Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 137 / Friday, July 17, 1998 / Notices 38647

industry in U.S. coastal waters are

increasing. Although these viruses pose

no threat to human health, outbreaks on

U.S. shrimp farms, the appearance of

diseased shrimp in U.S. commerce, and

new information on the susceptibility of

shrimp and other crustaceans to these

viruses prompted calls for action. In

response, the JSA (representing Federal

organizations including the U.S.

Department of Commerce, National

Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration, National Marine

Fisheries Service (DOC/NOAA/NMFS);

the U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Cooperative State Research, Education

and Extension Service (DOA/CREES);

Animal Plant Health Inspection Service

(DOA/APHIS); and Agricultural

Research Service (DOA/ARS); U.S.

Department of Energy; U.S. Department

of Defense; Army Corp of Engineers

(DOD/ACE); U.S. Department of Health

and Human Services, Food and Drug

Administration (HHS/FDA); Tennessee

Valley Authority (TVA); the EPA; and

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

(FWS)) tasked the Federal interagency

Shrimp Virus Workgroup (DOC/NMFS,

EPA, FWS, and USDA/APHIS) with

assessing the shrimp virus problem.

Publication of this draft final report is

another in a series of related activities

sponsored by EPA, in cooperation with

DOC/NMFS, USDA/APHIS, and FWS,

on behalf of the JSA. In June 1997, the

Shrimp Virus Workgroup summarized

the available information on shrimp

viruses in a report to the JSA entitled,

‘‘An Evaluation of Potential Shrimp

Virus Impacts on Cultured Shrimp and

on Wild Shrimp Populations in the Gulf

of Mexico and Southeastern U.S.

Atlantic Coastal Water’’ (JSA Shrimp

Virus Report (JSVR)). The JSVR was

reviewed at four stakeholder meetings

(see 62 FR 31790–31791 (June 11,

1997)), jointly sponsored by EPA, DOC/

NMFS, and USDA/APHIS on behalf of

the JSA, during July 1997. Previous

products of these efforts include the

JSVR (see http://kingfish.ssp.nmfs.gov/

oit/oit.html) and the Minutes of the

Stakeholder Meetings Report (EPA/630/

R–92/001) (see http://www.epa.gov/

ncea/pdfs/shrimp5.pdf). These products

and additional stakeholder (public)

comments formed the basis for the

shrimp virus peer review and risk

assessment workshop. The workshop

participants considered potential

pathways to wild shrimp populations

including shrimp aquaculture, shrimp

processing and ‘‘other’’ sources and

pathways, and independently assessed

risks using a qualitative risk assessment

approach developed by the Aquatic

Nuisance Species Task Force.

The workshop report concludes that

viruses could survive in pathways

leading to coastal environments, and

that there is potential for viruses to

affect native shrimp in localized areas,

such as an estuary or bay. However, it

concludes that local populations of

shrimp would recover rapidly as a result

of reintroduction of shrimp or increases

in reproduction. Although there was

high uncertainty, the report concludes

that the risks from viral introductions to

the entire population of native shrimp

in U.S. coastal waters is relatively low.

Though limited by the time and

information available, the report

determines that impacts to organisms

besides shrimp deserved further

consideration.

Finally, while qualitative evaluations

are valuable, the report concludes that

they are associated with a great deal of

uncertainty. Therefore, given the limited

information currently available, it is not

feasible to conduct a more

comprehensive, quantitative assessment

of the risks associated with

nonindigenous pathogenic shrimp

viruses at this time. Participants noted

that there is a need to conduct further

systematic research efforts to reduce

uncertainty.

The workshop report, and the results

of the independent scientific review of

its conclusions and recommendations,

will be used as the basis for a risk

management workshop on shrimp

viruses scheduled for July 28–29, 1998,

in New Orleans. This workshop, jointly

sponsored by the EPA Gulf of Mexico

Program, DOC/NMFS, and DOA/CREES/

ARS, will develop options and strategies

for managing the threat of shrimp

viruses to cultured and wild stocks of

shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico and

southeastern U.S. Atlantic coastal

waters. Persons interested in attending

the upcoming risk management

workshop should contact William D.

Holland, Gulf of Mexico Program Office,

Building 1103, Room 202, Stennis Space

Center, MS 39529–6000; telephone:

(228) 688–3726; fax: (228) 688–2709; email:holland.bill@epa.gov.

Dated: July 10, 1998.

William H. Farland,

Director, National Center for Environmental

Assessment.

[FR Doc. 98–19248 Filed 7–16–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[PB–402404–MS; FRL–5799–4]

Lead-Based Paint Activities in Target

Housing and Child-Occupied Facilities;

State of Mississippi’s Authorization

Application

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice; request for comments

and opportunity for public hearing.

SUMMARY: On March 12, 1998, the State

of Mississippi submitted an application

for EPA approval to administer and

enforce training and certification

requirements, training program

accreditation requirements, and work

practice standards for lead-based paint

activities in target housing and childoccupied facilities under section 402 of

the Toxic Substances Control Act

(TSCA). This notice announces the

receipt of Mississippi’s application,

provides a 45–day public comment

period, and provides an opportunity to

request a public hearing on the

application.

DATES: Comments on the authorization

application must be received on or

before August 31, 1998. Public hearing

requests must be received on or before

August 3, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Submit all written

comments and/or requests for a public

hearing identified by docket control

number ‘‘PB–402404–MS’’ (in

duplicate) to: Environmental Protection

Agency, Region IV, Air, Pesticides and

Toxics Management Division, Atlanta

Federal Center, 61 Forsyth St., SW.,

Atlanta, GA 30303–3104.

Comments, data, and requests for a

public hearing may also be submitted

electronically to:

rudd.roseanne@epa.epamail.gov. Follow

the instructions under Unit V. of this

document. No information claimed to be

Confidential Business Information (CBI)

should be submitted through e-mail.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rose

Anne Rudd, Regional Lead Coordinator,

Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management

Division, Environmental Protection

Agency, Region IV, Atlanta Federal

Center, 61 Forsyth St., SW., Atlanta, GA

30303–3104, telephone: (404) 562–8998,

e-mail address:

rudd.roseanne@epamail.epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

On October 28, 1992, the Housing and

Community Development Act of 1992,

Pub. L. 102–550, became law. Title X of

that statute was the Residential Lead-
38648 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 137 / Friday, July 17, 1998 / Notices

Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of

1992. That Act amended TSCA (15

U.S.C. 2601 et seq.) by adding Title IV

(15 U.S.C. 2681-92), entitled ‘‘Lead

Exposure Reduction.’’

Section 402 of TSCA authorizes and

directs EPA to promulgate final

regulations governing lead-based paint

activities in target housing, public and

commercial buildings, bridges, and

other structures. Those regulations are

to ensure that individuals engaged in

such activities are properly trained, that

training programs are accredited, and

that individuals engaged in these

activities are certified and follow

documented work practice standards.

Under section 404, a State may seek

authorization from EPA to administer

and enforce its own lead-based paint

activities program.

On August 29, 1996 (61 FR 45777)

(FRL–5389–9), EPA promulgated final

TSCA section 402/404 regulations

governing lead-based paint activities in

target housing and child-occupied

facilities (a subset of public buildings).

Those regulations are codified at 40 CFR

part 745, and allow both States and

Indian Tribes to apply for program

authorization. Pursuant to section

404(h) of TSCA, EPA is to establish the

Federal program in any State or Tribal

Nation without its own authorized

program in place by August 31, 1998.

States and Tribes that choose to apply

for program authorization must submit

a complete application to the

appropriate Regional EPA Office for

review. Those applications will be

reviewed by EPA within 180 days of

receipt of the complete application. To

receive EPA approval, a State or Tribe

must demonstrate that its program is at

least as protective of human health and

the environment as the Federal program,

and provides for adequate enforcement

(section 404(b) of TSCA). EPA’s

regulations (40 CFR part 745, subpart Q)

provide the detailed requirements a

State or Tribal program must meet in

order to obtain EPA approval.

Pursuant to section 404(b) of TSCA,

EPA provides notice and an opportunity

for a public hearing on a State or Tribal

program application before authorizing

the program. Therefore, by this notice

EPA is soliciting public comment on

whether Mississippi’s application meets

the requirements for EPA approval. This

notice also provides an opportunity to

request a public hearing on the

application. If a hearing is requested

and granted, EPA will issue a Federal

Register notice announcing the date,

time, and place of the hearing. EPA’s

final decision on the application will be

published in the Federal Register.

II. State Program Description Summary

The following summary of

Mississippi’s proposed program has

been provided by the applicant:

The State of Mississippi, through the

Mississippi Department of

Environmental Quality (MDEQ), is

seeking authorization from EPA to

administer and enforce its own leadbased paint activities program.

Regulations setting out the procedures

and requirements for these activities

were adopted by the Commission on

Environmental Quality on January 22,

1998. Requirements under the

regulations will be applicable beginning

August 31, 1998. The authority to

administer and enforce a State program

was provided for in the ‘‘Lead-Based

Paint Activity Accreditation and

Certification Act’’ passed by the

Mississippi Legislature during the 1997

regular session.

The State lead-based paint program

regulations are applicable to persons

engaged in lead-based paint activities in

target housing and child-occupied

facilities. The State certification

program requirements include the

certification of firms, inspectors, risk

assessors, supervisors, project designers,

and workers. Each certification

discipline must meet required academic

and/or experience requirements of the

State program regulations. Individuals

must successfully pass the third party

exam applicable to the certification

discipline in order to be certified. The

State program sets forth work practice

standards for persons performing leadbased paint activities. The State

program requires the filing of a project

notification, in writing, prior to the

commencement of any lead-based paint

abatement activity.

All initial and refresher lead-based

paint activities training programs must

be accredited. The State program

requires training programs to notify the

State prior to conducting a training

course. Full approval of a training

program’s lead-based paint activities

course is contingent on a satisfactory

on-site course audit.

The State program provides for the

suspension, revocation, or modification

of training program accreditation and

certifications of individuals and firms.

The State lead program also conducts

outreach and compliance assistance

activities. The objective of the activities

is to educate the public and regulated

community of the hazards of lead-based

paint. The activities also inform the

public and regulated community of the

regulatory requirements applicable to

lead-based paint activities.

III. Federal Overfiling

TSCA section 404(b) makes it

unlawful for any person to violate, or

fail or refuse to comply with, any

requirement of an approved State or

Tribal program. Therefore, EPA reserves

the right to exercise its enforcement

authority under TSCA against a

violation of, or a failure or refusal to

comply with, any requirement of an

authorized State or Tribal program.

IV. Applicability of Regulatory

Assessment Requirements

EPA’s actions on State or Tribal leadbased paint activities program

applications are informal adjudications,

not rules. Therefore, the requirements of

the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C.

601 et seq.), the Congressional Review

Act (5 U.S.C. 801 et seq.), Executive

Order 12866 (‘‘Regulatory Planning and

Review,’’ 58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993),

and Executive Order 13045 (‘‘Protection

of Children from Environmental Health

Risks and Safety Risks,’’ 62 FR 1985,

April 23, 1997), do not apply to this

action. In addition, this action does not

contain any Federal mandates, and

therefore is not subject to the

requirements of the Unfunded Mandates

Reform Act (2 U.S.C. 1531-1538) or

Executive Order 12875 (‘‘Enhancing the

Intergovernmental Partnership,’’ 58 FR

58093, October 28, 1993). Finally, this

action does not contain any information

collection requirements and therefore

does not require review or approval by

OMB under the Paperwork Reduction

Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

V. Public Record and Electronic

Submissions

The official record for this action, as

well as the public version, has been

established under docket control

number ‘‘PB–402404–MS.’’ Copies of

this notice, the State of Mississippi’s

authorization application, and all

comments received on the application

are available for inspection in the

Region IV office, from 8 a.m. to 4:45

p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding

legal holidays. The docket is located at

the EPA Region IV Library,

Environmental Protection Agency,

Atlanta Federal Center, 9th Floor, 61

Forsyth St., SW., Atlanta, GA.

Commenters are encouraged to

structure their comments so as not to

contain information for which

Confidential Business Information (CBI)

claims would be made. However, any

information claimed as CBI must be

marked ‘‘confidential,’’ ‘‘CBI,’’ or with

some other appropriate designation, and

a commenter submitting such

information must also prepare a
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 137 / Friday, July 17, 1998 / Notices 38649

nonconfidential version (in duplicate)

that can be placed in the public record.

Any information so marked will be

handled in accordance with the

procedures contained in 40 CFR part 2.

Comments and information not claimed

as CBI at the time of submission will be

placed in the public record.

Electronic comments can be sent

directly to EPA at:

rudd.roseanne@epamail.epa.gov.

Electronic comments must be

submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the

use of special characters and any form

of encryption. Comments and data will

also be accepted on disks in

WordPerfect 5.1/6.1 or ASCII file

format. All comments and data in

electronic form must be identified by

the docket control number ‘‘PB–

402404–MS.’’ Electronic comments on

this document may be filed online at

many Federal Depository Libraries.

Information claimed as CBI should not

be submitted electronically.

Authority: 15 U.S.C. 2682, 2684.

List of Subjects

Environmental protection, Hazardous

substances, Lead, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements.

Dated: July 8, 1998.

A. Stanley Meiburg,

Acting Regional Administrator, Region IV.

[FR Doc. 98–19139 Filed 7–16–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–F

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

FCC Renews EAS National Advisory

Committee Charter

July 10, 1998.

In accordance with GSA Final Rule on

Federal advisory committee

management, 41 CFR 101–6.1015, the

Federal Communications Commission

(FCC) is giving official notice of the

renewal of the Emergency Alert System

National Advisory Committee (NAC).

The term of this advisory committee

runs from July 25, 1998 to July 25, 2000.

The Committee advises the FCC on all

matters concerning the Emergency Alert

System (EAS) and its implementation

including, but not limited to, emergency

alerting policies, technologies, plans,

regulations, and procedures at the

national, state and local levels. The

Committee also recommends and

develops training and education

regarding the EAS and coordinates with

state and local officials to assist in

establishing and maintaining effective

emergency alerting programs. The

Committee, in general, interfaces,

coordinates, and exchanges information

with the public, industry, and various

levels of government concerning the

EAS.

For additional information, contact

Bonnie Gay at (202) 418–1228.

Federal Communications Commission.

Magalie Roman Salas,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 98–19032 Filed 7–16–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01–M

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

[DA 98–1369]

International Traffic Data Reporting

Requirements

All common carriers that provided

international telecommunications

services in 1997 must file a report of

their international traffic data for

calendar year 1997 by July 31, 1998. The

detailed filing requirements are

contained in the ‘‘Manual for Filing

Section 43.61 Data’’ (Manual). This

Public Notice provides first a brief

overview of the Section 43.61 annual

filing requirement. Second, it

establishes additional billing codes that

‘‘facilities-based’’ and ‘‘facilities-resale’’

(described below) carriers should use to

report U.S. and foreign billed traffic that

was settled under an ‘‘alternative

settlement arrangement’’ for which the

carrier received Commission approval

under § 64.1002 of the rules, 47 CFR

64.1002. It also makes a conforming

change to the billing code for ‘‘pure

resale’’ services. Third, this notice

provides guidance to carriers with

respect to reporting: (1) Switched traffic

routed over international private lines;

(2) ‘‘country direct’’ and ‘‘country

beyond’’ services; and (3)

‘‘reorigination’’ services (foreign-billed

services which a U.S.-authorized carrier

‘‘reoriginated’’ through the United

States). Attached to this Public Notice is

a revised table of billing codes for

facilities-based and facilities-resale

services. This table sets forth the new

billing codes for facilities-based and

facilities-resale services in a form that is

intended to clarify the reporting of data

for these services. Carriers that

anticipate problems in filing their 1997

data in accordance with the guidelines

and billing codes contained in this

notice should obtain a waiver prior to

July 31.

Overview

All common carriers that billed for

international service in 1997, including

pre-paid calling card and international

call-back service providers, must file

§ 43.61 international traffic data by July

31, 1998. Some carriers do not resell

international services, but do include on

their bills to customers international

service charges clearly identified as the

charges of other carriers. Such carriers

are not required to file § 43.61

international traffic data.

The § 43.61 filing requirements

depend on both the type of service

provided and how carriers provide the

service. The simplest filing

requirements are for ‘‘pure resale’’

services. Carriers provide ‘‘pure resale’’

services by reselling the international

switched services of other U.S.-

authorized carriers. The Manual

contains simplified filing requirements

for such ‘‘pure resale’’ services. For

example, carriers report their pure

resale services on a world total (rather

than a country specific) basis, and they

may file their data on paper only (rather

than also filing on diskette).

Carriers that provided international

services over international circuits that

they own or lease must provide

significantly more information for these

services than they provide for ‘‘pure

resale’’ services. Carriers file annual

data on a country-by-country basis for

their facilities-based and facilities-resale

services and must include information

on international settlement payments

and receipts. The Manual defines

‘‘facilities-based’’ service as a service

provided using channels of

communication which the carrier owns;

or in which the carrier has an

ownership interest, such as an

indefeasible right of use (IRU); or which

the carrier leases from an entity that is

not required to report those circuits in

its own § 43.61 reports. The Manual

defines ‘‘facilities-resale’’ service as a

service provided over non-switched

international circuits leased from other

reporting international carriers. In other

contexts, the Commission refers to this

method of providing international

service as ‘‘private line resale.’’ The

routing of switched traffic over private

lines between the United States and a

foreign country has also been referred to

as ‘‘International Simple Resale (ISR).’’

The rules governing the provision of ISR

are set forth in § 63.21(a), 47 CFR

63.21(a), as amended in Rules and

Policies on Foreign Participation in the

U.S. Telecommunications Market,

Market Entry and Regulation of ForeignAffiliated Entities, IB Docket Nos. 97–

142, 95–22, Report and Order and Order

on Reconsideration, 12 FCC Rcd 23891

(1997) (62 FR 64741, December 9, 1997),

recon. pending.