Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 192 / Friday, October 3, 1997 / Notices 51853

Outreach Meeting are pre-licensing,

licensing, and post-licensing procedures

for hydroelectric projects in California

whose licenses expire between calender

years 2000 and 2010.

Staff from the Commission’s Office of

Hydropower Licensing will preside over

the meetings.

The location of the Outreach Meeting

is: Double Tree Hotel, Kern River Room,

3100 Camino Del Rio Court, Bakersfield,

CA 93308; (805) 323–7111.

The Double Tree Hotel is located

approximately one mile northwest of

downtown Bakersfield at the junction of

Highway—99 at Highway—58 (Rosedale

Hwy.)

If you plan to attend, notify John

Blair, Western Outreach Coordinator,

fax: 202–219–2152; telephone: 202–

219–2845.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–26224 Filed 10–2–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[OPPTS–00221; FRL–5739–2]

Asbestos-Containing Materials in

School Rule and Model Accreditation

Plan (MAP) Rule; Agency Information

Collection Activities

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

3501 et seq.), this notice announces that

EPA is planning to submit the following

continuing Information Collection

Request (ICR) to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB). Before

submitting the ICR to OMB for review

and approval, EPA is soliciting

comments on specific aspects of the

information collection described below.

The ICR is a continuing ICR entitled

‘‘Asbestos-Containing Materials in

School Rule and Model Accreditation

Plan (MAP) Rule,’’ EPA ICR No.

1365.05, OMB No. 2070–0091, which

relates to reporting requirements at 40

CFR part 763, Subpart E. An Agency

may not conduct or sponsor, and a

person is not required to respond to, a

collection of information unless it

displays a currently valid OMB control

number. The OMB control numbers for

EPA’s regulations are listed in 40 CFR

part 9.

DATES: Written comments must be

submitted on or before December 2,

1997.

ADDRESSES: Submit three copies of all

written comments to: TSCA Document

Receipts (7407), Rm. NE–G99, Office of

Pollution Prevention and Toxics,

Environmental Protection Agency, 401

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

Telephone: 202–260–7099. All

comments should be identified by

administrative record number 185. This

ICR is available for public review at, and

copies may be requested from, the

docket address and phone number listed

above.

Comments and data may also be

submitted electronically by following

instructions under Unit III. of this

document. No TSCA confidential

business information (CBI) should be

submitted through e-mail.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

general information contact: Susan B.

Hazen, Director, Environmental

Assistance Division (7408), Office of

Pollution Prevention and Toxics,

Environmental Protection Agency, 401

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

Telephone: 202–554–1404, TDD: 202–

554–0551, e-mail: TSCAHotline@epamail.epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Electronic Availability:

Internet

Electronic copies of the ICR are

available from the EPA home page at the

Environmental Sub-Set entry for this

document under ‘‘Regulations’’ (http://

www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/).

Fax on Demand

Using a faxphone call 202–401–0527

and select item 4055 for a copy of the

ICR.

I. Background

Entities potentially affected by this

action are local education agencies

(LEAs) and states with reporting and/or

recordkeeping responsibilities under the

Asbestos-Containing Materials in

Schools Rule, and training providers

and states with reporting and/or

recordkeeping responsibilities under the

Model Accreditation Plan Rule. For the

collection of information addressed in

this notice, EPA would like to solicit

comments to:

(i) Evaluate whether the proposed

collection of information is necessary

for the proper performance of the

functions of the Agency, including

whether the information will have

practical utility.

(ii) Evaluate the accuracy of the

Agency’s estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection of information,

including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used.

(iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected.

(iv) Minimize the burden of the

collection of information on those who

are to respond, including through the

use of appropriate automated electronic,

mechanical, or other technological

collection techniques or other forms of

information technology, e.g., permitting

electronic submission of responses.

II. Information Collections

EPA is seeking comments on the

following Information Collection

Request.

Title: Asbestos-Containing Materials

in School Rule and Model Accreditation

Plan (MAP) Rule, EPA ICR No. 1365.05,

OMB No. 2070–0091. Expires March 31,

1998.

Abstract: The Asbestos Hazard

Emergency Response Act (AHERA)

requires LEAs to conduct inspections,

develop management plans, and design

or conduct response actions with

respect to the presence of asbestoscontaining materials in school

buildings. AHERA also requires states to

develop model accreditation plans for

persons who perform asbestos

inspections, develop management

control plans, and design or conduct

response actions. This information

collection addresses the burden

associated with recordkeeping

requirements imposed on LEAs by the

asbestos in schools rule, and reporting

and recordkeeping requirements

imposed on states and training

providers related to the model

accreditation plan rule. Responses to the

collection of information are mandatory

(see 40 CFR part 763, Subpart E).

Burden Statement: The burden to

respondents for complying with this ICR

is estimated to total 2,367,293 hours per

year with an annual cost of $57,149,211.

These totals are based on an average

burden ranging between 6 and 140

hours per response, depending upon the

category of respondent, for an estimated

107,551 respondents making one or

more responses annually. These

estimates include the time needed to

review instructions; develop, acquire,

install and utilize technology and

systems for the purposes of collecting,

validating and verifying information,

processing and maintaining

information, and disclosing and

providing information; adjust the

existing ways to comply with any

previously applicable instructions and

requirements; train personnel to be able

to respond to a collection of

information; search data sources;

complete and review the collection of

information; and transmit or otherwise

disclose the information.
51854 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 192 / Friday, October 3, 1997 / Notices

III. Public Record

A record has been established for this

action under docket number ‘‘OPPTS–

00221’’ (including comments and data

submitted electronically as described

below). A public version of this record,

including printed, paper versions of

electronic comments, which does not

include any information claimed as CBI,

is available for inspection from noon to

4 p.m., Monday through Friday,

excluding legal holidays. The public

record is located in the TSCA

Nonconfidential Information Center,

Rm. NE–B607, 401 M St., SW.,

Washington, DC 20460.

Electronic comments can be sent

directly to EPA at:

oppt.ncic@epamail.epa.gov

Electronic comments must be

submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the

use of special characters and any form

of encryption.

The official record for this action, as

well as the public version, as described

above will be kept in paper form.

Accordingly, EPA will transfer all

comments received electronically into

printed, paper form as they are received

and will place the paper copies in the

official record, which will also include

all comments submitted directly in

writing. The official record is the paper

record maintained at the address in

ADDRESSES at the beginning of this

document.

List of Subjects

Environmental protection and

Information collection requests.

Dated: September 24, 1997.

Susan H. Wayland,

Acting Assistant Administrator for

Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances.

[FR Doc. 97–26324 Filed 10–2–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–F

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–5903–1]

Review and Evaluation of EPA

Standards Regarding Children’s Health

Protection from Environmental Risks

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

SUMMARY: As part of its ongoing

commitment to protect children from

environmental health risks, EPA will

select five existing human health and

environmental protection standards for

review and evaluation to determine if

they sufficiently protect children’s

health. EPA is seeking

recommendations and comment

concerning standards it should select for

review, including detailed explanations

and reference to any studies that

support that recommendations, EPA

does not intend to review recently

promulgated standards as part of this

effort. The standards EPA ultimately

will select for review and evaluation

will be those that could potentially have

a major impact on children’s health as

a result of reevaluation and vision.

These standards would generally be

those where children’s health was not

considered in the original development

of the standard; or, where children’s

health was considered but new data

suggest the standard does not

adequately protect children; and where,

if changes were made in the standard,

children’s health protection would be

strengthened.

DATES: Comments must be in writing

and received by December 2, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should

be submitted to Paula R. Goode, Office

of Children’s Health Protection, USEPA

(MS 1102), 401 M Street, SW,

Washington, DC 20460,

goode.paula@epamail.epa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Paula R. Goode, (202) 260–7778.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Children

in America today inhabit a world that is

very different from that of two

generations past. The traditional

infectious diseases have largely been

eradicated. Infant mortality is greatly

reduced. The expected life span of a

baby born now in the United States is

more than two decades longer than that

of a child born at the beginning of the

twentieth century. However, children

today face hazards in the environment

that were neither known nor suspected

only a few decades ago. At least 75,000

new synthetic chemical compounds

have been developed and introduced

into commerce; fewer than half of these

compounds have been tested for their

potential toxicity to humans, and fewer

still have been assessed for their specific

toxicity to children.

Children’s exposures to lead,

pesticides, PCBs, and toxic air

pollutants are widespread. Compared to

adults, children are particularly

vulnerable and at increased risk from

many environmental threats in four

ways (1) Children’s organ systems are

still developing—including rapid

changes in growth and development

immature body organs and tissues, and

weaker immune systems—which makes

them more susceptible to environmental

hazards; (2) pound-for-pound, children

breathe more air, drink more water and

eat more food than adults; (3) children’s

exposures to toxins are further

enhanced by their play close to the

ground and their normal hand-to-mouth

activity; and (4) children have more

future years of life than adults and are

more susceptible to chronic, multi-stage

diseases such as cancer or

neurodegenerative disease that may be

triggered by early exposures.

Environmental health hazards that

threaten children range from air

pollution that triggers asthma attacks

and lead-based paint in older housing,

to treatment-resistant microbes in

drinking water and persistent industrial

chemicals that may cause cancer to

induce reproductive or developmental

changes.

EPA Administrator Carol Browner set

forth a National Agenda to Protect

Children’s Health From Environmental

Threats in EPA’s publication,

Environmental Health Treats to

Children, September, 1996, to ensure

that children receive the protection they

need and deserve, and help fulfill our

nation’s obligation to protect future

generations. This agenda includes a

commitment to ‘‘ensure that all

standards EPA sets are protective of the

potentially heightened risks faced by

children, and that the most significant

existing standards be reevaluated.’’

As stated in the Summary section of

this notice, EPA will select and then

review and evaluate five human health

and environmental protection standards

that establish discrete regulatory levels.

The standards most suitable for this

effort are those that if revised as a result

of the review and evaluation, would

strengthen and increase children’s

environmental health protection. The

term ‘‘standard’’ for purposes of this

notice means national standards

established by EPA that identify discrete

regulatory levels related to human

health and environmental protection.

Examples of such standards include

pesticide tolerances that establish

allowable levels of pesticide residues in

food under the Federal Food, Drug, and

Cosmetic Act, Maximum Contaminant

Levels that establish allowable levels of

contaminants in drinking water under

the Safe Drinking Water Act; and,

health-based regulations that establish

acceptable levels for air pollutants

under the Clean Air Act. EPA will

consider comments and

recommendations on such standards in

all the environmental media (air, water,

soil, etc.). The term ‘‘standard’’ as used

in this Notice does not include

standards establishing analytical

methods, technology-based standards,

or site specific actions (such as facility