31214 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 109 / Monday, June 8, 1998 / Notices

associated with lung cancer, while

organic HAP emissions from secondary

lead smelting may lead to increases in

cardiovascular disease, as well as

developmental and reproductive effects.

In order to reduce HAP emissions

from secondary lead smelting, the EPA

developed the National Emission

Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants

(NESHAP) for Secondary Lead Smelters,

which were proposed on June 9, 1994

(59 FR 29750) and promulgated on June

23, 1995 (60 FR 32587). In response to

industry petitions to reconsider, the

final rule was amended on June 13,

1997 (62 FR 32209). Entities potentially

affected by this rule are owners or

operators of secondary lead smelters

that operate furnaces to reduce scrap

lead metal and lead compounds to

elemental lead. The rule applies to

secondary lead smelters that use blast,

reverberatory, rotary, or electric

smelting furnaces to recover lead metal

from scrap lead, primarily from used

lead-acid automotive-type batteries. The

rule provides protection to the public by

requiring all secondary lead smelters to

meet emission standards reflecting the

application of the maximum achievable

control technology (MACT). This

information is being collected to assure

compliance with 40 CFR part 63,

subpart X.

Owners or operators of the affected

facilities described must make one-timeonly notifications including:

notification of any physical or

operational change to an existing facility

which may increase the regulated

pollutant emission rate, notification of

the initial performance test, including

information necessary to determine the

conditions of the performance test, and

performance test measurements and

results. All reports are sent to the

delegated State or local authority. In the

event that there is no such delegated

authority, the reports are sent directly to

the EPA Regional Office. Owners or

operators must maintain records of

initial and subsequent compliance tests

for lead compounds, and identify the

date, time, cause and corrective actions

taken for all bag leak detection alarms.

Records of continuous monitoring

devices, including parametric

monitoring, must be maintained and

reported semi-annually. Owners or

operators are also required to maintain

records of the occurrence and duration

of any startup, shutdown, or

malfunction in the operation of an

affected facility, or any period during

which the monitoring system is

inoperative. Any owner or operator

subject to the provisions of this part

shall maintain a file of these

measurements, and retain the records

for at least five years following the date

of such measurements and records. At a

minimum, records of the previous two

years must be maintained on site.

Industry and EPA records indicate

that 23 sources are subject to the

standard, and no additional sources are

expected to become subject to the

standard over the next three years. 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 OMB control

number. The OMB control numbers for

EPA’s regulations are listed in 40 CFR

part 9 and 48 CFR Chapter 15. The

Federal Register document required

under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting

comments on this collection of

information was published on December

2, 1997 (62 FR 63711). No comments

were received.

Burden Statement: The annual public

reporting and recordkeeping burden for

this collection of information is

estimated to average 334 hours per

response. Burden means the total time,

effort, or financial resources expended

by persons to generate, maintain, retain,

or disclose or provide information to or

for a Federal agency. This includes the

time needed to review instructions;

develop, acquire, install, and utilize

technology and systems for the purposes

of collecting, validating, and verifying

information, processing and

maintaining information, and disclosing

and providing information; adjust the

existing ways to comply with any

previously applicable instructions and

requirements; train personnel to be able

to respond to a collection of

information; search data sources;

complete and review the collection of

information; and transmit or otherwise

disclose the information.

Respondents/Affected Entities:

Owners/Operators of secondary lead

smelters.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

23.

Frequency of Response: daily records/

semi-annual reports.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden:

16,033 hours.

Estimated Total Annualized Cost

Burden: $150,000.

Send comments on the Agency’s need

for this information, the accuracy of the

provided burden estimates, and any

suggested methods for minimizing

respondent burden, including through

the use of automated collection

techniques to the following addresses.

Please refer to EPA ICR No. 1686.03 and

OMB Control No. 2060–0296 in any

correspondence.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, OPPE Regulatory

Information Division (2137), 401 M

Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460;

and

Office of Information and Regulatory

Affairs, Office of Management and

Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for

EPA, 725 17th Street, NW,

Washington, DC 20503.

Dated: June 1, 1998.

Joseph Retzer,

Director, Regulatory Information Division.

[FR Doc. 98–15171 Filed 6–5–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–U

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[SWH–FRL–6108–8]

Paper Products Recovered Materials

Advisory Notice II

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency.

ACTION: Notice of availability of

document.

SUMMARY: EPA is providing notice of the

availability of the Paper Products

Recovered Materials Advisory Notice II

(Paper RMAN II), which revises EPA’s

1996 recommendations for purchasing

specified printing and writing papers

containing postconsumer fiber. Under

section 6002 of the Resource

Conservation and Recovery Act, which

establishes a buy-recycled program for

federal agencies, EPA designates items

that are or can be made with recovered

materials and provides

recommendations for government

procurement of these items. Under

Executive Order 12873, Federal

executive agencies are required to

purchase specified printing and writing

papers containing 30% postconsumer

fiber beginning on December 31, 1998.

Paper RMAN II incorporates this 30%

postconsumer fiber content level. This

action will promote paper recycling by

using government purchasing to expand

and maintain markets for recovered

paper.

EFFECTIVE DATE: December 31, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Supporting materials are

available for viewing in the RCRA

Information Center (RIC), located in

Crystal Gateway I, 1235 Jefferson Davis

Highway, First Floor, Arlington,

Virginia. The Docket Identification

Number is F–98–PPRA–FFFFF. The RIC

is open from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm,

Monday through Friday, excluding

federal holidays. To review docket

materials, it is recommended that the

public make an appointment by calling

(703) 603–9230. The public may copy a

maximum of 100 pages from any
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 109 / Monday, June 8, 1998 / Notices 31215

regulatory docket at no charge.

Additional copies cost $0.15 per page.

The supporting materials are also

available electronically. See section III

of the ‘‘Supplementary Information’’

section for information on accessing the

materials electronically.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

general information, please contact the

RCRA Hotline at (800) 424–9346, TDD

(800) 553–7672 (hearing impaired) or, in

the Washington, DC area at (703) 412–

9810 or TDD (703) 412–3323.

For more detailed information

regarding the recommendations in

today’s notice, contact Terry Grist of the

Office of Solid Waste at (703) 308–7257

or at U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency (5306W), 401 M Street, S.W.,

Washington, DC 20460.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Preamble Outline

I. Authority

II. Revisions to Purchasing Recommendations

III. Supporting Materials and Accessing

Internet

IV. Use of EPA’s Recommendations

Paper Products Recovered Materials

Advisory Notice II

I. Authority

The Paper Products Recovered

Materials Advisory Notice II (Paper

RMAN II) is published under authority

of sections 2002(a) and 6002 of the Solid

Waste Disposal Act, as amended by the

Resource Conservation and Recovery

Act of 1976, as amended, 42 U.S.C.

6912(a) and 6962, and Executive Order

12873, ‘‘Federal Acquisition, Recycling,

and Waste Prevention’’ (58 FR 54911,

October 22, 1993).

II. Revisions to Purchasing

Recommendations

A. Summary of the Revised Content

Level Recommendations

Today, the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) is publishing

Paper RMAN II, which contains revised

recommendations for procuring

agencies to use when purchasing

specified printing and writing papers in

accordance with section 6002 of the

Resource Conservation and Recovery

Act of 1976 (RCRA) and Executive

Order 12873.

Section 504 of Executive Order 12873

(58 FR 54916, October 22, 1993), as

amended by Executive Order 12995 (61

FR 13645, March 28, 1996) requires

Federal executive agencies to purchase

specified uncoated printing and writing

papers containing postconsumer fiber.

The Executive Order established a 20%

postconsumer content level for these

papers beginning December 31, 1994.

The level increases to 30%

postconsumer fiber beginning December

31, 1998. The specified printing and

writing papers are high speed copier

paper, offset paper, forms bond,

computer printout paper, carbonless

paper, file folders, white wove

envelopes, writing and office paper,

book paper, cotton fiber paper, and text

and cover paper. EPA incorporated the

20% postconsumer content level into its

recommendations for printing and

writing papers in the 1996 Paper

RMAN. See Tables A–1a, A–1b, and A–

1c (61 FR 26991, May 29, 1996).

Today, EPA is revising Tables A–1a,

A–1b, and A–1c of the Paper RMAN to

incorporate the 30% postconsumer

content level. EPA is basing its

recommendations, in part, on its

determination, discussed below, that

printing and writing papers with 30%

postconsumer fiber are or will be

available for purchasing by procuring

agencies by December 31, 1998. This

revision will maintain the consistency

between EPA’s recommendations and

the Executive Order requirements.

While Federal executive agencies are

not required to purchase paper products

containing 30% postconsumer fiber

until December 31, 1998, EPA

recommends that agencies begin now to

determine their paper performance

needs, research product availability, and

conduct any needed product testing.

In the 1996 Paper RMAN, EPA used

slightly different terminology than that

used in the Executive Order to reflect

the way in which terms are currently

used by paper mills, vendors, and

procuring agencies. The revised Table

A–1a uses this same terminology.

B. Product Availability

EPA researched current availability of

the specified printing and writing

papers containing 30% postconsumer

fiber. EPA found that paper companies

either are or plan to manufacture most

of the specified printing and writing

papers with a 30% postconsumer fiber

content. Most of the paper products will

be offered for sale to government

agencies, and most will be available

from the vendors as stock items, rather

than as special order items. In the case

of three products—tablets, file folders,

and papeteries—initial availability of

the product containing 30%

postconsumer fiber may be limited.

Additional information on sources for

each paper product can be found in

EPA’s report entitled, ‘‘Availability of

Uncoated Printing and Writing Papers

Containing 30 Percent Postconsumer

Fiber.’’ See section III below for

obtaining copies of this report or for

accessing the report on the internet.

There may be instances in which a

paper product containing 30%

postconsumer fiber is unavailable or

only available at an unreasonable price.

In these instances, procuring agencies

should purchase paper products

containing the highest levels of

postconsumer fiber available, consistent

with the RCRA section 6002

requirement that procuring agencies

purchase paper products containing

postconsumer fiber to the maximum

extent practicable.

III. Supporting Materials and Accessing

Internet

EPA’s research report, ‘‘Availability of

Uncoated Printing and Writing Papers

Containing 30 Percent Postconsumer

Fiber,’’ is available in the RCRA

Information Center (RIC) and on the

Internet. The address and telephone

number of the RIC are provided in

ADDRESSES above.

Follow these instructions to access

the information electronically:

WWW: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/

non-hw/procure.htm

FTP: ftp.epa/gov

Login: anonymous

Password: your Internet address

Files are located in /pub/epaoswer.

IV. Use of EPA’s Recommendations

EPA encourages state and local

agencies to use the recommendations in

today’s Paper RMAN II when

purchasing paper and paper products.

EPA also encourages private sector

purchasers to use the information

provided by EPA when purchasing

paper and paper products. EPA

recommends that purchasers establish

their minimum content standards at the

highest percentages available to them

that achieve their price and performance

objectives, even if these standards are

higher or lower than EPA’s

recommendations. If a product is not

available at a competitive price

containing 30% postconsumer fiber,

purchasers should set their standards at

the highest levels available to them that

meet their price and performance

objectives. In this way, EPA’s

recommendations will encourage both

public and private sector purchasers to

purchase paper products containing the

highest levels of postconsumer fiber

practicable.

EPA cautions persons using EPA’s

recommendations to use them only for

the specific items for which they were

intended. It is not appropriate to

analogize from one type of printing and

writing paper to another without first

researching the use of postconsumer

fiber in the other item. The two items

could have different performance
31216 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 109 / Monday, June 8, 1998 / Notices

requirements necessitating different

levels of postconsumer fiber.

Dated: June 1, 1998.

Timothy Fields, Jr.,

Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of

Solid Waste and Emergency Response.

Paper Products Recovered Materials

Advisory Notice II

This Paper Products Recovered

Materials Advisory Notice II (Paper

RMAN II) revises EPA’s 1996

recommendations to procuring agencies

for purchasing paper and paper

products in compliance with section

6002 of the Resource Conservation and

Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA). These

recommendations replace Tables A–1a,

A–1b, and A–1c found in EPA’s 1996

Paper RMAN (61 FR 26991, May 29,

1996). The remainder of EPA’s 1996

recommendations are unchanged.

Part A—Paper and Paper Products

(Revised)

Section A–1—Printing and Writing

Papers (Revised)

Preference Program: EPA recommends

that procuring agencies establish

minimum content standards expressed

as a percentage of recovered fiber,

including a percentage of postconsumer

fiber. EPA recommends that procuring

agencies base their minimum content

standards for uncoated and coated

printing and writing papers based on

the content levels shown in Tables A–

1a, A–1b, and A–1c, respectively. EPA’s

revised recommendations are indicated

in Bold type. EPA further recommends

that if a paper product containing 30%

postconsumer fiber is not reasonably

available, then procuring agencies

establish the highest postconsumer fiber

content levels available.

Percentages are based on the fiber

weight of the product. The content

levels in the tables should be read as

X% recovered fiber, including Y%

postconsumer fiber and not as X%

recovered fiber plus Y% postconsumer

fiber. Where the content level is the

same in both columns (e.g., 30% in both

the recovered fiber and postconsumer

fiber columns), this means that EPA is

recommending that agencies establish

identical content levels for both

postconsumer and recovered fiber.

TABLE A–1A.—RECOMMENDED RECOVERED FIBER CONTENT LEVELS FOR UNCOATED PRINTING AND WRITING PAPERS

Item Recovered

fiber (%)

Postconsumer

fiber (%)

Reprographic Paper (e.g., mimeo and duplicator paper, high-speed copier paper, and bond paper*) ...................... 30 30

Offset Paper (e.g., offset printing paper*, book paper*, bond paper*) ......................................................................... 30 30

Tablet Paper (e.g., office paper such as note pads, stationery* and other writing* papers) ....................................... 30 30

Forms Bond (e.g., forms, computer printout paper, ledger*) ....................................................................................... 30 30

Envelope Paper:

Wove ...................................................................................................................................................................... 30 30

Kraft White and colored (including manila) ........................................................................................................... 10—20 10—20

Unbleached ................................................................................................................................................................... 10 10

Cotton Fiber Paper (e.g., cotton fiber papers, ledger*, stationery* and matching envelopes, and other writing* papers) ........................................................................................................................................................................... 30 30

Text & Cover Paper (e.g., cover stock, book paper*, stationery* and matching envelopes, and other writing*

paper) ........................................................................................................................................................................ 30 30

Supercalendered ........................................................................................................................................................... 10 10

Machine finish groundwood .......................................................................................................................................... 10 10

Papeteries ..................................................................................................................................................................... 30 30

Check Safety Paper ...................................................................................................................................................... 10 10

* These items can be made from a variety of printing and writing papers, depending on the performance characteristics of the item. Some of

the papers are a commodity-type and some are specialty papers. EPA recommends that procuring agencies determine the performance characteristics required of the paper prior to establishing minimum content standards. For example, bond, ledger, or stationery made from cotton fiber

paper or a text & cover paper have different characteristics than similar items made from commodity papers.

TABLE A–1B.—RECOMMENDED RECOVERED FIBER CONTENT LEVELS FOR COATED PRINTING AND WRITING PAPERS

Item Recovered

fiber (%)

Postconsumer

fiber (%)

Coated Printing Paper ................................................................................................................................................... 10 10

Carbonless .................................................................................................................................................................... 30 30

TABLE A–1C.—RECOMMENDED RECOVERED FIBER CONTENT LEVELS FOR BRISTOLS

Item Recovered

fiber (%)

Postconsumer

fiber (%)

File Folders (manila and colored) ................................................................................................................................. 30 30

Dyed Filing Products ..................................................................................................................................................... 20—50 20

Cards (index, postal, and other, including index sheets) ............................................................................................. 50 20

Pressboard Report Covers and Binders ....................................................................................................................... 50 20

Tags and Tickets ........................................................................................................................................................... 20—50 20
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 109 / Monday, June 8, 1998 / Notices 31217

[FR Doc. 98–15175 Filed 6–5–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–U

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[SWH–FRL–6108–7]

Recovered Materials Advisory Notice I

Update

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency.

ACTION: Notice of availability of

document.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) today is

providing notice of the issuance of an

update to its May 1, 1995 Recovered

Materials Advisory Notice I (RMAN I).

The update to RMAN I (RMAN I

Update) provides guidance to procuring

agencies for purchasing certain items

containing recovered materials. Under

section 6002 of the Resource

Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976,

EPA designates items that are or can be

made with recovered materials and

provides recommendations for the

procurement of these items. In 1989,

EPA designated building insulation

products and in 1995, EPA designated

polyester carpet for use in low- and

medium-wear applications. EPA’s

recommendations for purchasing these

items were published in the 1995

RMAN I. Today’s RMAN I Update

contains a new reference to GSA’s

carpet schedule and a recommendation

for the recovered materials content level

for plastic batt building insulation.

EPA’s 1995 recommendations for

purchasing other types of building

insulation remain unchanged.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

general information contact the RCRA

Hotline at (800) 424–9346 or TDD (800)

553–7672 (hearing impaired). In the

Washington, DC metropolitan area, call

(703) 412–9810 or TDD (703) 412–3323.

For technical information on individual

item recommendations, contact Terry

Grist at (703) 308–7257.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Authority

The Recovered Materials Advisory

Notice I Update (RMAN I Update) is

issued under the authority of sections

2002(a) and 6002 of the Solid Waste

Disposal Act, as amended by the

Resource Conservation and Recovery

Act of 1976 (RCRA), as amended; 42

U.S.C. 6912(a) and 2962; and section

502 of Executive Order 12873 (58 FR

54911, October 20, 1993).

II. Background

Section 6002 of RCRA establishes a

Federal buy-recycled program. RCRA

section 6002(e) requires EPA to (1)

designate items that are or can be made

with recovered materials and (2) prepare

guidelines to assist procuring agencies

in complying with affirmative

procurement requirements set forth in

paragraphs (c), (d), and (i) of section

6002. Once EPA has designated items,

section 6002 requires that any procuring

agency using appropriated Federal

funds to procure those items must

purchase them composed of the highest

percentage of recovered materials

practicable. For the purposes of RCRA

section 6002, procuring agencies

include the following: (1) any Federal

agency; (2) any State or local agencies

using appropriated Federal funds for a

procurement, or (3) any contractors with

these agencies (with respect to work

performed under the contract). The

requirements of RCRA section 6002

apply to such procuring agencies only

when procuring designated items where

the price of the item exceeds $10,000 or

the quantity of the item purchased in

the previous year exceeded $10,000.

Executive Order 12873 (the Executive

Order) (58 FR 54911, October 22, 1993)

directs EPA to designate items in a

Comprehensive Procurement Guideline

(CPG) and publish guidance that

contains EPA’s recommended recovered

content levels for the designated items

in the RMANs. The Executive Order

further directs EPA to update the CPG

annually and the RMANs periodically to

reflect changes in market conditions.

EPA codifies the CPG designations in

the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR),

but, because the recommendations are

guidance, the RMANs are not codified

in the CFR. This process enables EPA to

revise its recommendations in response

to changes in a product’s availability or

recovered materials content so as to

provide timely assistance to procuring

agencies in fulfilling their

responsibilities under section 6002.

EPA issued CPG I on May 1, 1995 (60

FR 21370) designating 19 new items,

including polyester carpet, and

published RMAN I for the designated

items on the same day (60 FR 21386).

These notices also consolidated the

guidelines previously issued for five

items designated between 1983 and

1989, including building insulation

products. At the time the 1995 RMAN

I was published, the U.S. General

Services Administration (GSA) offered

polyester carpet containing recovered

materials through the New Item

Introductory Schedule (NIIS). RMAN I

referenced that schedule. Since then,

GSA has added polyester carpet

containing recovered materials to its

carpet schedule, and this item is no

longer available through the NIIS.

Accordingly, today’s RMAN I Update

references the current GSA carpet

schedule.

Additionally, the RMAN I Update

contains an addition to the 1995

recommendations for building

insulation products—recovered

materials content levels for plastic nonwoven batt building insulation. EPA

recently learned that this type of

insulation is now available containing

recovered materials. EPA’s 1995

recommendations for other types of

building insulation products remain

unchanged.

III. Accessing Internet

EPA’s Comprehensive Procurement

Guidelines and eco-purchasing web

pages contain fact sheets about each

product category in which EPA has

designated recycled content products,

lists of manufacturers and vendors of

these products, copies of the

Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines

and related RMANs, and technical

background documents.

Follow these instructions to access

the information electronically:

WWW: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/

non-hw/procure.htm.

FTP: ftp.epa.gov

Login: anonymous

Password: your Internet address

Files are located in /pub/epaoswer.

IV. Use of EPA’s Recommendations

EPA encourages state and local

agencies to use the recommendations in

today’s RMAN I Update when

purchasing plastic batt building

insulation or polyester carpet containing

recovered materials. EPA also

encourages private sector purchasers to

use the information provided by EPA

when purchasing these items. EPA

recommends that purchasers establish

their minimum content standards at the

highest percentages available to them

that achieve their price and performance

objectives, even if these standards are

higher or lower than EPA’s

recommendations. If a product is not

available at a competitive price

containing the recommended recovered

material content levels, purchasers

should set their standards at the highest

levels available to them that meet their

price and performance objectives. In

this way, EPA’s recommendations will

encourage both public and private

sector purchasers to purchase the

designated items containing the highest

levels of recovered material practicable.