[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 203 (Friday, October 21, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61289-61290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-21094]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-7983-8; E-Docket ID No. ORD-2005-0021]
Additional Proposed Indicators for the U.S. EPA's 2007 Report on
the Environment
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of public comment period.
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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing a 30-day public review and comment period on
several Additional Proposed Indicators--EPA ROE 2007. These proposed
indicators are in addition to the proposed indicators that were the
subject of a June 6, 2005, Federal Register notice (70 FR 32769) that
announced both a public comment period and an independent peer-review
workshop that was held on July 27-29, 2005. Several of these additional
indicators were added in response to comments from the first peer-
review regarding additional indicators needed. Others were evaluated
during the first review but have changed substantially and therefore
warrant re-review; and a few are indicators for which materials were
not ready at the time of the initial review. In addition to the public
comment period, this set of additional proposed indicators will also
undergo independent expert peer-review. The peer-review for this
smaller set will be conducted via letter review. ERG, an EPA contractor
for external scientific peer-review, is conducting this independent,
external, peer-review and will engage the same expert panel that
reviewed the first set of proposed ROE 2007 indicators. This public
comment period, however, provides an opportunity for all stakeholders
to weigh in on the primary contents of the draft 2007 Report on the
Environment (EPA ROE 2007) at an early stage. In preparing the EPA ROE
2007, EPA will consider ERG's report of the comments and
recommendations from this expert peer-review and any public comments
EPA receives in accordance with today's notice.
EPA is releasing these proposed indicators for public comment and
for the purpose of pre-dissemination peer-review under applicable
information quality guidelines. These indicators have not been formally
disseminated by EPA. They do not represent and should not be construed
to represent any Agency policy or determination.
DATES: The 30-day public comment period begins October 21, 2005, and
ends November 21, 2005. Comments must be postmarked by November 21,
2005.
ADDRESSES: The Additional Proposed Indicators--EPA ROE 2007 are
available primarily via the Internet at: www.epa.gov/ROEindicators.
Each of the proposed additional indicators can be downloaded separately
from this Web site in the PDF format. A limited number of electronic
copies on compact disc (CD) are available from the National Center for
Environmental Assessment's Technical Information Staff, NCEA-W;
telephone: 202-564-3261; facsimile: 202-565-0050. If you are requesting
a CD, please provide your name, your mailing address, and the document
title, ``Additional Proposed Indicators--EPA ROE 2007.''
Public comments may be submitted electronically via EPA's E-Docket,
by mail, by facsimile, or by hand delivery/courier. Please follow the
detailed instructions for submission of public comments as provided in
the section of this notice entitled SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the public comment
period, contact the OEI Docket; telephone: 202-566-1752; facsimile:
202-566-1753; or e-mail: ORD.Docket@epa.gov.
If you have technical questions about the Additional Proposed
Indicators--EPA ROE 2007, contact: Julie Damon, National Center for
Environmental Assessment (8601D), U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 202-564-3404; facsimile: 202-565-
0065; or e-mail: damon.julie@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
About the Report on the Environment and the Proposed Indicators--EPA
ROE 2007
In June 2003, EPA published its first national Draft Report on the
Environment, using available indicators and data to answer questions
pertaining to national environmental and human health conditions. At
that time, EPA released two companion documents--one for readers with a
general interest in the environment (Draft Report on the Environment
Public Report) and another for more technical readers (Draft Report on
the Environment Technical Document). These draft documents utilized
indicators to describe the then current environmental conditions,
trends, and data gaps.
Shortly after the release of the 2003 draft documents, EPA
announced that it planned to release the next Report on the Environment
in 2007. Activities related to the development of EPA's 2007 ROE have
been ongoing since release of the 2003 draft documents. As in 2003, EPA
anticipates the 2007 ROE will include the release of two paper
documents--one for readers with a general interest in the environment
(a Public Report) and another for more technical readers (a Technical
Document). EPA also intends to make the information in the 2007 ROE
available as an interactive, searchable Web site--the ``e-ROE.'' The
Technical Document will provide the scientific foundation for the more
general Public Report and the e-ROE. EPA plans to use the Technical
Document to present and discuss indicators that are currently available
to answer the questions posed in the ROE 2007.
EPA encourages the public to submit comments on whether these
additional indicators proposed to be included in the EPA ROE 2007
Technical Document are supported by data that are technically sound,
meet the established indicator definition and criteria, and help answer
the questions posed in the ROE 2007. In addition, EPA welcomes comments
on any other aspect of the proposed indicators that the public would
like to share with the Agency. After ERG provides EPA with a report of
the peer-review on these additional proposed indicators, as well as the
report resulting from the July 2005 peer-review workshop, EPA will
consider ERG's report and the public comments. Any resulting revisions
to the proposed indicators or any changes to the list of proposed
indicators will be discussed within EPA and with our federal agency
partners. The external review draft of the EPA ROE 2007 Technical
Document is expected in summer/fall 2006.
How To Submit Comments to EPA's E-Docket
EPA has established an official public docket for information
pertaining to the Additional Proposed Indicators--EPA ROE 2007, Docket
ID No. ORD-2005-0021. The official public docket is the collection of
materials, excluding Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other
information for which disclosure is restricted by statute, that is
available for public viewing at the Office of Environmental Information
(OEI) Docket in the Headquarters EPA Docket Center, EPA West Building,
Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave.,
[[Page 61290]]
NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open
from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal
holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is 202-566-
1744, and the telephone number for the OEI Docket is 202-566-1752;
facsimile: 202-566-1753; or e-mail: ORD.Docket@epa.gov.
An electronic version of the official public docket is available
through EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, E-Docket.
You may use E-Docket at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view
public comments, to access the index of the contents of the official
public docket, and to view those documents in the public docket that
are available electronically. Once in the system, select ``search,''
then key in the appropriate docket identification number.
Certain types of information will not be placed in E-Docket.
Information claimed as CBI and other information for which disclosure
is restricted by statute are not included in the official public docket
and also will not be available for public viewing in E-Docket.
Copyrighted material will not be placed in E-Docket, but will be
referenced there and available as printed material in the official
public docket.
If you intend to submit comments to EPA, please note that it is EPA
policy to make comments available for public viewing just as they are
received at the EPA Docket Center or in E-Docket. This policy applies
to information submitted electronically or in paper form, except where
restricted by copyright, CBI, or statute. When EPA identifies a comment
containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference to that
material in the version of the comment placed in EPA's electronic
public docket; the entire printed comment, including the copyrighted
material, will be available in the official public docket.
Public comments submitted on computer disks that are mailed or
delivered to the docket will be transferred to E-Docket. Physical
objects will be photographed, where practical, and the photograph will
be placed in E-Docket along with a brief description written by the
docket staff.
You may submit comments electronically, by mail, by facsimile, or
by hand delivery/courier. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, include the
appropriate docket identification number with your submission. Please
adhere to the specified submitting period; public comments received
past the closing date will be marked ``late'' and may only be
considered if time permits.
If you submit public comments electronically, EPA recommends that
you include your name, mailing address, and an e-mail address or other
contact information in the body of your comment. Also include these
contact details on the outside of any submitted disk or CD-ROM, and in
any cover letter accompanying the disk or CD-ROM. This ensures that you
can be identified as the person submitting the comment and allows EPA
to contact you in case the Agency cannot read your submission due to
technical difficulties, or needs further information on the substance
of your comment. EPA will not edit your comment, and any identifying or
contact information provided in the body of the comment will be
included as part of the comment placed in the official public docket
and made available in E-Docket. If EPA cannot read what you submit due
to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, it
may delay or preclude EPA's consideration of your comments.
Electronic submission of comments via E-Docket is the preferred
method for receiving comments. To access EPA's electronic public docket
from the EPA Internet Home Page, select ``Information Sources,''
``Dockets,'' and ``EPA Dockets.'' Once in the system, select
``search,'' and key in Docket ID No. ORD-2005-0021. The system is an
``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your
identity, e-mail address, or other contact details unless you provide
it in the body of your comment.
Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to
ORD.Docket@epa.gov, Attention Docket ID No. ORD-2005-0021. In contrast
to EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail system is not an
``anonymous access'' system. If you send an e-mail directly to the
docket without going through EPA's E-Docket, EPA's e-mail system
automatically captures your e-mail address, and it becomes part of the
information in the official public docket and is made available in E-
Docket.
You may submit comments on a disk or CD-ROM mailed to the OEI
Docket mailing address. Files will be accepted in WordPerfect, Word, or
PDF file format. Avoid the use of special characters and any form of
encryption. If you provide comments in writing, please submit one
unbound original with pages numbered consecutively, and three copies.
For attachments, provide an index, number pages consecutively with the
main text, and submit an unbound original and three copies.
Dated: October 6, 2005.
Peter Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 05-21094 Filed 10-20-05; 8:45 am]
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