Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 72 / Tuesday, April 15, 1997 / Notices 18349

and use and interpretation; as well as

which contaminants should be included

in the data base.

EPA is working on a Conceptual

Approach for the National Drinking

Water Contaminant Occurrence Data

Base. This approach considers factors

such as what data are needed in the data

base, how is the database going to be

used, what information is available for

the database, how can databases be

merged, and how to address data

uncertainty with quality assurance and

quality control. Both chemical

contaminants and microbes will be

considered in the National Drinking

Water Contaminant Occurrence Data

Base development process. Background

material on the Conceptual Approach

and the process to develop and

implement the National Drinking Water

Contaminant Occurrence Data Base will

be sent to all registered participants in

advance of the meeting. The specific

issues for discussion at the meeting will

be based on this material and will

include (but may not be limited to) the

following:

1. What type of information does the

National Occurrence Data Base have to

contain for EPA to make determinations

on what contaminants need further

action?

2. What standard methodologies/

analytical techniques and units of

measure will be acceptable to populate

the National Occurrence Data Base?

3. What should be the quality

assurance/quality control procedures for

accepting data into the National

Occurrence Data Base and for

determining its usefulness for a specific

end-use?

4. What should be the criteria for

accepting data from external and

internal data sources? What type of data

should be required for data quality?

Should there be different levels of data

quality for different uses?

5. What are the sources of data that

can be used to populate the National

Occurrence Data Base and are they

available in a form that can be used by

the EPA and be accessible to the public?

6. How should linkages to other

databases be accommodated?

7. Are there certain data fields that

EPA should structure its query

functions around?

8. In what forms should the data in

the National Occurrence Data Base be

made readily accessible to the public?

9. In making the National Occurrence

Data Base publicly accessible should the

information be available electronically?

What kind of user interface is

important?

10. Should the National Occurrence

Data Base information be able to be

graphically displayed?

11. What data does your organization

possess that is relevant to the National

Occurrence Data Base?

12. What specific data fields should

be included in the National Occurrence

Data Base?

13. What historical data should be

included in the data base?

EPA has convened this public

meeting to hear the views of

stakeholders on the Conceptual

Approach, concerning the development

and maintenance of a National Drinking

Water Contaminant Occurrence Data

Base. The public is invited to provide

comments on the issues listed above or

other issues related to the National

Drinking Water Contaminant

Occurrence Data Base during the May

21–22, 1997 meeting.

Dated: March 25, 1997.

Cynthia Dougherty,

Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking

Water.

[FR Doc. 97–9694 Filed 4–14–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–5811–9]

Science Advisory Board Notification of

Public Advisory Committee Meeting;

Open Meeting

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory

Committee Act, Public Law 92–463,

notice is hereby given that the Human

Exposure and Health Subcommittee

(HEHS) of the Science Advisory Board’s

(SAB) Integrated Risk Project will meet

on May 5–6, 1997, at the Environmental

Protection Agency’s Waterside Mall

Complex, 401 M Street, SW,

Washington, DC 20460 in Room 17 of

the Washington Information Center. For

convenient access, members of the

public should use the public entrances

to the Waterside Mall commercial area

on either the ‘‘I’’ or ‘‘M’’ street side of

the complex. The meeting will begin at

9:00 a.m. and end no later than 5:00

p.m. on each day. All times noted are

Eastern Time. All meetings are open to

the public. Due to limited space, seating

at meetings will be on a first-come basis.

The main purpose of the meeting is to

discuss human exposure (and their

consequences) to various pollutants and

to consider the potential for risk

reduction. The Subcommittee’s

activities are part of an SAB project to

update the 1990 SAB report, Reducing

Risk: Setting Priorities and Strategies for

Environmental Protection. In a letter

dated October 25, 1995, to Dr.

Matanoski, Chair of the SAB Executive

Committee, Deputy Administrator Fred

Hansen charged the SAB to: (1) Develop

an updated ranking of the relative risk

of different environmental problems

based upon explicit scientific criteria;

(2) provide an assessment of techniques

and criteria that could be used to

discriminate among emerging

environmental risks and identify those

that merit serious, near-term Agency

attention; (3) assess the potential for risk

reduction and propose alternative

technical risk reduction strategies for

the environmental problems identified;

and (4) identify the uncertainties and

data quality issues associated with the

relative rankings. The project will be

conducted by several SAB panels,

including HEHS, working at the

direction of an ad hoc Steering

Committee established by the Executive

Committee.

Single copies of Reducing Risk 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. Members of the

public desiring additional information

about the meeting, including an agenda,

should contact Ms. Mary Winston, Staff

Secretary, Science Advisory Board

(1400), US EPA, 401 M Street, SW,

Washington DC 20460, by telephone at

(202) 260–8414, fax at (202) 260–7118,

or via the INTERNET at:

winston.mary@epamail.epa.gov.

Anyone wishing to make an oral

presentation at the meeting must contact

Mr. Samuel Rondberg, Designated

Federal Official for the HEHS, in

writing, no later than 4:00 p.m., April

28, 1997, bay fax at (202) 260–7118, or

via the INTERNET at

rondberg.sam@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. Rondberg no later

than the time of the presentation for

distribution to the Committee and the

interested public. See below for

additional information on providing

comments to the SAB.

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
18350 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 72 / Tuesday, April 15, 1997 / Notices

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: April 3, 1997.

Donald G. Barnes,

Staff Director, Science Advisory Board.

[FR Doc. 97–9692 Filed 4–14–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[OPPTS–44639; FRL–5600–7]

TSCA Chemical Testing; Receipt of

Test Data

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice announces EPA’s

receipt of test data on tertiary amyl

methyl ether (TAME) (CAS No. 994–05–

8). These data were submitted pursuant

to an enforceable testing consent

agreement/order issued by EPA under

section 4 of the Toxic Substances

Control Act (TSCA). Publication of this

notice is in compliance with section

4(d) of TSCA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Susan B. Hazen, Director,

Environmental Assistance Division

(7408), Office of Pollution Prevention

and Toxics, Environmental Protection

Agency, Rm. E–543B, 401 M St., SW.,

Washington, DC 20460, (202) 554–1404,

TDD (202) 554–0551; e-mail: TSCAHotline@epamail.epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under 40

CFR 790.60, all TSCA section 4

enforceable consent agreements/orders

must contain a statement that results of

testing conducted pursuant to testing

enforceable consent agreements/orders

will be announced to the public in

accordance with section 4(d).

I. Test Data Submissions

Test data for TAME were submitted

by The American Petroleum Institute

(API), on behalf of the Tertiary Amyl

Methyl Ether (TAME) Consortium,

pursuant to a TSCA section 4

enforceable testing consent agreement/

order at 40 CFR 799.5000. EPA received

the data on March 6, 1997. The

submission includes two final reports

entitled 1) ‘‘Developmental Toxicity

Evaluation of Inhaled Tertiary Amyl

Methyl Ether (TAME) in CD (SpragueDawley) Rats’’ and 2) ‘‘Developmental

Toxicity Evaluation of Inhaled Tertiary

Amyl Methyl Ether (TAME) in CD-1

Mice.’’ This chemical has potentially

wide use as a gasoline additive.

EPA has initiated its review and

evaluation process for this data

submission. At this time, the Agency is

unable to provide any determination as

to the completeness of the submission.

II. Public Record

EPA has established a public record

for this TSCA section 4(d) receipt of

data notice (docket number OPPTS–

44639). This record includes copies of

all studies reported in this notice. The

record is available for inspection from

12 noon to 4 p.m., Monday through

Friday, except legal holidays, in the

TSCA Nonconfidential Information

Center (also known as the TSCA Public

Docket Office), Rm. B–607 Northeast

Mall, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC

20460, e-mail address:

oppt.ncic@epamail.epa.gov.

Authority: 15 U.S.C. 2603.

List of Subjects

Environmental protection, Test data.

Dated: April 7, 1997.

Frank Kover,

Acting Director, Chemical Control Division,

Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.

[FR Doc. 97–9687 Filed 4-14-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–F

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[OPPTS–211043; FRL–5578–1]

Lead Azide; Response to Citizen’s

Petition Under TSCA Section 21

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice; Denial of TSCA Section

21 Petition.

SUMMARY: EPA received a petition under

section 21 of the Toxic Substances

Control Act (TSCA) on May 2, 1996,

from a citizen requesting that the

Agency promulgate a regulation under

TSCA section 6 that would prohibit the

manufacturing, processing, or

distribution in commerce of lead azide.

The petitioner claims that she suffered

injuries through the use of lead azide to

produce a ‘‘special effect’’ in

filmmaking and that manufacture of

such substance should be prohibited to

prevent future human injury. EPA has

evaluated the petition and upon further

consideration, denied it on July 31,

1996.

FOR FURTHER 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: 202-260-1404,

TDD: (202-554-0551), e-mail: TSCAHotline@epa.mail.epa.gov.

I. Background

A. Statutory Requirements

1. TSCA section 21. Section 21 of

TSCA, 15 U.S.C. 2620, provides that any

person may petition EPA to initiate

proceedings for the issuance,

amendment, or repeal of a rule or order

under section 4, 5, 6, or 8 of TSCA, 15

U.S.C. 2603, 2604, 2605, or 2607. As

required by section 21(b), the petition

must set forth the facts that the

petitioner claims establish the need for

the Agency to issue, amend, or repeal a

rule or order under those sections of

TSCA. (See also Guidance for

Petitioning the Environmental

Protection Agency under Section 21 of

the Toxic Substances Control Act (50 FR

46827, November 13 , 1985). Section

21(b) also directs EPA to decide either

to grant or deny the petition within 90

days after the petition is filed. If EPA

denies a petition, the Agency must

publish the reason(s) for the denial in

the Federal Register. If the Agency

grants the petition, EPA must promptly

commence an appropriate proceeding in

accordance with section 4, 5, 6, or 8 of

TSCA.

If EPA denies a petition, or fails to

make a decision within the 90-day

review period, the petitioner may,

within 60 days from the date of the

decision or from the end of the review

period, commence a civil action in a

U.S. district court to compel initiation

of the requested rulemaking. For a

petition for a new rule or order, the

court must provide opportunity for the

petition to be considered de novo.

Section 21(b)(4) identifies petitioners’

rights and the procedures to be followed

under such civil action. Relief available

under section 21 is limited to initiation

of a proceeding to issue, amend, or

appeal a rule under section 4, 6, or 8,

or an order under section 5(e) or 6(b)(2).

2. TSCA section 6. Under section 6 of

TSCA, 15 U.S.C. 2605(a), EPA may issue

rules to limit or prohibit the

manufacture, processing, or distribution