71314 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 231 / Thursday, November 30, 2000 / Notices

and the Federal Highway

Administration can use the CO motor

vehicle emissions budgets from the

submitted plan for future conformity

determinations.

DATES: This determination is effective

December 15, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The

finding is available at EPA’s conformity

website: http://www.epa.gov/oms/traq,

(once there, click on the ‘‘Conformity’’

button, then look for ‘‘Adequacy Review

of SIP Submissions for Conformity’’).

You may also contact Karina O’Connor,

U.S. EPA, Region IX, Air Division AIR–

2, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco,

CA 94105; (415) 744–1247 or

oconnor.karina@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

This notice announces our finding

that the Carbon Monoxide Air Quality

Implementation Plan for the Clark

County Non-attainment Area, submitted

by the State of Nevada on August 24,

2000, is adequate for transportation

conformity purposes. EPA Region IX

made this finding in a letter to the

Nevada Division of Environmental

Protection on November 20, 2000. We

are also announcing this finding on our

conformity website: http://

www.epa.gov/oms/traq, (once there,

click on the ‘‘Conformity’’ button, then

look for ‘‘Adequacy Review of SIP

Submissions for Conformity’’).

Transportation conformity is required

by section 176(c) of the Clean Air Act.

Our conformity rule requires that

transportation plans, programs, and

projects conform to state air quality

implementation plans (SIPs) and

establishes the criteria and procedures

for determining whether or not they do.

Conformity to a SIP means that

transportation activities will not

produce new air quality violations,

worsen existing violations, or delay

timely attainment of the national

ambient air quality standards.

The criteria by which we determine

whether a SIP’s motor vehicle emission

budgets are adequate for conformity

purposes are outlined in 40 CFR

93.118(e)(4). One of these criterion is

that the plan provide for attainment of

the relevant ambient air quality

standard by the applicable Clean Air

Act attainment date. We have

preliminarily determined that the Clark

County CO plan does provide for

attainment of the CO standards and

therefore, can be found adequate.

This adequacy finding is separate

from and does not affect our September

12, 2000 finding that the plan is

complete under section 110(k)(1) of the

Clean Air Act.

We have described our process for

determining the adequacy of submitted

SIP budgets in guidance (May 14, 1999

memo titled ‘‘Conformity Guidance on

Implementation of March 2, 1999

Conformity Court Decision’’). We

followed this guidance in making our

adequacy determination on the Clark

County CO plan.

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401–7671 q.

Dated: November 20, 2000.

Laura Yoshii,

Acting Regional Administrator, Region IX.

[FR Doc. 00–30541 Filed 11–29–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–U

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6910–2]

Draft Information Products Bulletin

Framework Plan for Comment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Information Products

Bulletin (IPB) is a new joint effort

between the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) and The

Environmental Council of the States

(ECOS). The purpose of this framework

plan is to outline the basis and scope for

the development of the IPB. The IPB is

proposed to start being published in

2001, and will be published regularly,

both in hard copy and on the World

Wide Web. It will inform stakeholders

and the public about upcoming

significant information products being

produced by EPA and some of the

states. This will include, in some cases,

the identification of opportunities for

stakeholder and public involvement in

the development of such products.

DATES: EPA will accept comments on

this draft Information Products Bulletin

(IPB) Framework Plan from the date of

this notice until January 2, 2001.

ADDRESSES: In order to be considered,

comments must be submitted in writing

(either by mail or via the IPB website)

to EPA using the following address or

website address:

Comments can be mailed to: Shelley

Fudge, U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, Office of Environmental

Information/Office of Information

Analysis and Access, Mail Code: 2843,

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,

Washington, D.C. 20460.

Comment Via the Web: Go to

www.epa.gov/ipbpages and click on the

‘‘How Can I Comment’’ button on the

left, or on ‘‘Comments’’ at the bottom of

each page.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

further information about the

Information Products Bulletin (IPB),

please contact Shelley Fudge at (202)

260–8694, Office of Environmental

Information, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania

Avenue NW, Mail Code 2843,

Washington, D.C. 20460.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

I. What is the Information Products Bulletin?

II. Purpose of the Information Products

Bulletin (IPB)

III. Background on Creation of the IPB

IV. Criteria for Including Products in the IPB

V. State Products Included in the IPB

VI. Interim Bulletin Website

VII. Stakeholder and Public Involvement

Opportunities During the Development of

EPA Significant Information Products

VIII. Stakeholder and Public Involvement

Opportunities for State Significant

Information Products

IX. IPB Publication Schedule

I. What Is the Information Products

Bulletin?

The Information Products Bulletin

(IPB) is a joint effort between the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

and the Environmental Council of the

States (ECOS) to inform stakeholders

and the public about upcoming

significant information products being

produced by EPA and states. ECOS is

the national nonprofit, nonpartisan

association of state and territorial

environmental commissioners.

The Information Products Bulletin

will:

• Notify interested parties about

soon-to-be-released significant

information products produced by EPA

and some states.

• Provide an opportunity for

stakeholders and the public to comment

and/or give us feedback on some of the

significant information products

described on the list. The Bulletin will

provide information about opportunities

for stakeholder and/or public

involvement during the development of

some of the products listed.

• Begin publication in 2001 and will

be published every six months.

• Be available on the Web, as well as

in hard copy for those who do not have

access to the Internet.

A Significant Information Product is:

• A product under development or

major modification by EPA which

derives from federal, state, local, tribal,

and/or other organizations’ data, and a

state product that is regional or national

in scope and aggregates data from more

than one state. Such products often

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 231 / Thursday, November 30, 2000 / Notices 71315

generate considerable attention when

they use data to describe environmental

conditions, trends, potential risks, and/

or portray compliance or performance.

A stakeholder is:

• An individual or group who has a

vested interest in the development and

use of a significant information product.

In many cases, stakeholders are likely to

be affected by the use of such a product.

II. Purpose of the Information Products

Bulletin (IPB)

EPA and the states are committed to

ensuring that the significant information

products we produce are accurate and

useful, and that we clearly characterize

the data incorporated into these

products. The IPB will provide prepublication notification of these

products, and in some cases, identify

opportunities for stakeholder and public

involvement.

III. Background on Creation of the IPB

Each year, EPA and the states produce

information products for the general

public that are derived from federal,

state, local, tribal or other organizations’

data. These products may include

analyses and/or draw conclusions about

primary data in order to describe

environmental conditions, trends,

potential risks, and/or portray

environmental compliance or

performance.

The IPB has been initiated as one of

several efforts by EPA and the states to

advance the creation and use of data to

enhance public health and

environmental protection, inform

decision-making, and improve the

public’s access to information about

environmental conditions and trends.

Informing the public and providing

access to sound environmental

information are essential components of

a comprehensive environmental

protection program. EPA and the states

recognize that environmental

information should be presented in a

format that meets the needs of major

stakeholders and the public. It is

understood that the IPB is not intended

to be the initial or primary notification

device for informing state co-regulators

about significant new products.

In November 1999, EPA and the

Environmental Council of the States

(ECOS) hosted a meeting in Chicago

titled the ‘‘EPA/State Stakeholder

Forum on Public Information Policies.’’

The meeting brought together

representatives from states, tribes,

industry, environmental and public

interest groups. As an outgrowth of

discussions that took place at that

meeting, EPA and ECOS agreed to form

a joint EPA/State Action Team to

develop an ‘‘Information Products

Bulletin,’’ that would be published

periodically. Through this initiative,

EPA and the states can provide early

notification of ‘‘significant information

products’’ under development, and

identify opportunities for stakeholder

and public feedback during the

development of certain products.

IV. Criteria for Including Products in

the IPB

The IPB does not include a

description of all EPA or state products,

only those that are considered

significant information products. The

following draft criteria have been

developed for determining which

products developed by EPA and the

states are ‘‘significant information

products’’ and thus should be included

in the IPB:

• Products that analyze and/or

compare data from various agencies and

organizations, including industry, as

well as various federal, state, tribal and

local agencies;

• Significant data collected by,

acquired by, or directly reported to EPA

from various agencies and organizations

that EPA has not interpreted or

analyzed;

• Products that describe or assess

environmental conditions, trends, or

risks;

• Products that apply to a large

segment of the population or large

geographic area;

• Models used by the public to

perform environmental analyses based

upon data from various agencies and

organizations; and

• Those annual reports and other

products released on a regular basis that

describe environmental conditions,

trends, risks, and/or portray compliance

or performance.

Significant Information Products do

NOT include:

• Action plans.

• Announcements.

• Annual reports that provide only

broad, general information, program

descriptions and/or accomplishments.

• Brochures.

• Chemical alerts.

• Citizen guides.

• Compliance guides.

• Conference summaries.

• Fact sheets.

• Journal articles.

• Policy statements.

• Press releases.

• Rulemakings and supporting

documents (including guidance,

directives, studies, etc.).

• Strategies, strategic plans.

• Training materials.

EPA and ECOS are interested in

receiving comments on the above

definition and whether its application

will ensure the inclusion of information

products of most interest to the public.

V. State Products Included in the IPB

The IPB will include some significant

information products produced by the

states and territories. Such products will

be regional or national in scope and will

include aggregated data from more than

one state. While states will not provide

a description of any individual state

products, EPA may include products

about one state, if the product is a

prototype or concerns national issues, or

the data reflect national or regional

environmental conditions, risks, and/or

trends.

VI. Interim Bulletin Website

The Interim Bulletin is an initial list

of upcoming significant information

products that was placed on EPA’s

website in September 2000, to provide

the public pre-publication notification

of such products prior to the release of

the first, full IPB in 2001. The Interim

Bulletin is a list only; it does not

describe stakeholder or public

involvement opportunities.

The Interim Bulletin:

• Notifies interested stakeholders and

members of the public of soon-to-be

released information products.

• Describes EPA significant

information products only; no state

products are included.

• Is available only on the Web, not in

hard copy. (The full IPB will be

available on the Web and in hard copy.)

VII. Stakeholder and Public

Involvement Opportunities During the

Development of EPA Significant

Information Products

What is Stakeholder and Public

Involvement?

The term public involvement refers to

soliciting input and feedback from

members of the public in the

development of EPA and state products

and policies. Stakeholder involvement

refers to individuals who represent

groups or specific segments of the

public with a vested interest in the

product or policy. Stakeholder

involvement primarily includes

representatives of an industry sector,

community, government agency, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

How Will the IPB Impact EPA’s and

States’ Current Stakeholder and Public

Involvement Processes?

The IPB will provide pre-publication

notification of significant information

products being developed by the EPA,

as well as some states. The IPB also

identifies, where possible, opportunities

71316 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 231 / Thursday, November 30, 2000 / Notices

for stakeholders and the public to

provide input into the development of

these products. Procedures have already

been established for obtaining

stakeholder and public input for many

significant information products. The

IPB will not replace or duplicate

existing stakeholder or public

involvement processes associated with

the development of EPA or state

products. What the IPB does is provide

a comprehensive vehicle for notifying

the public of planned significant

information products being developed

by EPA, in addition to some state

products. It also identifies stakeholder

and public involvement processes that

are currently underway or are planned

for certain products.

It should be noted that it may not be

practical or useful to provide an

opportunity for stakeholder or public

input for some products on the IPB list.

Examples of such products are those

produced on a routine or annual basis,

or those that are technical, sciencebased documents that undergo a

rigorous peer review process.

How Does the Stakeholder and Public

Involvement Process Work?

Stakeholders and the public can

become involved in the development of

significant information products in

different ways, depending upon the

individual product. Different

stakeholder and public involvement

methods are used for each significant

information product that incorporates

stakeholder/public involvement. Such

methods are described in Table 1 and 2

below. In considering which method(s)

to use for any given product, EPA and

states must consider the purpose of

producing the product and the

appropriate target audience, as well as

available resources, time frame, and

other possible limitations. For example,

it might be more suitable to obtain

stakeholder and public input through

face-to-face meetings rather than

through electronic communication

mechanisms. In other cases, one or more

electronic communication methods may

reach a wider interested audience, and

thus be a more effective means of getting

feedback for a particular product. EPA

and the states often use a combination

of stakeholder and public involvement

methods.

Table 1 below shows methods that

EPA and the states use to present

information on upcoming significant

information products to stakeholders

and the public. Table 2 below describes

methods that EPA and many states use

to collect comments on a specific

product under development. Many of

the methods described in both tables

have been used routinely by EPA and

many states for years. Others,

particularly those utilizing electronic

communication mechanisms, may not

be used routinely but their use is

growing.

TABLE 1: STAKEHOLDER AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT METHODS THAT EPA AND THE STATES USE TO COLLECT INPUT FOR

SIGNIFICANT INFORMATION PRODUCTS—THIS MAY VARY FROM STATE TO STATE

Stakeholder/public involvement method Description

A. Public meetings .............................................. Information is presented about the product before a public gathering, often with a question and

answer session.

B. Forums and workshops .................................. Face-to-face discussions with stakeholders that generally allow for more in-depth discussion

than public meetings.

C. Focus groups ................................................. Participants discuss (in a face-to-face format) potential users’ likes and dislikes of the product,

and generally offer suggestions for improvements. Participants often reflect the audience

that the product targets.

D. Stakeholder meetings .................................... Detailed discussions (face-to-face and/or meetings electronically, via telephone or video) with

representatives of various government agencies and/or organizations, including industry,

trade associations, environmental organizations, local elected officials, community activists,

etc. that are likely to be impacted by the use of the product.

E. Stakeholder or expert consultation ................ Extended communication (through meetings, phone conversations, email, Fax or U.S. mail)

with representatives of various government agencies and/or organizations regarding specific

technical issues or data related to the product. These representatives are consulted briefly

or for an extended period of time as subject experts who can provide essential input.

F. Surveys or questionnaires .............................. Participants provide quantitative and/or qualitative input about a product from which key comments can be extrapolated.

G. Federal Register Notices ............................... Official means to notify the public about a particular product, including a formal comment process with a set comment period. The Federal Register is printed daily by the U.S. Government.

H. Listservs and other e-mail communication

methods.

Electronic mechanisms used for describing a product to various stakeholders and potential

product users.

I. Websites .......................................................... Popular electronic tool that allows a product to be widely disseminated and accessible on the

Internet. Also can be used to collect user comments through a back-end database or e-mail

form.

J. Hotlines ........................................................... EPA-supplied phone numbers that allow for direct answering of caller questions.

K. Public bulletin boards ..................................... Available electronically. Allows stakeholders and/or the public to submit questions and comments about a specific product.

L. Media advertisements .................................... Advertises information about a specific product through print and/or electronic media. May be

targeted to a general or specific audience. Can also be used to invite public comment on

the product.

M. Information fact sheets and other similar materials.Highlights key aspects of a specific product to be highlighted. Can also be used to guide users

on reviewing/commenting on the product. Often distributed at events like public meetings or

displayed in libraries etc.

N. Mailings to various stakeholders ................... Information about a specific product sent through U.S. various mail to various stakeholders

and potential product stakeholders users for information purposes and feedback.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 231 / Thursday, November 30, 2000 / Notices 71317

Table 2: Response Mechanisms Used by EPA

and the States—This May Vary From State

to State

A. Verbal comments recorded during a

public meeting, forum, workshop, focus

group session or stakeholder meeting.

B. Telephone hotline.

C. Telephone survey/questionnaire.

D. Written comments submitted for a

public meeting, forum, workshop, focus

group session or stakeholder meeting.

E. Formal written comments sent to EPA in

response to a Federal Register Notice.

F. Written comments sent to EPA by Fax,

e-mail, listserv e-mail, or through e-mail to

an electronic bulletin board.

G. Feedback forms located on websites.

H. Surveys and/or questionnaires sent

through U.S. mail, e-mail or FAX.

The IPB will list the stakeholder and

public involvement method(s) expected

to be used for each of the products that

provide opportunities for stakeholder/

public involvement. Table 3 below

provides a template that EPA and the

states plan to use for each of the

significant information products listed

in the IPB.

Table 3: Information that will be Included in

the IPB about Products that Provide an

Opportunity for Stakeholder and/or Public

Involvement

Title:

[The name of the significant information

product. Please note that titles may be

subject to change for some products

under development.]

Description:

[A brief explanation that provides a basic

understanding of the purpose and

content of the significant information

product.]

Contact:

[Phone number to use to get further

information about the product and/or the

stakeholder/public involvement process.

When practical, a specific contact name

will be listed and/or an e-mail address.]

Expected Release Date:

[When the product is expected to be made

available to the public. Please note that

such dates are the best estimates

available to date; schedules are subject to

change.]

Comment Period:

[The start and end date of the public

comment period; OR the date that the

comment period ends if the comment

period has already begun. Please note

that the public comment period may

differ from the time frames provided for

other types of stakeholder/public

involvement.]

Stakeholder/Public Involvement Methods:

[The method(s) that EPA or the states plans

to use to obtain stakeholder/public input

and/or feedback on a specific significant

information product—see examples of

Stakeholder and Public Involvement

Methods in Table 1 above.]

How to Access the Draft Product (if

available):

[The various electronic and non-electronic

ways that stakeholders and the public

can use to access a draft copy and/or

prototype of the product.]

At What Stage in the Development of a

Product Can I Get Involved?

The timeframe for the development of

each significant information product

varies, and thus the time frame for

obtaining public involvement varies as

well. Some software models, for

example, require early and close

collaboration with one or more groups

of stakeholders in order to produce an

initial version of the product. Other

products, such as technical or scientific

reports, often require the use of a

scientific peer review process before any

stakeholder and/or public input may be

obtained. In some cases, various

methods of stakeholder/public

involvement may be used during

different stages of a product’s

development. Some input may be

sought early in the development of a

product to determine how best to meet

the needs of the product’s expected

primary users. Then at a later stage in

the product’s development, it may be

possible to obtain additional feedback

on a draft copy or prototype of the

product.

EPA and the states will provide

information in the IPB about the timing

of the product’s development, along

with the timeframe for submitting

public comments. Information regarding

specific dates for public meetings,

workshops, forums, etc. may be

obtained about specific products by

contacting the number listed under each

product description.

Can I View a Draft Copy or Prototype of

Products Under Development?

Where possible, every effort will be

made on the IPB website to include

website links to draft copies and/or

prototypes of EPA and some state

products under development. Those

without access to the Internet can obtain

hard copies of draft products listed in

the IPB by contacting the number listed

for obtaining further information. Please

note that there will not always be a draft

copy or prototype available for every

product under development.

VIII. Stakeholder and Public

Involvement Opportunities for State

Significant Information Products

The states generally use the same type

of stakeholder and public involvement

methods as EPA, which are described in

Tables 1 and 2. While states may

provide a range of opportunities for

stakeholder and public involvement, not

all opportunities listed in Tables 1 and

2 may be available in all states. As with

EPA products, information regarding

specific information and dates for

public meetings, workshops, forums,

etc. may be obtained, when available,

about specific products through the

contact information listed under

appropriate product descriptions.

IX. IPB Publication Schedule

EPA and ECOS struggled with how

best to ensure that those without access

to the Internet would be able to access

information on the IPB that is just as up

to date as those with access to the Web.

We are interested in receiving

comments regarding the

recommendation below.

Under the EPA/ECOS

recommendation, the IPB would be

available on the Web www.epa.gov/

ipbpages and in hard copy format. Both

the website and the hard copy would be

fully updated every six months. In

between the six-month publications, the

website would be refreshed every three

months with material that cannot wait

for the next official update cycle. This

might include incorporating a new

product that has a short development

time period, and/or correcting vital

information (for example, a change in

comment period dates) relating to an

existing product in the IPB. A contact

phone number would be provided for

non-Web users to obtain information

about any changes made to the IPB in

between each six-month hard copy

publication. When new or updated

information is added to the IPB, it will

be highlighted both in hard copy and on

the website.

Dated: November 22, 2000

Elaine G. Stanley,

Director, Office of Information Analysis and

Access.

[FR Doc. 00–30544 Filed 11–29–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6909–8]

Water Quality Criteria: Notice of

Ambient Aquatic Life Water Quality

Criteria for Dissolved Oxygen

(Saltwater): Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability of ambient

aquatic life water quality criteria for

dissolved oxygen (saltwater): Cape Cod

to Cape Hatteras.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 304(a)(1)

of the Clean Water Act (CWA), the

Environmental Protection Agency

announces the availability of the