Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 202 / Monday, October 20, 1997 / Notices 54455

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–5910–8]

National Advisory Council for

Environmental Policy and Technology:

Full Council Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: Under the Federal Advisory

Committee Act, Pub. L. 92463, EPA

gives notice of a two-day meeting of the

National Advisory Council for

Environmental Policy and Technology

(NACEPT). NACEPT provides advice

and recommendations to the

Administrator of EPA on a broad range

of environmental policy issues. This

meeting is being held to formally

present reports and recommendations to

EPA and to discuss future activities and

projects of NACEPT.

Reports and recommendations will be

presented by the Reinvention Criteria

Committee, the Community-Based

Environmental Protection Committee,

the Toxic Data Reporting Committee,

and the Effluent Guidelines Committee.

Future activities for these committees

will also be discussed, as well as plans

for the topics to be addressed by the

Environmental Information and Public

Access Committee, and the

Environmental Capital Markets

Committee, which are two new

NACEPT Committees.

DATES: The two-day public meeting will

be held on Wednesday, November 5,

1997, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and

Thursday, November 6, 1997 from 8:30

a.m. to 12:00 Noon. On both days, the

meeting will be held at the Sheraton

National Hotel, Columbia Pike and

Washington Boulevard, Arlington,

Virginia.

ADDRESSES: Material may be transmitted

to the Committee through Gordon

Schisler, Deputy Director, Office of

Cooperative Environmental

Management (1601–F), 401 M Street,

SW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone

(202) 260–9741.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Clarence Hardy, Designated Federal

Officer for NACEPT, U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency,

(1601–F), Washington, D.C. 20460;

telephone (202) 260–9741.

Dated: October 9, 1997.

Gordon Schisler,

Acting Designated Federal Official.

[FR Doc. 97–27728 Filed 10–17–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–M

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–5752–3; CWA–97–H–001]

GTE Corporation; Proposed Clean

Water Act Class II Administrative

Complaint Assessment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: EPA has filed a civil

administrative complaint against GTE

Corporation (GTE) for failure to prepare

Spill Prevention Countermeasure and

Control (SPCC) plans for 89 facilities

where it stored diesel oil, 88 with above

ground and one with below ground

tanks, in violation of the Clean Water

Act (CWA) and its implementing

regulations. EPA under CWA section

311 has assessed a civil penalty and

provided GTE notice of the proposed

issuance of an order assessing a penalty

and an opportunity for a hearing. The

Administrator, as required by CWA

section 311, is providing public notice

and reasonable opportunity to interested

persons to comment on the proposed

issuance of the order.

DATES: Comments on this proposed

order are due on or before November 19,

1997.

ADDRESSES: Mail written comments to

Ms. Angela DeVore, Multimedia

Enforcement Division (2248–A),

Environmental Protection Agency, 401

M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460. In

person, deliver comments to Ms. Angela

DeVore, Multimedia Enforcement

Division, Environmental Protection

Agency, Rm. 3117, Ariel Rios Bldg.,

1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,

Washington, DC.

Comments may also be submitted

electronically to:

devore.angela@epamail.epa.gov. Follow

the instructions under Unit II. of this

document.

The public record for the proceeding

is located in the Office of the EPA

Headquarters Hearing Clerk, Ms. Bessie

Hammiel, Rm. C–400, 401 M St., SW.,

Washington, DC, Monday through

Friday, excluding legal holidays from 8

a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; telephone (202) 260–

4865.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Persons wishing to receive a copy of 40

CFR Part 22—Consolidated Rules of

Practice Governing the Administrative

Assessment of Civil Penalties and the

Revocation or Suspension of Permits, to

review the complaint or other

documents filed by the parties in this

proceeding, comment upon the

proposed penalty assessment, or

participate in any hearing that may be

held, should contact Ms. Angela

DeVore, Multimedia Enforcement

Division (2248–A), Environmental

Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW.,

Washington, DC 20460; telephone (202)

564–2235; fax (202) 564–9001; e-mail:

devore.angela@epamail.epa.gov.

For technical information contact:

Gerard C. Kraus, Multimedia

Enforcement Division, Office of

Enforcement and Compliance

Assurance, at (202) 564–6047.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Electronic Availability: Electronic

copies of this document are available

from the EPA Home Page at the Federal

Register—Environmental Documents

entry for this document under ‘‘Laws

and Regulations’’ (http://www.epa.gov/

fedrgstr/).

I. Background

GTE, One Stamford Forum, Stamford,

CT 06904, self-disclosed to EPA that it

had failed to prepare SPCC plans for 89

facilities where it stored diesel oil, 88

with above ground and one with below

ground tanks, in violation of the CWA

and 40 CFR part 112. The disclosures

were made pursuant to the EPA

‘‘Incentives for Self-Policing: Discovery,

Disclosures, Correction and Prevention

of Violations’’ (‘‘the Audit Policy’’) (60

FR 66706, December 22, 1995). EPA

filed an administrative civil complaint

against GTE on September 29, 1997 (in

re: GTE Corporation, CWA–97–H–001).

The administrative penalty proposed in

the complaint is the statutory

maximum, $125,000. EPA intends to

settle this action under the Audit Policy.

Using the criteria set forth in the policy,

EPA intends to waive any gravity based

penalty and collect economic benefit

enjoyed by the Respondent because of

delayed compliance with the SPCC

regulations. The proposed settlement

figure for this matter is $16,708. This

settlement is subject to public notice

and comment under CWA section 311

(33 U.S.C. 1321).

Under CWA section 311(b)(6) (33

U.S.C. 1321(b)(6)), any owner, operator,

or person in charge of a vessel, onshore

facility, or offshore facility from which

oil is discharged in violation of CWA

section 311(b)(3) (33 U.S.C. 1321(b)(3)),

or who fails or refuses to comply with

any regulations that have been issued

under CWA section 311(j) (33 U.S.C.

1321(j)) may be administratively

assessed a civil penalty of up to

$125,000 by EPA. Class II proceedings

under CWA section 311(b)(6) are

conducted in accordance with 40 CFR

part 22 rules.

The procedures by which the public

may submit written comments on a