Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 7 / Friday, January 10, 1997 / Notices 1453

Dated: January 7, 1997.

William D. Dickerson,

Director, NEPA Compliance Division Office

of Federal Activities.

[FR Doc. 97–651 Filed 1–9–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–U

[FRL–5674–9]

Science Advisory Board; Notification

of Public Advisory Committee

Meetings

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory

Committee Act, Public Law 92–463,

notice is hereby given that several

committees of the Science Advisory

Board (SAB) will meet on the dates and

times described below. All times noted

are Eastern Daylight Time. All meetings

are open to the public. Due to limited

space, seating at meetings will be on a

first-come basis. For further information

concerning specific meetings, please

contact the individuals listed below.

Documents that are the subject of SAB

reviews are normally available from the

originating EPA office and are not

available from the SAB Office.

1. Ecological Risk Subcommittee of the

Integrated Risk Project (IRP)

The Ecological Risk Subcommittee of

the Integrated Risk Project (IRP) of the

Science Advisory Board (SAB) will hold

a teleconference meeting on January 27

from 2:00 pm—4:30 pm to discuss the

Subcommittee’s draft methodology for

assessing relative ecological risks from a

variety of biological, chemical and

physical stressors.

Background—In a letter dated October

25, 1995, Deputy Administrator Fred

Hansen requested the SAB to update the

assessment of environmental risks,

priorities, and risk reduction

opportunities contained in the 1990

SAB report, Reducing Risk: Setting

Priorities and Strategies for

Environmental Protection (EPA–SAB–

EC–90–021). In response to that the

charge, the ERS has held a series of

meetings over the past nine months and

is now finalizing its recommendations

and relative risk ranking methodology.

For Further Information—Single

copies of Reducing Risk, the report of

the previous relative risk ranking effort

of the SAB, can be obtained by

contacting the SAB’s Committee

Evaluation and Support Staff (1400),

401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC

20460, telephone (202) 260–8414, or fax

(202) 260–1889. Anyone wishing to

make an oral presentation on the

teleconference must contact Ms.

Stephanie Sanzone, Designated Federal

Official for the Subcommittee, no later

than 4:00 pm (Eastern Daylight Time)

January 22, 1997, at telephone (202)

260–6557, fax (202) 260–7118, or via the

Internet at: Sanzone.Stephanie@

EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV. The request

should identify the name of the

individual who will make the

presentation and an outline of the issues

to be addressed.

2. Environmental Economics Advisory

Committee (EEAC) and the Economic

Analysis Subcommittee (EAS) of the

Integrated Risk Project (IRP)

The Environmental Economic

Advisory Committee, sitting as the

Economic Analysis Subcommittee of the

Integrated Risk Project Committee (IRP)

of the Science Advisory Board (SAB),

will meet on February 7, 1997, from

9:00 a.m. to no later than 5:00 p.m.

(Eastern Daylight Time) in Room 2103

of Waterside Mall, US EPA, 401 M

Street SW, Washington, DC 20460. This

meeting is open to the public, however,

due to limited space, seating will be on

a first-come basis. The purpose of the

meeting is to continue Committee efforts

in support of the larger IRP effort of the

SAB.

Background—In a letter dated October

25, 1995, Deputy Administrator Fred

Hansen requested the SAB to update the

assessment of environmental risks,

priorities, and risk reduction

opportunities contained in the 1990

SAB report, Reducing Risk: Setting

Priorities and Strategies for

Environmental Protection (EPA–SAB–

EC–90–021). In subsequent discussions

with the Deputy Administrator, the SAB

has also agreed to provide insights on

economic analysis of risk reduction

options. The current charge to the

Economic Analysis Subcommittee is to

explore and report on ways to assess the

economic values associated with

regulatory options that the agency often

proposes in response to its statutory

mandates for environmental protection.

This will be the second meeting of the

Subcommittee on this issue.

For Further Information—Single

copies of the information provided to

the Subcommittee can be obtained by

contacting Ms. Diana Pozun, Staff

Secretary, Committee Operations Staff,

Science Advisory Board (1400), US

EPA, 401 M Street SW., Washington DC

20460, telephone (202) 260–6552, fax

(202) 260–7118, or Internet at:

Pozun.Diana@ EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV.

Single copies of Reducing Risk, the

report of the previous relative risk

ranking effort of the SAB, can be

obtained by contacting the SAB’s

Committee Evaluation and Support Staff

(1400), 401 M Street, SW, Washington,

DC 20460, telephone (202) 260–8414, or

fax (202) 260–1889. Anyone wishing to

make an oral presentation at the meeting

must contact Mr. Thomas Miller,

Designated Federal Official for the

Economic Analysis Subcommittee-IRP,

in writing no later than 4:00 pm (Eastern

Daylight Time) February 3, 1997, at the

above address, via fax (202) 260–7118,

or via the Internet at:

Miller.Tom@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV. The

request should identify the name of the

individual who will make the

presentation and an outline of the issues

to be addressed. At least 35 copies of

any written comments to the Committee

are to be given to Mr. Miller no later

than the time of the presentation for

distribution to the Committee and the

interested public. To discuss technical

aspects of the meeting, please contact

Mr. Miller by telephone at (202) 260–

5886.

3. Valuation Subcommittee (VS) of the

Integrated Risk Project (IRP)

The Valuation Subcommittee

(Committee) of the Integrated Risk

Project Committee (IRP) of the Science

Advisory Board (SAB) will meet from

February 19 through 21, 1997, from 9:00

am on February 19 to no later than 5:00

pm (Eastern Daylight Time) on February

21 at the Holiday Inn-Baltimore Inner

Harbor, located at 30–1 W. Lombard

Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201. This

meeting is open to the public, however,

due to limited space, seating will be on

a first-come basis. The purpose of the

meeting is to continue Committee efforts

in support of the larger IRP effort of the

SAB.

Background—In a letter dated October

25, 1995, Deputy Administrator Fred

Hansen requested the SAB to update the

assessment of environmental risks,

priorities, and risk reduction

opportunities contained in the 1990

SAB report, Reducing Risk: Setting

Priorities and Strategies for

Environmental Protection (EPA–SAB–

EC–90–021). In subsequent discussions

with the Deputy Administrator, the SAB

has also agreed to provide insights on

economic analysis of risk reduction

options and ecosystem valuation. In

summary, the current charge to the

Valuation Subcommittee is to propose a

new framework for assessing the value

of ecosystems to humans, including

ecological services and environmentally

mediated health and quality of life

values.

For Further Information—Single

copies of the information provided to

the Committee can be obtained by

contacting Ms. Diana Pozun, Staff

Secretary, Committee Operations Staff,

Science Advisory Board (1400), US

EPA, 401 M Street SW., Washington DC

20460, telephone (202) 260–6552, fax
1454 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 7 / Friday, January 10, 1997 / Notices

(202) 260–7118, or Internet at:

Pozun.Diana@ EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV.

Single copies of Reducing Risk, the

report of the previous relative risk

ranking effort of the SAB, can be

obtained by contacting the SAB’s

Committee Evaluation and Support Staff

(1400), 401 M Street, SW, Washington,

DC 20460, telephone (202) 260–8414, or

fax (202) 260–1889. Anyone wishing to

make an oral presentation at the meeting

must contact Mr. Thomas Miller,

Designated Federal Official for the

Valuation Subcommittee IRP, in writing

no later than 4:00 pm (Eastern Daylight

Time) February 12, 1997, at the above

address, via fax (202) 260–7118, or via

the Internet at:

Miller.Tom@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV. The

request should identify the name of the

individual who will make the

presentation and an outline of the issues

to be addressed. At least 35 copies of

any written comments to the Committee

are to be given to Mr. Miller no later

than the time of the presentation for

distribution to the Committee and the

interested public. To discuss technical

aspects of the meeting, please contact

Mr. Miller by telephone at (202) 260–

5886.

Providing Oral or Written Comments at

SAB Meetings

The Science Advisory Board expects

that public statements presented at its

meetings will not be repetitive of

previously submitted oral or written

statements. In general, each individual

or group making an oral presentation

will be limited to a total time of ten

minutes. For conference call meetings,

opportunities for oral comment will be

limited to no more than five minutes per

speaker and no more than fifteen

minutes total. Written comments (at

least 35 copies) received in the SAB

Staff Office sufficiently prior to a

meeting date, may be mailed to the

relevant SAB committee or

subcommittee prior to its meeting;

comments received too close to the

meeting date will normally be provided

to the committee at its meeting. Written

comments may be provided to the

relevant committee or subcommittee up

until the time of the meeting.

Dated: January 2, 1997.

Donald G. Barnes,

Staff Director, Science Advisory Board.

[FR Doc. 97–646 Filed 1–9–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

[FRL–5674–6]

CWA 303(d): Proposed Withdrawal of

Phase I Total Maximum Daily Loads

(TMDLs) for Copper in the New Jersey

Waters of New York-New Jersey

Harbor

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency, Region II (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: EPA has determined that the

New Jersey waters of the New York-New

Jersey Harbor are not water qualitylimited for copper, and therefore, Phase

I copper TMDLs are not required for

these water segments. EPA is hereby

issuing public notice of its intent to

withdraw the Phase I TMDL for copper

established by EPA on January 24, 1996.

DATES: Comments on the proposed

action must be submitted to EPA on or

before February 10, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the relevant

supporting documents may be obtained

by writing to Ms. Rosella T. O’Connor,

Fate & Effects Team, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency Region II, 290

Broadway, 24th Floor, New York, New

York 10006–1866 or calling (212) 637–

3823.

The administrative record containing

background technical information is on

file and may be inspected at the U.S.

EPA, Region II office between the hours

of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday

through Friday, except holidays.

Arrangements to examine the

administrative record may be made by

contacting Ms. Rosella T. O’Connor.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.

Rosella T. O’Connor, telephone (212)

637–3823.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

II. Proposed Action

I. Background

A TMDL, or total maximum daily

load, is the maximum amount of the

pollutant that a waterbody can

assimilate and still meet ambient water

quality standards. TMDLs are

established for water quality-limited

segments, which are defined as ‘‘any

segment where it is known that water

quality does not meet applicable water

quality standards, and/or is not

expected to meet applicable water

quality standards, even after the

application of technology-based effluent

limitations * * *’’ (40 CFR 130.2(i)).

On January 24, 1996, EPA established

certain phased TMDLs, including waste

load allocations (WLAs) and load

allocations (LAs) for copper and

mercury. (61 FR 1930). Phased TMDLs

were developed for copper and mercury

because of the limited ambient data and

uncertainty in the model calibration for

the New Jersey Harbor waters. The

Phase I TMDLs established in January

1996 required additional data collection

in the New Jersey Harbor waters before

the establishment, as necessary, of

revised Phase II TMDLs. Phase II

TMDLs were to be established only if

the additional data and/or modeling

indicated that it was necessary to reduce

point and/or nonpoint sources of certain

metals below Phase I levels. The New

Jersey Harbor waters are Newark Bay,

Hackensack River below the Oradell

Dam, Passaic River below the Dundee

Dam, Raritan River below the Fieldville

Dam and Raritan Bay.

The New Jersey Harbor Dischargers

Group (NJHDG), in cooperation with the

State of New Jersey and EPA, agreed to

undertake the required additional

monitoring and modeling. The first

phase of the monitoring was designed to

enhance the existing ambient data base

and to confirm whether copper, lead,

nickel and mercury exceed or

potentially exceed applicable water

quality standards in the New Jersey

Harbor waters. Based on the results of

this data collection effort, it was

determined that certain metals and/or

New Jersey Harbor waters would require

additional monitoring and modeling to

develop Phase II TMDLs. These data are

contained in a report entitled,

‘‘Summary of the Phase I Metals

Sampling and Analysis Program for the

New Jersey Component of the New

York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary

Program’’ (March 5 and 26, 1996). The

monitoring program included one

station in each of the Hackensack,

Passaic, and Raritan Rivers, and in

Raritan and Newark Bays. Each of these

stations was sampled twice per month

for six months (from June 1995 through

December 1995). The twelve sampling

events included three wet-weather and

two tidal cycle events. Overall, ninety

water samples and five sediment

samples were collected in twelve

sampling events over a six month study

period. These data were used to project

water quality exceedances of copper,

mercury, nickel and lead in the New

Jersey waters of the Harbor.

Based on the ambient water quality

data contained in the above-referenced

report, EPA has determined the

following:

• The New Jersey Harbor waters are

not water quality-limited for copper,

neither Phase I nor Phase II copper

TMDLs are required. EPA is, therefore,

proposing to withdraw the Phase I

copper TMDLs promulgated on January

24, 1996;