4284 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 19 / Wednesday, January 29, 1997 / Notices

Dated: January 14, 1997.

Daniel M. Barolo,

Director, Office of Pesticide Programs.

[FR Doc. 97–2189 Filed 1–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–F

[FRL–568–9]

Open Meeting of the Industrial NonHazardous Waste Stakeholders Focus

Group

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of open meeting of the

Industrial Non-Hazardous Waste

Stakeholders Focus Group.

SUMMARY: As required by section

10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory

Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–463), EPA is

giving notice of the third meeting of the

Industrial Non-Hazardous Waste Policy

Dialogue Committee, also known as the

Industrial Non-Hazardous Waste

Stakeholders Focus Group. The purpose

of this committee is to advise EPA and

ASTSWMO (the Association of State

and Territorial Solid Waste Management

Officials) in developing voluntary

guidance for the management of

industrial nonhazardous waste in landbased disposal units. The Focus Group

will facilitate the exchange of

information and ideas among the

interested parties relating to the

development of such guidance. The

purpose of the third meeting will be to

continue discussion of issues related to

development of such guidance. The

agenda will include a discussion of

tailoring management practices to risk,

land application, closure and postclosure considerations, corrective

action, run-on/run-off controls,

operating considerations, and air

emission controls. There will be an

opportunity for limited public comment

at the end of each day of the meeting.

The termination date for this committee

has been extended until September 31,

1997, in order to allow the committee to

complete its work fully.

DATES: The committee will meet on

February 19 and 20, 1997, from 9 a.m.

to 5 p.m. on February 19, and from 8:30

a.m. to 3 p.m. on February 20.

ADDRESSES: The location of the meeting

is the Sheraton Washington Hotel, 2660

Woodley Road at Connecticut Avenue,

NW., Washington, DC 20008. The phone

number is (202) 328–2000. The seating

capacity of the room is approximately

60 people, and seating will be on a firstcome basis. Supporting materials are

available for viewing at Docket # F–96–

INHA–FFFFF in the RCRA Information

Center (RIC), located at Crystal Gateway

One, 1235 Jefferson Davis Highway,

First Floor, Arlington, VA. The RIC is

open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday

through Friday, excluding Federal

holidays. To review docket materials,

the public must make an appointment

by calling (703) 603–9230. The public

may copy a maximum of 100 pages from

any regulatory docket at no charge.

Additional copies cost $.15/page. For

general information, contact the RCRA

Hotline at 1–800–424–9346 or TDD 1–

800–553–7672 (hearing impaired). In

the Washington metropolitan area, call

703–412–9610 or TDD 703–412–3323.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Persons needing further information on

the committee should contact Paul

Cassidy, Municipal and Industrial Solid

Waste Division, Office of Solid Waste, at

(703) 308–7281.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

EPA and ASTSWMBO have formed a

State/EPA Steering Committee to jointly

develop voluntary facility guidance for

the management of industrial

nonhazardous waste in land-based

disposal units. The purpose of the

guidance is to recommend management

practices that are environmentally

sound, that are protective of public

health, and that recognize opportunities

for pollution prevention and waste

minimization. The guidance will

address such topics as appropriate

groundwater monitoring and corrective

action requirements, liner designs, daily

operating requirements, and closure and

post-closure practices.

The State/EPA Steering Committee

has convened this Stakeholders Focus

Group to obtain recommendations from

individuals who are members of a broad

spectrum of public interest groups and

affected industries. All

recommendations from Focus Group

participants will be forwarded to the

State/EPA Steering Committee for

consideration, as the Stakeholders’

Focus Group will not strive for

consensus. The State/EPA Steering

Committee will also provide an

opportunity for public comment on the

draft guidance document.

‘‘Industrial nonhazardous waste’’

under the Federal Resource

Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

means waste that is neither municipal

solid waste under RCRA Subtitle D nor

a hazardous waste under RCRA Subtitle

C. Industrial nonhazardous waste

consists primarily of manufacturing

process wastes, including wastewaters

and non-wastewater sludges and solids.

EPA estimates there are 7.6 billion

tons of industrial nonhazardous waste

generated annually in the U.S. and

disposed on-site by approximately

12,000 industrial facilities in surface

impoundments, landfills, land

application units, or waste piles. Most

of this waste is managed in surface

impoundments, which are designed to

hold wastewaters. These wastes, which

include inert materials as well as

materials which may be declared

hazardous at some future date, present

a broad range of risk.

Under RCRA Subtitle D, the states are

responsible for regulating the

management of industrial nonhazardous

waste. State requirements vary widely,

and may include standards for design

and operation, location, monitoring, and

record keeping. This guidance is

intended to complement existing state

programs.

EPA’s role in the management of

industrial nonhazardous waste is very

limited. Under RCRA Subtitle D, EPA

issued minimal criteria prohibiting

‘‘open dumps’’ (40 CFR 257) in 1979.

The states, not EPA, are responsible for

implementing the ‘‘open dumping

criteria,’’ and EPA has no back-up

enforcement role.

Copies of the minutes of all

Stakeholder Focus Group meetings will

be made available through the docket at

the RCRA Information Center, including

minutes of the first two Focus Group

meeting, which were held on April 11–

12, 1996, and September 11–12, 1996.

Participants

The Stakeholders Focus Group

consists of approximately 25 members,

who represent public interest groups,

affected industries, states, and Federal

officials. Following is a list of

representatives from the interested

parties:

Public interest groups—Michael

Gregory, Sierra Club; John Harney,

Citizens Round Table/Pennsylvanians

United to Rescue the Environment;

Richard Lowerre, Henry, Lowerre,

Johnson, Hess & Frederick and David

Wells, University of South Alabama

Medical Center. Industry sectors—Tim

Saylor, International Paper; Chuck

Feerick, Exxon Company USA; Walter

Carey, New Milford Farms/Nestle USA;

Robert Giraud, Dupont Company; Paul

Bork, Dow Chemical Company; Bruce

Steiner, American Iron and Steel

Institute; James Meiers, Indianapolis

Power and Light Company; Andrew

Miles, The Dexter Corporation; Scott

Murto, General Motors Corporation; Lisa

Williams, The Aluminum Association;

Jonathan Greenberg, Browning-Ferris

Industries; and Ed Skernolis, WMX

Technologies, Inc.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 19 / Wednesday, January 29, 1997 / Notices 4285

States—James Warner, Minnesota

Pollution Control Agency; Anne Dobbs,

Texas Natural Resources Conservation

Commission; Gene Mitchell, Wisconsin

Department of Natural Resources; and

Bill Pounds, Pennsylvania Department

of Environmental Resources.

Federal officials—Paul Cassidy,

Deborah Dalton, Robert Dellinger,

Richard Kinch, and John Sager of the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Dated: January 22, 1997.

Elizabeth A. Cotsworth,

Director, Office of Solid Waste.

[FR Doc. 97–2193 Filed 1–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–M

[FRL–5681–8]

National Drinking Water Advisory

Council; Small Systems Working

Group; Notice of Open Meeting

Under Section 10(a)(2) of Public Law

92–423, ‘‘The Federal Advisory

Committee Act,’’ notice is hereby given

that a meeting of the Small Systems

Working Group of the National Drinking

Water Advisory Council established

under the Safe Drinking Water Act, as

amended (42 U.S.C. S300f et seq.), will

be held on February 10 and 11, 1997,

from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Loews L’Enfant

Plaza Hotel, 480 L’Enfant Plaza SW.,

Washington, DC 20024. The meeting is

open to the public, but due to past

experience, seating will be limited.

The purpose of this meeting is to

discuss options for how EPA might

implement the capacity development

and state affordability information

provisions of the Safe Drinking Water

Act Amendments of 1996. The meeting

is open to the public to observe. The

working group members are meeting to

gather information and analyze relevant

issues and facts. Statements will be

taken from the public at this meeting as

time allows.

For more information, please contact,

Peter E. Shanaghan, Designated Federal

Officer, Small Systems Working Group,

U.S. EPA, Office of Ground Water and

Drinking Water (4606), 401 M Street

SW., Washington, DC 20460. The

telephone number is (202) 260–5813

and the e-mail address is

shanaghan.peter@epamail.epa.gov.

Dated: January 22, 1997.

Cynthia C. Dougherty,

Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking

Water.

[FR Doc. 97–2190 Filed 1–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

[FRL–5681–2]

Request for Information and Public

Hearing to Evaluate Uses of Stream

Segments in Alabama

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of request for

information and holding of public

hearing.

SUMMARY: EPA is soliciting any

information from interested parties and

holding a public hearing to assist the

Agency in evaluating existing and

potential beneficial uses of certain

waters in the State of Alabama. This

information will be used by EPA in

assessing the attainability of such uses

and assist the Agency in determining

what federal use designations, if any,

would be appropriate for these waters.

EPA is holding a public hearing for the

purposes of receiving information from

interested parties. In addition, The

Alabama Department of Environmental

Management (ADEM) will be holding a

public hearing in March or April 1997

for the purposes of evaluating upgraded

use designations on some of these same

waters.

DATES: All written information and data

received on or before March 12, 1997

will be considered by EPA. A public

hearing will be held on February 26,

1997, at 1:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should

be directed to Morris Flexner, Life

Scientist, EPA Region 4, Atlanta Federal

Center, Water Management Division,

100 Alabama Street, S.W., Atlanta, GA

30303–3104, (404) 562–9272. A public

hearing will be held at the Alabama

Center for Commerce, 401 Adams

Avenue, Montgomery, AL 38130.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Morris Flexner or Fritz Wagener, Water

Quality Standards Coordinator, EPA

Region 4, Atlanta Federal Center, Water

Management Division, 100 Alabama

Street, S.W., Atlanta, GA 30303–3104,

(404) 562–9272 or (404) 562–9267.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

1. Statutory/Regulatory History

Section 303(c) of the Clean Water Act

(CWA) directs States, with oversight by

EPA, to adopt water quality standards to

protect public health and welfare,

enhance the quality of water and serve

the purposes of the CWA. Under Section

303, States have the primary

responsibility to establish water quality

standards, defined under the Act as

designated uses of a water segment and

the water quality criteria necessary to

support those uses. Additionally, Indian

Tribes authorized to administer the

water quality standards program under

40 CFR § 131.8 also establish water

quality standards for waters within their

jurisdictions. This statutory framework

allows States and Tribes to work with

local communities to establish

appropriate designated uses, and adopt

criteria to protect those designated uses.

The Act specifies the minimum

beneficial uses to be considered by

States and Tribes in establishing water

quality standards as public water

supplies, propagation of fish and

wildlife, recreation, agricultural uses,

industrial uses and navigation.

Section 303 includes a requirement

that States and Tribes review their

standards at least once each three year

period using a process that includes

public participation, and a process for

EPA review of State and Tribal

standards. Under Section 303(c), EPA is

required to either approve new or

revised State/Tribal standards that meet

the requirements of the Act, or

disapprove standards that fail to meet

those requirements. Where EPA

disapproves a new or revised State/

Tribal standard, section 303(c)(4)(A) of

the Act states that the Agency is to

promptly propose substitute federal

standards and promulgate federal

standards within 90 days thereafter. In

addition, the Agency is authorized to

promulgate a federal standard whenever

the Agency determines that a new or

revised standard is necessary to meet

the requirements of CWA Section

303(c)(4)(B).

The implementing regulations for

water quality standards regulations are

found at 40 CFR Part 131. Under 40 CFR

§ 131.10(j), States and Tribes are

required to conduct a use attainability

analysis whenever the State/Tribe

designates or has designated uses that

do not include the uses specified in

Section 101(a)(2) of the CWA, or when

the State/Tribe wishes to remove a

designated use that is specified in

Section 101(a)(2) of the Act, or adopt

subcategories of uses that require less

stringent criteria. Uses are considered

by EPA to be attainable, at a minimum,

if the uses can be achieved (1) when

effluent limitations under Section

301(b)(1) (A) and (B) and Section 306

are imposed on point source

dischargers, and (2) when cost effective

and reasonable best management

practices are imposed on nonpoint

source dischargers.

A use attainability analysis (UAA) is

defined in 40 CFR § 131.3(g) as a

‘‘structured scientific assessment of the

factors affecting the attainment of a use

which may include physical, chemical,