59840 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 195 / Friday, October 6, 2000 / Notices

its ADR programs and continually

improving them to better meet the needs

of EPA offices, Regions, and external

stakeholders.

Several EPA offices and Regions have

already evaluated their ADR efforts. To

build on these evaluations and to

strengthen the evaluation component of

ADR practice across the Agency, the

CPRC, consulting with internal and

external stakeholders, will develop an

evaluation system for ADR at EPA. The

evaluation system will include goals

and both qualitative and quantitative

measures of success.

Where Can I Get Additional Information

or Help With ADR at EPA?

Additional information on ADR

contacts within EPA, topics covered in

this policy, and others, may be obtained

from the CPRC at (202) 564–2922.

What Is the Legal Authority for this

Policy?

This policy satisfies the requirement

of the Administrative Dispute

Resolution Act of 1996, 5 U.S.C. 571–

583, that each federal agency adopt a

policy that addresses the use of ADR.

The policy is also consistent with the

following federal statutes, regulations,

and orders:

• Regulatory Negotiation Act of 1996,

5 U.S.C. 561–570

• Civil Justice Reform Act, 28 U.S.C.

471–482

• Alternative Dispute Resolution Act

of 1998, 28 U.S.C. 651–658

• Federal Acquisition Streamlining

Act, 41 U.S.C. 405

• Contracts Disputes Act, 41 U.S.C.

601–613

• Federal Acquisition Regulation, 48

CFR 33.103 & 33.204

• Federal Sector Equal Employment

Opportunity Regulations, 29 CFR part

1614

• Civil Justice Reform, Executive

Order 12988, 61 FR 4729 (Feb. 5, 1996)

• Agency Procurement Protests,

Executive Order 12979, 60 FR 55171

(Oct. 27, 1995)

• Presidential Memorandum,

‘‘Designation of Interagency Committees

to Facilitate and Encourage Use of

Alternative Means of Dispute Resolution

and Negotiated Rulemaking,’’ May 1,

1998

Request for Public Comment

The Environmental Protection Agency

invites public comment on this draft

document. Comments should be

received by December 5, 2000.

Dated: September 29, 2000.

Carol Browner,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 00–25749 Filed 10–5–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6883–2]

Draft EPA Guidelines for Management

of Onsite/Decentralized Wastewater

Systems and Guidance Manual Outline

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency.

ACTION: Notice of availability for

comment.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) is making

available for review and comment a

draft of its Guidelines for Management

of Onsite/Decentralized Wastewater

Systems and an outline for a guidance

manual that will be developed to

supplement the guidelines. The purpose

of the guidelines is to raise the level of

performance of onsite/decentralized

wastewater systems through improved

management programs. Onsite/

decentralized wastewater treatment

systems include individual onsite or

cluster wastewater systems (commonly

referred to as septic systems, private

sewage systems, individual sewage

systems, etc.) used to treat and dispose

of relatively small volumes of

wastewater, generally from individual

dwellings, or groups of dwellings and

businesses which are located relatively

close together. EPA is proposing the

voluntary national guidelines in order to

raise the quality of management

programs, establish minimum levels of

activity, and institutionalize the concept

of management. Implementation of the

guidelines will provide a greater range

of options for cost-effectively meeting

wastewater needs and meeting water

quality and public health goals.

The guidelines contain a set of model

programs, based on a comprehensive

approach that relies on coordinating the

responsibilities and actions among the

state, tribal or local regulatory agency,

the management entity or service

provider and the system owner(s). These

model programs are structured to reflect

a need for more comprehensive

management as the sensitivity of the

environment and/or the degree of

technological complexity increases. A

program’s designation increases

progressively from Model Program 1

through Model Program 5, reflecting the

increased level of management activities

needed to achieve water quality and

public health goals. Adoption of the

guidelines is voluntary and EPA

encourages that communities to

consider the guidelines as a basis for

their onsite/decentralized wastewater

management program.

The guidelines apply to both existing

communities and to areas of new

development that use onsite/

decentralized systems of any size for

residential and commercial wastewater

treatment and disposal.

DATES: Email or written comments are

requested by December 5, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Comments can be submitted

online at http://www.epa.gov/owm/

smallc/guidelines.htm, emailed to

decentralized@epa.gov, via U.S. mail to

Joyce Hudson, US EPA, Office of

Wastewater Management (4204), 1200

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,

Washington, DC 20460, or faxed to (202)

260–0116.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any

questions regarding the content of EPA’s

Guidelines for Management of Onsite/

Decentralized Wastewater Systems can

be addressed to Joyce Hudson by email

at hudson.joyce@epa.gov. Additional

copies of the documents may be

obtained by calling Melanie Montalvo,

the EPA contractor, at (703) 934–2323 or

by downloading the documents at

http://www.epa.gov/owm/smallc/

guidelines.htm

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In April,

1997, EPA prepared a ‘‘Response to

Congress on the Use of Decentralized

Wastewater Treatment Systems.’’ The

report concluded that alternative

treatment technologies offer a costeffective, long term wastewater solution

for many communities. However, the

report emphasized that these

‘‘decentralized’’ (onsite and small

cluster) technologies must be

implemented in the context of a

responsible management program to

consistently achieve water quality and

public health goals. The report

identified the current lack of

management as a barrier to successfully

applying these otherwise promising

technologies.

The development of management

standards for decentralized wastewater

treatment systems was therefore

included in the Clean Water Action Plan

(CWAP) as Action Item 77B . In

fulfillment of this action item, EPA

prepared a concept paper in the spring

of 1999, which was gradually developed

into a set of voluntary national

guidelines for the management of onsite

and decentralized wastewater systems.

The guidelines which we are proposing

for formal public comment have been

developed with considerable input from

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 195 / Friday, October 6, 2000 / Notices 59841

various stakeholders, including other

Federal agencies, State health agencies,

environmental groups, trade

associations and public interest groups.

Based on comments received, a detailed

outline was developed and comments

were once again solicited, which led to

the draft document in this notice.

Onsite/decentralized systems

currently serve about 25 percent of the

U.S. population and approximately 40

percent of new development. The vast

majority of these systems are

conventional onsite wastewater systems

(septic systems). States report that these

wastewater systems have failed because

of inappropriate siting or design or

inadequate long-term maintenance and

that septic tank systems constitute the

third most common source of ground

water contamination.

The final guidelines will be

accompanied by a guidance manual. An

outline of this guidance manual is also

available for review and comment. The

final manual will provide details on

assessing, developing, implementing,

and sustaining a viable management

program. The guidelines for

management and the accompanying

guidance manual are scheduled for

completion in the Summer of 2001.

Prior to completion, EPA will reach out

to interested parties, primarily through

discussions with national and Statelevel organizations to gain input.

Dated: September 27, 2000.

J. Charles Fox,

Assistant Administrator for Office of Solid

Waste and Emergency Response.

[FR Doc. 00–25743 Filed 10–5–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6882–1]

Public Water System Supervision

Program Revision for the State of

Florida

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of tentative approval.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the State of Florida is revising its

approved Public Water System

Supervision Program. Florida has

adopted drinking water regulations

requiring consumer confidence reports

from all community water systems. EPA

has determined that these revisions are

no less stringent than the corresponding

federal regulations. Therefore, EPA

intends on approving this State program

revision.

All interested parties may request a

public hearing. A request for a public

hearing must be submitted by November

6, 2000 to the Regional Administrator at

the address shown below. Frivolous or

insubstantial requests for a hearing may

be denied by the Regional

Administrator. However, if a substantial

request for a public hearing is made by

November 6, 2000, a public hearing will

be held. If no timely and appropriate

request for a hearing is received and the

Regional Administrator does not elect to

hold a hearing on his own motion, this

determination shall become final and

effective on November 6, 2000. Any

request for a public hearing shall

include the following information: (1)

The name, address, and telephone

number of the individual organization,

or other entity requesting a hearing; (2)

A brief statement of the requesting

person’s interest in the Regional

Administrator’s determination and a

brief statement of the information that

the requesting person intends to submit

at such hearing; (3) The signature of the

individual making the request, or, if the

request is made on behalf of an

organization or other entity, the

signature of a responsible official of the

organization or other entity.

ADDRESSES: All documents relating to

this determination are available for

inspection between the hours of 8 a.m.

and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,

at the following offices: Florida

Department of Environmental

Protection, 2600 Blairstone Road,

Tallahassee, Florida 32399 or at the

Environmental Protection Agency,

Region 4, Drinking Water Section, 61

Forsyth Street Southwest, Atlanta,

Georgia 30303.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bonita Johnson, EPA Region 4, Drinking

Water Section at the Atlanta address

given above or by telephone at (404)

562–9442.

Authority: (Section 1420 of the Safe

Drinking Water Act, as amended (1996), and

40 CFR part 142 of the National Primary

Drinking Water Regulations)

A. Stanley Meiburg,

Acting Regional Administrator, Region 4.

[FR Doc. 00–25748 Filed 10–5–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

[DA 00–2171 and DA 00–2232]

Comment Sought on Reserve Prices or

Minimum Opening Bids and Other

Auction Procedural Issues; Auction of

Additional FM Broadcast Construction

Permits To Be Included in Auction No.

37 Scheduled for February 21, 2001

AGENCY: Federal Communications

Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This document announces the

auction of certain FM broadcast

construction permits to commence

February 21, 2001.

DATES: Comments regarding the vacant

FM allotments listed in Attachment A of

DA 00–2171 (‘‘Auction No. 37 Comment

Public Notice’’) are due on or before

October 9, 2000. Comments regarding

the eight additional vacant FM

allotments listed in DA 00–2232

(‘‘Addendum Public Notice’’) are due on

or before October 13, 2000. All reply

comments are due on or before October

23, 2000.

ADDRESSES: To file formally, parties

must submit an original and four copies

to the Office of the Secretary, Federal

Communications Commission, 445

Twelfth Street, SW, TW–A325,

Washington, DC 20054. In addition,

parties must submit one copy to Louis

Sigalos, Deputy Division Chief,

Auctions and Industry Analysis

Division, Wireless Telecommunications

Bureau, 445 Twelfth Street, SW, Suite

4–A668, Washington, DC 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kathy Garland, Auctions and Industry

Analysis Division, Wireless

Telecommunications Bureau, at (717)

338–2888; Kenneth Burnley, Legal

Branch, Auctions and Industry Analysis

Division, Wireless Telecommunications

Bureau, at (202) 418–0660; or Lisa

Scanlan, Audio Services Division, Mass

Media Bureau at (202) 418–2700.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a

summary of two Public Notices, DA 00–

2171 (‘‘Auction No. 37 Comment Public

Notice’’) and DA 00–2232 (‘‘Addendum

Public Notice’’), released September 25,

2000 and September 29, 2000

respectively. The complete text of the

public notices, including attachments, is

available for inspection and copying

during normal business hours in the

FCC Reference Center (Room CY–A257),

445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC. It

may also be purchased from the

Commission’s copy contractor,

International Transcription Services,

Inc. (ITS, Inc.) 1231 20th Street, NW,