EPA Announces Public Regulatory Reform Meetings on TSCA, TRI and Lead Exposure Reduction — May 1, 2017

Consistent with Executive Order 13777, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) is hosting two meetings on May 1, 2017, to solicit input on regulations promulgated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) that could be repealed, replaced, or modified to make them less burdensome.

On February 24, 2017, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 13777 on Enforcing the Regulatory Agenda. The Executive Order (EO) establishes the “policy of the United States to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens placed on the American people.” Among other things, it requires each agency to create a Regulatory Reform Task Force to evaluate existing regulations and to identify regulations that should be repealed, replaced, or modified.

OCSPP is holding two public meetings (both of which the public is invited to participate in person or via teleconference) on May 1, 2017 so that we can listen and learn from those directly impacted by our regulations.

The first meeting will be held from 9am to 12pm and will address regulations promulgated under TSCA Subchapters I (Control of Toxic Substances), II (Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response), VI (Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products), as well as EPCRA Subchapter II §11023 (Toxic chemical release forms), commonly referred to as the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). These are regulations addressing chemical risk review and reduction programs including new and existing chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyls, asbestos, mercury and formaldehyde, as well as regulations implementing the TRI.

The second meeting will be held from 1pm to 2:30pm and will address regulations promulgated under TSCA Subchapter IV (Lead Exposure Reduction). These regulations address implementation of the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, Lead Abatement Program, Residential Lead-based Paint Disclosure Rule, and Residential Hazard Standards for Lead in Paint, Dust and Soil.

We invite you to provide input on these actions during the public meeting/teleconference or by submitting written comments to the EPA-wide docket using docket number: EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190. The docket, which is accessible through www.regulations.gov,  will remain open through May 15, 2017. OCSPP will give equal consideration to input provided through either of these methods.

Additional information on joining the meetings (in person and via teleconference) and submitting written comments through the docket is below. For questions about this process, please contact Darlene Leonard at leonard.darlene@epa.gov. For more information about this effort, please visit https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/regulatory-reform.

Participating in the Meetings:

Persons interested in attending the meeting on TSCA Subchapters I, II and VI, and EPCRA Subchapter II §11023, either in person or remotely, may register at https://tsca-tri.eventbrite.com.

Those interested in participating in the meeting on TSCA Subchapter IV, either in person or remotely, may register at https://tsca-pb.eventbrite.com.

Participants must indicate their interest in speaking when registering. To attend the meeting in person or to receive remote access, please register no later than April 27, 2017.  While on-site registration will be available, seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to pre-registrants, until room capacity is reached. The Agency anticipates that approximately 150 people will be able to attend the meeting in person. For registrants not able to attend in person, the meeting will also provide remote access capabilities; registered participants will be provided information on how to connect to the meeting prior to its start.

 Providing Input through the Docket:

Comments can be submitted to the public docket, EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190, which is available at www.regulations.gov. The docket will be open until May 15, 2017.

Detailed instructions on how to submit comments to the docket are available at: https://www.regulations.gov/help. Also, EPA’s Tips for Effective Comments can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets#tips.

We also recommend that you clearly include the subject area on which you are providing input at the beginning of your comment. The subject area could include, but is not limited to, a reference to any of the following:

  • Code of Federal Regulations regulatory cite or Part/Subpart;
  • Federal Register citation;
  • Regulatory program or rulemaking title;
  • Title of guidance document.

EPA NEWS: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is soliciting public comments on its evaluation of existing regulations per Executive Order 13777, “Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda.”

All public comments will be accessible online in our docket on the regulations.gov website ( https://www.regulations.gov/?tab=search ) identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190 at (https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190).
You may offer public comment regarding implementation of regulatory reforms to programs including the Superfund cleanup program. The EPA Headquarters office that oversees the Superfund program, the Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) (https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-land-and-emergency-management), will host a public meeting to obtain public feedback on May 9, 2017, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time in Arlington, VA.  Additionally, the Office of Water (OW) (https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-water) will hold a virtual listening session for the public on May 2, 2017 from 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.
For more information about the public participation in regulatory reform, please visit https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/regulatory-reform#Public 

Ecology News: Draft Rulemaking Chapter 173-350 WAC Solid Waste Handling Standards

Draft Rulemaking Chapter 173-350 WAC  Solid Waste Handling Standards

 

Comments on the draft rulemaking from Jeff Donovan: Cochran vs Sediment-Soil Standards (3)From Jeff Donovan_solid waste rule

Here is the timeline for involvement:  http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/rules/wac173350/1308time.html

Comments are due September 6, 2016.

Of particular interest are the soil and sediment standards:  http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/rules/pdf/Ch173350focus235995.pdf

And Appendix I in 173-350-995.

A copy of the marked up rule can be found at  http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/rules/pdf/Ch173350PrelimDraftPub.pdf)