Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 146 /Thursday, July 30, 1998 / Proposed Rules 40683

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

40 CFR Chapter I

[FRL–6132–4]

Public Meeting to Discuss Issues

Associated with Regulation of Cooling

Water Intake Structures

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection

Agency will hold a public meeting to

discuss specific issues associated with

the development of regulations under

section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act

applicable to cooling water intake

structures. The purpose of this meeting

is to facilitate an exchange of

information that will assist EPA in

developing regulatory options relating

to: determining what is best technology

available (BTA); the role of cost

determinations in implementing section

316(b) and, the role of mitigation in

minimizing adverse environmental

impacts from cooling water intake

structures. This is a follow-on public

meeting to the one the Agency held on

June 29, 1998 (63 FR 27958, May 21,

1998) to discuss issues associated with

defining and measuring adverse

environmental impacts from cooling

water intake structures. The meeting is

open to the public.

DATES: The public meeting will be held

on Thursday, September 10, 1998 and

Friday, September 11, 1998. On

Thursday, the meeting will begin

promptly at 10:00 a.m. and end at

approximately 4:30 p.m. On Friday, the

meeting will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m.

and conclude at approximately 12:00

noon.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, 625 First

Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. For

reservation information see

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Deborah Nagle, senior project manager,

Office of Wastewater Management

(4203), U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, 401 M Street SW, Washington,

DC 20460; phone number is (202) 260–

2656 and E-mail address is

nagle.deborah@epa.gov. For any updates

on the issues that EPA will discuss at

the meeting, refer to EPA’s 316(b) web

site at http://www.epa.gov/owm/

316b.htm. To register for the meeting,

please contact Betty Peterson of SAIC

via FAX at (703) 903–1374 or via mail

at 1710 Goodridge Drive (1–11–7),

McLean, VA 22102. Please register by

September 3, 1998.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1995,

EPA entered into a Consent Decree that

requires the Agency, no later than July

2, 1999, to propose regulations under

section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act,

33 U.S.C. 1326(b), and to take final

action with respect to the regulations no

later than August 13, 2001. The Agency

is currently developing these

regulations for proposal. Section 316(b)

provides that any standard established

pursuant to section 301 or 306 of the

Clean Water Act and applicable to a

point source shall require that the

location, design, construction, and

capacity of cooling water intake

structures reflect the best technology

available for minimizing adverse

environmental impact. A primary

purpose of section 316(b) is to minimize

the impingement and entrainment of

fish and other aquatic organisms as they

are drawn into a facility’s cooling water

intake.

The public meeting will focus on the

following topics:

(1) BTA. The BTA determination is a

critical element in implementing section

316(b). The Agency seeks input from

stakeholders on appropriate

technologies for satisfying the

requirement of section 316(b) that the

location, design, construction, and

capacity of cooling water intake

structures reflect the best technology

currently available for minimizing

adverse environmental impact from

cooling water intake structures.

(2) Role of Costs in Implementing

section 316(b). EPA seeks input on how

cost should or should not be considered

in implementing section 316(b).

(3) Mitigation. EPA is considering

whether the section 316(b) regulations

should include a national standard on

the use of mitigation in minimizing

adverse environmental impacts. EPA

seeks input on whether and how to

apply such a standard.

The public meeting will be divided

into three discussion periods. Each

discussion period will address one of

the three topics outlined above. EPA

will initiate the discussion in each

period by defining the issue. EPA

expects that stakeholders will then

continue the discussion by providing

their views. EPA does not intend for the

public meeting to be a forum for formal

testimony. However, EPA will accept

written comments on the three issues at

the meeting or until October 5, 1998.

The meeting will be held at the

Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, 625 First

Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. A

block of sleeping rooms has been

reserved at the hotel for the nights of

Wednesday, September 9 and Thursday,

September 10. Contact the hotel to make

reservations at (703) 548–6300. The

rooms are listed under ‘‘U.S. EPA

Section 316(b) Meeting.’’

The hotel can be reached via hotel

shuttle bus from Washington’s National

Airport (baggage claim area of Gate 5 in

the new terminal). The shuttle runs on

the half hour. The blue and yellow lines

of Washington’s subway system (Metro)

stop at National Airport. The closest

subway stop to the hotel is the ‘‘King

Street’’ metro station. It is

approximately 9 blocks from the hotel

and is also on the blue and yellow lines

of the subway system.

Tudor T. Davies,

Director, Office of Science and Technology.

[FR Doc. 98–20284 Filed 7–29–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–M

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

40 CFR Part 281

[FRL–6130–6]

Virginia; Approval of Underground

Storage Tank Program

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of tentative

determination on Virginia’s application

for approval of underground storage

tank program, public hearing and public

comment period.

SUMMARY: The Commonwealth of

Virginia (State) has applied for approval

of its underground storage tank program

under Subtitle I of the Resource

Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

The Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) has reviewed the State’s

application and has made the tentative

decision that the State’s underground

storage tank program satisfies all of the

requirements necessary to qualify for

approval. The State’s application for

approval is available for public review

and comment. A public hearing will be

held to solicit comments on the

application unless insufficient public

interest is expressed.

DATES: Unless insufficient public

interest is expressed in holding a

hearing, a public hearing will be held on

September 11, 1998. However, EPA

reserves the right to cancel the public

hearing if sufficient public interest in a

hearing is not communicated to EPA in

writing by September 4, 1998. EPA will

determine by September 9, 1998,

whether there is sufficient interest to

hold the public hearing. The State will

participate in any public hearing held

by EPA on this subject. All written

comments on the State’s application for