Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 110 /Tuesday, June 9, 1998 / Notices 31463

Dated: May 29, 1998.

Thomas E. Dixon,

Acting Director, Quality Assurance Division.

[FR Doc. 98–15324 Filed 6–8–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6109–5]

Hazardous Waste Land Disposal

Restrictions: Notice of Public Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection

Agency’s (EPA’s) Office of Solid Waste

will hold a public roundtable discussion

on the Agency’s efforts to evaluate

important aspects of and potentially

improve the Resource Conservation and

Recovery Act (RCRA) Land Disposal

Restrictions (LDR) Program. The

purpose of the roundtable is to enable

individuals who have substantial

experience in implementing the LDR

Program to offer their own evaluations

and suggestions on possible

improvements to the program. EPA’s

overall goal in the LDR reinvention

project is to examine the best way to

ensure the program is environmentally

protective, less expensive, more

efficient and flexible, clearer to the

public, and more enforceable. The

public is welcome to observe the

discussions among participants and will

be afforded some opportunities to

express their views. However, this

meeting is not intended to be a full

public hearing.

DATES: The meeting will be held on July

1 and 2, 1998, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00

p.m. each day.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Holiday Inn Arlington at Ballston,

4610 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA

22203.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

registration matters, contact Ms. Lisa

Enderle of SAIC at (703) 645–6950. For

technical questions regarding the LDRs,

contact Rhonda Minnick of EPA’s Office

of Solid Waste at (703) 308–8771; email: minnick.rhonda@epamail.epa.gov.

For general information on the LDRs,

contact EPA’s RCRA Hotline at (800)

824–9346 or TDD (800) 553–7672

(hearing impaired). In the Washington,

D.C. metropolitan area, call (703) 412–

9810 or TDD (703) 412–3323.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Accommodations

Guest rooms may be reserved by

calling the Holiday Inn Arlington at

Ballston directly at (703) 243–9800 by

June 8, 1998. Please reference the ‘‘LDR

Roundtable’’ to receive the special

government room rate.

Registration

Only registered participants will be

eligible to take part in the roundtable

discussions (subject to the final agenda

and meeting structure). Depending on

the number of persons seeking to be full

discussion participants, EPA may need

to tailor the meeting structure and limit

the number of full participants to 75

individuals to insure that useful results

are obtained in the time available.

Details will be developed and

communicated on meeting structure as

early as possible. To register as an

observer or to register as a full

participant (requested), please

download a registration form via the

Internet from the EPA web site at http:/

/www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/ldr/

register.htm. To receive a registration

form via fax and/or for additional

meeting and logistical information

please contact Ms. Lisa Enderle of SAIC

at (703) 645–6950. The registration

deadline is June 19, 1998.

Background

In the 1984 Hazardous and Solid

Waste Amendments to RCRA, Congress

prohibited the land disposal of

hazardous wastes unless the wastes

meet treatment standards established by

EPA. The statute requires that these

treatment standards substantially

diminish the toxicity or mobility of

hazardous wastes so that short- and

long-term threats to human health and

the environment are minimized. RCRA

section 3004(m). In response, EPA has

developed a series of rulemakings under

the LDR Program setting forth standards

for treatment of hazardous wastes

destined for land disposal.

Once a hazardous waste is prohibited,

the statute provides only two options for

legal land disposal: meet the treatment

standard for the waste prior to land

disposal or dispose of the waste in a

land disposal unit that has been found

to satisfy the statutory ‘‘no migration’’

test. A no migration unit is one from

which there will be no migration of

hazardous constituents for as long as the

waste remains hazardous. RCRA

sections 3004(d), (e), (f) and (g)(5).

To date, the Agency has implemented

section 3004(m) of RCRA by

establishing treatment standards for

chemical constituents in hazardous

wastes based upon the performance of

the best demonstrated available

technology (BDAT) to treat the waste.

EPA may establish treatment standards

as specified technologies, as constituent

concentration levels in treatment

residuals, or both. When treatment

standards are set as levels, the regulated

community may use any technology not

otherwise prohibited (such as

impermissible dilution) to treat the

waste.

On January 13 and 14, 1993, EPA held

a roundtable discussion on the LDR

Program with stakeholders from

hazardous waste generators, treaters,

recyclers and disposers; public interest

groups; State environmental agencies;

EPA regional offices; and other federal

agencies. The purpose of the 1993

roundtable was for EPA to hear

suggestions on improvements to the

LDR Program from people who

implement it. As a result of those

suggestions, EPA made several

significant changes to the LDRs,

including consolidation of the three

treatment standard tables into one table,

simplification of notification

requirements, and promulgation of

universal treatment standards. See 59

FR 47982, 48004 (Sept. 19, 1994) (final

LDR Phase II rule); 62 FR 25998, 26004

(May 12, 1997) (final Phase IV ‘‘minirule’’).

EPA believes that, in general, the LDR

Program is working and is an impetus

for source reduction and proper waste

treatment. Nonetheless, EPA’s efforts to

improve the LDR Program are on-going.

Specifically, as part of its LDR

Reinvention Project, EPA has

undertaken a multi-faceted evaluation of

the LDR Program to determine what is

and is not working well in the program.

These Reinvention activities include

interviews of hazardous waste

management experts, visits to different

hazardous waste treatment facilities,

and analysis of RCRA Hotline and LDR

staff inquiries. EPA believes it would be

valuable to build upon the information

obtained from these activities by

holding a second roundtable. The

Agency anticipates that the roundtable

will enable EPA to gather additional

stakeholder suggestions and to target

areas of the LDR Program for specific

improvements.

As currently planned, the roundtable

will begin with a plenary session to

obtain general comments from the

attendees on the benefits and burdens of

the LDRs. The meeting will then

proceed with a number of breakout

sessions involving discussion among

designated participants in smaller

groups, each of which will focus on a

subset of LDR issues.
31464 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 110 /Tuesday, June 9, 1998 / Notices

The public is welcome to observe the

discussions among participants on July

1 and 2 and to request to be included

as full discussion participants. EPA will

accommodate as many participant

requests as possible consistent with the

final meeting agenda and structure.

However, this meeting is not intended

to be a public hearing and only preregistered individuals will be allowed to

participate actively, depending on the

final meeting agenda and structure. To

ensure that useful results are obtained

in the time available, the Agency may

limit the number of full participants to

75 individuals. During the two days of

the roundtable, there will be a limited

‘‘open microphone’’ session to obtain

comments from non-participant

attendees.

EPA has placed information

concerning this roundtable, including

the registration forms and a preliminary

agenda, in electronic format on the

Internet. These materials can be

accessed via the Internet at the EPA web

site identified above. For those who

cannot access the Internet, hard copies

may be obtained by contacting Ms. Lisa

Enderle of SAIC at (703) 645–6950.

Dated: June 4, 1998.

James R. Berlow,

Director, Hazardous Waste Minimization and

Management Division.

[FR Doc. 98–15320 Filed 6–8–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[OPP–181064; FRL 5794–5]

Carbofuran; Receipt of Application for

Emergency Exemption, Solicitation of

Public Comment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: EPA has received a specific

exemption request from the California

Environmental Protection Agency,

Department of Pesticide Regulation,

(hereafter referred to as the

‘‘Applicant’’) to use the pesticide

flowable Carbofuran (Furadan 4F

Insecticide/Nematicide) (EPA Reg. No.

279–2876) to treat up to 300,000 acres

of cotton in California, to control cotton

aphids. The Applicant proposes the use

of a chemical which has been the

subject of a Special Review within

EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs. The

granular formulation of carbofuran was

the subject of a Special Review between

the years of 1986–1991, which resulted

in a negotiated settlement whereby most

of the registered uses of granular

carbofuran were phased out. While the

flowable formulation of carbofuran is

not the subject of a Special Review, EPA

believes that the proposed use of

flowable carbofuran on cotton could

pose a risk similar to the risk assessed

by EPA under the Special Review of

granular carbofuran. Additionally, in

1997 EPA denied requests made under

provisions of section 18 for this use of

flowable carbofuran. Therefore, in

accordance with 40 CFR 166.24, EPA is

soliciting public comment before

making the decision whether or not to

grant the exemption.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before June 24, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Three copies of written

comments, bearing the identification

notation ‘‘OPP–181064,’’ should be

submitted by mail to: Public

Information and Records Integrity

branch, Information Resources and

Services Division (7502C), Office of

Pesticide Programs, Environmental

Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW.,

Washington, DC 20460. In person, bring

comments to: Rm. 119, Crystal Mall #2,

1921 Jefferson Davis Highway,

Arlington, VA.

Comments and data may also be

submitted electronically by sending

electronic mail (e-mail) to: oppdocket@epamail.epa.gov. Follow the

instruction under ‘‘SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION.’’ No Confidential

Business Information (CBI) should be

submitted through e-mail.

Information submitted in any

comment concerning this notice may be

claimed confidential by marking any

part or all of that information as CBI.

Information so marked will not be

disclosed except in accordance with

procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.

A copy of the comment that does not

contain CBI must be submitted for

inclusion in the public record.

Information not marked confidential

may be included in the public record by

EPA without prior notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: By

mail: David Deegan, Registration

Division (7505C), Office of Pesticide

Programs, Environmental Protection

Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington,

DC 20460. Office location, telephone

number and e-mail: Crystal Mall #2,

1921 Jefferson Davis Highway,

Arlington, VA, (703–308–9358); e-mail:

deegan.dave@epamail.epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant

to section 18 of the Federal Insecticide,

Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)

(7 U.S.C. 136p), the Administrator may,

at her discretion, exempt a state agency

from any registration provision of

FIFRA if she determines that emergency

conditions exist which require such

exemption. The Applicants have

requested the Administrator to issue a

specific exemption for the use of

carbofuran on cotton to control aphids.

Information in accordance with 40 CFR

part 166 was submitted as part of this

request.

As part of this request, the Applicant

asserts that the state of California is

likely to experience non-routine

infestations of aphids during the 1998

cotton growing season. The applicant

further claims that, without a specific

exemption of FIFRA for the use of

flowable carbofuran on cotton to control

cotton aphids, cotton growers in the

state will suffer significant economic

losses. The applicant details a use

program designed to minimize risks to

pesticide handlers and applicators, nontarget organisms (both Federally-listed

endangered species, and non-listed

species), and to reduce the possibility of

drift and runoff.

The applicant proposes to make no

more than two applications of flowable

carbofuran on cotton at the rate of 0.25

lb. active ingredient (a.i.) [(8 fluid oz.)]

in a minimum of 2 gallons of finished

spray per acre by air, or 10 gallons of

finished spray per acre by ground

application. The total maximum

proposed use during the 1998 growing

season July 20, 1998 until October 15,

1998 would be 0.5 lb., a.i. (16 fluid oz.)

per acre. The applicant proposes that

the maximum acreage which could be

treated under the requested exemption

would be 300,000 acres. If all acres were

treated at the maximum proposed rates,

then 150,000 lbs., a.i. would be used in

California.

This notice does not constitute a

decision by EPA on the application

itself. The regulations governing section

18 require publication of a notice of

receipt of an application for a specific

exemption proposing use of a chemical

(i.e., an active ingredient) which has

been the subject of a Special Review

within EPA’s Office of Pesticide

Programs, and the proposed use could

pose a risk similar to the risk assessed

by EPA under the previous Special

Review. Such notice provides for

opportunity for public comment on the

application.

The official record for this notice, as

well as the public version, has been

established for this notice under docket

number [OPP–181064] (including

comments and data submitted

electronically as described below). A

public version of this record, including

printed, paper versions of electronic

comments, which does not include any

information claimed as CBI is available