60664 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 198 / Thursday, October 12, 2000 / Notices

NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone

(202) 564–4533; FAX (202) 501–0323; or

via e-mail at barnes.don@epa.gov.

Requests for oral comments must be in

writing (e-mail preferred) and received

by Dr. Barnes no later than noon Eastern

Time on October 24, 2000.

Providing Oral or Written Comments at

SAB Meetings

It is the policy of the Science

Advisory Board to accept written public

comments of any length, and to

accommodate oral public comments

whenever possible. The Science

Advisory Board expects that public

statements presented at its meetings will

not be repetitive of previously

submitted oral or written statements.

Oral Comments: In general, each

individual or group requesting an oral

presentation at a face-to-face meeting

will be limited to a total time of ten

minutes. For teleconference meetings,

opportunities for oral comment will

usually be limited to no more than three

minutes per speaker and no more than

fifteen minutes total. Deadlines for

getting on the public speaker list for a

meeting are given above. Speakers

should bring at least 35 copies of their

comments and presentation slides for

distribution to the reviewers and public

at the meeting. Written Comments:

Although the SAB accepts written

comments until the date of the meeting

(unless otherwise stated), written

comments should be received in the

SAB Staff Office at least one week prior

to the meeting date so that the

comments may be made available to the

committee for their consideration.

Comments should be supplied to the

appropriate DFO at the address/contact

information noted above in the

following formats: One hard copy with

original signature, and one electronic

copy via e-mail (acceptable file format:

WordPerfect, Word, or Rich Text files

(in IBM–PC/Windows 95/98 format).

Those providing written comments and

who attend the meeting are also asked

to bring 25 copies of their comments for

public distribution.

General Information: Additional

information concerning the Science

Advisory Board, its structure, function,

and composition, may be found on the

SAB Website (http://www.epa.gov/sab)

and in The FY1999 Annual Report of

the Staff Director which is available

from the SAB Publications Staff at (202)

564–4533 or via fax at (202) 501–0256.

Committee rosters, draft Agendas and

meeting calendars are also located on

our website.

Meeting Access: Individuals requiring

special accommodation at these

meetings, including wheelchair access

to the conference room, should contact

the appropriate DFO at least five

business days prior to the meeting so

that appropriate arrangements can be

made.

Dated: October 4, 2000.

Donald G. Barnes,

Staff Director, Science Advisory Board.

[FR Doc. 00–26225 Filed 10–11–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–OW–6883–9]

Notice of Intent To Develop Ambient

Water Quality Criteria for Protection of

Human Health—Arsenic,

Methylmercury, and Carbofuran;

Notice of Data Availability; Request for

Data and Information

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of intent to revise

ambient water quality criterion for

protection of human health for arsenic;

notice of intent to develop ambient

water quality criteria for methylmercury

and carbofuran; notice of data

availability; request for data and

information.

SUMMARY: Section 304(a)(1) of the Clean

Water Act requires the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and

publish, and from time to time revise,

ambient water quality criteria (AWQC)

that accurately reflect the latest

scientific knowledge. Today, EPA is

notifying the public of its intent to

revise the current, recommended human

health water quality criterion for

arsenic, and to develop recommended

criteria for methylmercury, and

carbofuran. This notice does not

establish a schedule for revision or

development of the criteria; the criteria

will be revised or developed on

differing schedules. EPA expects to have

a peer review draft of the

methylmercury criterion on the Office of

Water web page, http://www.epa.gov/

ost/standards/humanhealth/ in the fall

of 2000. The arsenic criteria revisions

will parallel the development of the

Safe Drinking Water Standard for

arsenic. Carbofuran criteria

development is on a one-year schedule.

The pertinent list of references on the

adverse health effects of arsenic is

available for viewing at the Office of

Water’s Docket (W–99–16) for the

proposed National Primary Drinking

Water Regulation, 65 FR 38888; June 22,

2000. The Agency will be using these

references and scientific views and data

submitted in response to the proposed

maximum contaminant level (MCL) for

arsenic in drinking water in revising the

human health AWQC for arsenic. Thus,

persons who have submitted health

effects data to the docket for that

proposal or any subsequent notice of

data availability with respect to that

proposal need not resubmit the same

information. However, information

about bioaccumulation of arsenic is

relevant specifically to the AWQC and

should be submitted as noted under the

ADDRESSES section. References for

methylmercury and carbofuran will be

posted on the Office of Science and

Technology’s website at www.epa.gov/

ost/humanhealth/ when they are

available. EPA is soliciting any

additional pertinent data or scientific

views that may be useful in revising the

criteria for arsenic, and developing

criteria for methylmercury and

carbofuran.

DATES: Information submissions should

be submitted by November 13, 2000 for

methylmercury and by December 11,

2000 for carbofuran and arsenic.

Information submitted after this date

and too near to the end of the document

preparation may not receive the degree

of consideration of data submitted

earlier.

ADDRESSES: By US mail, send an

original and three copies of any data,

references or information to W–00–19

Comment Clerk for arsenic; to W–00–20

Comment Clerk for methylmercury; or

to W–00–21 Comment Clerk for

carbofuran at the Water Docket, MC

4101, US EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave.

NW, Washington, D.C. 20460. Material

may also be hand delivered to Room EB

57, 401 M Street SW, Washington, DC

20460 between 9:00 am and 3:30 pm

EST. When using a private delivery

company, send to Room EB 57, 401 M

Street SW, Washington, DC 20460 or to

Charles O. Abernathy, US EPA (4304),

401 M Street SW, Room 543 West

Tower, Washington, DC 20460.

Information may also be submitted

electronically to OW-Docket@epa.gov.

Information should be submitted as a

WP5.1, 6.1 and/or 8.0 or an ASCII file

with no form of encryption.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Charles O. Abernathy, Health and

Ecological Criteria Division (4304), US

EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW,

Washington, D.C. 20460, Washington,

D.C. 20460; (202) 260–5374;

abernathy.charles@epa.gov (data on

toxicity of arsenic); Keith Sappington,

Health and Ecological Criteria Division

(4304), US EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania

Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20460; (202)

260–9898; sappington.keith@epa.gov or

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 198 / Thursday, October 12, 2000 / Notices 60665

Erik Winchester, Health and Ecological

Criteria Division (4304), US EPA, 1200

Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington,

D.C. 20460; (202) 260–6107;

winchester.erik@epa.gov (data

pertaining to bioaccumulation of

arsenic, methylmercury, and carbofuran

in fish and shellfish); Mary Manibusan,

Health and Ecological Criteria Division

(4304), US EPA,1200 Pennsylvania Ave.

NW, Washington, D.C. 20460; (202)

260–3688; manibusan.mary@epa.gov

(data on the toxicity of methylmercury);

Amal Mahfouz, Health and Ecological

Criteria Division (4304), US EPA, 1200

Pennsylvania Ave. NW, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20460; (202) 260–

9568, mahfouz.amal@epa.gov (data on

toxicity of carbofuran).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

What Are Human Health Criteria?

Section 304(a)(1) of the Clean Water

Act requires the EPA to develop and

publish, and from time to time revise,

criteria for water accurately reflecting

the latest scientific knowledge. AWQC

recommended for protection of human

health under section 304(a) are based

solely on data and scientific judgments.

They do not consider economic impacts

or the technological feasibility of

meeting the criteria in ambient water.

Section 304(a) recommended criteria

provide guidance to States, Territories

and authorized Tribes in adopting water

quality standards for protection of

human health and provide a scientific

basis for developing controls of

discharges or releases of pollutants. The

criteria also provide a scientific basis for

EPA to develop federal regulations

under section 303(c).

What Type of Information Does EPA

Want From the Public?

Today, EPA is notifying the public of

its intent to revise the current human

health water quality criterion for

arsenic, and to develop criteria for

methylmercury and carbofuran.

Revisions to the human health section

of the water quality criterion for arsenic

will be based on the adverse health

effects of arsenic as recently reviewed

by the National Academy of Sciences’

National Research Council (NRC) in the

1999 peer-reviewed report entitled

‘‘Arsenic in Drinking Water’’, and on

other peer-reviewed data in the docket

for the MCL proposal; there will be no

separate peer review for the health

effects information in support of the

arsenic AWQC. However, the EPA also

consider the potential for

bioaccumulation as part of the AWQC

and the NRC report does not address

this facet. Accordingly, EPA is soliciting

any additional pertinent data or

scientific views that may be useful in

revising or developing the human health

section including the available data on

the toxicity and bioaccumulation of

arsenic and arsenic compounds in fish

and shellfish. The lists of references

identified by the Agency on health

effects of arsenic will be available at the

Water Docket W–99–16 or on the Office

of Science and Technology’s website at:

www.epa.gov/ost/humanhealth/. In

particular, EPA is interested in

obtaining; (1) any data, not discussed by

the NRC report or identified by the

Agency’s literature review on the

chronic toxicity of arsenic and arsenic

compounds to human health [Refer to

Water Docket W–99–16] , (2) any data or

scientific view on the toxicity and

bioaccumulation of arsenic and arsenic

compounds in fish and shellfish and, (3)

scientific views on the interpretation of

data or on the application of the

Agency’s methodology for deriving the

human health criteria for arsenic. Any

data submitted must be adequately

documented and contain enough

supporting information to indicate that

acceptable test procedures were used

and that the results are likely reliable.

The Agency has recently completed a

comprehensive literature review on the

human health effects of methylmercury

and carbofuran. In addition EPA has

received the recent report of the

National Academy of Sciences, National

Research Council on methylmercury:

Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury.

EPA will be considering this report in

the development of the human health

criterion for methylmercury. References

identified by the Agency for these

chemicals will be put on the Office of

Science and Technology’s web site at:

www.epa.gov/ost/humanhealth/. EPA is

soliciting any additional pertinent data

or scientific views that may be useful in

revising or developing the ambient

water human health criteria for arsenic,

methylmercury and carbofuran. In

particular, the Agency is interested in

acquiring from the public any new data

that have not been identified by EPA.

When the Agency has developed new

human health water quality criteria for

arsenic, methylmercury and carbofuran,

their availability will be announced in

the Federal Register. Additional data

and comments will be considered in any

subsequent revisions to the criteria.

Where Can I Find More Information on

EPA’s Revised Process for Developing

New or Revised Criteria?

The Agency published detailed

information about its revised process for

developing and revising AWQC in the

Federal Register on December 10, 1998

(63 FR68354) and in the EPA document

entitled, National Recommended Water

Quality Criteria—Correction (EPA 822–

Z–99–001, April 1999). The revised

process is to provide additional

opportunities for public input, and to

increase the efficiency of the water

quality criteria development process.

Dated: October 2, 2000.

Geoffrey H. Grubbs,

Director, Office of Science and Technology.

[FR Doc. 00–26222 Filed 10–11–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

Public Information Collections

Approved by Office of Management

and Budget

October 3, 2000.

The Federal Communications

Commission (FCC) has received Office

of Management and Budget (OMB)

approval for the following public

information collections pursuant to the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

Public Law 104–13. 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 control number. For

further information contact Shoko B.

Hair, Federal Communications

Commission, (202) 418–1379.

Federal Communications Commission

OMB Control No.: 3060–0723.

Expiration Date: 09/30/2003.

Title: Public Disclosure of Network

Information by Bell Operating

Companies.

Form No.: N/A.

Respondents: Business or other forprofit.

Estimated Annual Burden: 7

respondents; 50 hours per response

(avg.); 350 total annual burden hours.

Estimated Annual Reporting and

Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.

Frequency of Response: On occasion;

third party disclosure.

Description: Public Disclosure of

Network Information by Bell Operating

Companies (BOCs). Pursuant to Section

276(b)(1)(C) which directs the

Commission to ‘‘prescribe a set of

nonstructural safeguards for Bell

operating company payphone service to

implement the provisions of paragraphs

(1) and (2) of subsection (a), which

safeguards shall, at a minimum, include

the nonstructural safeguards equal to

those adopted in the Computer

Inquiry—III (CC Docket No. 90–623)

proceeding’’, 47 U.S.C. Section 276

(B)(a)(C), the BOCs are required to