 2 U.S.C. 437g. 

Audits conducted pursuant to 2 

U.S.C. 437g, 438(b) and title 26, U.S.C. 

Matters concerning participation in 

civil actions or proceedings or 

arbitration. 

Internal personnel rules and 

procedures or matters affecting a 

particular employee. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Robert Biersack, Press Officer, 

Telephone: (202) 694–1220. 

Mary W. Dove, 

Secretary of the Commission. 

[FR Doc. 07–2084 Filed 4–24–07; 2:27 pm] 

BILLING CODE 6715–01–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention 

[30–Day–07–06BC] 

Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork 

Reduction Act Review 

The Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC) publishes a list of 

information collection requests under 

review by the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) in compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 

Chapter 35). To request a copy of these 

requests, call the CDC Reports Clearance 

Officer at (404) 639–5960 or send an email to omb@cdc.gov.Send written 

comments to CDC Desk Officer, Office of 

Management and Budget, Washington, 

DC or by fax to (202) 395–6974. Written 

comments should be received within 30 

days of this notice. 

Proposed Project 

National Survey of the Mining 

Population—New—National Institute 

for Occupational Safety and Health 

(NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention (CDC). 

Background and Brief Description 

Surveillance of occupational injuries, 

illnesses, and exposures has been an 

integral part of the work of the National 

Institute for Occupational Safety and 

Health (NIOSH) since its creation by the 

Occupational Safety and Health Act in 

1970. To improve its surveillance 

capability related to the occupational 

risks in mining, NIOSH is planning to 

conduct a national survey of mines and 

mine employees. No national surveys 

have specifically targeted the mining 

labor force since the 1986 Mining 

Industry Population Survey (MIPS). The 

mining industry has experienced many 

changes in the last 20 years; 

consequently, the MIPS data are no 

longer representative of the current 

mining industry labor force. 

NIOSH conducted a pilot study for 

the proposed national survey in the fall 

of 2004 (OMB #0920–0633, expired 3/ 

31/05). The pilot study was designed to 

emulate the main study design in order 

to evaluate the effectiveness of the 

recruitment materials, questionnaire, 

and survey procedures in acquiring 

complete, high quality data from a 

sample of 45 mining operations. 

Objective data collected in the pilot 

study included overall response rates 

and individual item response rates. 

Subjective data were collected using 

telephone logs, and participant and nonparticipant debriefing interviews. Data 

captured in the pilot study were used to 

guide improvements to maximize the 

performance of the various components 

of the full-scale study. 

The proposed national survey will be 

based upon a probability sample of 

mining operations and their employees. 

The survey will be conducted in the five 

major mining sectors (i.e., coal, metal, 

nonmetal, stone, and sand and gravel). 

The major objectives of the survey will 

be to: (1) Obtain denominator data so 

that mine accident, injury, and illness 

reports can be evaluated in relation to 

the population at risk; (2) understand 

the demographic and occupational 

characteristics of the mining industry 

workforce; (3) estimate the number and 

occupational characteristics of 

independent contractor employees used 

by mining operations; and (4) obtain 

mine level information on selected 

variables. The sampled mining 

operations will provide all survey data; 

individual mine operator and 

independent contractor employees will 

not be directly surveyed. As a result of 

this study, surveillance researchers and 

government agencies will be able to 

identify groups of miners with a 

disproportionately high risk of injury or 

illness. By capturing demographic (e.g., 

age, gender, race/ethnicity, education 

level) and occupational characteristics 

(e.g., job title, work location, work 

experience) of the mining workforce, 

these data will be a significant resource 

for the customization of interventions 

such as safety training programs. 

Approximately 2272 mines will be 

sampled for the study. It is expected 

that this will yield 1,648 responding 

eligible mines (i.e., mines in current 

operation and producing the commodity 

for which they were sampled), reporting 

data for approximately 24,452 

employees. A survey packet will be 

mailed to each sampled mine. The 

mining operation will not be asked to 

report the names or any other 

identifying information for their 

employees. The survey respondent will 

have the option of completing either the 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES