Source: http://govpulse.us/entries/2005/12/19/05-24196/tsca-inventory-update-reporting-revisions
Timestamp: 2014-03-12 17:20:08
Document Index: 441760294

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 710', 'art 710', 'art 710', 'art 710', 'art 710', 'art 710', 'art 710']

govpulse | TSCA Inventory Update Reporting Revisions
TSCA Inventory Update Reporting Revisions
EPA is amending the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) section 8(a) Inventory Update Reporting (IUR) regulations. The IUR currently requires manufacturers (including importers) of certain chemical substances listed on the TSCA Chemical Substances Inventory to report data on chemical manufacturing, processing, and use every 4 years. In this amendment, EPA is extending the reporting cycle, modifying the timing of the submission period, further clarifying the new partial exemption for specific chemicals for which certain IUR data are of low current interest, amending the petroleum refinery process streams partial exemption, amending the list of consumer and commercial product categories, revising the manner in which production volume would be reported, restricting reporting of processing and use information to domestic processing and use activities only, clarifying the polymer exemption definition, and removing a provision regarding the confidentiality of production volume within specified ranges.
C. What is the Inventory Update Reporting (IUR) Regulation?
D. What Changes are Being Made by the Agency to the IUR regulation?
III. Materials in the Rulemaking Record
K. Executive Order 12988
CAS Numbers of Partially Exempt Substances Termed “Petroleum Process Streams” for Purposes of Inventory Update Reporting
Codes for Reporting Commercial and Consumer Product Categories
This final rule is effective on January 18, 2006.
EPA has established a docket for this action under docket identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2004-0106. All documents in the docket are listed on the www.regulations.gov web site. (EDOCKET, EPA's electronic public docket and comment system was replaced on November 25, 2005, by an enhanced federal-wide electronic docket management and comment system located at http://www.regulations.gov/. Follow the on-line instructions.) Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, i.e., confidential business information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, will not be placed on the Internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically in EDOCKET or in hard copy at the OPPT Docket, EPA Docket Center, EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The EPA Docket Center Reading Room telephone number is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the OPPT Docket, which is located in the EPA Docket Center, is (202) 566-0280.
Colby Lintner, Regulatory Coordinator, Environmental AssistanceDivision (7408M), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (202) 554-1404; e-mail address:TSCA-Hotline@epa.gov.
For technical information contact: Susan Sharkey, Project Manager, Economics, Exposure and Technology Division (7406M), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (202) 564-8789; e-mail address:sharkey.susan@epa.gov.
I. General Information ↑
A. Does this Action Apply to Me? ↑
You may be potentially affected by this action if you manufacture (defined by statute at 15 U.S.C. 2602(7) to include import) chemical substances, including inorganic chemical substances, subject to reporting under the TSCA Inventory Update Reporting (IUR) regulations at 40 CFR part 710. Any use of the term “manufacture” in this document will encompass “import,” unless otherwise stated. Potentially affected entities may include, but are not limited to:
Chemical manufacturers and importers, including chemical manufacturers and importers of inorganic chemical substances (North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) codes 325, 32411).
This listing is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a guide for readers regarding entities likely to be affected by this action. Other types of entities not listed in this unit could also be affected. The NAICS codes have been provided to assist you and others in determining whether this action might apply to certain entities. To determine whether you or your business may be affected by this action, you should carefully examine the applicability provisions at 40 CFR 710.48. If you have any questions regarding the applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the technical contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
B. How Can I Access Electronic Copies of this Document and Other Related Information? ↑
In addition to using EDOCKET (http://www.epa.gov/edocket), you may access this Federal Register document electronically through the EPA Internet under the “Federal Register” listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/. A frequently updated electronic version of 40 CFR part 710 is available on E-CFR Beta Site Two at http://
www.gpoaccess.gov/ecfr/.
A. What Action is the Agency Taking? ↑
Through this action, EPA is promulgating amendments to the IUR regulations that were proposed on January 26, 2005 (70 FR 3658) (FRL-7332-2), taking into consideration comments received on the proposed rule. The amendments to the IUR regulation that are contained in this final rule pertain to 40 CFR Part 710, Subpart C--Inventory Update Reporting for 2006 and Beyond. The following is a brief listing of the changes made to the IUR regulations via this rule. These changes are described in more detail in Unit II.D., along with a summary of the comments received and the Agency's response to those comments.
First, EPA is amending 40 CFR 710.43, 40 CFR 710.46, 40 CFR 710.48, and 40 CFR 710.52 to change the reporting cycle from 4 years to 5 years.
Second, EPA is amending 40 CFR 710.53 to adjust the dates of the submission period within which manufacturers and importers must report IUR data to EPA. For data required to be submitted in 2006, the submission period remains August 25 to December 23, 2006. Beginning in 2010 and for each subsequent submission period, the submission period will begin June 1 and end September 30. EPA is also clarifying the recordkeeping requirements by identifying that the 5-year record retention period begins on the last day of the submission period.
Third, EPA is clarifying the partial exemption for petroleum process streams and amending 40 CFR 710.46(b)(1) to add certain petroleum process streams to the listing.
Fourth, EPA is amending 40 CFR 710.46(b)(2) to add an explanation that, for the partial exemption for chemicals for which the IUR processing and use information is of low current interest, petitions must include a written rationale for suggested additions of a chemical to or deletions of a chemical from the list of partially exempt chemical substances.
Fifth, EPA is further amending 40 CFR 710.46 to remove the references to the 1985 edition of the TSCA Inventory from paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (ii).
Sixth, EPA is amending 40 CFR 710.52(c)(4)(ii)(A) to change the list of commercial and consumer product use categories by adding a new category.
Seventh, EPA is amending 40 CFR 710.52(c)(3)(iv) to require separate reporting of manufacture and import volumes.
Eighth, EPA is amending 40 CFR 710.52(c)(4) to limit the reporting of processing and use information to domestic processing and use activities only.
Ninth, EPA is removing the provision regarding the confidentiality of production volume information within specified ranges (40 CFR 710.52(c)(3)(v)).
B. What is the Agency's Authority for Taking this Action? ↑
EPA is required under TSCA section 8(b), 15 U.S.C. 2607(b), to compile and keep current an inventory of chemical substances manufactured or processed in the United States. This inventory is known as the TSCA Chemical Substances Inventory (the TSCA Inventory). In 1977, EPA promulgated a rule (42 FR 64572, December 23, 1977) under TSCA section 8(a), 15 U.S.C. 2607(a), to compile an inventory of chemical substances in commerce at that time. In 1986, EPA promulgated the initial IUR regulation under TSCA section 8(a) at 40 CFR part 710 (51 FR 21438, June 12, 1986) to facilitate the periodic updating of the TSCA Inventory and to support activities associated with the implementation of TSCA. In 2003, EPA promulgated extensive amendments to the IUR regulation (68 FR 848, January 7, 2003) (FRL-6767-4) (2003 Amendments) to collect exposure-related information associated with the manufacturing, processing, and use of eligible chemical substances and to make certain other changes (Ref. 1).
TSCA section 8(a)(1) authorizes the EPA Administrator to promulgate rules under which manufacturers and processors of chemical substances and mixtures (referred to hereinafter as chemical substances) must maintain such records and submit such information as the Administrator may reasonably require. TSCA section 8(a) generally excludes small manufacturers and processors of chemical substances from the reporting requirements established in TSCA section 8(a). However, EPA is authorized by TSCA section 8(a)(3) to require TSCA section 8(a) reporting from small manufacturers and processors with respect to any chemical substance that is the subject of a rule proposed or promulgated under TSCA section 4, 5(b)(4), or 6, or that is the subject of an order under TSCA section 5(e), or that is the subject of relief that has been granted pursuant to a civil action under TSCA section 5 or 7. The standard for determining whether an entity qualifies as a smallmanufacturer for purposes of 40 CFR part 710 generally is found at 40 CFR 704.3. Processors are not currently subject to the regulations at 40 CFR part 710.
C. What is the Inventory Update Reporting (IUR) Regulation? ↑
The data reported pursuant to the IUR regulations are used to update the information maintained on the TSCA Inventory. EPA uses the TSCA Inventory and data reported under the IUR regulation to support many TSCA-related activities and to provide overall support for a number of EPA and other federal health, safety, and environmental protection activities. The IUR regulations, as amended by the 2003 Amendments (Ref. 1), require U.S. manufacturers (including importers) of chemicals listed on the TSCA Inventory to report to EPA every 4 years the identity of chemical substances manufactured (including imported) during the reporting year in quantities of 25,000 pounds or more at any single site they own or control (see 40 CFR part 710, subpart C). The IUR regulation generally excludes several groups of chemical substances from its reporting requirements, i.e., polymers, microorganisms, naturally occurring chemical substances, and certain natural gas substances (40 CFR 710.46). Persons manufacturing or importing chemical substances are required to report information such as company name, site location and other identifying information, production volume of the reportable chemical substance, and exposure-related information associated with the manufacture of each reportable chemical substance, including the physical form and maximum concentration of the chemical substance and the number of potentially exposed workers (40 CFR 710.52).
Manufacturers (including importers) of chemicals in larger volumes (i.e., 300,000 lbs. or more manufactured (including imported) during the reporting year at any single site) are additionally required to report certain processing and use information (40 CFR 710.52(c)(4)). This information includes process or use category, NAICS code, industrial function category, percent production volume associated with each process or use category, number of use sites, number of potentially exposed workers, and consumer/commercial information such as use category, use in or on products intended for use by children, and maximum concentration.
For the 2006 submission period, manufacturers (including importers) of inorganic chemical substances will be required to report for the first time. However, for the 2006 submission period only, manufacturers (including importers) of inorganic chemical substances will be partially exempt from reporting under IUR regulations, regardless of production volume. A partial exemption means that a submitter is exempt from the processing and use reporting requirements described in 40 CFR 710.52(c)(4). After the 2006 submission period, the partial exemption for inorganic chemicals will no longer be applicable and submitters will fully report information on inorganic chemical substances, including information on processing and use (